Posts made by ajvan

@justanotherfan Great summary, thanks.

@Marco said in Self Has Covid:

I mean, I just do not understand why roughly 43% of America has chosen to not get vaccined? “Well, it wasn’t fully studied, was rushed!” Man, what is ever “fully” studied? And the craziest part? Of that 43%, many - and putting it out there, I am not a so-called liberal - are among those that complained the loudest about our economy being shutdown.

A few reasons off the top of my head:

1. They’ve already had covid.
2. They realize they could get the vaccine and still get covid.
3. They realize they could get the vaccine and still transmit covid.
4. They realize they could get the vaccine and still be told to mask up.
5. Therefore, 1-4), they don’t see the point.
6. They have unanswered questions about the vaccine that aren’t publicly discussed.
7. They see people who raise questions about the vaccine being censored.
8. 6-7) They don’t like being told what to think or what to do.
9. They’re young and/or healthy and statistically not at risk.
10. They don’t have at-risk folks in their lives they worry about.
11. The older folks they care about aren’t worried about covid.
12. They don’t like being shamed into decisions.
13. They don’t trust big Pharm.
14. They view the vaccine as a real-time experiment without a proven track record.
15. They’re anti-vaxxers across the board.

…and so on. People usually don’t do things for no reason—often many reasons. You may not like their reasons but that doesn’t mean reasons don’t exist.

@RockkChalkk Copy and paste.

@Crimsonorblue22 I’ve got some beachfront KS property…

I just took my kid to a 2-day Adidas tournament with even stricter protocols than NCAA ball. Constant spraying with disinfectant (even though the virus is airborne). Players “socially distanced” and masked on the bench. All coach communications delivered from 6’ away.

Everyone on the sidelines was rolling their eyes—even the refs in charge of enforcing the charade. Because on the court, the kids are breathing in each other’s faces, diving into loose ball scrums, swapping sweat and (yeah, gross) saliva every possession.

Good thing they’re statistically invulnerable to covid.

But yeah, by all means let’s sit 6’ apart on the sidelines.

Wilson reminds me of D. Lawson in his non-jumping, but his game has a lot more junkyard dog.

They’re SoCiAlLy DiStAncCiNg from the guys they’re around constantly every day. #virtuesignaling

What I find absurd is the players sitting 6’ feet apart on the sideline. What exactly is that accomplishing?

The influx of the elderly into hospitals seems to indicate that we’re not doing a great job protecting our senior citizens. This isn’t a new problem and dates way back to when the virus first arrived and was allowed to run rampant in nursing homes.

Or, conversely, it indicates that they are sick of the preventive measures and prefer to take risks in order to see people they care about (like most of my neighbors and my own parents).

One thing it doesn’t do is make is a compelling case for shutting down schools, the economy, etc.

Hey all, I never know whether to weigh in on non-bball topics because…politics on the internet (sigh) But it feels good to talk about it so here goes. The latest & biggest-to-date study out of Denmark, a couple days ago, concluded what many of us already know: wearing a mask will not keep you from getting covid, and may/may not keep you from spreading it.

Personally, I got the vid while taking safety precautions from someone else who was doing the same. My assumption is that we’ll all be exposed eventually because the virus is in no hurry. It will wait. Statistically, the chances of dying from covid are 1/5000, with the great majority of those deaths folks 80 and older with comorbidities. To me, it makes sense to protect the senior citizens (those who want to be protected) while the rest of us take basic precautions and go on with our lives. Senior citizens deserve to choose whether they want to isolate and keep their families at bay. So do kids re: school. Kids 14 and under are impervious to this thing (under 100 deaths nationally). Shutting down schools “for the kids” is insane and won’t stop the virus anyway.

My small business was hit hard in the first round of lockdowns, so of course I have a vested interest. Round 2 may be the end, since I don’t have the luxury of staying home and drawing a paycheck. Asking—let’s be real, compelling—millions of small business owners to take a hit on behalf of those who can work remotely is crazy.

“If everyone masks up for a few weeks”…the virus will still be here. It’s not leaving.

JoJo filled the stat sheet, but I think he’d be more effective with more energy, which probably equates to losing 10-15 lbs or more. Sluggish at times.

In case you missed it, The Basketball Tournament (TBT) kicked off yesterday on July 4.

After last year’s debacle with Perry going down and everyone else playing like s*^t, it’s not a big surprise that there’s no KU alumni team.

I can also save you the trouble of asking whether any Jayhawks are playing in the tourney: Nope. As of yesterday, Tyshawn Taylor and Nadir Tharpe got bounced along with the rest of the Stillwater Stars. They glommed on to the OK St alumni team and it didn’t go well.

On the bright side…and despite my disappointment in any real Jayhawk representation…it’s great to see live basketball again! Some of the stories are fun, like when you’ve got little-known brothers from Marshall shooting lights out.

I actually meant this to be a fun post, so ignore my opening lines and check out the TBT if you’re feeling hoops-deprived. It’s a spectacle.

@Texas-Hawk-10 “deliberately ignoring the historical connotations of these phrases…”

If you’re making the argument that America First is a racist organization with a history of racism, that’s fine. I haven’t done the research and don’t intend to. But I’ve met plenty of people who use the phrases “strong borders,” “Christian values,” etc., and there’s no coded message. They’re not in on the joke. When people start claiming to know what another person really meant when he said that, things get ridiculous.

@mayjay “I’m not aware that the character of a victim of murder has anything to do with it. Passing a counterfeit bill, or doing so while being a drug user, is not a capital offense.”

Not sure what I said you’re responding to here.

@Texas-Hawk-10 “So when you combine that kid’s statement with the fact that he’s president of an organization whose stated values are “Strong borders, traditional families, the American worker, and Christian values,” it becomes very difficult not view his statement as implicitly racist.”

