Paige Spiranac Pushes One More Tee Into The Ground In 2023, Joe Flacco Is Elite Memes & SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Flying Coach
The Screencaps 'closer' question caused the emails to flood in...emotions are high, change is always tough, but needed
In case you missed Thursday Screencaps, I announced that the column is moving on from using Dale Earnhardt as the post closer. It's not a slight to Dale, who will forever be a hero to this column and to the readers who number in the tens of thousands.
It's just that the column has to continue to evolve or it will get stale and die.
And because a column getting stale and dying is the death of my career, I stepped in and made the editorial decision to mix it up starting in 2024. Let's face it, Screencaps is a living organism and needs to keep growing, keep maturing.
After reading through hundreds of messages, I've decided to take the advice of a reader I consider an advisor -- Mig in Ohio -- who suggested opening up the closer role every month and having the community decide the theme.
I've also decided, based on reader responses, on the very first Dale successor.
The big reveal will happen Monday morning. This person will be Mr. or Mrs. Screencaps January 2024 Closer®. We can work on the title. This is a fluid situation.
(I could've just revealed the name here, but this will give you an extra reason to open Monday's post and scroll all the way to the bottom.)
• Mickey C. in the Phillippines writes:
Greetings from Manila! How about closing each 2024 SC edition with a sunrise and a sunset pic?
Kinsey:
I think that ship has sailed, Mickey, but we'll have to see what the community decides. I tend to prefer the sunrise/sunset pics at the top of the page to use as a calming feature when emotions start to get high. You'll notice that I'll slide one in after someone unleashes a hot take or starts to go off the rails.
I don't think the sunrises/sunsets are Screencaps Closer® material, but we'll have to see how this plays out after Chuck Norris.
• Steve C. writes:
My vote would go towards ending with the American flag…in all of its iterations! It’s really the reason why we all do what we do. Day in. Day out. There should be endless examples out there, consisting of flags, buildings with flags, stadiums, clothing, tattoos, etc.
The swell of American-ism that we all experienced in the immediate aftermath of the 9-11 events needs to be resurrected.
• Rob in NJ writes:
Hope you, the family and the Screencaps Community all had a wonderful Christmas.
I’ve gotta say, phasing out Dale Earnhardt as the closer of Screencaps seems like a total Big J move - change for the sake of change, and just alienating the reader base. If Nascar went to shit after Dale died, what will happen to Screencaps?
Of course, I know you’re better than the Big Js, and I’m well aware of the “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” guiding principle as well.
But I see the other side of the coin as well. And if there’s anything I’ve learned from Screencaps, it’s that your judgment is impeccable. As much as I enjoy 3 closing out each Screencaps, I’m sure a worthy competitor can take over in his stead. Maybe Dale Jarrett — he was an absolute dude.
Kinsey:
Rob, thank you for trusting me on this one. I think Mig is right: The emotions of picking a closer each month will be exciting and challenging. Readers will be on the edge of their seats. It's going to cause interaction. We can incorporate the Screencaps Facebook Page. This will be good.
• Jeff B. writes:
How about featuring a different All-American badass after each column? All user submitted obviously. Take the absolute legend Chuck Yeager for example, even Jeannie wanted a piece of him.
Kinsey:
I like the way you're thinking, Jeff.
• Jason E. writes:
I humbly suggest Ron Swanson.
• Brent in North Dakota writes:
Love your column and work. Outkick is hands down the best all-around site out there. I hardly ever miss a daily update and when I do, I go back through the archives and "catch up". Proud reader here from fabulous, Fargo North Dakota
My thought would be to incorporate a daily trivia question into the article?
Example: If one person was to stay one night in every hotel room in Las Vegas, how long would it take?
Or another thought, have a link to the Google Maps random location
• Don J. writes:
I think it would be great to honor a different veteran of our country’s military each day and his or her special acts or accomplishments defending our democracy!
• Mark C. in Massachusetts writes:
Love SC and thank you for all you do for America and the working class. It's always a positive to know that each and every morning I can get a column without a 'left' leaning agenda as well as smokes and blue collar working equipment & tools of all kinds! Is there really anything else needed in life?? (Besides a TNML Sticker, which I'm obviously a proud owner of)
Regarding the retirement of Dale... What about holding a March Madness-type bracket thing? I think that would not only bring about a level of fairness and respect for the replacement but it would create a plethora of potential, interesting and a respectful SC daily recurring character.
