Since 2008, Jackson has gone only one year (2011) without at least a second-place finish in international extemp. Of the speakers in the round, Podugu committed no speaking errors and, despite a less engaging stage presence than Liang, used consistency, extreme depth of knowledge, and the best cross-ex section of any speaker to take second.

It should’ve been noted that Vinay is a freshman, continuing a rare tradition of freshmen making Ohio IX finals. Jackson’s Abhishek Bhargava finaled as a freshman in 2011, and after his four year streak of finals ended last year, it’ll be interesting to see if the 2010-2014 and 2014-2018 stretch of seasons see the same name in a final.

The successful results of many Tommy John surgeries has turned it into a kind of “cure-all” in the minds of some athletes and their families. In addition to believing that surgery without an injury prompting it elevates your game, others believe that Tommy John surgery can rehab you faster than non-operative treatment. These are worrisome opinions because of the negative effects that could befall perfectly healthy players looking for a way to cut corners.

Not just his face, though. The evolution of Dean’s hair is as important a focal point as any.

The soundtracking is the masterpiece, if any exists. Starting this off with “Only One” shows that Dean understands no matter how many days he held up a whiteboard, he had to stay with the times.

Less than a day after this article was written, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sought to prove Purdum wrong. He told of a subpoena issued by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) that would make it a crime “if she knowingly withholds documents pursuant to subpoena.”