Cowboys Cheerleader Breaks The Rules, Flip Phones Make A Comeback & Take Me Out To The Wiener Drop

I am back, my friends! I survived WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.

Actually, it was a really good time. I worked pretty much the whole time, but it was still fun to be back in my hometown and back to my old stomping grounds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tell you what — Indianapolis knows how to host a sporting event. The city did an incredible job.

A much less pleasant place, though, are my Twitter mentions and my email inbox after my coverage this weekend. Turns out, some people are really mad about the fact that I merely reported fairly on the WNBA. I do appreciate the people who wanted to have constructive conversations about CBA negotiations, the T-Shirts, all that stuff. 

The rest of you need to maybe take a walk in nature or something.

Don't get me wrong — I 1000% understand not being a fan of the WNBA. I understand not watching it. I understand not caring about it. There are sports I don't care about, too. Formula 1 and every brand of soccer, for example. The difference is that the sheer mention of soccer on social media does not fill me with unbridled rage. And that's not something you can say about a lot of critics of the WNBA.

If you are genuinely interested in learning about what's going on with the league, the players and the money involved, I wrote an explainer here. If you're not, that's cool, too!

But listen, Kevin P. from Georgia, if you truly "didn't give a sh*t" about the WNBA, you would not have taken the time out of your Saturday evening to write me a 750-word, expletive-ridden email about how much you don't give a sh*t about the WNBA.

In other news:

• While I was gone over the weekend, my husband taught our dog how to open the cabinet to retrieve his toys. Much to my dismay, he did not teach our dog how to put the toys away. So now Rocky very proudly pulls ALL of his toys out of the cabinet and leaves them scattered about the living room like squeaky landmines.
• I am so pumped about South Park's return tomorrow. And I'm also glad that this new 1.5-billion-dollar deal they signed actually requires them to produce 10 new episodes per year. Last time they signed a nearly-billion-dollar deal in 2021, they fed us crumbs.
• I firmly believe Dexter is one of the greatest TV shows of all-time, and I'm so glad they've brought it back with various spin-offs. If you were a fan of the franchise, and you haven't started watching Dexter: Resurrection yet, what are you waiting for?!
• Is that Netflix show Untamed on Netflix worth watching? I've heard mixed reviews.
• Tough couple of days in celebrity news. RIP to Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Ozzy Osbourne. Please enjoy two of their most iconic moments:

And with that, grab a garage beer and settle in. It's Nightcaps time!

Gentlemen, Drop Your Wieners!

Sorry, that was a jarring transition.

But it's appropriate given the historic event set to happen tonight: the Joliet Slammers, in conjunction with Pabst Light, are attempting to break the world record for most hot dogs dropped from the sky — a record that, somehow, already exists (2,500). The Slammers plan to drop 2,600 hot dogs from above, presumably onto fans who signed waivers and brought their own condiments.

It'll only cost you $2.60 to get into the ballpark tonight, which is quite a deal considering dinner is included… it will literally be raining wieners.

(Not to be confused with that one song by The Weather Girls, which is about something different, I think.)

We've just started Nightcaps today, and we're already off the rails. I'm basically Elle Duncan at the WNBA All-Star Game.

In all seriousness, minor league baseball marketing teams are some of the most creative and unhinged people on the planet. They have to be! It’s easy to sell tickets to an MLB game (unless you're the Oakland Athletics) when you’ve got multi-million-dollar superstars playing in historic stadiums. 

It’s a little harder when you’re trying to convince people to watch Single-A baseball in what’s essentially someone’s backyard in Illinois.

But hey, even the big league teams are not above a good glizzy drop.

Actually, after some research, I'm interested to see how this wiener drop goes. Apparently, the Slammers' stadium holds 6,000 people. But they are only dropping 2,600 hot dogs…

Is this game gonna turn into a Walmart-on-Black-Friday style brawl?

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Shocks The World!

OK, that was a bit dramatic. But you're not going to believe what she did. Are you ready for this?

Are you sure you're ready? I don't think you are…

She wore her hair in a ponytail.

I'm not kidding, that's the headline. I'm clearly not up to date on my cheerleader rulebook, but I was today-years-old when I learned that Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are not allowed to wear their hair up or in a braid — nothing like that. I guess part of the uniform is to have your hair (and extensions) blown out, down and curled.

But rookie Faith Ward is the exception.