My first choice would have to be David Hasselhoff/ Mitch from Baywatch. What a solid Man's Man who always scored the hottest chicks and always succeeded when you thought he was down and out...
• Bo in Michigan writes:
Thanks for the best daily column in the Free World..it’s become as much a part of my morning as coffee and stand to (100% security posture..dawn is when the French and Indians attack).
How do you replace an icon like Dale? I don’t think you could replace him with another sports figure that would resonate equally across the SC empire. Then my thoughts turned to identifying the common threads across the SC empire. Mowers? Not enough variety out there for a long-term solution. Medal of Honor recipients? Would be very cool but also a limited number. Wood stacks? Intriguing but not quite the finishing move for America’s best daily. Lib-lib idiot of the day? Selection is too vast and time consuming.
What would unite the clans besides sports and IG smokes? How could you outsource the research to the citizens of the SC empire?
Local breweries and dive bars.
Readers submit their nominations..small mom-and-pop joints get some free exposure, and SC readers get insider advice for travel planning. I’m sure there will be a lot of deserving nominations, and I’m quite interested to see where this goes.
I could go on and on with the emails on the Screencaps Closer role and the retirement of Dale. You guys killed it with the suggestions. Here I thought many of you were zoned out for the holidays. Nonsense.
Greg N. literally had an email sent to my inbox NINE minutes after Screencaps was published Thursday.
Thursday was wild.
'Go back to Ohio'
• Rory M. writes:
Atlanta area native, but went to school at South Carolina. Couldn't help but bring this up after seeing an Ohio native send in pics of his beloved Hilton Head.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=GBTO
It's more of a coastal thing in SC, but I actually had a koozie in and after college that said GBTO.
Kinsey:
Just Ohio?
Team Sunrise from Florida
• Daniel G. writes:
The northern contingent is thawing out in the sunny south. Have to wait until 10 a.m. to get a sunrise in Fairbanks, but it happens nice and early here.
Kinsey:
I think even Todd Z. would say it's OK to feature a sunrise from Daniel G. from Fairbanks, AK who could be back home in Alaska dealing with today's high temperature of 23-DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
Brothers who love Screencaps
• Mark B. in Northern California writes:
Earlier this week, Christmas Day to be exact, you posted an email from Matt B, Dunwoody GA, asking about optimal temperature to have a convertible top down. I say it has to be at least 50 degrees. Was shocked to see his email because he is working hard with his wife to raise great kids and does hard things every day.
He is a legend in the Dunwoody area for all he does for the community and how much he gives back. I should know because he is my BROTHER, who lives all the way across the country from me.
Great to have another excuse to reach out to him after I saw that!
Millenial Chris B inspired me with his great pictures of the Alps. I love playing in the snow with a pair of skis. Snowboards are for knuckledraggers.
Got my now teenager daughter on skis when she was real young and she still wants to do this with me whenever we get the chance. Warren Miller said, "If you don't do it today, You'll be another year older when you do." Took this of my daughter before she wore me out doing multiple runs in the POW.
Thanks for the great content and the contributions from the "Caps" community. Happy New Year!
Kinsey:
Talk about a crazy connection. I need to know a little bit more about this Mark B. and Matt B. dynamic. Did Matt B. know his brother has been a Screencaps reader and contributor? Mark B. clearly didn't know his brother was Team Screencaps.
This is a unique situation.
It's like my brother telling me over Christmas break that he took up golf. I thought he was joking with me. I haven't seen my brother do a sports activity with a ball since he was like 7 when he told my dad he was never playing Little League baseball ever again -- and he never played again.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a great movie and it sounds like Kevin James is a great guy
• Jess in Alabama writes:
Meant to send this to you when you posted about Paul Blart a few days ago.
I worked at a restaurant over a decade ago while in grad school. Kevin James was in town for a celebrity golf tournament. I didn’t work the shift he came to the restaurant, but our main bartender did and told me a couple days later that Kevin is incredibly nice and bought everyone in the bar drinks. I did see him walking around later on, but I didn’t meet him.
Another reason to watch Mall Cop?
Hope you & your family had a great Christmas & a happy New Year!
Celebrities/Athletes in the wild acting like us normals: 'I did shots with Sandra Bullock'
• Greg writes:
I’ve been reading your Screencaps since this summer and try not to ever miss it. Love what you do.
