Paige Spiranac Gets Masters Week Rolling By Ripping A Driver, Tiger Woods Watch & TNML Stickers Are Here
Ever have one of those days where something simple brightens the mood?
Like many of you, I'm not big on Zoom meetings or meetings in general. Give me my task, set me free, leave me alone and I tend to go at it and do my thing. Monday was one of those days where I was on Zoom meetings, looking for documents and back on meetings and stressing over finding documents I use like once every 10 years for a passport.
And there were password issues with logins. And there were more accounts to create. And videos to watch. And tests to take. And tasks to complete. It went on for hours.
Then, as if being sent from the heavens, a FedEx guy rings the doorbell, the dog loses her mind and a package is left on the porch. Honestly, I thought it was something being sent in by Twisted Tea. It turns out the package contained the Thursday Night Mowing League stickers that I ordered which weren't supposed to arrive until...Thursday.
I'm telling you what, my blood pressure dropped. My massive headache dissipated and I went to work requesting addresses from league members. During UNC-Kansas, I wrote out over 100 envelopes to send stickers all over the United States. It was like going through a therapy session.
To some, it might sound like miserable work to sit there addressing envelopes. It was actually invigorating. I wanted to see where the next sticker was being shipped off to.
Was it Georgia, again?
Why is Fort Wayne so invested in TNML?
Are these guys in Springfield, OH friends or is the league just taking off between Dayton and Columbus?
Where will these stickers end up? Will readers put them on their mowers like I'm hoping?
I don't have a degree in marketing. I've never read a book or taken a class on marketing. All I've ever known from an early age is how to communicate with people on a common level. I loved going into breakfast diners or the VFW with my grandfather to watch how he'd interact with others. It was an absolute clinic on interpersonal communication.
TNML is our virtual breakfast diner or VFW. I get to share brief moments with readers who are absolutely pumped to get a sticker (remember, don't get mad at me if the USPS bends your envelopes) and share in the excitement of this form of communication. A friggin' made-up mowing league! It's absolutely beautiful.
Now, it's time for the loyal to the core readers to get stickers. You guys are the absolute backbone of this operation and it's time to get stickers in the mail so you can decide how to present your league ink.
This cannot be any simpler:
This one is on me. No questions asked. You guys have supported TNML. Now it's time to disperse stickers. I have a few hundred stickers to send out. I'm fully expecting the email inbox to go nuts, so hang in there. I'll send you a reply to confirm that I've addressed your envelope.
Why do people in Georgia have such a deep love of Screencaps and TNML?
I need someone to put this in perspective for me. I get that Clay has this massive following across the south and so many of you have been exposed to my work through Clay. That said, what is it about Georgia residents and their love of things like TNML?
It's not just some new phenomenon with Georgia and my career. I've had two long-time interns who ended up being employees during previous stops who had ties to Georgia. The neighbor (who's also a metal scrapper) down the street who crushes Natty Light like it's about to be canceled from the shelves is from Georgia. My golf buddy Chris B., who ran the board for the radio show I appeared on here in NW Ohio is from Georgia.
And now TNML is absolutely inundated with Dawgs.
I need some perspective on why this is happening.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
On the art of modern communication
• Mark in N. KY writes:
I love what you have going! Every morning you’re one of my “must-reads” as I get my retirement day on its great way! As someone in pharmaceutical sales for 30 years and listening to AM radio every day (fortunately we have 700 WLW in N.Ky where I had and continue to have “The Great American” Willie “Bill” Cunningham to spread the conservative messages every afternoon), you are the voice of the “common man and women” during the morning!
Thanks for not shoving the world's vitriol hated on us readers any more than we already get 24/7/365. You clearly have the learned the importance of communication that, unfortunately, the majority of this wacky world doesn’t have, the ability to listen with 2 ears before you speak with 1 mouth. It’s refreshing every morning to laugh, learn, sometimes cry, reflect and most importantly, enjoy this great country and everything we (the common person) creates on our “own” without the government!
I love the fact you listen and trust your listeners that you’re confident enough to throw any topic out there and know that you are connecting with us and will have great responses. This is great communication at its simplest terms….something 99.9% of politicians never get! Your future is as bright as anyone I’ve read over the last 55 years, especially since Al Gore invented this great internet.
Stay who you are and us readers need to bombard Clay with pay raise requests for you. Happy trails this spring, summer and fall!
P.S. I have attached some photos of my 2021 summer project (first year of retirement). First 2 pics are of my water stream in my front yard and the last 3 pics are of my water stream in the backyard. I can’t wait to see more growth of my plants in year 2. All the best to Screencaps and its hard-working, common-sense community!
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NCAA Tournament by the numbers
• After his initial numbers report in early March, I asked Pete G. to give us a March Madness report and he delivered at 1:27 a.m. after Kansas had pulled off the biggest comeback win in NCAA Tournament finals history.
Pete writes:
All numbers relate to the men’s tournament unless otherwise noted.
0 – Number of #5 seeds to have won the title in the 37 years of the 64 team tournament. The rest of the top 8 seed numbers have all won a title.
