Elizabeth Hurley Battles Blistering UK Heatwave, RIP Heinz Field Ketchup Bottle & Biden Joins LIV Tour?

PublishedJuly 19, 2022 5:18 PM EDT|UpdatedJuly 19, 2022 5:18 PM EDT

First off, yes, I understand Elizabeth Hurley was just in Screencaps, but this is a crazy UK heatwave we're talking about

Let's get the day rolling with the scene that is unfolding in the UK where people are at the beaches like it's Aruba. Guys, we're talking about temps hitting 104. You're damn right I'm going to post royalty like Hurley providing ways for Brits to stay cool.

I'm not up on English beaches, so I was completely shocked Sunday night when the news started showing clips of beaches packed like it's Rio. I'll go even further and admit I didn't realize the UK received beach weather. I just assumed it was cloudy and 67 for most of the year with a day in the 80s mixed in during Wimbledon before going back to cloudy and Rory quarter-zip pullover weather.

But here we are with Brits no longer needing to visit Tulum to get some sun.

I'll be in Birmingham, Alabama THIS weekend

Reminder: I'm flying down to Birmingham early Friday morning for a Screencaps summit of sorts.

• Matt S. writes:

Dear Senior Director of Content and Screencaps for America,

OG Screencap reader here…

Glad you’re making your way down to the 4th circle of hell, otherwise known as Birmingham Ala in late July. Of course, this is due to the heat because Birmingham is actually a really great and often overlooked city in this great country of ours.

Back 40 is a perfect meet-up spot for some day drinking with a nice view of Sloss Furnace and excellent grub options as well.

I’ll be reading Screencaps every day looking for more details as Saturday approaches.

P.S. Born and raised in Birmingham so if you need any other recommendations let me know.

That settles it, I'll text Brandon B., my Birmingham connection, to announce that it's Back 40 THIS Saturday for a Screencaps gathering. What time makes sense for everyone?

Remember....this will be RELAXED...I'm talking Screencaps RELAXED...laid back...no big grand speeches...crush a beer... talk football...talk life...share stories...ask me questions...get another beer. It's July. It's hot. It's the worst week of the year for sports.

Stop on out.

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

Back 40 in Birmingham, Alabama

I watched the first round of the HR Derby with my son & it wasn't a hostage situation

My oldest boy turns 10 in late August and we've officially reached that age where he wants to talk some baseball and actually watch the Home Run Derby without it feeling like torture. Now, he made it through the first round before the show ran out of steam, but I'll give him credit for getting that far.

I laid out some snacks in the basement command center and he was all-in with a thousand questions about Derby strategy, the backgrounds of players, and even a discussion on the greatest baseball player of all time, which he initiated.

Talk about being caught off-guard.

We went dual screens, seven-speaker surround, giant pillows on the couch recliners, and drinks. It was pure heaven and some of the last baseball I'll watch until the playoffs.

How do the old timers reconnect with sports after all the players from their generation have retired?

• Galen in TN writes:

I have to chime in when you ask questions to those of us who are "passed the point of no return" as far as athletes of my generation having retired from the sport. As a point of reference, the vast majority of my peers in professional sports had retired by the mid-90's. When it started to hit me that my age group had phased out, well, that was a kick in the ol' goody bag for sure.

You asked how I still find joy in sports? I still love good competition and the thrill of a last second TD, a walk off, or a buzzer beater. My main joy comes from college football, particularly the SEC, and specifically the Tennessee Vols. As you have kindly noted in previous Screencaps, I have also enjoyed the ride in basketball to the SEC Tournament Championship, and another ride to the SEC Tournament Championship in baseball (btw, congrats to ND for the Sectionals win in Knocksville). I also enjoyed finishing out the season and watching Ole Miss win the Natty! Most of my joy comes from the college games.

You also asked how you find new athletes to root for? Go to games...the high school game, the college game and minor league baseball. MLB just destroyed our beloved Appalachian League Rookie ball team, the Johnson City Cardinals (yes, of Wagon Wheel fame). They dropped 40+ minor league teams after covid and that entire league was gone. We had so many great players go on to The Show from that circuit. Just a few short years ago I was right behind third base chatting up Vlad Guerrero Jr. Still love to see him play and his progress.

Finally, you asked how do you reconnect with baseball? Baseball has become a regional sport with all the regional sports networks that show only their teams. Start with your regional team and build from there. I have always connected with the Atlanta Braves since they came to Atlanta in '66 and continue to watch and support them, but it was easier and a lot of fun to watch them on the TBS Superstation back in the 70's.

