The Far Middle episode 101 begins the next chapter in sports dedications as the series enters the triple digits. To mark episode 101’s April 26 release date, Nick dedicates the episode to those pitchers who’ve thrown one-hitters. He looks back on two notable one-hitters from today in 1980 by “Lefty” and in 1990 by “The Ryan Express.”

Nick underscores the importance of tracking data and statistics of baseball players as he then tosses a change up and moves into the efficacy—or lack thereof—of public education. Like ball players, he comments on the importance of tracking students; highlighting a recent Stanford University and Associated Press study that found more than 240,000 students living in 21 states and the District of Columbia have gone missing since the start of the pandemic. Nick suggests it might be time for wholesale change for the public education lineup, front office, and ownership.

Staying on the topic of data and statistics, Nick examines two arenas where statistics are telling an interesting, albeit unsettling, story. In California, the state’s precipitous drop in personal income tax revenue signals difficult decisions loom for the Golden State. And nationally, America’s $31 trillion (and climbing) national debt, its balance sheet, and overall budgetary health has put the nation and economy on a course towards unprecedented and unchartered waters. The data are all staring us in the face, as easy to read as baseball box scores.

Next, Nick connects the discussion of statistics, math, government finances, and ill-advised policies to what’s happening in France, and how that might be a harbinger of things to come in the U.S. Nick delves into President Macron’s efforts to reform French pension laws, which isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface and explains why France’s pension situation is going to get much worse pretty quickly.

Returning to the U.S., Nick revisits the gloomy fiscal forecast that has more bad weather on the way. Those storms are government’s terrifying off-balance sheet liabilities and commitments of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. When you add it all up, the financial reality our nation is facing is putting us in a serious predicament. Nick foresees us heading toward to a level of government austerity the likes of which we’ve never seen.

Nick closes by connecting back to the episode’s release date of April 26, and reflects on the valor and inspiring story of Medal of Honor recipient Michael Estocin. Estocin represents the best America has to offer and the motivation to do the hard work that lies ahead.

The Far Middle has reached its 100th episode. A podcast that began as companion commentary paired with the release of Precipice—further exploring each chapter’s topics—has now spanned nearly two years.

In conjunction with the milestone episode’s late April release, Nick pays homage to legendary heavyweight boxer Rocky Marciano who retired from professional boxing on April 27, 1956. Marciano’s 49-0 record (43 of which were by knockout) easily puts “The Brockton Bomber’s” incredibly strong chin on Nick’s Mt. Rushmore of boxing.

Moving from the ring, episode 100 centers around the ever-expanding role of the administrative state and big government’s continued encroachment on individuals’ personal freedom—two themes synonymous with The Far Middle since the series’ inception.

Nick begins in New Zealand, discussing a new government initiative representing a new extreme in nanny state intervention. “When you see national governments in Western republican democracies subtly taking on role of relationship therapist for teenagers, you know things have gone too far,” says Nick.

Next, Nick presents the concept of a two-dimensional matrix, where on one axis are issues ranging from deeply personal to universal, and on the other axis are local government ranging to national and international governments. Nick references such a matrix in examining the issues of pandemic policy, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 (GFC), and climate change. Big issues fitting for a big episode.

Further, Nick looks at the media’s coverage of these issues, and how the media’s omission of a single word in their headlines turns the journalist from objective truth teller to propagandist for the Left or for government. What’s the word? Give a listen!

In closing, Nick goes back to another historic late April event: Elbe Day, which occurred on April 25, 1945, when Soviet and American troops met at Torgau, Germany. “1945 and Elbe Day are the last time Western republican democracies, led by America, and the communist or Leftists worked together on anything; only fascism created a common interest and mutual goal,” says Nick. Why the last time? It’s because America and the Left have DNAs that dictate one another are mortal enemies—a fitting close that speaks to Nick’s advocacy efforts on The Far Middle and beyond.

The Far Middle episode 99 honors “the Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, who “re-established the standard for greatness in the NHL,” describes Nick. And in conjunction with the dedication, Nick offers some thoughts on the bias of the Ontario/Toronto-based hockey media.

In making this episode’s first connection, Nick links Wayne Gretzky to two asset classes that have undergone bubble-type inflated valuations: sports trading cards and the value of currency itself. Nick warns that if current trends continue (skyrocketing government spending, ballooning debt, stifling free enterprise with regulations, continuing to print money, and setting interest rates at negative real rates relative to inflation) we can expect a devaluation of the American dollar, which isn’t going to bode well for the U.S. economy.

Next, Nick addresses free speech and those describing themselves as liberal, however, these individuals would be better characterized as the thought police.

He then reflects on the Twitter Files, where big tech censored speech and users with subjective political and ideological filters, while the mainstream media pretended to not know what was going on. And worst of all, before the Twitter Files news ever broke, the FBI was exercising “constant and pervasive” contact with Twitter. Nick goes on to explain how the FBI/Twitter relationship is an example of “the iron fist covered by the velvet glove” theory.