1 – Jersey worn by the best name in the Final 4 – Leaky Black of North Carolina.
2.0% - The odds North Carolina had to make the Final 4 when the tournament started.
2 – North Carolina gave Coach K his first ever loss at Duke (1980) and his last ever loss (2022).
3 – Number of active men’s coaches that have won at least 2 Championships (Bill Self just joined winning his 2nd at Kansas), Rick Pitino (one at Louisville and one at Kentucky) and Jay Wright (Villanova) are the other 2. Coach K would have made it 4 if he hadn’t retired.
3 – 3 straight Big-12 teams in the NCAA men’s title game. Side note:The Pac-12 decided not to pursue Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma St. when conference re-alignment was going on and those schools were looking for a conference to join. The theory was the Pac-12 didn’t feel they were big enough football schools or TV markets…Now 2 of those 4 teams have won back to back National Titles in basketball.
4 – Number of National Titles by Kansas, tying Uconn and trailing UCLA (11), Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6), Duke and Indiana (5 each).
5 – Number of #1 seeds to win the title the last 5 years after #1 seed Kansas’ win last night.
5 – All 5 starters for North Carolina have last names with no more than 5 letters.
8 – The seed Villanova had that won the title in 1985 which remains the lowest seeded team to ever win a National title.
10 – Number of title game appearances by Kansas (4-6 in those games).
10 – Number of active coaches that have won a National Title.
11 – Geno Auriemma of Uconn was 11-0 in title games before losing to South Carolina in the Women’s Championship game. John Wooden was 10-0.
12 – Number of ties in the Duke- North Carolina game in the final 4.
13 – Number of Final 4 appearances by Coach K, most of any coach.
14 – Number of consecutive Final 4 appearances by the Uconn Women’s basketball team.
15 – Number of fans out of Millions and Millions and Millions that filled out a bracket that had 7 of the Elite 8 teams right. None of them had St. Peter’s there.
16 – Number of consecutive Elite 8 appearances by Uconn women’s team.
17 – Number of coaches all time that have won 2 or more titles.
18 – Number of lead changes in the Duke-North Carolina game in the Final 4.
24 – Number of #1 seeds to win the title in the 37 years of a 64 team tournament.
27 – Number of active coaches that have been to the Final 4.
30 – Number of Double-Doubles by South Carolina’s women’s player Aliyah Boston this season.
30 – Highest number of tournament appearance by any school without making it to the Final 4 – BYU.
31 – 31 of last 33 titles have been won by a 1, 2 or 3 seed.
34 – Number of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances by Uconn’s women’s team.
35 – Number of Division 1 teams that have never made the NCAA basketball tournament after Bryant and Longwood made it this year. Army is the most prominent of those 35 schools.
50 – Career wins by Coach K against North Carolina (50-48).
50-50 – Record between Duke and North Carolina the last 100 games.
51 – NCAA tournament appearances by North Carolina – Most of any team.
124 – Number of seasons Kansas has been playing basketball.
143 – Number of wins by North Carolina against Duke (143-115).
258 – Number of meetings between Duke and North Carolina.
337 – Number of combined NCAA tournament games played by Duke and North Carolina.
358 – Number of career losses for Coach K.
358 – Number of Division 1 teams playing men’s basketball.
998 – Coaching wins by Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, the only remaining active coach in the top 10 list of most coaching wins (he’s 6th). Boeheim had 101 wins taken away due to NCAA violations so could have been at 1099. Bob Huggins of West Virginia is 11th on the career list with 916.
1129 – Number of career wins for Coach K at Duke.
1202 – Number of total career wins for Coach K (Duke and Army).
1920 – First time Duke and North Carolina played each other (UNC won 35-28)
1991 – Only other year Duke and North Carolina both made the final 4 in the 64 team era.
2006 – the only year a #1 seed did not make the Final 4
2008 – Only time all Four #1 seeds made the Final 4
2357 – Number of career wins by Kansas, most of any basketball team. Kentucky is 2nd at 2353 and North Carolina is 3rd at 2321.
7,673 – Number of days since the University of Arizona last made the Final 4.
15,093 – Number of days between North Carolina giving Coach K his first-ever loss at Duke and his last ever loss at Duke.
Did anyone catch this during last night's game?
• An anonymous reader writes:
Not sure if you were watching, but Jim Nantz just announced the National Anthem by saying, "If you are willing and able, please stand for the singing…" Nice we're asking if people are willing now.
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I did not catch this. I was addressing envelopes.
On spring in the air
• Mark W. writes:
Not everything is blooming here in middle Tennessee, but in the last few days, my flowering crabapple trees have exploded. The azaleas and roses are a few weeks away, but what a great preview of things to come.
Take care and keep up the good work.
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And that should do it for this Tuesday morning of Masters Week. What a scene Monday at Augusta National. Keep soaking up that Tiger Woods content. Have absolutely zero shame in appreciating that he's going to give it a go.
Let's have yet another great day across this great country.
Take care.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com