Alica Schmidt - The World's Hottest Track Athlete - Is Ready To Start Her Season, Michah Parsons Is Fast & De Niro Knocks Up Woman
I'm absolutely sick this morning
There I was going through emails that needed addressed when I can to one from travel ball hardo Chris B. in Houston who sent me a link to a story on a baseball dad who knocked out an umpire at a kids' baseball game.
THE LINK IS TO CNN!
It's like the guy's trying poison my computer or something. Now, many of the great videos and photos you guys see within Screencaps come from Chris B. and I'm appreciative of him having his head on a swivel, but this time he made a huge Screencaps foul.
Chris B. did redeem himself Tuesday when he gave me a house ball compliment and advice on what to do with all the lost and found gear I've been collecting.
Dadvice needed
• Millennial Mike brings up a topic several of you are experts on:
What are some 1-3 sentence statements to live life by? I have a 4 year old son. Screencaps is a community full of people who have ‘been there’ and ‘done that’. My dad always dropped practical wisdom and advice to me, which I will bestow on my son.
For example:
-Always swim at a pool party.
-When somebody makes you a meal, eat it all and tell them it was delicious.
-If there is music, dance.
-You can judge a persons character by how clean their toilet is.
-Your clothing doesn’t have to be expensive, but it has to be clean, have no wrinkles, and fit well.
I will compile these and appoint myself the keeper of records for the nuggets put forth by SC.
Watch what you say about travel ball!
• Jeff in Phoenix has a warning for me:
Joe, I love Screencaps and the level of sanity you have brought to the internet, but you need to tap the brakes on the travel ball bashing. You have been very passive aggressive toward that community in your house ball posts. I used to be like you and coach my youngest daughter's rec (house) softball team when she was 8 and 9. I was all about staying with the house team until I saw what the level of ball looked like at the 10 and 12 year old levels.
Those teams were pretty much 100% new players and it was like starting over every year. I wanted my daughter to get better and not have to spend all of my time teaching new players how not to get hurt.
The reality is, that anyone that was halfway decent was moving onto some sort of club ball team and that was doubly true for the pitchers. I quickly came to the conclusion that if she really wanted to play softball, improve, and not have it be a waste of time it was going to have to be at the club level. It's an unfortunate reality because I feel like everyone is getting pigeonholed into one sport only.
It's not like it was when we were kids. I used to play soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the Spring/Summer, and finding time to play golf inbetween it all.
My oldest daughter is a freshman at a high school with about 600 kids and I would say 80% of the kids that made the Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and Basketball teams are on a club team. I am sure it is close to 100% at the bigger schools.
I just wanted to caution you on the shade you are throwing toward the club ball families, because if your son likes baseball, or any other sport, you are probably going to be facing a similar reality that we did a couple years ago.
Kinsey:
Good luck to Jeff and the other travel ball dads.
Can't say I've seen $10 off a case of Bud Light very often...but maybe I'm wrong
Tuesday, I had multiple people from the Dayton, Ohio area send me photos of discounted Bud Light at Kroger. I'm sure there's nothing to see here. They probably run this deal all the time and I'm just imagining this is how the manufacturer is moving beer as we're two weeks away from Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer.
This couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fallout from it's Dylan Mulvaney marketing decision, right?
• John from SD writes:
It happened, it happened last night: budweiser (doesn’t deserve to be capitalized) aired a new budweiser (doesn’t deserve to be capitalized) commercial with a Clydesdale. They’re on the defensive trying to look like the “American” beer!
Drink more Miller Light and Yuengling Light!
• Anonymous writes:
Today I was out running some errands and made a stop at a corner market in what most would consider rural east TN to pick up a 6 pack of Miller Lite. Google Maps image of the store attached (let's see if any SC folks can zero in on this...). Great corner country store. In the past they even sell live bait but I think they've stopped doing that.
Anyways, as I was walking out there was a white econo-box car - think Kia Soul / Nissan Juke type pulling in. It was from Eagle Distributing and had Bud Light on the door panels. I looked at the guy and chuckled as I walked to my car. He pulled in next to me, backed in so we were window-to-window. I sat in my car for a few seconds hoping he would get out so I could talk to him. But he stayed in his car and I drove back home.
