Paige VanZant Dumps Out Crazy Christmas Content, The Chiefs Are A Mess Memes & Clay Travis Is Still Down Under With His Family
I'm not going to lie, I never even made it to the Monday Night Football game that I wanted to watch
What a run it's been the last 3 1/2 days.
Now I feel like I need a vacation, but when you work in the content game, you have to resist the urge to take vacation when others are on vacation because when you're on vacation in the winter and the sun goes down at 5 ET, this is my time to get pageviews.
This is when blogs get paid.
We don't get paid as well in the summer when you guys are out mowing and drinking on the patio listening to Yacht Rock until 9 on a weeknight because you're not on your phones scrolling and clicking on links. That's when I take a vacation.
So I'm up this morning, getting the blood pumping and getting back to the grind as college football gets ready to take center stage (Screencaps is also closing in fast on 500 consecutive days of publishing works of art).
Before we get to that, let's dive into the Kansas City Divas.
Boy oh boy how ugly things have gotten for that franchise. Mahomes hasn't stopped screaming at his offense two months, Andy Reid looks like he's going to either start losing a bunch of weight from stress or he's going to stress eat a table of nuggies and Travis Kelce is washed up and smashing his helmet into the ground like a huge baby.
It turns out this team is full of a bunch of Brittany Mahomes types. Remember all those years she would cry and scream about the refs and scream when things weren't going well? It turns out her husband is the same way, but he won enough games and Super Bowls to mask his emotions.
The Chiefs dynasty isn't officially done, but we've reached the stage where they're shook and on the ropes. I picture Jackson Mahomes curled up in the fetal position against some wall in his condo -- paid for by the Mahomes fortune -- and crying over the thought of not having VIP table access at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
Watch how quickly Taylor Swift goes back to "concentrating on her career and tour" at the end of the season.
I'm just hoping for Brit Brit to turn on Taylor before all is said and done. That would make for the perfect ending.
• Mike N. asks:
Is this the furthest documented helmet bounce in history?
Kinsey:
It was a rocket. Just imagine the Apology Tour if that decapitated a teammate or a fan.
• John W. sent in this one:
• Anonymous Lions Fan writes:
I'm thrilled about the division title.
I remember the last one (and your Ford Taurus tweet/X was on the money). I am terrified as the most likely first round matchups are either the Seahawks (who made the Lions look like, well, the Lions earlier this season), or the Rams (Stafford gets a playoff win at Ford Field would be so so so fitting).
I know I sound like the glass is half empty right now, but I will continue to say with sadness/anger/angst/vitriol - THEY HAVE ONE PLAYOFF WIN IN MY LIFE AND I HAVE KIDS WHO ARE IN COLLEGE - AND AN UPDATE, ONE NOW HAS A PHD!!! So I think my pessimism is warranted. I will say that I will NOT be in attendance at their playoff game as my attendance on Thanksgiving was met with them dropping a big turd on national TV to a below average Green Bay team.
Also, a friend texted me a Christmas present at 7am. It was a tee time to play at Sweetens Cove in April.
He booked 6 tee times and sent out the group text this morning. Tee times are already sold out for most of next year.
Just like Put-in-Bay is special, Sweetens Cove is too. It's about 20 min west of Chattanooga and truly a special golf experience. Pictures and YouTube videos don't do it justice...you just have to experience it to really understand it. Curious if others in the SC community have played it and what their thoughts are.
Go Blue, Lions, Tigers, Red Wings. And I think the Pistons should be relegated to the G-league (what a disgrace to the sport).
On more thing Joe...thanks for what you do. Christmas morning with kids and you're still kicking out content. Legend status. Mine are older (youngest is in college) so no more 6am wake ups after having a little too much "egg nog" on Christmas Eve, having to wait out the kids going to sleep so I can sneak down and put everything out. At some point SC became part of my morning routine.
• Warren M. says:
My father-in-law is very happy his Detroit Lions won the NFC North! Can’t believe the last time they won I was senior in high school in South Florida. I’m also happy the Dolphins’ kicker, Jason Sanders, went 5 for 5 on field goals and punched our ticket to the playoffs!
