Friday Link-O-Rama

I feel like doing one of these posts, so here goes:

• I collected baseball cards growing up and gained my love for number from them. The genius of Joe Posnanski goes through an observational history of stats on baseball cards, and if you've ever collected (even if you were only a 1990s card boom collector), you'll enjoy it.
• From my little corner of Huskerland, a few thoughts on fear and how it can govern life at times.
• The election might be over in most corners of the country, but Nate Silver continues to show his intellectual mettle.

And one personal thought of the day:

Politics has seemingly devolved into being like college sports, where you root for your team vehemently and disparage your rivals while trying to purport your team's superiority. So what happened to good, open discussions about ideas in the forum where it matters the most?

A tale of two analysts

The title of my latest post over at Seamheads

Veteran's Day

If you're at least a third-generation American, you almost certainly have a relative who served or is serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Today is their day. Thank them for their service.

Post election day thoughts

1) The smarter campaign won. This is obvious, but it does make me wonder what happens if John McCain does more talking about issues rather than trying to tear down Obama's image. For me, it was the constant disparaging of Obama, especially during the debates, that didn't allow the Maverick image to shine. Of course, imitating Obama's campaign didn't make him seem better either.

2) Now, I have as much hope as anyone that Obama can make good things happen in government. But I'll know the Daley Machine has extended its reign to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. if Patrick Fitzgerald is disposed of as the U.S. District Attorney in Chicago while Obama is in office. Of course, this could also lead to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago, which many are now predicting in Chicago.

3) Affirmative action goes down in Nebraska. Gay unions go down in California. Yet Colorado can't figure out when a person's life begins. Here's a hint: 80% were wrong.

4) Lots of promises means they will either be fulfilled or 1994 will repeat itself in 2010. Mr. President-elect, you've been warned.

And lastly, the word of the day is:

Obamanation

For you Democrats out there, this is a synonym of domination. For the Republicans in the crowd, just think of what other word it sounds like if you say it really fast. It'll help you survive for at least the next 2 years.