Elizabeth Hurley Just Won The Weekend, Arkansas Fans Go Nuts Buying Jello Shots & Mr. Omaha Peyton Manning Visits Omaha

There was a major milestone around here last night

It was like a light switch went on in his head. He was focused on the batter. He was hustling out to find his position assignment. There was even fist slapping into his glove like he was an old veteran of the game.

I'm here to report this morning that my 5-year-old officially had his most-there baseball game of his life. The most alert. The most into it. The most effort. The night where we didn't have to plead with him to get out to home plate to hit. The night where we didn't have to remind him 20 times to get his glove and get out on the field to play defense.

It was the night when he stopped playing in the dirt out in the field. He actually knocked down a grounder up the middle and threw it like five feet, but that's huge for his little arm.

I jumped in my wife's grocery-getter sled and left that elementary school baseball field last night in total disbelief over what I saw. Is this it, is this the moment when he jumps in head first and just starts ripping line drives all over the field to avoid the shift put on in five and six-year-old coach pitch? Is this the moment when he starts turning double-plays while there are 15 kids on the field all running to a ball that trickles into the outfield?

My mind tells me this was probably a one-night deal and later today he will go back to drawing in the dirt and spinning around while standing on third base.

But, we'll take the small victories. For this sunny June evening as suburbanites surrounded that field, we had ourselves a ball player.

Then he came home and nearly sent me to a mental institution like normal.

Build back 'badder'

• Bill H. sent an email last night. Let's see what's on his mind:

The US now has a tampon shortage and very porous border since 46 took the helm. Compare and contrast. Both result in unnerving, uncomfortable conditions. On the other hand, one has a monthly cycle while the other is a constant, heavy flow.

I was elated to see ND beat TN, being a former naive, ND reveler. Now, I have high hopes for an early out for them in the MCWS. I have seen that institution turn Catholic kids into secular socialists in a short 4 years and seen ND continually strays further away from Catholic values at a mere $53k per. (Spend your money wisely, parents.) Therefore, I am done with them. As you can see, I held the Irish in higher regard than the Vols. Now, that's low down!

Bill just firing off rocket emails on a Friday night. Here I would've thought Notre Dame was more than $53k a year. I was just talking last night with my wife about what an in-state year of college costs these days. Without looking, I estimated living on campus at $25k a year.

And a quick Google search this morning for Bowling Green State University here in Wood County, OH reveals a year costs $22,979.20 including room and a $4,000 meal plan.

After completing a nearly nine-year run of kids in daycare, I just look at that number and think that I'd like a couple of months off from thinking about dropping that kind of money. I know, I know...it'll be here before we know it and we've been saving for it, but just give me a couple of months without caring.

Speaking of money, our 9-year-old asked us last night about the "economy" while out on a drive before the baseball game. Now that's an interesting subject to address on a Friday night after your brain is already fried from a long week of work and life.

Talk about word salad. I felt like Kamala while driving the wife's grocery getter sled.

Big Beaver Rd. / Exit 69 and watching Slap Shot

• Jim M. in West Lafayette, IN writes:

Ok, I just had to laugh at your Friday screen cap signoff with the Big Beaver Sign on I-69. I've driven passed it in the past I'm certain. But the notion that you must pass certain things on that are unequivocally male to your sons brought back huge memories.

I too am a survivor of travel sports. It started with rec youth baseball and soccer and all of a sudden my kids are all over the country - and Canada - playing against other elite kids in their chosen sport. It is interesting to watch the pyramid shrink, two made it to college, one decided to skip "pre-professional" minors and go to college playing college club and one got injured. Just like the NCAA commercial, they all went pro in something else. Never think your kid will be the golden child, just have them enjoy what they do, and be prepared to help them when they realize the dream is over. For those rare few who make it to the top, congrats, and enjoy it, realizing it too has difficulties you never saw coming. Both my college kid athletes, who played major D1 conference minor sports, remarked how it became a job, one in particular hasn't played their sport since they graduated.

This is all long winded to get to your point about passing along male things to your sons. One of our boys got interested in hockey, and he just took off. So his first travel team was very regional - probably traveling not more than 3 hours to get to any game. We took much longer trips later on as he got better and was on more advanced teams - and he even got to play against Sid the Kid when Sid was at Shattuck's - you could tell he would be great. Just amazing

So anyway, back to his early travel team experience. His coach was really a great guy, but very much a hockey guy. And an old school one at that. Loved strong legal hitting, preached team and support of your teammates. Talked about playing hockey the right way, almost like a code. It was there where he got it drilled into him, if you get hurt on the ice get to the bench because while you are hurting your team is essentially down a man. So about half way through the season, while we are either waiting for a practice to end, or between games some weekend, the coach gathers a number of us dads around - and dads only - to ask us to do something. Our boys are probably around 12 years old at this time. So he says, I need you to do something with your boys, and it would be best to do it sometime the women in your family are out. You need to watch Slap Shot with your boys. They are hockey players - they need to see it. 

Funniest moment in youth sports ever. I had seen it of course, and it was very risqué for it's day, and some "boobage" on screen along with lots of bad language, and adult themes. But these boys were hockey players dammit, and they needed to see it!

Enjoy your time away. 

Kentucky town names

• Cameron H. in northern Kentucky writes:

Wanted to pass these along from down here in Northern KY.  My previous house was near an intersection of two state highways...that intersection was formerly known as Sugartit, KY.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugartit,_Kentucky

My current home is right down the road from Beaverlick, KY.  I think Sugartit is still my favorite...can't make these up.

Beau in Toledo's latest report

• By the way, while on the topic of Beau, I received an email from Ryan S. in NW Ohio wondering about how much Beau pays for that jet fuel he uses in his mowers. Jet fuel clearly isn't $5 a gallon. This will be a test to see if Beau's reading this weekend.

Anyway, Beau writes:

And with that, Saturday Screencaps Lite is officially in the books. I need to get my ass moving this morning. We have at least two games this morning, possibly a third, a pool heater being installed (now it's not needed) and I need to go get some mulch. It's one of those Saturdays.

Fire up the grill, kids in the pool, dog requesting I throw her new ball for eight straight hours. I'll survive.

Have a great weekend in your neck of the woods.

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

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