These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 84-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past weekend.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP HIT BY CORONAVIRUS WILL DOCK MONDAY IN CALIFORNIA
The Grand Princess cruise ship will begin to allow guests to disembark Monday after 21 people aboard tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. Princess Cruises announced early Sunday it had been informed by state and local officials that the cruise, off the coast of California, would be able to dock in the Port of Oakland on Monday, though an exact time was not available, cruise line public relations director Negin Kamali told USA TODAY. Guests who “require acute medical treatment and hospitalization” will be first to disembark. Kamali said it was “unclear” if other passengers would also be allowed off the ship Monday, or if they would have to wait further.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
CARDS RELEASE PLAYER WHO LEFT CAMP WITHOUT EXPLANATION
Yairo Munoz had more than 500 plate appearances over the last two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and was in contention for more playing time in the team’s outfield in 2020. But Munoz, who said he felt something “pop” in his hamstring during his last spring training appearance and had been scheduled to undergo a medical exam this week, abruptly left the team and returned to his native Dominican Republic. Upon learning that information, the Cardinals decided to release him on Saturday. According to the Post-Dispatch, the team had said as recently as this week Munoz would undergo an MRI on Thursday. He disappeared without telling anyone, but has been in contact with at least one member of the team, per the Post-Dispatch.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
DAK PRESCOTT GIVES BEATS BY DRE HEADPHONES TO DALLAS XFL PLAYERS
The XFL’s Dallas Renegades all got Beats by Dre headphones from Prescott, who has an endorsement deal with Beats by Dre. Renegades coach Bob Stoops posted on Twitter some pictures from the Renegades’ locker room, where Prescott had delivered a pair of headphones for everyone and a note wishing them well on Saturday against the New York Guardians. “Welcome to Dallas,” the note says. “When it comes to rivalries, Dallas vs. New York is notorious. Here’s a little something to get you in the zone. it’s time to make our city proud.” In that “notorious” Dallas-New York rivalry, the Cowboys have gone 6-2 against the Giants with Prescott as their starting quarterback. The Renegades and Guardians met for the first time on Saturday.
[SOURCE: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com]
STEPHEN CURRY TO MISS GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS’ GAME VS. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS DUE TO FLU
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who returned this week from a 58-game injury absence, is out again – this time because of an illness. But because of the coronavirus concerns circulating in California, the Warriors spelled out exactly what’s ailing him: the flu. Curry returned Thursday night from a broken left hand and scored 23 points in a 121-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors that dropped the Warriors’ record to 14-49. The San Francisco Department of Public Health this week recommended canceling or postponing large gatherings, such as sporting events or concerts, because of the coronavirus outbreak. But the Warriors said their game Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers was going on as scheduled, with extra precautions of additional cleaning of common areas and elevators, plus every seat being disinfected before and after the game.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
MSNBC GUEST PROMPTS BACKLASH AFTER SAYING ‘MANY PEOPLE’ CONSIDER MEGHAN MARKLE ‘FIVE CLICKS UP FROM TRAILER TRASH’
According to BuzzFeed News, the moment came during journalist Victoria Mather’s appearance on “MSNBC Live” on Saturday morning. She had been sharing her position on Markle and Prince Harry’s recent visit to England, months after the two announced they would be stepping back from some of their duties as members of the royal family. “I think what has really, really upset the British public is that Meghan Markle, who many people consider as only, you know, five clicks up from trailer trash, has actually tried to disrespect the queen,” she said at one point during the appearance. “And the queen is the most respected person, most respected woman in the world,” she continued. The remarks prompted viral backslash on social media from a number of users, including some who felt Mather’s remarks served as evidence the couple made the right choice in stepping down from their roles in the family and others who called on her to be fired.
[SOURCE: thehill.com]
UTAH STATE BECOMES FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAM WITH STUNNING WIN OVER SAN DIEGO STATE
Utah State is this year’s first official NCAA tournament team. The Aggies won the Mountain West Conference tournament on Saturday, upsetting top-seeded San Diego State 59-56 in thrilling fashion, to secure the nation’s first automatic bid to March Madness. Utah State’s Sam Merrill drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining to help his team pull off the upset in Las Vegas. Utah State (26-8, 43 NET) entered the contest as a bubble team with a 50/50 shot of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday. Instead of an anxiety-filled week, the Aggies secured their inclusion by beating a team that was in the mix for a No. 1 seed. SDSU, the last unbeaten team in college basketball before its first loss to UNLV two weeks ago, now will likely fall to the No. 2 seed line with its latest loss.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
WIDOW BLAMES ENERGY DRINKS FOR HUSBAND’S FATAL HEART ATTACK
A California widow is convinced her husband was killed by his once-a-day energy drink habit — claiming a doctor told her they are “like playing Russian roulette with your life,” according to an interview. Cassondra Reynolds, 49, had been forced to switch off life support for her husband John — the 41-year-old father of their three young kids — when he was left in a coma in 2011 following a heart attack at home. She is so convinced that the nightly energy drink he supped during his night shifts are to blame that she has now started an awareness group to highlight the possible hidden dangers. Doctors initially assumed he must have had a history of diabetes — which he did not — because his sugar levels were “sky high” after his heart attack at home, according to the widow from Rancho Santa Margarita.
[SOURCE: nypost.com]
MODELL’S PREPPING FOR BANKRUPTCY FILING
The 131-year-old athletic gear retailer has stopped shopping for a white-knight investor to help renegotiate its 140 leases across nine US states and the District of Columbia, and is likewise giving up on getting better terms from its vendors, Chief Executive Mitch Modell confirmed on Friday. In an interview last month, Modell had blamed his company’s woes on “lousy” local sports teams that have depressed jersey sales, as well as a shorter holiday selling season and the warm winter, which hit jacket, boot and glove sales. At the time Modell’s, which has 2,900 employees, had sent a letter to 19 building and mall owners, asking them to “dig deeper” and lower rents or at least defer them to help the retailer avoid a bankruptcy.
[SOURCE: nypost.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
To ‘participate’ in the rankings of the headlines for this newsletter or the podcast, follow the Conversation Project on social media and engage with the posts to give them more ‘votes.’ The Conversation Project can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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