MattPie

Re Elderberry: it's pretty easy to make in a pressure cooker with dried berries. Somehow, I suspect it'll be kinda hard to find any right now though. Last year they got really expensive due to flu, so we stocked up in August. I should probably make some more up this weekend just to have it on-hand.

I do agree with that; we're "lucky" that it's happening now and not 4 months ago.

OK, so here's the deal. We're in what, like week 4 of this? I don't know how varied flu is by season, but let's pretend flu drops to near zero in August in the US and picks us through the winter. We're in "September" right now for COVID-19, and you're saying, "See, this thing isn't bad at all." when the entire winter flu season is to yet to come. EDIT: It's also worth noting that China seems to have plateaued after locking large parts of the country down. The US has no appetite for that, so it's just going to spread here.

Maybe, but really you don't want to cut it short and have it spring back up.

I didn't think of that; I'll have to get the new battery in my bike if the roads are empty. ?

Maybe let teams all get to the same # of games played. Damn, the Sabres were about to go on a run and catch the Leafs, too!

Yep, found it; Miller for Halak and Stewart, then Halak and a pick for Neuvirth and Kesla. True, didn't realize that was that long ago. The Sabres miserable seasons blend together.

Wasn't Halak a Sabre for a few days during the selloff a few years ago? IIRC it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Apparently under 5 don't get it as badly, but you're right there are a lot of unknowns. And there are a lot of people whose immune systems aren't up to snuff. It seems fairly easy to transmit *and* there are literally zero people vaccinated for it. The normal flu doesn't gain a foothold in the US as many people who are exposed are vaccinated and don't get it nor do they pass it on. This would be an interesting study of the results of a 0% vaccination rate if it weren't so morbid. Essential[0] oils don't fail me now! [0] Fun fact: "essential oil" doesn't mean "essential" as in "absolutely necessary; extremely important. (Oxford dictionary)". It seems to be a (IMHO) underhanded play on "e-scent-ial", meaning it has a smell. "fragrant" would be a better adjective.

Devils too, but that's not new.

Schrodingers media, which is where the media is stirring up a panic and under-reporting at the same time. ?

I think you just made the case for Fancy Stats. If a player is making all the right little plays, that should show up in stats that essentially say, "fewer opponent chances while this guy is on the ice taking opponents into question" or the opposite for offence. Our own biases will highlight what we want to see (Rienhart is bad because his shootout was terrible) and not what we "don't want" to see (Reinhart's pass to Montour was incredible). You guys can divide near me all you want, I'm not cleaning up the gore though.

That's poetic, I love it. Being an Engineer, I'm thinking the increased friction of the pencil is easier to control.

Schoenfeld's rapport with refs (example: Koharski).

GT's are so variable, I'm not sure I'd do it there unless it was a sure-fire bet (like top-5 can't miss). If it were really a high-need, I'd pick 2-3 in the mid rounds with the idea that one of them would rise to the top "for sure". Probably not the best use of assets though.

Jack, are you excited to be playing with Skinner again?

At least the Sabres put us out of our misery early: Max season points: not_enough

Motter: hey, we should get Beansie. (I'm using hockey names since this is the Sabres forum) Pegsie: sure we can do that [Pegsie et al. interview Beansie] Pegsie: hey Motter, he doesn't seem convinced Motter: I have an idea Motter (to Beansie): I know moving's tough, but check out this book Beansie: KK

Sabres all-win point total: 98 points.

You guys would know better than me, but there are high-level summer leagues that the NHL guys play in. The non-NHL guys in those leagues likely keep playing all year, so it makes sense that a retired NHL player would go have some fun in those.

I think this is the real point. The Marlies Zamboni driver and that guy in Chicago are very likely better goaltenders than any skater on either team. If you're talking the quality of the game, this is the best way to maintain it. Would the league be better off seeing some D wobble around in net and let in 5+ goals? In football, there's a valid game plan that involves 0 pass attempts. In hockey, there's no way the goalie isn't going to face shots. Might as well put the best player available out.

If they win out they get to 98, which is one point better than Toronto's current 97-point pace. Do you think this team is capable of winning every single game for the rest of the season? Do you think this team is capable of losing only 3 games for the remainder? That what they need to get to 92 points, one better than Florida's pace. They're not going to be the best team in the history of the NHL running at a 136-point pace (15-3-0) and even that likely won't get them close. I suspect I'm missing some humor here.

Not even, they had maybe 1 game in hand on Floronto and were even with Torida. It's just one of those "maybe sorta they have a chance" and then "until they lost 3 4 in a row."

It reminds me of that year that the Sabres were around 8th at the trade deadline, then when on to lose a bunch of games in a row to drop into obscurity.

I think this is it, thanks for pointing it out. It's not really the proximity, but Yankees fans are like Cowboys fans where people that don't live particularly close to a team with a city tend to default to a couple big name teams. It helps that the Yankees are relatively close and the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Indians have a checkered past.