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statsman

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  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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…”
  4. 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?”)
  5. These stupid motherfuckers are going to extend Dak, aren’t they?
  6. Mirages? Haven’t the Ukrainians suffered enough?
  7. I’ll recap: Those players and coaches that left TAMU? They were all bums, and their replacements are improvements. Those players and coaches that left Texas? They were all vital to their success. A couple of notes- the SEC doesn’t have teams that will jump up an upset you, with a special effort and game plan, as described. That’s actually the B12. What the SEC does have is big lines and every week physical play that grinds on you, and makes you more susceptible to losing to a good team in a competitive matchup. Which is why Collin Klein is a curious choice for an SEC OC.
  8. Yeah. The problem is- the EU does have a lot of military weapons/munitions aid to give. They’re willing, but their militaries are horribly hollowed out after decades of prioritizing butter over guns. Now, the bear is roaring again, and they’d really like to give Ukraine what it needs to fend him off- which is artillery shells and lots of them. They just don’t have them. The U.S. has more to offer, but one party is holding stuff up.
  9. This wasn’t before my time. Osborne had his flaws, but he was nothing like Switzer. Both OU and NU ran option based offenses, and both needed elite talent to compete at the highest levels. Switzer bought his talent on the open market. Nebraska ran the nation’s premiere S&C program, more knowledgeable about weight training than any other. (There may have been PEDs; their knowledge carried over to using them and beating the testing). They had an amazing walk on program to maximize the screening and vetting of every two star in the state, sifting for gold and then beefing it up. That’s how they built their lines. For speed, they recruited the south, and were happy to take on partial qualifiers and keep them eligible. Osborne actually knew how to coach. Switzer was just a glad hander. His forays into “real coaching” (recruiting Aikman and running the pro style “I”, getting tough with Marcus Dupree) usually met with failure. Switzer had good coordinators (Galen Hall and Gary Gibbs were coaching “lifers”), but himself? A shyster.
  10. They are really counting on Jackson Arnold to be great, and to be great quick. He’s a second year player, and they won’t be surprised if he’s Johnny Manziel’s level. That seems optimistic to me. (Note- Manziel had a terrific OL and Mike Evans helping him). If they do go 10-2, yes, they will be in the playoffs. 9-3 might get them there.
  11. As I understand it, our problem is that…we are paying players from a booster-funded collective and calling it NIL. Now, they are doing the same thing, but with not as much money. They think the amounts we (and Oregon and Ole Miss and Missouri and Tennessee) are paying should be limited to a reasonable level (the amount they can afford). Do they not realize how much their program was rebuilt, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, on blatant cheating and buying of players? Aww, that was just Barry and the boys being rascals.
  12. As far as I know, they weren’t investigated or penalized by the NCAA, when the NCAA was doing such things. OU, TAMU, and SMU were, many times.
  13. That was a rant, for sure. The funny part- he calls back to 2000 Sooner teams, and a 2001 game. We Texas fans know that the kids today really don’t care about 2005. They sure as hell don’t care about 2000.
  14. I’ve added to my guilty pleasure of reading Sooner sites. I also listened to a couple of podcasts. This is what they claim, and I’m curious as to other opinions of their accuracy. 1. They are frustrated with the modern state of the game. “It’s out of control. Something must be done”. 2. NIL seems to be a problem for them. They say that OU can get the money, but Brent wants to build a program on “relationships”, rather than “transactions”. 3. They say OU can get the money; it struggles in organizing the collectives and making the “ask”. 4. They want the NCAA to step in and regulate this. They think NIL really should just be compensation for promotions, and not pay for play. They also allow that there are probably a couple of key players on each team that deserve significant high six figure pay (you figure that one out). 5. They are bringing guys like Curtis Loftin and Mark Clayton in to work personnel staff “GM” and recruiting coordinator positions. My thoughts: Are you kidding me? The NCAA? Do they really think that’s still a thing? Hell, they started the dumping of the NCAA in football, with UGA, in the ‘80s. Then, I figured it out. They may never have been real supporters of the NCAA, but it filled a real function for them, for decades. The NCAA had rules, and their key rivals, UT and NU, followed them. This was a huge part of their success. If Texas had bid for players against Switzer, he would never have won a single MNC. But Texas didn’t, and OU could pay a key recruit $150k to sign, no $30k per year, and Boomer Sooner. Now, Texas’ boosters are funding NIL, and OU is struggling to keep up. They want the NCAA to step in, and regulate Texas, so they can get back to the good old ways.
