Stealing Bases and Preserving Fire

As spring training gets underway during the premiere week of Far Middle episode 195, Nick leads off with a timely and heartfelt dedication to one of baseball’s greatest leadoff hitters—the late, great Rickey Henderson.

Nick recalls Henderson's distinctive style and personality, including his crouched batting stance and his tendency to refer to himself in the third person. Reflecting on Henderson's record-breaking career, Nick highlights his unmatched stolen base prowess, which rightfully earned him the nickname “Man of Steal.”

Leaving the diamond, Nick delves into the writings of Ayn Rand. He examines her thoughts on civil discourse and advocacy, emphasizing their relevance to the challenges of today's political landscape. Rand's focus on well-reasoned arguments and the importance of clarifying ideological divides provides an important framework for analyzing contemporary issues.

Nick highlights Rand’s quote from her essay Conservatism: An Obituary: “Nothing is as futile as a movement without goals, or a crusade without ideals, or a battle without ammunition. A bad argument is worse than ineffectual: it lends credence to the arguments of your opponents. A half-battle is worse than none: it does not end in mere defeat—it helps and hastens the victory of your enemies."

To illustrate Rand’s argument, Nick critiques a recent Wall Street Journal article on energy policy. He examines flaws in the article’s logic and rebuts its assumptions, raising concerns about bias and a lack of rigor in business media reporting, particularly regarding energy and climate issues.

Shifting from Rand’s wisdom to insights from The Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Roberts, Nick explores Roberts’ essay Populist Conservatism and Constitutional Order. Nick highlights Roberts’ observation that “the Left as we know it today has rejected populism out of hand, embracing instead Big Government, Big Business, Big Banks, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Labor, Big Ag, Big Media, and Big Entertainment.”

Roberts includes a quote by composter Gustav Mahler, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” Nick reflects on this important message, which he says has been true since the Enlightenment and is central to the Far Middle’s mission.

Ending on a high note, Nick offers a tribute to legendary guitarist Joe Walsh while acknowledging Walsh’s omission from Nick’s list of top rock guitarists. He delves into Walsh’s musical journey beyond the Eagles, spotlighting his influential album So What and his contributions to rock history. Tune in to not only hear Nick’s favorite Joe Walsh song but to learn more about Walsh which will likely have you searching Spotify for Rocky Mountain Way.