Photo from Twitter
When your team makes it to Omaha, your team is one of the best eight teams in the country. That’s a lot to cheer about. I wanted to say in defense of the University of Tennessee that it’s not about how it ended in Omaha, it’s the fact that you made it to Omaha. Blah, blah, blah, the NCAA quickly changed my train of thought for how THEY crushed dreams in the last 48 hours.
I was super bummed for the University of Tennessee program. They had the talent to win it all and the best-looking coach on the planet, but once they got to Omaha, they lost their edge. When your team makes it Omaha, you book a flight and meet your twin brother there. Omaha is like the Disney World of sports, it’s the happiest place on Earth for a sports fan. Teams and fans are all so nice to everyone. Besides a lot of restaurants not staying open past nine (that includes the ice cream shop across from our hotel) there isn’t a lot to complain about other than I wish the Vols were still playing for the Championship. Or at least I thought. I wasn’t prepared for the level of disappointment that N.C. State has had to face in the last two days.
Summary:
(The NCAA still leaves the details vague by using “privacy” BS as cover up for their complete bull shit of an organization.) Of the 64 NCAA Championships, plus other events like baseballs regionals and super regionals, 62 fall under ‘controlled access’ championship events (Men’s and Women’s basketball were under a bubble where the NCAA had total control). Every unvaccinated member of a team (player/coach/travel employee) is tested before each team’s game. If they test positive in an antigen test (a weak test where a sinus infection will test positive) then they will have to take a PCR (the more accurate test, but only a blood test is 100% and no one is testing blood). If the PCR test is also positive, the player is now sent to solitary confinement even without a single symptom where they will be branded with the NCAA’s “blue protocol”. Under this protocol, the player is not allowed to be near anyone and contract tracing begins.
On Friday, Game 11 between N.C. State and Vanderbilt was the start of the best of three series and the winner advances to the College World Series Final. N.C. State was forced to play Vanderbilt with only 13, THIRTEEN, players in uniform (allowed 35). Four players were wearing the Scarlet letter of “blue protocol”, two were vaccinated and two were not. The NCAA told N.C. State that all unvaccinated players would be removed from the game and only vaccinated players could play. WHAT IN THE CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH kind of messed up rule is it okay to say who can play and who cannot play based on being vaccinated? But the two kids who were vaccinated and still tested positive with zero symptoms still can not play? With four positive tests it was a full on NCAA “Outbreak” status and every member of the team was tested, vaccinated or not by 8:00pm Friday night (AFTER the 3-1 loss to Vanderbilt).
After Friday’s game the NCAA Baseball Twitter account tweets: Game 11 Attendance 20,538
“Alexa, define tone death?”
After the late game Friday NCAA Baseball Twitter: Game 12 Attendance! #CWS 24,003
Late Friday night the results came in one by one and four vaccinated players tested positive for Covid-19 and every other vaccinated and unvaccinated test all tested negative. A total of eight N.C. State players/coaches/staff were positive. After 2:00AM the NCAA announced that N.C. State would have to declare “no contest” for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt and their season was over. (N.C. State already beat Vandy in the CWS to get to this game. Vanderbilt is the only team in the CWS were all players are required to be vaccinated to be enrolled as a student. There has been no report if Vandy has had to be tested at all during the CWS.)
The NCAA guidelines also include an important stipulation that says “should state or local authorities require testing of vaccinated individuals, their guidance will supersede this policy and vaccinated individuals will be required to be tested.” Shortly after the announcement, the photo of Dr. Fauci wearing a Vanderbilt baseball jersey surfaces and it just doesn’t feel right. If this would have happened to the University of Tennessee, Omaha would be on fire right now and I’d be bailing my twin out of jail.
We were there! (Stayed in the same hotel as N.C. State.) There was no testing, no checking for vaccine cards, no temperature checks, no social distancing, no seats zipped tied/marked off, no bleeping masks anywhere, and no signage posted to remind us that Covid was even a concern. Life was GREAT! How do you have a packed ball park of 19-22 thousand fans per game living life like normal under zero protocols and that’s okay science, but forcing these kids to different science is not okay.
Omaha, Nebraska is not a super spreader for Covid-19, but the NCAA sure is a super spreader for being the most woke, unapologetic, jerks who define hypocrisy. These kids had their seasons taken away last year because of Dr. Fauci’s ever changing opinions on anything and everything. And this year they make it to the final four of the College World Series and because someone said “science” most of these kids will never get to play baseball again. It’s flat out evil. I don’t even care about N.C. State as a school in general, but my heartbreaks for those kids.
Game one of the best of three series for the CWS Championship between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State starts Monday at 7:00. #HailState