On the way home I pondered it. He looked around 40ish, typical east TN dude who probably likes UT football, hunting, goes to church, has a family, and his biggest worry used to be deciding the batting lineup for his kids little league game that night. But now here's a guy who has to bring home the bacon driving a car with Bud Light on it. I feel for him. I just feel for all the dudes out there who thought they had the "beer guy" job that are now being shunned. I'm part of the problem - I no longer buy Bud Light and stopped buying A-B products.
The CEO's explanation was weak. The language they used in their Q1 earnings call last week was beyond pathetic. The attempt to pass the buck to the marketing company was the most desperate move of all. The leadership at A-B and within the BL brand is as beta as I've ever seen at a billion dollar corp.
I feel for the people impacted who went to work for an iconic brand thought to be indestructible, but due to no fault of their own, 99.9% of people associated with the BL brand and A-B are now all suffering. I understand the need to stay firm in our resolve to send a message, not just to A-B, but to corporations all over - we buy your product for the product, not for the cause of the day/week/month/etc you want to push on us. As I drove home I felt for the guy in the Bud Light car. I don't know the answer, but we MUST remain vigilant in sending this message.
Take care, and congrats on the smoking start to your coaching career. Put a few of these blowout seasons together and who knows...the Mud Hens might need a bench coach soon. Oh, and a shout-out to the Elizabeth Hurley material - nice to see some women who are older than my oldest.
• Mike T. writes:
Tastes like Bud Light.
I escaped this scenario in 10U -- for now
• David C. writes:
Don’t know if your having this problem Joe.
Kinsey:
I have three Lukes so that becomes an issue at time, but I escaped the TikTok moms going nuts with the "---den" names. That all could change down the road if I end up coaching my youngest son's teams.
Summer in Seattle advice
• Craig B. from Kirkland, WA writes:
In response to Nick C. advice request, here are some thoughts.
In general, downtown Seattle has gone to the dumps in the last 5 years - thank you covid and liberal government. There's no need to go to the downtown core or shopping area. It's truly sad as this used to be an amazing city with a vibrant downtown.
I am assuming the trip is in the summer so I would suggest the following:
A couple of day trip suggestions:
Hoping Nick's family gets some great weather and we are hoping that they will make a concerted effort to clean up Seattle this summer with the All-Star game coming to T-Mobile Park.
• Florida Chris B. writes:
We were in the PNW last fall, and I have a suggestion: Skip Seattle except for the airport. Get a car and take a ferry ride over to the Olympic Peninsula, where you can visit the Olympic National Park. It’s cleaner, less overrun with homeless 22-y-o junkies, and an altogether better experience. The best spot for a base camp is Sequim.
Culturally, Seattle doesn’t have anything you can’t also see in Miami, except for the Paul Allen Rock and Roll Museum or whatever they call it and that played-out fish market. (Actually, from the airport you don’t even need a ferry but it’s not a bad way to get across the Sound.)
• James M. in Poulsbo, WA writes:
I'm writing to offer some suggestions to Nick C. in Miami who's going on an Alaska cruise and wanted some suggestions in Seattle.
It's been awhile since I've played tourist in Seattle, but here are my two cents.
Places to avoid:
The area around the McDonald's on 3rd & Pine. There was a bunch of drug activity.
Places to visit/see:
-Pike Place Market (you'll see the flying fish place they show whenever there is a primetime Seahawks game).
-The gum wall (at Pike Place Market as well)
-Space Needle
-Tour of Lumen Field and/or T-Mobile Park
-The big ferris wheel
Places to eat:
-Ivar's Acres of Clams
-Seattle teriyaki at one of the many Seattle teriyaki joints, there used to be thousands in the city (it's to Seattle like cheese steaks are to Philadelphia and Chicago dogs are to Chicago). Here's a video:
Traffic barrels
• Keith W. writes:
I can help answer Herb's question about construction zones and orange barrels. I'm a traffic engineer by trade ....yes my job can be boring!
Basically the orange barrels are temporary traffic control devices to help protect a construction work zone. They are placed in a specific manner depending on several factors and "regulated" by the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
From the sounds of it as Herb described, I would bet they are actually 40 feet apart along his stretch of 3 miles, which is also the typical distance between lane line stripes on a road (from middle of stripe to middle of stripe, or front to front, or end to end). What I can't answer is why they are there constantly in Herb's area without any construction activities.
