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Mike White's high school sports chat: 09.01.20
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Mike White
11:02
"Return to chat" starts now. No gathering limits. No masks required, and maybe some should take off the blinders. Only guideline is to ask questions. Let's go.
‘T’ from Green Tree
11:02
Just saw where Bloomsburg University has 167 COVID-19 cases. Just worried about these kids. I want football to move forward-just really concerned.
Mike White
11:04
Well "T" there are so many questions still. One of them is "will the high school season start - and finish - for all teams." I try not to predict things much any more with COVID-19 and high school sports because it's so unpredictable. But I applaud PIAA and all schools for at least trying. Why wouldn't you give it a shot?
Donnie Trump
11:04
Mike, I see some scrimmages happening this Friday night.  Are they treating these as games? Or is this a 10 play 10 play kind of deal?
Mike White
11:05
They're scrimmages, Donnie. Not games. No score. No time. Schools can handle it any way they want but they won't be games.
SLS Alum
11:05
Mike- Do you think Coach Z will show much improvement from year 1 to year 2?
Mike White
11:07
Yes. I definitely expect Seton LaSalle to be better. Of course, it didn't help that one of the team's top players left for Brashear. But Seton used a lot of young players last year. Should be much improved.
Guest
11:10
How do you feel about kids practicing 5 days per week and only attending classes 2 days per week?
Mike White
11:13
I know that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. But there is another way to look at it. In a way, you really can't compare the two. Having 500-1000 kids in a school in a building isn't the best thing to do right now. I don't think think schools are choosing sports over education. That's not what is going on. Look at all the youth and travel baseball that was played this summer -- WITH FANS I might add. Look at the AAU basketball - WITH FANS. I heard of no big outbreaks. When you look at that, why not try sports?
11:17
But the hardest thing to understand and fathom in all of this is the "no spectator" ban. It's hard to take when you see all the summer baseball and basketball going on in the state. With many fans!!! But school sports? Well, hold on. That's different. I went to one AAU basketball game this summer -- only one -- indoors and it was at a school!! Had to be at least 50 people in stands. Yet school sports can't have fans. Totally absurd by Governor's office. So hard for parents to accept.
11:19
And the limit of 25 indoors is just as absurd for sports. Restaurants can take 25 percent of capacity, right? Why can't a gym even take maybe 10 percent of capacity. I don't know how volleyball will do it. And what if this doesn't change by basketball. So you'll have to take one coach and maybe 7-8 players?
Donnie Trump
11:19
Mike, when does your video segment begin?  Assuming next week?  Any additions to the show?  #bringbackbatko
Mike White
11:19
Not sure yet. That's still to be worked out. And there will be no Batko sightings on the video.
Donnie Trump
11:20
Mike, in all of your dealings with press box food, who had the best spread and what was it?
Mike White
11:22
West Virginia University football when I covered them in 1980s and early 1990s. Was like going to a restaurant. I used to love covering games there before Post-Gazette and Press merged. Because P-G did not have a Sunday paper. It was a buffet with really good food. I used to eat like three dinners in the course of a game. Not many high schools have food. Nor should they. But I'll certainly take a bite to eat anywhere. Best food at football games is - free food.
Ish
11:22
Cases continue to be dropping in Allegheny County and these kids get one chance to be kids.  Why not play sports is how I look at it. There were 29 new cases reported today during  a 1 month period.  I don't understand the shut it down mentality.  What do you think Mike?
Mike White
11:23
You can't ignore the thing. Heck, 180,000 people have died. I know people who have had it - and it hasn't been easy for a few. So it can't be ignored. But like I said, let's try to be safe and have sports also. Maybe both can be done.
Quad North Fan
11:23
Who are your early favorite to win the WPIAL in 1A through 6A?
Mike White
11:26
1A, 2A and 3A rankings and previews already have been done. No. 1 teams are Clairton (1A), Beaver Falls (2A) and Central Valley (3A). Rankings for other three classes come out this week. But you can easily predict who will be No. 1 in those classes. Class 5A is the best, as far as depth of quality teams. No other class is even close. Think of 5A: Pine-Richland, Gateway, USC, Peters Twp., Moon, Penn-Trafford, South Fayette, Penn Hills.
Guest
11:26
The problem is the kids and or parents who are asymptomatic and inadvertently spread the virus.  I understand that colleges/professional sports are testing the athletes daily but the high schools are not.  This could become problematic.
Mike White
11:28
OK - and there will not be regular testing at high schools. But what's wrong with trying sports? If you start getting all kinds of cases of people probably getting this from athletes, then you address things. Maybe you shut it down if number of cases goes way up again. But what's wrong with trying now?
