It has been a hell of a lot worse. It’s the 10-year anniversary of when it was the worst of the worst. This is nowhere near as bad as that. The conference finished 3-7 in the bowl season and was the worst of the Power 5 conferences this season. MORE: USC’s epic win over Penn State proves Rose Bowl still matters That came with high-profile meltdowns. Michigan’s 33-32 loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl was bad....
It was a curious gesture at that moment. Was he disappointed not to be starting against the Wolverines? Why would he be? He has played in 30 games for the Scarlet Knights and come off the bench in every one. The reason soon became apparent: No one would be starting. The 2020 Big Ten Tournament, originally expected to be played with only media personnel and family members in the audience, was canceled....
In this week’s review of gaming news, the initially planned shutdown of PS3 and PS Vita’s services have been halted by Sony due to backlash and negative reception. PlayStation also seems to be testing a new video service for PS Plus subscribers, but it’s not available worldwide just yet. Xbox Live’s free-to-play restrictions have officially been lifted, similar to PlayStation. Jeff Kaplan, veteran of Activision Blizzard, will be leaving the studio after nearly 20 years in the gaming industry....
The American Rescue Plan will include $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans making less than $75,000 a year and a minimum wage increase of $15 an hour—two key pieces of the legislation that have divided Democrats and Republicans. The bill also includes an increase in the child tax credit and direct funding to state and local governments, as well as hundreds of billions of dollars for school reopenings, small businesses and vaccine rollouts....
On a recent trip to the El Paso border, we caught a firsthand glimpse of the Biden administration’s contradictory policies and its uneven progress toward its stated goals of leading with humanity and compassion. For every story of hope and welcome at the border, there are more stories of heartbreak and tragedy. On the one hand, Biden rightly ended Trump’s illegal “Return to Mexico” policy, under which thousands of people have been forced to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico for their opportunity to seek asylum in the U....
The most egregious oversight is inadequate funding and follow-through for “next-generation” vaccines like those delivered by a nasal spray, an intervention that could spare people not just hospitalization but also infections, which remain stubbornly high. That reality is still causing various kinds of social disruptions, like labor shortages, inadequately staffed classrooms, and chronic delays in air travel. The long-term burden on hospital systems is unknown, but the health care sector remains under increased pressure from the combination of COVID, what looks like a potentially very bad flu season, and an unexplained surge in respiratory illnesses, especially in children....
The survey, released Thursday, found 45 percent of registered voters approved of Biden’s job performance, while 52 percent of respondents disapproved. The president’s poll numbers have been in gradual decline since the chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The findings show little movement among voters even as Biden is on the road promoting his domestic agenda and recent legislative victories. Last month, Congress passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill after months of negotiation....
Bieber found the back of the net and had a selfie taken with Neymar at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training base in Catalonia earlier this week. But any Blaugrana fans who were inspired to become ‘Beliebers’ at the sight of their heroes hanging out with the Canadian pop star are likely to be swiftly reconsidering their allegiance after Bieber also posed for a photo with Madrid’s Sergio Ramos....
Nintendo announced this announcement in a recent commercial that’s been airing in Japan. The commercial itself is for Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, but — after the ad finishes informing monster-less consumers about the new and improved Unova region — a teaser emerges that instructs fans of an impending reveal. According to the teaser, as reported by Serebii, the announcement is scheduled to take place on January 8th....
These four?plays, which open this week at the New?York Theatre Workshop, constitute a mini grand tour of Beckett’s sensibility. As Baryshnikov says, “I feel they’re all about?the same person, although they’re very different characters.” The pantomimes “Act Without Words I” and “II” (1956), mute exercises in futility, show the fondness for vaudeville routines and silent film that marked the earlier “Waiting for Godot.” “Rough for Theatre I,” from the late ’50s but not published until 1976, is a companion piece to “Endgame” (1957), with two survivors in a post-apocalyptic landscape, mutually dependent and repellent....
