"Beckenbauer obviously a bit of a surprise there." "...and Confucius, he say, 'Name go in book'" I like how the two linesmen, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine, have halos over their heads.
Not only has the coronavirus cancelled sports season and tournaments, it's cancelled the most cheesy singing competition on the planet. The Eurovision singing contest was supposed to happen in Amsterdam this year, but it has been cancelled. If you want to see just what the definition of "cheesy" is, these were supposed to be the entries this year. Or you can just watch this one from Russia. The fat guy is really, really into the song.
I love this thing. We have our moronic reality shows (which Europe has plenty of as well, to be fair) but nothing of this level of just flat out hilarious entertainment
So count me as excited to watch the 2009 MLS cup on the RSL site. I had it recorded for years and then lost it on my recordings. A great night that I look forward to seeing again.
Here's a great piece on David Ochoa from The Athletic, including some in-depth analysis of where he's at as a goalkeeper.
Some RSL news that hasn't been on here: RSL Soapbox posted a rumor (with an "internal source" referenced) that the club had planned on laying off/furloughing employees last week. This is an interesting story in and of itself. Without expanding into discussions of other clubs in MLS, let alone the US or the soccer world, this looks a strange and pretty knee jerk move. Are we to believe the club is that financially strapped that they couldn't even last a month of paying wages? Does DLH not have his own personal wealth to lean on? Is it fair to say he should? Is the word "fair" even "fair" - these workers didn't perform poorly. They couldn't perform period. So many points of this to talk about
This is allegedly an email sent to Minnesota United employees a few day’s ago. Sad to report @MNUFC has the WORST response to the COVID-19 crisis in MLS.While many other teams are paying staff the wages they need, United and its billionaire owner have a message for their employees: “uh... we hear Pepsi’s hiring!”The Team’s email: pic.twitter.com/XIy6WFoMhj— Red Loons (@RedLoons) March 25, 2020 Perhaps they have determined that this isn’t a month or even two months of wages.
Honestly, I'd be surprised if the season doesn't just gets abandoned at this point. Even if it does open, will you attend the games? I'll watch empty stadiums from home. Hell, I'd even pay a subscription fee if it helped the team/league.
I have this same fear of "going back to life", especially this summer. All expectations are that this virus will fade in the warmer months and then resurface (potentially stronger) in the fall/winter. That's horrifying. I coach and ref youth soccer. This involves constantly being within 6 feet of kids and giving them a high five. I don't want to transmit this thing to another kid/family. I sit on the top row of section 14, with the ADA seats right next to me. The fear of me having it, coughing, and passing to one of them is insane. Sending my kids to school with the fear of an idiot with a gun was one thing. Now I've got to worry about another family not taking this as seriously as they should once we go back to normal.
Idiots are a real concern. My bigger concern is that for so many people and families, not going to work means being out on the street with no healthcare, no help, no nothing. When parents get sick, calling in is not an option. Think of all these "contractors" (not construction) and those in the service industry. Working through the illness was a sign of determination and perseverance; to be lauded. This is not acceptable to me anymore. It is not acceptable that getting ill can cost you your job, irreparably damage your credit, or bankrupt you, and put you and your family in peril. And to think, it is widely believed that the wealthy are the ones who spread this ********ing thing around the world, and then they get to retreat to their yachts and private islands to sit it out. I'm stuck with a 9-month-old and a 3-year-old with no daycare. I may have to lay myself off of work so my wife can continue her career. And I'm wealthy and fortunate!
What a ********ing joke. Minnesota is owned by some insanely wealthy individuals. ******** them all. Also, the RSL rumor, I listened to a podcast by Sam Steskjal where he brought up that DLH bought a ********ing coin not to long ago for over a million dollars. But, hey, the season might not go on so lets lay off all these folks that rely on this job for their lives.
The Minnesota one was apparently sent as part of 4-5 messages to all employees, and this was to game day only people - concessions, ticket takers, vendors.
the kind of people that likely are very hard hit by this... And, even more egg on the face of the owner, these folks likely have the lowest levels of pay
I don't know. Laying them off allows them to apply for unemployment, whereas keeping them on and not giving them hours (because, what are they going to do?) is much, much worse.
If they don’t have a second job then laying them off might be better considering the additional unemployment money from the federal government through the end of July. on the other hand if it’s a second job for them pay them.
For hourly employees how does the insurance benefit work if you are laid off from a job which has them vs remaining on the payroll and not getting hours ?
Feels like a dick move from billionaire owners to lay off staff. The monetary hit is pocket change for them. In the long run, that could mean less people wanting to work there. Even if unemployment might be a little higher due to the bailout, I think if I were in that position, I'd rather keep my job and get my normal salary. With how many people are going to be laid off over the duration of this, I'd much rather know I have a job to come back to, instead of having to fight with everyone else for all the jobs that will be freed up. I also don't feel like the same amount of jobs will open up at first. I can see it being a bit slower as businesses are trying to recover. If you laid off 100 employees, it wouldn't surprise me to see them rehire 50-75 people at first and then maybe building up from there. I feel for people because I think there's going to be a lot of lost jobs even after businesses open up. I'd much rather keep my current salary vs a potential higher amount through unemployment.
I’ve been reading about hopeful serological advances in the development of quick antibody tests. Potentially a test that will let you know if you have COVID-19 antibodies in 15 seconds. So an individual who is no longer shedding and has probable immunity can go back to work. Because I am who I am the thought occurred to me, “so those people who can demonstrate this immunity first will have a competitive advantage as businesses begin to bring people back on and hire again.” Scenario: Old boss: “Hey, Jim. I have your job application in front of me. Glad you made it through this thing. We would be thrilled to have you back. You were a valued member of our team for 15 years prior to the pandemic.” Jim: “I can’t wait to begin managing the Regional Office again. I’m chomping at the bit”. Old boss: “ Uh, that’s not the job. Do you remember Don, he was a picker at the Vernal warehouse? “ Jim: “No, can’t say I do.” Old boss: “ Well, he was one of the first to show antibodies and we hired him to be the Acting Regional Office Manager. He’s, frankly, been outstanding in that role and we removed the Acting status.” Jim: “What job are you hiring me for?” Old boss: “Can you relocate to Vernal?”