statsman

Ukraine celebrated when a Russian helicopter pilot defected. It didn’t take long for him to die a violent death—increasingly, the fate awaiting people who cross Putin. https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/russians-keep-turning-up-dead-all-over-the-world-6acc8990?st=nqptxwrqc83l2jm&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

I think it’s common for people in developing nations to have large families. It’s only when the nations are “developed” that birth rates drop.

One thing I won’t be surprised to see: if an 8-4 or 9-3 Big 12 or ACC team plays an 11-1 opponent in the CCG, I bet the lower ranked team wins. These kind of upsets happened already in the past; now with the dynamics of the higher ranked team assured of a playoff spot already (TCU in 2022), they have less incentive to match the fanatical effort of an underdog that can make the playoffs with a bye, with a win. (And the conference officials will be aware of how much it helps to have two teams in the CFP).

Texas is joining tOSU, Bama and UGA as having the nation’s best rosters.

It has been 15 years since my non-defense employer has let us use WebEx, due to security concerns. What is Germany doing? Did they want to be compromised?

Over 30 years ago, I lived across the street from this 17/18 year old kid, named (coincidentally) Jerry. Jerry would come over to hang out, because he wasn’t getting along with his stepdad. One day he came over and wanted to talk about his situation. He had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. He was wondering what to do. I told him, “Well, Jerry, you’ve got a couple of decisions to make. One of them isn’t ‘whether or not you’ll be a father’, because,…it looks like you’re going to be a father. “You have to decide whether or not to marry her. Some people will tell you that you have to, but you don’t. You need to figure out if that’s what’s best, if you two can love and commit and be a good marriage. It may be that you know it’s not right, that it won’t work out. If so, you don’t have to marry her. “You also have to decide whether you’ll be a good father or a bad father, and that’s a completely different decision than whether you marry. If you don’t marry, you’re still a father. Are you going to be a good one or a bad one? That’s up to you”. He ended up marrying her, getting a job, and last I knew was making it all work. Jerry Jones wanted to be a bad father-to have no contact or involvement with his child- but not be known as a bad father. He wanted to pay for silence. He wanted to maintain the image as a doting father for his children with Jean, and not have anybody know of his other child. He has made it clear that he has paid as much as he was going to, and won’t pay any more, that he won’t acknowledge this daughter, won’t let her into his or his family’s lives. He’s a bad father. Maybe the girl has decided she doesn’t want to support this fiction, that it was a deal her mother made, but she’s not signing on. Maybe she doesn’t want to support the fiction that Jerry Jones’s a good father. That’s her right.

The difference is- in 2010, if you tell OSU fans that they’re going to build the team in cycles, and contend every 3-4 years, they’d say, “Sign us up!”, while 2010 NU fans say, “Get the fuck out of here with that shit!” In 2024, they might/should have a new perspective.

Well, that’s his truth. 😂

Ha-ha! You’ve got us figured out, Slorch! UT is just the rich kid that believes he deserves everything he inherited. The Longhorn program was built on leaching off the largesse of the good, hard working people of the state, and it jealously hoards all it can take, not sharing with anyone. It discarded the scrappy programs it had been leveraging for success, as soon as it could! Oh, if only some good, hard working programs like Mississippi State or Arkansas can give UT the comeuppance we so richly deserve! 😂

Maybe it’s as simple as a personal voyage of discovery- she has a father and siblings and nieces and nephews.

Matt Rhule is a good hire, if they let him work on a B12 development cycle, I.e., do a great job of scouting athletes, use redshirts (and not) to get a promising group of athletes paced together, play them early and fight through a couple of 5-7 and 6-6 years, and then make a run when they’re developed. Wadlingtonpodcasted how Rhule, at BU, recruited a bunch of three stars with high SPARQ scores, meaning they’re great athletes, but haven’t learned to play. He put in the time to develop them, and gave Baylor its best year ever. He cashed that in on a NFL job, and is now at NU. Are they ready to be competitive every third year or so, now? It depends on how they perceive themselves now.

I think they’re over analyzing it. It may be this simple: Iran is anti-Israel, anti-Jews. Russia needs Iran.

This is an interesting article that lays out the strategies: Israel trying to eliminate Hamas militarily Hamas trying to hide among civilians and survive until global pressure stops Israel Despite battlefield setbacks, Hamas militants believe the organization will survive the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. Many Israeli soldiers fear they are right. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-thinks-it-could-win-gaza-war-with-israel-6254a8c6?st=vwnis115bxor2au&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

Brock has got to get a job with TIMCO; preferably as the guy who tells TT: “Sorry, no PUF for you!”

That kid is only 18? He must be a freshman. He’s developed quite a bit of hatred in 1 1/2 semesters. Poor guy. He didn’t even get to storm the field in 2022. 😂

I see a problem with your list. You never play two of the teams, and Iowa is forced to play you.

Yeah, Texas is the non-rival that they circle on the schedule, along with Iowa, and prepare “something special” for.

Sorry, Slorch. Both teams came in with the plan to bully the other. One succeeded. Tech should have just taken the “L”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/B_xOKiDpqt1/?hl=en “Did you see the sunrise this morning?”

I think one of the more interesting things going on is the dissolution of the Fatah PA government, and its reforming as…something else. I am an optimist, by nature. I choose to believe that some people of good will and intentions are involved and I hope they’re successful in giving these people a good leadership. Any success in That direction will be a good thing.

Ukrainian soldier Alen Dudnik started fighting Russia a decade ago. A WSJ reporter who met him then gets back in touch. https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/a-decade-at-war-how-putins-invasions-set-the-course-for-one-ukrainian-soldier-f3b801bb?st=hqd272l1sn42l0b&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

NFL NFL pregame in a few years: Dak: “The Eagles are making these moves with an eye towards advancing in the playoffs.” Romo: “That’s right, Dak! As we know, to win in the playoffs, you have to…”

I got nothing against Dak. I have no doubt he is making his best effort. I think he is very professional in his approach. He’s just not a QB that will ever win anything. His arm talent is not enough to win in NFL playoff football. He’s the kind of guy that- you learn his abilities and limitations and move on as soon as you can. Like Romo (it always makes me laugh when announcer Romo says, “to win in the playoffs, you have to…”. My family is sick of me yelling “How would you know?”)

These stupid motherfuckers are going to extend Dak, aren’t they?