Alternative: maybe not everyone in favor of these things is a racist.

@mayjay “He purposely, not accidentally, directly sarcastic language toward the victim of what most of the country saw as a modern lynching. As a symbol of a race-equality movement”

Many, many people have a problem with the way Floyd’s character has been polished up (after his death) to fit the narrative. Many of them are not racist. Many of them aren’t white. What was done to Floyd was evil, but he’s far from a unifying figure…which is why people are pushing back, often in stupid and caustic ways. But free speech means everyone gets to have an opinion.

Insensitive, yeah. Poorly timed, sure. Racist, not unless you have access to the inner workings of this kid’s mind and can somehow prove his intent.

The thought policing and finger-pointing these days is Salem witch-hunt crazy.

Super cool that Self & co are producing them.

I need to get caught up on these.

I love a good midrange game…

@approxinfinity Way to follow your heart!

Almost killed me to pick Manning over Mason.

For what it’s worth, The Athletic agrees with your assessment. They had Azubuike going beast mode for the win over MSU as well.

Thanks for the ride, HEM. Enjoyed it. Happy Udoka got his fanfiction moment in the spotlight.

@SlickRockJayhawk I tend to think the guy with the highest ceiling is Ochai. Maybe even Braun before McCormack.

@wissox It asks for a login.

@wissox Danny was a little before my time, but I know enough about him (read enough articles, seen the replay) to know what he was: a phenom.

It’s the guys before him, Born, Lovellette, White, that I wish I had a feel for.

Probably the toughest call for me was Collison vs Doke. Had to go with Nick for his extended consistency…he was a double double machine and always showed up. Wish I knew more about the old-timers. The way this is going, I could see Mason defeating Wilt in the final.

Finally, Self dodges a Villanova bullet. Yeah Silvio! Now that he’s salvaged his rough season when it mattered most, he can back up the post in the final…as Udoka makes his triumphant return. (fingers crossed)

@mayjay I’m all for wearing bandanas instead of those bland white masks. Fashion is important in times like this. All the more so if people started sliding wallets over. We’re taking lots of walks too, mostly around our residential neighborhood with no one else in sight. The only time I think about masks, gloves, sanitization, is when I go shopping, have to handle a cart, pump gas, etc.

@Crimsonorblue22 Thanks, that makes sense. I bet we have some old bandanas or scarves around the house, and making a mask seems pretty doable.

@approxinfinity Hmm, making your own sanitizer seems like the way to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

I’ve yet to spot any hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes “in the wild” since mid March…if they’re currently being sold, I’m curious where people are buying them. Same deal with masks. We’re all supposed to be sanitizing and wearing masks…but at least where I am, this stuff hasn’t been available for weeks.

Raef was potentially an NBA AA caliber talent before he got hurt. He had some epic moments at KU and was close to a total package on both ends of the floor.

@wissox What?! That makes no sense.

Great series. I foresee the KU-Michigan St final that many of us have dreaded (although I’m not one of them).

Forgot how Malik dominated Duke in 2018. He was the only one to score in OT! Crazy…especially now that we know what Devonte was capable of.

@Crimsonorblue22 They looked like they’d just been messing around in a gym, jacking up shots instead of getting in game shape. Agreed, Landon and Arthur looked especially bad…but the guards were awful too.

@Crimsonorblue22 It was so disappointing. I listened to the podcast with Elijah for weeks leading up to it. He talked a good game but…big letdown.

@wissox With Vaughn, it was like having a physicist or poet running the point. Crazy high IQ and the things he did with the ball to finish…wow.

Langford could get to the rim like no other. I’ve often wondered why guys don’t watch tape and emulate his game. So smart, so crafty, so much swag…and still playing, last time I heard.

After the embarrassing first round loss in The Basketball Tournament, one of the players (Mario Little I think) was saying they hadn’t taken TBT seriously and if they field a team next time, they’ll need to go get some of the big dogs. Langford was one of the names he dropped, along with BRush and Chalmers.

This is reminiscent of previous tourney games where we come out hot and blow a team away…then lay an egg in the next one. I’ll save myself the emotional pain of getting into specifics. Here’s hoping Udoka returns to help us kick Kentucky to the curb.

The Vaughn - Langford match-up is a tough one for me…loved both of those guys and tried to emulate their games!

Excellent, the plot thickens. Happy KU got the ugly, can’t-shoot game out of the way. I like the casual mention that UK and Louisville are still alive…and that UK won on a violation. Of course they did.

Hope Bill’s cough hasn’t gotten any worse.

Wiggins not getting much love…

Jackson is a steal at $1. Embiid and Marcus M on the $2 line? Crazy. Udoka is more efficient than anyone on the $4 line…for $3.

I’d have to go Jackson, Embiid, Marcus ($5)…Dotson, Mario, Udoka ($9). My final dollar would be a toss-up between Selden and Svi to back up the backcourt. Hate to pass on Frank or Devontae, but at $5, they’re overvalued. (Never thought I’d say those words.)

Great work! I was reading tournament fan fiction on the Athletic, but this is better.

I’d like to see AA teams from The Athletic…much more integrity and intelligence.

Apparently the voters have never heard about the concept of efficiency. Who are these people?

@Texas-Hawk-10 I’ll take it.

I’m going with #1. $$$ prevails.

This discussion makes me think of Steve Turner’s serious but amusing “creed”…excerpt:

We believe that man is essentially good.

It’s only his behavior that lets him down.

This is the fault of society.

Society is the fault of conditions.

Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth

that is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.

The universe will readjust.

History will alter.

We believe that there is no absolute truth

excepting the truth

that there is no absolute truth…