Thought I could contribute my celeb encounter. Sometime during 1998 I worked for a company that had its Northeast Sales Conference at a nice hotel outside Washington D.C. (those sales guys get all the nice places). After the business was done for the evening everyone ended up in the hotel bar for a few drinks and games of pool. While we were there, Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck and a few of their crew walk into the bar and take a corner table. Although recognized, everyone left them alone. As the night went on, their crew left our sales guys thinned out and Sandra and Ben got up to play pool with some of the sales guys. While not playing pool they stood around, drank beer and just chatted with all of 15-20 that remained. Before they both left the bar, Sandra Bullock goes to the bartender, and comes back with a tray of tequila shots for the group. We all toasted and they headed out. I’ve always been able to tell everyone I did shots with Sandra Bullock.
Afterwards found out the movie was Forces of Nature. Not her best but both she and Ben Affleck were down to earth and legitimately nice people. Try to catch all their movies since then.
Also sat behind Michael Irvin on a Pittsburg to Dallas flight. Didn’t recognize him going on to the plane (this was probably 1988 right before or after he signed with the Cowboys) but remember his national championship ring and him pulling out a wad of cash, counting the hundred dollar bills and stuffing it back in his coat. Being an Eagles fan, never liked him. He had the Eagles number.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Another great wife story...apologies to the guys who don't have a wife like Mrs. Joe T. who knew exactly what her husband needed in life
• Joe T. shares this story:
Your clip about the last Dodge Challenger ever being produced made me want to share a great story about my wife. I had a 2012 Dodge Charger that I loved but had to sell after three years due to changing jobs. Last spring, I mentioned to my wife that Dodge would stop making Chargers and the Hemi engine.
She looked at me and said, “Life is short. Why don't you go get one?”
Fast forward a few weeks, and I bought a beautiful Dodge Charger Daytona. I absolutely won the wife category.
Have a great end to 2023, and may 2024 bring you many blessings.
'My Favorite Garage Fridge Sticker'
I complimented Rob DeG. this week on his beer fridge, but I was looking for a response on which sticker was his favorite. Which sticker speaks to him when he opens that fridge to grab a cold one?
• Rob DeG. responds:
You are correct Sir! The beer Fridge front is basically done, just a few small spots available and mostly near the bottom of the door. The sides are already filling up as well.
As far as BEST or FAVORITE sticker? Whew, that's tough as nearly every sticker has a story. One of my favorites is the Mississippi Capitol Police sticker....right after I married my now wife of 36 years, we took a two-week road trip through the South (whole 'nother story!)....I'd grown up in Seattle and rarely travelled off the West Coast, while she grew up in NOLA and Lower Alabama and was/is a Southern Belle to her core. Very long story short, I fell in love with the South...the people, the food, the culture and history, it all blew me away.
While we were in Jackson MS, we wanted to tour the Capitol building, as my wife's Great Great Grandfather has his portrait hanging there as a prior State Congressman. To our chagrin, the Capitol was closed this day, and as were walking around the outside admiring the architecture, a Capitol Police Officer stepped out. It was raining and he invited us to the overhang out of the rain.
We had a chat, I told him about my wife's GGG portrait and mentioned I was a Cop in WA state on my first trip South. This was the late 80's and the Brotherhood in LE was very much alive, and my wife being Southern and having family (to this day) in MS didn't hurt.
We ended up getting the top-tier private full-building tour with the guys on Shift. They were great, true Southern Gentlemen, who graciously took us throughout the Capitol building, were super knowledgeable about the history of MS and the Capitol, and helped my wife find the Portrait of her GGG.
I had brought some agency patches with me on the trip and offered them a couple as a Thank you. They responded with a couple of their patches, two stickers (both on the Fridge now, front and left side), and handshakes (hugs for the wife) all around. True Southern Hospitality, and to this day it has remained as one of my most positive Southern memories. Somewhere we have a picture of us with the Shift (minus the guy who took the shot) but this was a pocket instamatic camera, so it was a print and is probably buried in one my wife's voluminous picture albums.
Kinsey:
Let this be a lesson to all the bloggers out there -- ask questions. Don't try to be the star of every post. Allow the readers to tell the stories. A simple photo of Rob's car from earlier this week led me to his garage fridge which led us to this cool story about Rob and his wife touring the Mississippi capitol building.
I'm not a big advice guy, but you have to be inquisitive, young bloggers.
When the others zig, you zag. Look for the unique. Dig for the stories from folks who have stories to share.
What a way to end the week.
Remember, we have one more post to go for the year. Let's finish strong. Get those emails in. Share your emotions heading into 2024. We must finish strong.
Have a great Friday.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com