In Far Middle episode 176, baseball great Willie Mays makes a series encore appearance in conjunction with the episode’s sports dedication. While Mays was honored in episode 24, it’s an interview Mays gave in 1954 that’s the focus of this installment.

In that interview, Mays revealed his mindset as a professional athlete in the 1950s, which included emphasizing the importance of loving the game, living a clean life, and getting the right amount of sleep. He believed in learning through experience and developing one’s own style, as evidenced by his unconventional “basket catch” technique. Mays’ approach demonstrated confidence and self-assurance that led to excellence.

Next, Nick connects “to another example of self-confidence and self-assurance, but in this instance leading to epic — and I mean epic — human suffering and historical tragedy.” He proceeds to examine Adolf Hitler’s experiences during World War I. Those experiences shaped Hitler’s self-assured and often arrogant approach to military strategy in World War II.

Hitler’s front-line experiences as a messenger in the trenches gave him a sense of superiority over his generals, whom he viewed as detached from the realities of war. This confidence in his judgment, stemming from his firsthand war experiences, tragically contributed to his disastrous military decisions in World War II.

“Sometimes the greatest among us, and the worst of the human species, they share some things in common,” says Nick. “And understanding the nature of that overlap, I think it can help us fortify the greatest and avoid the worst.”

Continuing to discuss the thin line between genius and madness, Nick examines a third and final connection: Billy Joe Shaver. A founding father of outlaw country music, Shaver’s unconventional path to success included overcoming personal setbacks, such as losing parts of two fingers in a lumber mill accident.

Shaver’s unique songwriting style and independent spirit helped birth the outlaw country genre. However, his non-conformist attitude also had a darker side, as evidenced by a shooting incident in 2007, for which he was later acquitted.

Nick concludes by emphasizing the importance of maintaining a moral compass while being self-confident and challenging conventional wisdom. The episode’s three seemingly unrelated figures illustrate how similar traits can lead to vastly different outcomes, from greatness to tragedy.

Far Middle episode 175 returns to the rink with a tribute to Bob Probert for this week’s sports dedication.

Probert is widely considered the greatest hockey enforcer in NHL history and could play both ends of the ice, scoring 20 to 30 goals per season. “Probie” played primarily for the Detroit Red Wings and was known for his intimidating presence—tallying 232 fights and 3,300 penalty minutes over 16 NHL seasons. Nick calls Probert “the greatest of a dying, and perhaps already dead, breed.”

Drawing a parallel from Probert’s role as a deterrent on the ice, Nick connects to the concept of nuclear deterrence, continuing prior episode 174’s look at the importance of missile defense in our unstable world of multiple nuclear capable adversaries. Specifically, Nick examines the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, referencing Robert F. Kennedy’s book “Thirteen Days.”

Learning lessons from those 13 days in October 1962 are “of vital importance today because with multiple threats facing the West—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—decision making in geopolitical crises that involve nuclear powers may need to become much more process-driven versus individualistic or ego-driven,” says Nick.

Analyzing the crisis management by President Kennedy and his executive committee (EXCOMM), Nick emphasizes the importance of structured decision-making and time management in high-stakes geopolitical situations. And he explores the three “velocities” at play during the crisis: the velocity of Russian initiative, the velocity of American response, and the velocity of assessing and deciding a course of action.

“Recognizing and organizing a process and subsequent decisions into different components, that’s going to be crucial to managing a rational process during time of tension,” says Nick.

Nick then examines how nuclear deterrence strategies have evolved since 1962, comparing the velocities of events, response, and decision-making between then and now. Missile defense systems like “Star Wars” or Iron Dome are just as important today as in the 1980s, not just for their defensive capabilities but also for their ability to buy crucial time for decision-making during crises.

Rational, process-driven leadership in handling modern geopolitical tensions is critical. Our complex global landscape requires leaders who prioritize optimal outcomes over personal legacy or popularity.

In closing, Nick connects to the Mad Max series and Tina Turner’s hit song “We Don’t Need Another Hero” from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The film’s post-apocalyptic world and the potential consequences of nuclear conflict, alongside the song’s lyrics, further emphasize the importance of getting America’s nuclear deterrence strategy and tactics right in today’s world.

In Far Middle episode 174, Nick leads off by acknowledging Constitution Day and its significance.

Next up, the episode’s September 18, 2024, release date coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the premiere of Ken Burns’ 1994 Baseball documentary. Nick celebrates Burns’ Emmy-winning series for this week’s sports dedication, calling it the greatest sports documentary ever made. Burns’ only error? Compressing the 1970 to 1992 period into one episode.

Leaving the baseball field, Nick then dedicates the bulk of the episode to a detailed account of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage that occurred in September 2022. That sabotage represents a “sequence of events that are right out of a spy novel or suspense movie that deserve a documentary of its own,” says Nick.

