Postcards: The End of My Lacrosse Career

I was okay at lacrosse. My final game was pretty good though. Also, let's talk about the week ahead, and what it means for investors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [Postcards: The End of My Lacrosse Career]( I was okay at lacrosse. My final game was pretty good though. Also, let's talk about the week ahead, and what it means for investors. [Garrett {NAME}]( Nov 12   [READ IN APP](   Dear Fellow Expat: Scott knew I wasn’t doing well. At halftime, he walked up to me and asked what was wrong. “Well, I don’t know if you noticed,” I said, “but I’m getting lit up by a bunch of girls.” It was fall 2002 – and I was playing goalie in a morning scrimmage for the Northwestern Women’s Lacrosse team. We were “Team USA.” Team “Red, White, and Blue” had taken six shots in the first half. And all six went into the goal. I was the goalie. Scott Hiller was the husband of the NU head coach, Kelly Amonte Hiller. She’d won two national championships at the University of Maryland as a player. She’s coached the NU Women’s team to eight national championships. Before they won the title in 2005, Northwestern hadn’t won an NCAA title since 1941, when they won the national championship in football. Brian was a fantastic player as well. He’d played at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and coached the Baltimore Bayhawks. He coached at Harvard and won the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship as a member of the U.S. National Team. But his finest coaching hour was probably the pep talk he gave me after I let up six goals in the first half – and couldn’t even see the damn ball because these women moved the ball faster than any team I’d ever played. They had broken my spirit. I thought - yeah, I’ll be able to keep up with them. But these women were future national champions. They could put a lacrosse ball into a Red Solo Cup tied up to the goal from 10 yards away. I didn’t have a chance because their shooting was so precise. Brian didn’t want me to give up. So, he gave me some great advice. “Why don’t you just play the game the way you do?” he said. “Try to have fun.” So… I did. I knocked the attack off the crease for the second half by pushing them in the back of their knees. I talked so much trash that Larry Bird would be proud of me. I ran the ball down the field and took a shot. And I stopped every shot taken in the second half. We won 7-6. Because we won, the other team had to run sprints. While my team celebrated our win, the other team's captain offered Kelly and the coaches a little bit of colorful language about my attendance in that game. My NCAA clock officially started that morning, and I was never invited back. It was my last game ever. And that – my friends – is my story as a “D-1” athlete. Go Cats. Let’s dig into the week ahead for the markets and put everything into Republic Speak. Monday, November 13 Event: OPEC’s Monthly Market Report Republic Speak: The last few weeks have been rough for the energy market. The counter-narrative that I discussed in September has come to fruition. Despite the global worries about demand (principally in China), OPEC is very upbeat about the road ahead. Saudi Arabia and Russia have extended their production cuts through the year's end. But we could see a commitment to further reductions in the first quarter. This report previews what we can expect during the upcoming OPEC production meeting on November 25-26. OPEC hasn’t altered its demand outlook for the year ahead. I argue that investors can safely invest between $75 and $80 per barrel in oil production. OPEC needs higher prices, and nations use crude oil to balance their budgets. Continue to focus on names like Exxon Mobil (XOM), Occidental (OXY), and Permian Resources (PR). Tuesday, November 14 Event: “ESPN Bet” goes live in 17 states. Consumer Price Index for October. Republic Speak: ESPN as a standalone business fascinates me, and it’s just a matter of time before Walt Disney (DIS) spins off the sports entertainment giant. That said, I do wonder about the ethics behind their ongoing dive into sports gambling. Journalism… right? I expect that something will go wrong at some point around sports gambling. Something significant. Someone cuts corners. It might not be a Black Sox or Pete Rose situation, but this feels inevitable. Human nature will get the best of this trend. I have no exposure to it. Meanwhile, we have the Consumer Price Index. The numbers are the numbers. Largely cooked. And people like Paul Krugman are trying to spike the football. This isn’t over. What matters isn’t the number… it’s how people perceive inflation. Americans are feeling the squeeze, and they’re not believing the numbers. They’re trusting their own eyes at the grocery store. Wednesday, November 15 Event: President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet in San Francisco Republic Speak: They’re clearing out homeless encampments across San Francisco to try to make it look good ahead of Xi Jinping’s arrival. It’s unclear what the end goal is here, because San Francisco is a dumpster fire, and it’s not going to get better until voters decide that they don’t have to live like this. There is chatter out there that China wants to course correct and improve trade relations with the United States. This could be a bullish catalyst for global trade. But let’s see how it goes. Thursday, November 16 Event: Walmart Earnings Republic Speak: We’ll find out the health of the U.S. consumer on Thursday. Walmart is the largest brick-and-mortar store, the largest grocery store, and an incredible force in e-commerce. Roughly 90% of all Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart, and it will tell us how resilient the U.S. consumer is heading into the Holiday shopping season. I expect good numbers, largely because of necessity. Friday, November 17 Event: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee speaks Republic Speak: We’ll hop on a plane to Baltimore for Thanksgiving, but pay close attention to what Goolsbee has to say. He’s a dove; I believe he’s the dark horse to replace Jerome Powell someday. Goolsbee said the other day that rising bond yields could create a scenario where there is overtightening in the financial markets. Goolsbee doesn’t want to raise interest rates – and the doves are back in control. Since Friday is an options expiration day, I think he can and will move the markets with his commentary. Not enough people are listening to him, and he’s just as influential as his predecessor Charles Evans. That’s all. Go watch terrible football, and stay positive. Garrett {NAME} Invite your friends and earn rewards If you enjoy Postcards from the Florida Republic, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. [Invite Friends](   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2023 Garrett {NAME} 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()