Moving into the episode’s next connection, Nick once again defines Liberal versus Leftist ideology—and how it’s wrong to interchange the two ideologies. He then summarizes the Left’s grinding long-term game: “The Left develops its ideology, the Left and that ideology infiltrate government and its bureaucracy, and the Left and its ideology and government then come together to infiltrate public institutions such as colleges and universities and nonprofits, and then all those stakeholders come together to begin to influence and ultimately control the private sector, free enterprise, and last but not least, the individual.”

Where was this “game” conceived? Look no further than Antonio Gramsci. Who was Gramsci? Listen and learn why he’s a man impacting every American today, and how his ideological views have come to the brink of conquering Western society.

In closing, Nick pivots to a few optimistic words from Ayn Rand, followed by reflecting on the unbelievable history of Williamsburg, Virginia.

The Far Middle episode 98 begins with a look back on the origin of April Fools’ Day, which coincides with the sweet sound of “play ball!” and the start of Major League Baseball’s regular season. Baseball is the theme of this week’s dedication as Nick goes back 25 years to the summer of 1998 and the epic slugfest between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire to break Roger Maris’ 61 home-run record set in 1961.

Following a look at the strange issues surrounding the long-ball record, Nick transitions to the legislative and political dynamics leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 (that also includes a unique baseball tie-in). Next, Nick offers a sobering analysis of America’s federal debt—a liability that has climbed rapidly over the past 40 years to more than $31 trillion today.

“Something that would help dig our government out of this massive debt crater would of course be economic growth,” says Nick. “And for economic growth, a prerequisite is job growth. People work and business booms, and government ends up seeing more tax revenues and it also experiences less outflows for entitlements—pretty basic stuff.” This leads Nick into a review of U.S. jobs statistics, followed by an analysis of the Congressional Budget Office’s latest Budget and Economic Outlook released in February.

Nick describes the state of the federal government’s finances as trapped within a “squeeze play,” and says spending austerity is the only way out of the mess we’re in. Entitlement reform—even modest—won’t be easy. France’s move to raise its retirement age from 62 to 64 and the ensuing public revolt is a prime example.

In closing, Nick goes back to 1941 and Joseph Stalin’s false sense of security, refusing to listen to the data that Germany was preparing an offensive on the Soviet Union. That refusal led to millions of deaths and pushed his nation to the brink of existence. “It didn’t have to be that bad if Stalin would have paid attention to the reality and facts,” says Nick. In comparing to our federal government’s fiscal mess, Nick says he hopes it’s not a matter of millions of lives at stake, but in some ways it is, because if we don’t fix the mess then millions of lives will be materially impacted.

The Far Middle episode 97 is dedicated to the hockey force, Connor McDavid. While just eight years in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers’ No. 97 has become the best player in the league today—challenging Nick’s settled view on the Mount Rushmore of hockey’s greatest players.

Nick moves from the hypothetical Mount Rushmore of hockey to the actual Mount Rushmore and two of its faces, former presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Nick proceeds to describe Lincoln and Roosevelt’s similar views on wider U.S. presidential power during times of crisis. “The view of wide presidential power is a very dangerous, slippery slope,” Nick warns. He explains that he leans towards lesser presidential power rather than more.

Expanded executive power results in an attack from the whole of government on individual freedoms and free enterprise. Nick argues that this is exactly what’s happening with the current administration using the epically convenient global crisis of climate change to expand its influence.

The expanded power of the executive branch and administrative state would horrify the Founding Fathers, which leads Nick to a discussion on the trait of courage. Nick delves into the evolution of our system of checks and balances and says it’s time for the Supreme Court and Congress to start doing their jobs.

Meanwhile, a different evolution is happening in the arena of sports gambling in the U.S. today. Nick notes that last year Americans wagered nearly $94 billion on sports. He then comments on the industry’s advantage on live “prop betting.”

From Connor McDavid to U.S. presidents, driven individuals are a consistent theme of episode 97. Nick connects such individuals’ drive to the philosophical concept of “thymos,” the drive and pursuit for recognition. “Humans want others to recognize their individual significance,” Nick says. “Humans can never thrive while feeling emptiness in their soul.” Nick shares how thymos can be both positively and negatively impactful. And he explains why thymos is a necessary ingredient in any society that values the individual and that desires a high quality of life.

In closing, Nick celebrates the career of Clint Eastwood, an actor and director who harnessed his inner thymos for decades. Like many other Eastwood fans, Nick’s favorite Eastwood period was his Spaghetti Westerns. Nick concludes episode 97 with his recommendation for an underrated Eastwood movie you might not have seen. And separately, it’s worth noting—in another instance of The Far Middle’s unique connection web—Eastwood’s political thriller, “Absolute Power,” came out in 1997.