Linxplained

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The folks at Freakonomics explain why Jeremy Lin's success was actually predictable:

An average point guard selected in the NBA draft from 1995 to 2009 posted a 5.8 Win Score per 40 minutes (WS40) in his last year in college.  In 2009-10, Lin posted a 8.0 WS40, which meant he was an above average prospect.

Lin’s above average Win Score was driven by his ability to excel at shooting efficiency from two-point range, his ability to get rebounds, and his ability to get steals. When we look at which college factors predict an NBA player’s productivity, we find that it is these very same factors that matter: shooting efficiency from two-point range, rebounds, and steals.

Now what factors don’t matter? We found that a player’s height, age, and other box score numbers are not associated with more NBA production later on. In addition, appearing in the Final Four – a factor that clearly impacts draft position – doesn’t suggest higher production in the future.  In sum, what Lin didn’t have in 2010 wasn’t related to his future NBA prospects.  Consequently – contrary to what people in the NBA thought back in 2010 — people outside the NBA argued (again, back in 2010) that Lin might be worth a look.  

I smell a Moneyball moment for the NBA. 

State and Local is Where It’s At

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For those of you who think all the political action is in Washington, DC I have to tell you that the real action, at least in terms of entertainment value, is in the state and local arenas. A perfect example:

Lewisville Losing a Good Man

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Cecil Wood, Lewisville's Town Manager, is retiring today. That's too bad for Lewisville because Cecil's a good man and has been a tremendous asset to the town. During my service on the Planning Board I've had a chance to work with him over the last couple of years and have truly enjoyed spending time with him and seeing him in action. He really is one of the good guys.

Here's a nice story in the Winston-Salem Journal about Cecil's retirement.

Imposing Religion

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In reading an article that a friend sent to me I found this quote from President Kennedy:

I believe in a President whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office.

With a slight change it adequately reflects my view on the proper role of religion in American society:

I believe in a citizen whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition of citizenship.

When Your Pastor Behaves Like a Jerk

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Lewisville, NC has plenty of churches, but as far as I know it only has one pastor (now ex-pastor) who maintains a regular blog. I stumbled across the blog of one local congregation's pastor a few years ago and at one point wrote a post about some misgivings I had about his congregation's approach to proseltyzing to folks in hospice. He left me a comment on that post inviting me to lunch to discuss the matter and I looked forward to having a lively discussion. Alas the lunch never happened and later that year he resigned from the church. When I read of his resignation I sent him an email wishing him well and I believe I even offered a helping hand, although in practical terms I don't have many connections that would likely be of use to a Baptist preacher. His reply to my email was, well, curt.

The pastor's blog remained in my reader and occassionally he would write something that caught my attention. His latest post – My Former Church, Obama, Nice vs. Kind, SBC Name Change – offers a not-so-subtle hint as to why he might have had to resign from his church:

To The People At My Former Church
I am not your long, lost buddy, or your best friend. When you see me and you want to hug me, don't be surprised if I don't want to hug you back. Your refusal to take a stand against the evil in the church is the reason I am no longer there. I don't blame the evil people for revealing who they truly are. However, I lay the church problems at the feet of you who refused to stand up for what is right because you didn't want to rock the boat. You closed your eyes to the boil on the butt of the church and refused to lance it. Your cowardice in the name of peace did not and does not honor the Lord Jesus. I have moved on. So when you see me in the marketplace, don't be surprised when I don't pretend to be your good buddy. I'm not. 

That's the damndest interpretation of forgiveness and grace I've ever seen from a man of the cloth. But he really shows us something with his take on why Obama will win the election:

Obama Will Win
Not because I want him to win, nor will I vote for him, but I believe he will win a second term. This election is not about issues, it's about race. Most African-Americans will vote for Obama because he is black. They are proud to have one of their own in charge. They will always give him the benefit of the doubt. Black folks will vote for Obama and a few white folks will too. That is why Obama will be reelected. It doesn't really matter what the Republicans do or who they run. Obama will win.

Considering that African Americans make up less than 13% of the US population I'd say President Obama would need more than a "few" white votes to be reelected. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the candidate the Republicans pick, the state of the economy and the rise or fall of unemployment will have as much or more to do with the President's chances than race will.

Earlier in his post our friendly pastor wrote:

I have come to the point in my life where I am going to say what I think. You may like it or you may not like it. My remarks will not be politically correct. We have too many folks tiptoeing around words and never saying nothing. My tiptoeing days are over. I'm not going to place links in my posts or cite any sources. I am out of school and this is not a term paper. If you don't like my comments, then don't read the blog.

There won't be any comments on the blog. I don't have the time to moderate them because many of you will just say stupid things and expect me to respond. I don't have the time nor the desire to respond. If you want to talk about stuff, get your own blog.

Obviously I do have a blog, which means I'm able to comment and what I have to say is this: bitterness truly only hurts the man who carries it.  Also, you'd be well advised to say the Lord's Prayer and pay particular attention to the whole "trespasses" thing when you do. I truly hope you find it in your heart to forgive, because if you don't you're the one being hurt, not your former congregants.

How to Remove Your Google Search History

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You might have heard that Google is changing its privacy policy, and you might have also seen that more than a few people are upset about it. I'm not up on the issue enough to say how bad (or good) a thing it is, but I did like the fact that as a result of all the hullabaloo I learned how to remove my Google web search history.

It took four steps and less than 30 seconds.

Attempted Suicide by Jaguar, Apprenticed to a Pirate

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From the NY Times obit of John Fairfax, the first man to row solo across the Atlantic:

For all its bravura, Mr. Fairfax’s seafaring almost pales beside his earlier ventures. Footloose and handsome, he was a flesh-and-blood character out of Graham Greene, with more than a dash of Hemingway and Ian Fleming shaken in.

At 9, he settled a dispute with a pistol. At 13, he lit out for the Amazon jungle.

At 20, he attempted suicide-by-jaguar. Afterward he was apprenticed to a pirate. To please his mother, who did not take kindly to his being a pirate, he briefly managed a mink farm, one of the few truly dull entries on his otherwise crackling résumé, which lately included a career as a professional gambler.

Mine would read something like: he commuted relentlessly, day after day, to climate controlled boxes where he endeavoured to complete tasks that, if described here, would induce sleep.