Nick presents a fascinating examination of the Nord Stream pipeline attack, describing how the plan allegedly originated in a Ukrainian bar in May 2022. He recounts how a small team of Ukrainian military officers and civilians carried out the operation using a rented yacht, with skilled divers planting explosives on the pipeline.

Beyond the operation’s details, Nick also discusses the geopolitical implications of the sabotage and the reactions of various countries, including Germany, Russia, Poland, and the United States. He explores the evidence pointing to Ukrainian involvement, while also noting the official denials issued by Ukrainian authorities. Nick emphasizes the significant economic and political repercussions of the attack, particularly for Germany.

Transitioning from this spy-thriller-like story, Nick stays in the arena of foreign policy and national defense. He connects to America’s nuclear strategy, arguing a nuclear deterrence strategy may no longer be effective against modern adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

“Nuclear deterrence, to work, requires mutual, rational thinking from both sides, not just us,” says Nick. “And I don’t think assuming our enemies will apply such thinking is a safe assumption these days. Pursuing a modern Strategic Defense Initiative by employing interceptors, that would strengthen America’s hand to coerce those adversaries into submission and ultimately to call their bluffs. Climate change is not anything close to our biggest threat these days. Let’s wake up and look around the map.”

Nick concludes by noting we need to remain vigilant all along the watchtower when it comes to nuclear threat, which provides a fitting closing connection to episode 174’s release date to reflect on Jimi Hendrix and his much-too-early death at age 27 on September 18, 1970, “one of the greatest extinguished.” Give a listen for Nick’s favorite Hendrix song, and see where Hendrix ranks on Nick’s list of The Ten Greatest Guitarists in Rock History.

Far Middle episode 173, premiering on Patriot Day (September 11), begins with a solemn “never forget” message from Nick. He also notes Grandparents Day, observed this past Sunday, and the wisdom and mentorship grandparents provide.

The episode’s sports dedication is a celebration and reflection on the career of the multi-talented Pat Williams. An iconic and innovative figure in pro sports, Williams passed away this past July. Alongside his positions with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers, Williams played a key role in establishing the NBA’s Orlando Magic franchise. Williams was also a prolific writer, marathon runner, and dedicated father. He was “a doer and achiever in the truest sense of the words,” says Nick.

The discussion next shifts to an update on CNX Resources’ Radical Transparency initiative. The first-of-its-kind environmental monitoring program, launched in November 2023 and previously featured in Far Middle episode 132, has now collected over 100,000 data points, which “grows by the hour daily.” That data is available and disclosed in real-time for all to review at www.cnxradicaltransparency.com.

Nick explains how Radical Transparency marks the start of a new era of responsible domestic energy development, and its initial results demonstrate that natural gas is manufactured safely without public health risks. He urges the natural gas industry to adopt this transparency model across all operations.

“Radical Transparency’s objective measured data contradicts, exposes, and it demolishes, frankly, the fictions and fear mongering that the radical environmental groups have proffered about natural gas development in places like Pennsylvania,” explains Nick.

Nick stresses that Radical Transparency’s data collection is continuous and ongoing, and the program’s directly measured data provides the superior path forward to setting energy policy. “Radical Transparency has and will continue to benefit all stakeholders,” adds Nick. “The most important stakeholder being the residents and the environment in which we all live.”

In closing, Nick connects back to the episode’s September 11 release date with a nostalgic reference to the release of the Atari 2600 on September 11, 1977, highlighting the classic system’s impact on video gaming and helping spark Nick’s interest in computer programming.

The Far Middle episode 172 returns to the rink for the installment’s sports dedication, this time honoring Steve Yzerman, affectionately known as “Captain Redwing” or “Stevie Y.”

Nick reviews Yzerman’s historic career, a journey that includes a 19-year captaincy of the Detroit Red Wings, three Stanley Cup victories, Olympic gold medals, and influencing future players like Sidney Crosby. Nick also notes Yzerman’s exceptional two-way play, clutch performances, and his status as one of the greatest captains in NHL history.

From “The Captain,” Nick shifts to the episode’s principal topic: the often-overlooked historical significance of hotels. Nick proceeds to present an entertaining look at the historic journey of The Hague’s Hotel Des Indes.

While Nick profiles the more than 150-year legacy of the Hotel Des Indes, he stresses that “you’d be surprised at how many locations offer up scores of hotels that carry fascinating stories within their walls.”

Nick’s discussion parallels and expands upon his recent essay, “History Hiding in Hotels: The Hague’s Hotel Des Indes.”

“There are hundreds of Hotel Des Indes across America and Europe just waiting to be appreciated and decoded,” says Nick. “They’re hiding in plain view. They’re entirely missed if one is not aware of it. That’s ironic because it’s often with or by the person who’s in pursuit of the very same history that played out down the street or around the block.”

Far Middle hockey fans, for more hockey insights from Nick, check out past dedications to Martin Brodeur (episode 30), Mario Lemieux (episode 66), the 1980 U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Team (episode 80), Wayne Gretzky (episode 99), the history of the sport (episode 140), and Gordie Howe (episode 150).