Meanwhile, back where college football is king in this state, they took a big turn toward playing games that matter on New Year’s Eve, making a loud and clear statement that will reverberate into November. MORE: Saturday’s best players | Top 25 fared | Spartans’ goal-line stop “This was the place to be,” says Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, and truth be told, I’m not exactly sure he was talking about a thrilling top 10 victory over Oregon in primetime television — or making fun of the spectacle that is Michigan throwing another party for a head coach that was hired 10 months ago....
Kyle Bosch — a former starting guard at Michigan whose life has been a bit crazy since last Monday — has made his transfer to WVU official. He had hinted at the move in Twitter posts, but the paperwork was completed Thursday night. He is enrolled at West Virginia for the spring semester, and the school announced the transfer Thursday. MORE: Bosch didn’t plan to leave Michigan | SN recruiting coverage | Harbaugh adds son to Michigan staff If you pay attention to recruiting rankings coming out of high school, Bosch is the first national top 100 player (per 247Sports....
“The biggest thing is we all have to realize that this is a fluid situation,” Warren said. “This is also a situation that we need to adapt to in the world we live in today. MORE: Big Ten schedule and more “I fiercely understand what makes the Big Ten the Big Ten,” Warren said later. “We will take a leadership role. We’ll put the health and safety of our student-athletes first and foremost, and I’m proud to sit here to say that we did that....
“Per NCAA rules, the instant replay crew cannot review the severity of contact,” the statement said, “as that is a judgment call handled by the officials on the field.” MORE: Nebraska 39, Michigan State 38: Five things we learned | Former Spartan Plaxico Burress goes off on Twitter following Michigan State’s loss The Big Ten acknowledged that the crew determined contact between wide receiver Brandon Reilly and defender Jermaine Edmonson, and that Reilly reestablished himself in the field of play....
The Big Ten made the right decision on Tuesday to cancel college football for the fall; the conference just went about it in the wrong way. And that is what will be remembered most in the long term if the conference’s Southern siblings in the ACC and SEC successfully carry out their plans to play football in the fall. Let’s start with what Warren and the Big Ten presidents got right: The decision to postpone the season is the safest one, given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States....
Per multiple reports, Big Ten coaches met Friday to discuss several different start dates after the conference postponed the season on Aug. 11 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. One date that has stood out: Thanksgiving week. The potential about-face comes after widespread, vocal criticism levied against the conference for its decision. Parents from 11 Big Ten institutions have demanded the conference further explain its decision to postpone the season; eight Nebraska football players even sued it in an effort to reverse the decision....
The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0) and Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1) both must win out to get the conference into the College Football Playoff, and they better look good doing it in the leadup to their matchup at Ohio Stadium on Nov. 24 to ensure that happens. Why is that? Because neither team will get much help by winning the conference championship game. Saturday’s results re-emphasized what a mess the Big Ten West is: — Northwestern (5-3, 5-1) leads the division after an impressive 31-17 victory over Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2)....
In this week’s recap of gaming news, an incredibly rare copy of Super Mario Bros. on the NES sells for six figures at auction, breaking video game auction records. Cyberpunk 2077 sees its first big 1.2 update patch, addressing hundreds of bugs and issues, while causing some other headaches as well. Digital stores for the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita are eventually shutting down this year, Sony has recently confirmed....
The Flywillvote.com domain link redirects to a Democratic National Committee website that helps Americans register to vote. As Harris and Pence debated whether justice was served in Breonna Taylor’s case, viewers at home saw a fly land on the left side of the vice president’s head. The black insect was particularly noticeable against Pence’s white hair. The internet immediately exploded in response with memes, pictures, videos and jokes. Biden quickly seized on the moment to further his campaign’s fundraising efforts....
The GOP will control the House and its powerful congressional committees from January 3 and the party has already pledged to probe a series of issues, including Hunter Biden’s business dealings. The investigation of Biden’s son appears the most likely probe that could lead Republicans to seek testimony from the president after the Committee on Oversight and Reform Republicans accused him of lying about his involvement in Hunter Biden’s business affairs in a 31-page interim report last week....
