Matching and merging 2 files is task I find myself doing all of the time. Historically, I've used VLOOKUP in MS Excel and just worked around any limitations. Finally, I bit the bullet and wrote an R Function that does the trick faster, and with more flexibility. 

(Image added…

Yes, I know, this has been tried a few times and no one listens.... At least not yet. Despite several studies showing otherwise, teams still punt more than they should. Admittedly, some of these studies have been less than rigorous, and often times, assumptions are made that warrant scrutiny (assuming a 50% success rate on all 4th down attempts for example). But I don't think it is the lack of scientific rigor that keeps change at bay. I think the failure to adopt a novel strategy has a lot…

Anyone who has followed that last few presidential elections has seen how easily data can go from a hero to a zero. Nate Silver was a genius when his model and analysis successfully predicted Obama's electoral wins with great precision in 2008 and 2012. However, after the 2016 election, Mr. Silver and the value of data fell precipitously from grace in the eyes of political pundits and many voters.

Those of us who know better, well... know better. The problem wasn't with the data or…