11:29
Getting back to 5A, there could be some really, really good teams miss out on the playoffs if only four teams make it. That still hasn't been determined. Will depend on PIAA playoff format.
Quad North Fan
11:30
How many teams statewide need to be playing in order to have state playoffs? 50% or more? From what I've read, seems like over 85% of all teams are still playing. Maybe 50-60 out east that aren't.
Mike White
11:34
There is no threshold. PIAA can do whatever they want. They can have state championships if only 50 teams are playing. Yes, many more schools in the east have decided not to play than the west. Heck, Philly Public and Catholic Leagues called off fall sports, but St. Joe's and few others might try to play independent schedule. How about that? St. Joe's was loaded this year.
Quad North Fan
11:34
Hearing that PIAA wants to be done the weekend after thanksgiving with football championships. That would be neat and only shorten the season by 2 weeks.
Mike White
11:35
You're "hearing?" There is no "hearing." PIAA already has announced season will be done Thanksgiving weekend. But it's not a shortened season by "two weeks." Remember, the seasons is starting "later." For example, WPIAL games are starting two weeks later. So take two weeks from beginning - and two at the end. That's four weeks off. Understand?
11:37
Today is the day that teams are supposed to let WPIAL know if they aren't playing fall sports. We at Post-Gazette polled every football-playing school last week. With Uniontown changing course and deciding to play, the only WPIAL school known to opt out is Summit Academy.
Quad North Fan
11:39
Has anything like Elliot Donald opting out happened locally in your memory?
Mike White
11:40
No. Then again, has the world ever been the way it is now? No. Not since 1918 with the flu.
11:44
FYI, the first night of football games is Sept. 11. And that first night has some really good games - and they're conference games. South Fayette at Peters, Belle Vernon at McKeesport, Washington at McGuffey, No. 1 Clairton at No. 2 Jeannette. Some good ones right off the bat.
River Sitter
11:47
Is there any thought by a the PIAA or specifically WPIAL to further reduce the number of games for volleyball and soccer to reduce the number of times teams play in a week? Just thinking of the number of times these players will be meeting other school team pods or the fact that now AD's may be setting up boy girl DH's in soccer,
Mike White
11:49
I don't think so. It's down to 14 games in soccer and volleyball. It's pretty much section games only now with maybe a couple others. You can't really reduce it any more. You want to try and get all the section games in. Why reduce it now?
JP
11:49
A lot of new teams in 4A. It should be be a lot more interesting with TJ in a reloading  year.
Mike White
11:51
Yes, McKeesport, Mars, Aliquippa are among the new teams in 4A. Aliquippa might be most intriguing team in WPIAL this year. How will they do in 4A? Will their historical run of championship games come to an end? Yes, TJ won't be as strong as last year, but they will still be very good. When are they not? I think they still have to be No. 1 heading into the season and need to stay there until somebody knocks them off.
CC
11:51
But no fans will be permitted to watch them?
Mike White
11:53
As of right now, no fans. You are correct. Yes, it doesn't make sense, but that's the way it is right now. I do know that schools all over the WPIAL are planning to live stream games -- and not just football. This is new at most schools. It's so fans can see the games. Big and small schools will be live streaming.
Jock Sutherland
11:56
Your opinion of “why not try to play”  has a sense of ignoring the consequences if things go bad.    I don’t think that the consequences for students would be dire if things do go bad but the passing the virus to parents officials grandparents it most definitely could be.   The reason not to play is to stop spread of virus not necessarily just for kids safety.    After just one week we already have school backing down from being open.  Peters  NH.  No schools going the opposite way.
Mike White
12:02
There is no ignoring the consequences. But think of this: High school teams in various sports all over WPIAL have been having workouts since late June, correct? Have these caused large breakouts? Allegheny County numbers continue to go down. All the youth baseball and AAU basketball that has been played? Have these caused large breakouts? I haven't heard, have you? Yes, some schools have shut down for a week or so because, in at least some cases, someone was "exposed." And the schools did what was suggested by Health Department. I know sports might not come off in WPIAL, but if numbers have gone down with all of the sports going on this summer, does it not give an indication that maybe we can try and we'll still be OK?
Dan
12:02
The bill to allow fans at these games will pass the house and senate...up to the governor at that point.  He might let it sit on his desk for ten day and let it become law.  It will happen before this season is over.
Mike White
12:04
Lot of pressure to have at least some fans. I watched high school games on ESPN this weekend, numerous fans at games. And again, it is the ultimate absurdity that all these youth and summer sports went on with fans, sometimes with a couple hundred. But school sports? Now let's hold on.
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