Bobref

I think we can agree that, with the release of the LSU internal investigation, Les Miles is a Dead Man Walking as far as his tenure as Kansas’ HFC. Over/under on days before he and KU go their separate ways is 7-1/2. Whaddya got?

The Ravens have proposed a change in the NFL overtime rules. The formulation is called “Spot & Choose.” OT would start with a coin toss. The winner can choose either the “spot” where the ball would be placed to start OT, or which team starts on offense. Very intriguing scenarios. What do you think? https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/pundits-love-ravens-reported-spot-and-choose-overtime-rule-change-proposal Pundits Love Ravens' Reported 'Spot and Choose' Overtime Rule Change Proposal Mar 05, 2021 at 11:00 AM Ryan Mink BaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer The Ravens are looking to shake up overtime in the NFL with a rule change proposal at the virtual owners' meetings later this month, according to Pro Football Talk and others. The rule proposal, which is being referred to as "spot and choose," would have one team select where to spot the ball at the start of the first overtime possession and the other team pick whether to play offense or defense. For example, the Ravens could spot the ball at the 10-yard line. Then their opponent would have to pick whether it wants to start on offense from its own 10-yard line or play defense. There's still a coin toss, but it only determines which teams gets to pick between spotting the ball (and direction of play) or choosing the side. Reportedly, one Ravens proposal says the winner is the team who scores in a 10-minute period (tie if nobody scores). There's a second proposal which would remove the sudden-death element and the winner would be the team with the most points after 7 ½ minutes of overtime (half of a quarter). Former Ravens Running Backs Coach Matt Weiss, who left this offseason to become Michigan's quarterbacks coach, tweeted his support for the idea. A lot more strategy comes into play in this scenario – which would require coaches to size up not only how good they feel about their offense/defense, but also how well the other's team's units are playing at that time. Weather conditions also could play a larger role. The reported proposals are getting rave reviews from media outlets ahead of the virtual owners' meetings where they would be voted on, currently scheduled for March 30-31. "The 'spot and choose' approach replaces chance with strategy," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote. "It's a fascinating wrinkle that would truly revolutionize overtime and — more importantly — make it fair to both teams. … Count us as being in favor of the approach." "Other than the fact that it's different, there is no good reason for the NFL to not adopt this rule," Sports Illustrated's Steve Ruiz wrote. "It makes a random coin flip less important, it injects more strategy into the game and it creates more drama. It's everything you want in a rule change." "The Ravens' proposal has a chance to change football forever," wrote Deadspin's Jesse Spector. "Not only would the proposal add an extra element of excitement to overtime, but it would also negate the advantage that any team would get from winning the OT coin toss," wrote CBS Sports' John Breech. "Less than 4% of games went into overtime last season (10 out of 256) so if the league is going to make a dramatic change, overtime seems like the spot to do it." "This sounds complicated at first, but it's actually a really fun idea," tweeted ESPN's Mina Kimes. "Say you're playing KC: Where would you spot the ball so that they're 'forced' to play defense? The 5? Then if they choose to play offense anyways and score and win, we'd blame randomness less than we would with the current setup, right?" The league has been tweaking the overtime rules over the past decade. It used to be a pure sudden-death period in which the first team to score won. In 2010, the league experimented with a playoff change to ensure both teams got at least one possession unless the first team to get the ball scored a touchdown. That rule was expanded to the regular season in 2012. In 2017, the league shortened overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular-season games. For the proposal to go into effect, 24 of the 32 league owners would have to approve. Under Head Coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have been among the league's leaders in innovation. Last year, the Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers proposed to add a booth umpire, or "sky judge" as an eighth official. In 2016, the Ravens made a proposal regarding the identification of eligible receivers. The year before, a Ravens proposal about where eligible receivers must line up was passed.

Like all contracts — anytime the parties agree to a change. In essence, they make a new contract.

@DT, sometimes you remind me of myself: often wrong, but never in doubt.

Is this even within the universe of the possible? https://247sports.com/Article/Deshaun-Watson-Chicago-Bears-trade-all-in-Houston-Texans-161961178/ Report: Chicago Bears all-in on trading for Deshaun Watson ByBRAD CRAWFORD 3 hours ago Much to the chagrin of quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans have no interest in trading their franchise player despite a recent meeting between new coach David Culley and the signal caller during which no progress was made. That being said, several teams are interested in his services and Watson is reportedly "very serious" about sitting out games during the 2021 season if he's not traded. And there's one team in particular is willing to give up assets in quantity to land him, according to ESPN NFL insider Jeff Darlington. "There's no more vulnerable team in the NFL that's looking for a quarterback than the Chicago Bears," Darlington said this week on NFL Live. "Houston better be careful here. They've got their guy. They've got their victim when it comes to salvaging this Deshaun Watson situation. It's going to be tough to find a team that's willing to give up as much as the Bears will right now." Darlington's co-hort, ESPN's Louis Riddick, said "timing is everything" before nodding his head in agreement. Last month, former Texans quarterback Derek Carr explained why the Bears would be an ideal trade partner for Houston. The Bears already have a solid foundation, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and adding Watson could help them retain one of their top offensive weapons. On the other side, Chicago has the ability to offer Houston a large package in return — lining up with Darlington's point. “There’s something that really needs to be fixed, and it’s Deshaun Watson to the Bears,” Carr said via NFL.com. “If Deshaun really wants out, which I think is going to be crazy for them to do that, but if he’s actually going to make a move, Chicago is kind of in a similar place as Indianapolis. A team that has a great defense and has some pieces in place. "You might even be able to keep Allen Robinson if you can trade for Watson. For me, this makes a ton of sense, even for both sides really. They could be creative here and make something happen. I think the Chicago Bears could offer them something that they might not be able to say no to. We’ll see what happens, but that would be cool.” Earlier this spring, Watson sent a message to the Texans by wiping his social media of all references to the franchise. Watson simply wrote "athlete" in his social media profiles and attacked links to his marketing agency and "football inquiries" to his Twitter and Instagram followings of nearly 3 million