My generation grew up on Saturday afternoon baseball starting with "This Week In Baseball" with the legendary Mel Allen (How about that!) followed by the Game of the Week starting at two in the afternoon. Must see TV!

My Dad would have to come in from yard work and practically pull me outside to help him. Had I owned a crystal ball I would have said, " You should have mowed on Thursday Night!" Wonder how that would have gone over?

Enjoy your sports no matter which one you prefer. Escape a little bit and go to a live game! I know at my age it is so easy to stay at home and sit in Section 4HD, Seats 1 and 2, and enjoy a quick trip to the beer fridge and head.

Nothing beats live sports action except, maybe, live music! How blessed we are to live in the USA!!

• Mike C. in California, Maryland (yes, it's a town) writes:

Hey Joe,

I haven't written in a while, but I am still out here reading Screencaps daily. I have thought about writing about various topics over the months. I would have the email composed in my head, but sitting down and pounding it out is another story.

One of the groups I follow on Facebook is the "Reformed Sports Project". A few weeks back a guest on their site was promoting his new book "Do Hard Things". I never heard of the author or his book until after I already heard of Indy Daryl and "Do Hard Things". After reading the blog post, I can see the book is about physiological and psychological responses in the heat of a difficult moment, vice challenging yourself to push yourself outside of your boundaries in a deliberate, planned out way.

So all this brings me to a recommendation. I am only an engineer, and by no means a legal expert, but I would highly recommend looking into some form of intellectual property designation for Morning Screencaps, Screencap Nation, and TNML. I've noticed from time to time, you will make use of the TM when alluding to a clique, like the Burbon Bros as a joke, but it may be worth your time and effort to put the TM (or whatever makes sense) on the TNML.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and someday someone may come along and try to capitalize on your work. While that scenario is highly unlikely, if it were to happen it could potentially have consequences. If you were not already aware of that possibility, just raising the risk to your awareness.

Finally what really inspired me to write into today is the retired sports heroes and what do I do. I usually read all of Screencaps(TM), but today I stopped after your question. I follow Penn State, Steelers, Penguins, and NASCAR. The easiest to follow is Penn State because I am pulling for an
alma mater.

As for the others, well...When Hines Ward retired, it was a little easier to still follow Big Ben. But now that Cam Heyward is the longest-tenured player (I still think of him as a "young guy") it gets a little more difficult to follow. Plus throw in players over the years acting like children because they don't get paid enough, or trying to outdo one another when showing up for camp, it just adds to my diminished interest in the following them.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still pull for the colors come fall, but the zeal that I had just isn't there.

As for the Pens, it was Jaromir Jagr for me. I still take appreciation that the dude is still playing at 50! I mean it helps that he also owns the team, but to still play at a high level at that age, that is impressive.

However, I still think of Crosby as Sid the Kid...but he is 34, soon to be 35. When Crosby finally retires it will be tough to get excited for the Pens, but come springtime I will still pull for those colors.

With NASCAR, I was a huge Jeff Gordon fan. I truly love seeing the column end with Daily Dale. It is awesome. But with only a handful of drivers that were still driving when Gordon did (Harvick, Kurt Busch) those guys are over 40, so they have only a handful of seasons left. It was cool to see
Chase Elliot win, but he isn't making me tune in every week like Dale, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson made me tune in.

So, after writing all of that, how do I find joy in sports? Well, my focus has shifted a little bit. I have been able to coach 3 out of 4 my kids in soccer. Just rec league, but still it was time I spent with them (Don't Blink), and with other kids their age. The president of the soccer league has a motto,
"Developing players and impacting lives through positive, fun and challenging soccer."

But as a youth coach in any sport, you can change it to "Developing children and impacting lives through positive, fun, and challenges." This past season was a challenge (as is every season for any coach in any sport) but looking back how I was able to build up and influence young kids to grow and mature, and see that growth and maturity over the course of a season, that is what brings me joy. Not the wins, not the goals, but seeing them become better versions of themselves and using soccer to help them discover it.

Don't get me wrong, if Penn State somehow manages to upset THE Ohio State (I still enjoy the 2016 Whiteout game in Happy Valley), or if the Steelers or Pens pull off any major victories (City of Champions 2009) along the way. I will still celebrate. But the joy I will feel won't be the same for those professional athletes as I feel towards witnessing the kids I coach achieve their accomplishments.

Sorry for the long email. Sometimes once I start typing it is hard for me to stop...probably why I don't write in all that often. Now time for me to go back and finish reading Screencaps.