  15. Come on, we’ve known the answer a long time “Southern Money University”
  16. I suspect this is akin to “nationalist conservatism”, the ideology (such as it is) behind Republican populism and Trumpism. As I understand it, it’s the idea that there are fundamental values in our nation, and only conservatives will protect them now. (They say to old school Republicans, “Don’t you know what time it is?”) I’m an old school conservative- values of limited government, and free markets; policies of strong defense and economic growth. Also, inalienable rights, especially the negative rights (the things government cannot do to you). I believe nationalist conservatism is a dead end, because the idea that the force of government is required to enforce ideas is anathema to the concept that ideas are what really matter, and good ideas don’t require enforcement; they just need freedom. I would say the same about nationalist Christianity; the last thing Christ needs is the government working for Him.
  17. Thats a great link. Here is a WSJ story on how Russia has managed economically. They will struggle long term, as your link explains. How Russia re-engineered its trade with the world to dodge Western sanctions, in seven charts https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/how-russia-dodged-sanctions-in-seven-charts-afb88486?st=gc9fsfpjmqb1rcy&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  18. On the war’s second anniversary, Ukraine is on the defensive amid shortages of military personnel and ammunition https://www.wsj.com/world/ukrainian-front-line-troops-defiant-under-pressure-on-wars-second-anniversary-ec6f1550?st=jchvcrwguczm1eb&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  19. The Israeli F16s, with conformal fuel tanks, have a combat range of 800 miles. It’s 450 miles from Kyiv to Moscow.
  20. The “Ghost of Kyiv” and His Quest for the F-16 by @JillianKayM https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ghost-of-kyiv-and-his-quest-for-the-f-16-ukraine-war-russia-military-aid-20866c45?st=10cd2hevpva8l5m&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  21. Isn’t the BYU-Utah game called “The Holy War”? Is beer sold in Utah’s stadium?
  22. “The very existence of Ukraine is fatal for Ukrainians,” said Medvedev, who heads Russia’s ruling party. “They will understand that life in a big common state, which they currently dislike very much, is preferable to death. Their death and the death of their loved ones. And the sooner Ukrainians realize it, the better.” Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the world is watching to see if the U.S. remains committed to European security, writes the WSJ's Yaroslav Trofimov. https://www.wsj.com/world/will-the-u-s-abandon-ukraine-168c4a0a?st=3l7nan5798cl40p&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  23. I don’t think it will be coercion. Here is what I think will happen: The 12 team CFP will make a lot of money. The non-CFP bowls will make less and less, as they lose significance (it’s ridiculous that they still factor in final rankings). The CFP will expand to 16, with 11 at large. The SEC and B1G will consistently get ten teams combined in. They will get most of the money. The networks will ask for an expanded playoff, to 24 or 32 teams. The main beneficiaries would be the ACC and B12, who will be all in favor. I think the SEC and B1G would balk- why expand to add teams that don’t make more money for the P2? The networks suggest an alternate playoff to the non-P2 world, a playoff where the non-P2 world gets all the money. They accept. Thats how I think it goes down. Maybe there’s even a final game between the winner of the two playoffs.
  24. I think the CFP will make a lot of money. The SEC and B1G will collect the most. The B12 and ACC will want a larger playoff, so they can get more teams in and get more money. That will be countered by the P2 not wanting to expand the CFP, because their top teams can win it, and they don’t want to keep adding games. This could be resolved by the B12, ACC and G5 breaking away and having their own playoff, with as many teams as they want. It will still be popular, like Texas 5A is a big deal, even though there is still a 6A.
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