That has nothing to do with the point I was addressing.

That has little, if anything, to do with the question that started this thread.

My question is, perhaps, better phrased as “why would bargaining unit members pay union dues to get those benefits if they can get them without paying dues?”

“Might as well?” Not sure what that means. But if no one in their right mind would opt out of a CBA, why would anyone in their right mind pay dues to receive benefits when they are not required to do so?

They don’t have to. But there’s an easy way for unions to go around this: figure out how much of the dues go for real union activities, and how much goes to pay lobbyists and engage in other “political” activities, and members of the bargaining unit can decide whether to pay just the basic dues vs. the “enhanced” dues that they can voluntarily pay to support the lobbying effort, etc., as well as the basic union functions. ...But you better make sure your accounting is solid, which is very difficult to do. Keep in mind, we’re talking about private sector unions, like the Teamsters or the Steelworkers. Public sector unions, like teachers or other government employees, are different. SCOTUS has ruled that it is impossible in public sector unions to separate their workings into strictly union business stuff vs. issues affecting the public interest (since they’re public, after all). Consequently, mandatory dues paying in any amount constitutes speech or expression, since it is a financial endorsement of the union’s stance on issues of public interest. So, bargaining unit members can choose not to financially support the union.

If your point is that all members of the bargaining unit benefit from the work of the union, therefore, all should pay for it, you’ve got to do better than that. As I pointed out when we started this discussion, the cornerstone of the issue is that entitlement to compensation arises only by agreement of the parties. Absent an agreement, there is no right to compensation. The non-union members of the bargaining unit did not agree to pay for those services. Therefore, they are not bound to do so.

Or, more likely, the lawyers hired by the union. But what’s your point?

Geez, could you be a little more specific? How’s this: A collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written legal contract between an employer and a union representing the employees. The CBA is the result of an extensive negotiation process between the parties regarding topics such as wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment.

They are.

I’m sure it did.

I think so. They are a good fit size-wise, travel-wise, and they haven’t exactly run away with the conference title. They always have Andrean and Lowell to deal with. In the last 5 seasons, the Brickies are 6-6 against the Red Devils and the 59ers. No reason to move.

Well, you didn’t ask the question of me, but I’ll bite. Compensation for work done is a contract. Provided there’s agreement on terms, workers should be compensated according to that contract. For example, if I stop at a light and a guy cleans my windows, without me asking him to, he’s performed labor, but is not entitled to compensation, since there was no prior agreement. To refine your cross examination technique, you need to make sure your questions are answered either “yes” or “no,” if you want to keep firm control of the adverse witness.

I enjoy your cross-examination technique.

NSFW!

The best capsule summary I’ve seen on the difference between a football team, and a football program. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. —- Aristotle

Honestly, Dante, you ask the most unusual questions. I assume that by “corporations,” you’re talking about large business enterprises, and not simply why the legal entity, the corporation, a fictional “person,” was created. The answer is simple. The corporate form provides a convenient way to raise capital. The better you are at raising capital, the more business you can do. Sole proprietorships have inherent limitations in size and efficiency. If the corporation as an entity, or something like it, were not available, there’d be no IBM, Apple, Microsoft, GM, etc.

I’m getting tired of reading stories almost every day that make me involuntarily exclaim — in a voice that sounds remarkably like my father’s — “you have got to be kidding me!” I mean, I thought “quotas” were stupid and largely counterproductive when used in education admissions and employment. But in literature?

And I despise people whose goal is to infringe on others’ freedom of speech and association for their own benefit... which is exactly the effect of a mandatory dues policy where some of those dues are used for lobbying, campaign contributions, etc. That’s why the SCOTUS has ruled unconstitutional state laws that require public employees to pay union dues. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/supreme_court_rules_mandatory_union_dues_violate_free_speech_rights_of_publ

Would you feel the same way if a kid with extraordinary gifts in math skills enrolled in an out-of-district school that had a reputation for excellence in that subject matter?