Survive and Advance

 Well, that was an exciting Duke game!  To be sure, I expected a tough, hard-fought game, and I was not disappointed, even if I needed to drink afterwards.  That late 3 from way out...I never expected that go in.  Normally, of course, this is when Duke plays like crap and falls apart, but not this time.  And it was good!  And, of course, Coach K gets win 1,200.  A nice, round number...but not as nice as 1,204.  

Two other basketball observations.  One, people shoot from three -- and make them -- at distances that, 20 years ago, no one would have ever attempted, save for the most dire of circumstances.  Now, they go up -- and in -- all the time.   Two, is it me, or is the lane a lot more crowded nowadays?  I know players are bigger and stronger nowadays, but dribble-drive penetration...seems to be less.  I can see why people want to widen the court, to create some space and get the small guys back in there.

In other news...the Big Ten has one team left -- that of Michigan, the lowest seed.  The supposedly down ACC has three -- including Miami, which put the wood to Auburn (no one saw that coming!); indeed, only ND lost in the round of 32, and as the lowest seed...  I of course was amused.  And, St. Peter's is still in, warming the hearts of everyone in 49 states.  Exciting times, all around!

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/20/republicans-2022-campaigns-00018591

Oh, I don't know...the party, like it or not, is changing, and thus so too is the definition of what being a Republican actually entails.  This is not necessarily a bad thing -- I like the populism, for one, and the appeal of the working class party is true to my roots.  But it is also an issue for those who are not fans of certain changes... I mean, a more Trumpy GOP is not exactly one that can win everywhere, which is why I would prefer door number two.  Speaking of...

https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/03/17/the-desantis-doctrine-n2604617?fbclid=IwAR2JFKhzltlxssm8AxJDGWfV845ZfuOWAlTrq7aMKj-E2BehDy3yYSqe8aA
This is why, I suspect, people like the guy; much like Trump, he doesn't flinch from the attacks, and in some ways he is better at punching back; going after Disney for supporting China is sheer genius.  

https://stream.org/project-veritas-torches-the-new-york-times-and-explodes-the-january-6-narrative/

Snicker, snicker...  honestly, I think telling the people at the NYT to "man up" is something that should be done at every opportunity...