Maybe the road is not completed and ready for vehicles, so they need to keep the lane closed even with no construction going on. Work zone safety is pretty important (have you seen how many insane drivers there are out there?), but construction is also frustrating and annoying.
Speaking of travel, good luck to all of you who connect through one of these airports
• Mike T. in Idaho knows I like to visualize statistics:
TNML
• Guy G. puts things in perspective for newbies who might think they don't belong because they have properties that differ from suburban properties:
Joe, you’ve set up ScreenCaps for everyone. We get to get together every day, and start it with solid information, a couple chuckles, and comradery that we can’t get every day in our off-line lives. This leads me to Chris in VA, and is lawn.
Most guys in this league, have smaller properties, that they can pamper, overseed with rye to get that extra green late into the season, and edge their driveways and sidewalks. Out here in the sticks near Buffalo, NY., I’m mowing 20+ acres. I can’t possibly think about taking every weed out, or edging the driveway. I have a bocce court and a chipping green that I can do that with, but the cost and time would be overbearing on the size that I mow. Plus Mrs. G needs dandelions for syrup, salads and other odd things I won’t eat.
I take great pride in my lawn, but it will look awful until mid June. I spent last night cutting and rolling the back yard, and there are places that look like mud pits. It is for the greater good, as it will come around, but not look anything like the suburban lots.
Take pride in your work in progress, and enjoy the weekends off with that view!
• Zach G. writes:
Let’s start right away: one night a week, can’t do it right now. Coming from a guy born and raised say, 60 miles west of you (just outside New Castle) mowing one night a week right now, you’ll be bailing. I’ve mowed Thursday and today and should be raking right now. Yet here I am emailing you and screaming for the over
Love what you’re doing, but get me a multi day mowing league sticker.
Kinsey:
Nobody said anything about one-day-a-week. It's not uncommon for league members to mow on Thursday and Monday in the spring/early summer. The key is that you're not mowing on Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning, or Sunday afternoon so you can enjoy life.
• Dave B. writes:
Found on Facebook.
• Dane in Missouri writes with advice for Steve E. on overseeding:
I'm certainly not an expert in overseeding or lawn care in general, but I can say it's made a massive difference in my yard. Between overseeding and putting in a sprinkler system, it's really brought my yard back from the dead. Couple pieces of advice that I've learned having gone through it the last couple years:
1. It's best done in the fall...mid to late September. This will allow the new grass opportunity to grow before winter, but it'll be cooler than earlier in the year.
2. If you're doing aeration, just come to grips with the fact that the yard will look pretty rough for a few weeks after you do it. Have patience, it'll get better.
3. Water like your life depends on it. We put in a sprinkler system after we bought our house to help bring the lawn back and it paid for itself during the month or so after we overseeded. Seriously, if you're not watering morning and evening for about 2-4 weeks after overseeding, you're running the risk of wasting your money. It's a chore and isn't cheap, but it's absolutely necessary.
FIrst pic is my yard right after we bought our house, and the second is a year later after doing the overseeding in the fall of year 1 and having the sprinkler system installed. We did it again in the fall of year 2 and it filled in the last few areas that were having trouble growing in. As long as you water religiously, I think it's worth every penny! Good luck.
• Jim M. in Rhode Island writes:
Simple overseeding, don't overspend or over complicate
-Rent aerator for half a day
-Aerate once, seed.....aerate again, seed..... Make sure you're pulling plugs with soil on them (this will eliminate the step of topdressing.
-Small lawn so rake it out as even as you can.
Roll it. I roll with the wheels of my lawn tractor, works good. Better if you have an ATV with knobby tires (pushes seed down better)
-Get a good seed mixture, best I've found is Scotts fall mix. Do Not! get anything with annual rye! Spread starer fertilizer and water twice a day.
Notes- don't pick up anything, just roll. As long as the area is smooth that stuff will break down into organic matter. If you put down pre emergent already (crabgrass control) you cannot seed for 3 months, and cannot use that grass for compost pile or compost in the garden. U can use weed control after new grass hardens off (after you cut it 2 or 3 times.
U guys gonna get sick of my stupid lawn pics, lol!
That should be plenty to chew on this morning. The sun is out, the birds are in full migration mode, the Mother's Day weekend weather report got much better this morning. And Spring has Sprung.
Go have an amazing day at work and let it start to sink in that you're closing in on two weeks until you take the camper to the lake. Buckle down!
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com