• Michael J. writes:

I'm an Astros fan that just hit 40. So it's really easy to find the joy in watching a team play for a pennant year in and year out. I also find joy in rooting against teams and players I can't stand. It can be a ton of fun to watch other teams lose.

• Michael V. writes:

Hello Joe, as always thanks for all the content, it is even more important during a slow sports week like this one. Sports have always been a huge part of my life whether it is playing, watching, or coaching they have always given me great joy.

However, I do believe that they get more difficult to follow when our favorite childhood athletes are no longer playing. My favorite player was Brian Leetch. He was an American-born New York Rangers defenseman who was a hall of famer dominating a game played primarily by Canadiens (at that time). As great as Leetch was he was also very humble, a person who always seemed to put the team first. It took me awhile to find another player I would root for as much as I rooted for him.

When I took my then 9-year-old nephew to his first Ranger game, Mats Zuccarello gave him a puck during warm-ups. He was so excited to get it and still has it. This small act of kindness along with the many others I have read about Zuccarello since then has forever made me a huge fan of his. The media likes to dwell on the negative things athletes do but there are so many examples out there of individuals who are great people.

To me, these are the types of things that help us find people to cheer for. Mats plays for Minnesota now and while the Rangers will always be my team, I will be a fan of his wherever he goes.

• Mig writes:

Thought I would respond to the question regarding staying connected with athletes/sports at you get older. It is tough and getting tougher. In my 20's and 30's I watched and listened to everything. NCAA football and basketball, NFL, Nascar, NHL, NBA, PGA, and MLB. One of the next milestones you will start to feel is the kids of the athletes you used to watch are starting to retire.

The games have changed as all things will but the changes have affected the ability to enjoy watching games, which is how I would get to attached to a player or team. I loved baseball but won't watch a game that is 3.5 to 4 hours which are most games. Even though NBA was never my favorite I would always watch the playoffs. If I see an NBA game now it was purely by accident. NHL I used to be an avid regular season and playoff fan now, I only watch limited playoff hockey. Football is the only sports holding my interest at 1990's levels which were my prime couch potato years and I feel that slipping away.

I used to do fantasy sports, not these big elaborate leagues but just anonymous Yahoo leagues for virtually all sports named above. I just looked at my Yahoo profile and my first fantasy team was baseball 2001 and I have participated in 80 different leagues but none since 2020. That was always a good way to get to know about new players as they come into the leagues.

The programming and agenda changes at ESPN over the last 25 years have made it harder also. Used to be you could get a highlight package of everything you missed on a big sports weekend on the Monday SportsCenter. That would play all day if I was home on a Monday. There really isn't another entity that has done the sports highlights show properly for some time.

Things just change. Maybe it's because the years behind me are piling up and the pile in front of me is getting smaller but other things are more important now. Game time TV viewing is more a social event for me now. I'll come over to pound a few and watch if I get an invite, but at home something else is likely on the tube if I happen to be home.

Keep up the great work.

Instagram model impact study

• Shane B. in Minneapolis writes:

Long-time reader and Outkick subscriber. I was even on one of your first calls with readers. I really appreciate the community and connection you have with us. To my question.

Have you had an intern do an impact study on the increase of followers of the IG Models once they have finally made it by being selected to appear in what I refer to as OUR column? May be worth a look to see the immense value and weight we carry for career advancement of young women. Yes, I said women.

As I explained to Shane, it's nearly impossible to figure out a definitive impact from an IG model being included in Screencaps, but I can go off the reaction from the ladies. I can 100% tell you that Alabama grad Katrina Pacensa had a meteoric rise thanks to Screencaps and she has acknowledged it as a fact.

And I receive messages like this one:

Water weed advice needed

• Scott in SC writes:

I need help, has anyone used anything to get rid of water weeds so they have clean access to a creek or pond? I have seen ads for lake rakes and not sure if any of it works. It is too far for a weed eater and I would have to go way beyond the surface to remove them. I will leave the edges of my yard for erosion, but looking for a solution that does not involve heavy equipment.

I love the food photos that you show at the end of Screencaps. But guys who take pride in doing hard things and their yard I am pretty sure make amazing appetizers for tailgates. I am looking forward to learning from them this year during football season. My two are a BLT dip and a bread basket. You take bread cut it out with a cookie cutter and brush it with butter. Bake it in a muffin tin and then put anything you want in it. It is a finger food that even kids can handle.

Joe thanks for everything you do I appreciate you. I am a bad golfer who will make it to your tournament one day.

And with that, let's get the day rolling across this incredible country. I know it's hot. I know you're starting to get those summertime blues. Let's power through. The Hall of Fame game is August 4. We're close, but we're not going to wish away summer.

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com