I actually read the entire People Magazine article about this ponytail controversy, waiting for the big reveal on why Faith — and only Faith — gets an exemption from this longstanding law of cheerleader-land. Turns out, though, it's really very simple.

DCC Boss Kelli Finglass just thought she looked better with a ponytail.

They did, however, force her to make her hair longer and blonder for said ponytail. I mean, you can't be a total commoner! 

Anyway, congrats to Faith on landing her dream job as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. She already seems destined for Screencaps and Nightcaps stardom.

Flip Phones Are Making A Comeback

It appears the youngins have discovered how their ancestors lived — in a much simpler time — and they want to experience that same bliss.

There's a growing trend on TikTok where folks in their early 20s are resurrecting flip phones. They've realized that their smartphones are turning their brain into mush, and they want the "freedom" that comes along with a cellular device that only makes phone calls instead of keeping you in notification hell.

My favorite thing about Gen Z is that they always try to dunk on us Millennials (and Gen X, too). They call us old and out of touch and they make fun of our skinny jeans and side parts… all while bringing back the same trends that were cool 30 years ago in the ‘90s. I see 19-year-olds walking around in baggy jeans, crop tops, flannels and chunky sandals. They’re listening to their headphones (attached to their phone with a cord) and taking pictures on actual cameras.

It's cute how much they want to be us.

That girl talking about her "old-timey e-book reader" did make me laugh, though. Baby, in the olden times we read actual books that didn't have screens.

I'm an avid reader. It's one of my very favorite things to do. (In fact, I'm working on my debut novel now, so be ready to purchase once it's written… and I find an agent and a publisher… logistics, you know.) But I refuse to buy a Kindle or an e-reader of any kind. It's a hill I will die on. I already stare at screens all day. Give me real books or give me death!

…or whatever Patrick Henry said.

Of course, the irony of these kids getting flip phones is that they're then going on their iPhones to dance and tell TikTok about it.

If they really want to embrace the vintage lifestule, they'll ditch TikTok and bring back MySpace and Xenga.

Let's open the mailbag.

Glocks & Grizzlies

Last week, I explained that I'd like to do some more hiking out West when my schedule allows, but I'm deathly afraid of running into grizzlies. Surprisingly enough, in the hundreds of miles of hiking I've done through Tennessee, I've never once encountered a black bear on the trail. But I mentioned I'd bring some bear spray, an air horn and (as a last resort) my Glock just in case.

Paul S. Writes: I enjoy your articles. Re: hiking out west. I've come across black bear several times. It's a rush. Momma didn't charge me after shooing her two cubs away, but made it very clear where the line was. Non-verbal communication at its best.

I would carry at least a S&W 0.50 if I was concerned I'd need to shoot a grizzly. I suspect you are getting a lot of responses about the inadequacy of a Glock. 

Amber:

Surprisingly enough, Paul is the only person who wrote to let me know that a Glock might not stop a grizzly bear — unless maybe you got off a perfect shot at point-blank range through the forehead. I guess my hope was that if I ever found myself in a staring contest with a grizzly, a few shots in the air would at least scare him off. I'm spitballing. Because if I'm being real, I'd probably just panic and hope my husband finds a way to save us.

Paul is probably correct that a S&W would be my best bet, but I don't own that particular hand cannon.

In Honor Of Blizzard

In last Tuesday's Nightcaps, we bid farewell to Craig G.'s German Shepherd, Kaia. Now, we're remembering a very good boy, Blizzard.

Michael M. Writes: Thanks for sharing your doggie stories, and the great videos. And I totally agree: dogs are the best gift God ever gave to humanity (outside of salvation - I am a Christian).

About 2 years ago, I lost my best friend, Blizzard. He was 15, which is amazing considering he was also 125 lbs. He was a Rottweiller/Dalmatian mix and the best dog I've ever had. When she was little, my daughter (now 17) would ride him like a horse, and he used to pull her wagon in the local kid/ bike/ pet parade every year (and they usually won!) He was really pretty, extremely good-natured but also very protective.  Anyone who tried to break in knew what was waiting for them! There are so many great stories I could tell about him. He was a rescue, and was 3 yo when we found him. But he was exactly the perfect "Krypto the Superdog" (forget the one in the movie!)

He really didn't go into decline until the last couple months of his life. And he died naturally at home while we made him as comfy as possible.

Like you said, I'll miss him forever. Thanks again for sharing.

Stuff I Liked

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.

Follow me on X / Twitter at @TheAmberHarding or email me at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.