Celebrity in a normal setting. Living in South Florida means you sometimes see celebs, but in expected places: Palm Beach, South Beach, etc. My wife and I were chilling at a favorite waterfront bar in North Palm Beach a few years ago, maybe 2017 or 2018, just a regular place that’s slightly upscale, when I turned and saw Sir Rod Stewart just hanging out having a beer. Now either it was the man himself or someone pretending, but the place went nuts. Definitely sounded like him, too.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thank you also for connecting me with Indy Daryl — our Ragnar team is going to be epic!!
Screencaps readers suggested an awesome gift!
• Dawgs fan Eddie from Acworth checks in:
Another reason to love Screencaps. What an awesome gift idea posted in Screencaps-handy and MANLY tool for dudes!
Kinsey:
My 70-year-old aunt, who gave me the Dale Earnhardt jacket over Christmas weekend, got herself one of these Stihl hand chainsaws for Christmas, too. She pulled it out to showed it off to Mrs. Screencaps and I while saying it is was the best tool she'd ever owned.
Congrats to those of you who have this new battery-powered toy.
Screencaps readers take over France for the holidays
• Patrick in Spokane writes:
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I read Screencaps and saw that Millennial Chris B from Bowling Green was in SW France skiing. My wife and I are also in France celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. We are spending our time in Paris (we started in London and are going to Belgium next).
The painting is from the Louvre Museum and it is Drunken Silenus by Jusepe De Ribera. The dude bears and uncanny resemblance to Ron Jeremy (at least his face does and to be honest that is my only exposure to Mr. Jeremy).
Paris operates on bread, duck fat, butter, cream, foie gras, and beef. All of which are fantastic. I have also been drinking a lot of tall-boy Kronenbourg 1664 beers.
I also threw in a sunset from the Seine River in Paris.
Vern's salmon recipe is a hit!
• Hans in Arizona writes:
Just wanted to let you know I made the smoked salmon from the recipe Vern from Washington shared and it was amazing! My family and I devoured it in record time.
Thanks Vern and Happy New Year to you and all the readers.
Kinsey:
I knew the second I opened Vern's first email and he mentioned how he's 85 and gets out into the rivers of Washington to catch his own salmon that he was going to be a huge asset to this community. Then, on a hunch, I did a quick Google Search on Vern (my Screencaps instinct told me there was something about Vern that I needed to learn about...trust me, I don't Google Search you randoms) and it turns out Vern has been a HUGE asset to the United States over his lifetime.
If Vern trusts this smoked salmon recipe, you should too. I'll leave it at that. The guy is a treasure. Thank you to Hans for trusting Vern.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a Christmas movie
• Ryan O. and the family watched a classic on Saturday night as they were preparing for Christmas:
Meat thermometer suggestions
(*Disclaimer: These are suggestions from readers...don't go buying a meat thermometer and then yelling at me if it doesn't work up to your standards)
• John D. from NW Georgia via Houston writes:
A day or so ago one of the SC crew asked about recommendations for a meat thermometer.
I’m a fan and 2-year user of the Thermopro TP-19H. Reads quickly, is magnetic to stick to the grill, and the best thing is it is ambidextrous (display inverts when switching from left side to right side).
Keep up the great work.
• Glyn C. says:
I went with the Therm Pro, 4 probes and the blue tooth feature works great. Only had it 8 months so mileage may vary.
• Dan from AZ chimes in:
I’ll throw in this suggestion for John from SD. I just bought this recently as a recommendation from a friend and it’s been great. Instant timing, has a magnet on the back, and has a rotating display depending on which direction you’re holding it. I will say the magnet on the back is an underrated feature that I didn’t know I needed until I had it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBR2RL6X?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I know there are “nicer” ones than this with Bluetooth capability, associated phone apps, etc., but if you’re like me and just need something for quickly and reliably checking a steak on the grill, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Merry Christmas to you and the rest of the SC community. Hope everyone enjoys some well deserved time off with their families, and rest up for another year of Doing Hard Things!
• Jon DV writes:
Hands down the best thermometer brand is Thermoworks. Their instant read ThermaPen is bombproof, hard to fit down a drain. For serious smoke setups, the Signals has WiFi, Bluetooth, 4 sensors! 4 sensors! I haven’t tried any of the wireless units but to me those only make sense for a rotisserie setup where a cord won’t work.
As for movies let’s not forget the classic of all time that has zero chance of being made today…. Tropic Thunder. Best role Tom Cruise has ever played. Diet Coke!
Keep up the good work, Merry Christmas…
• Beer Man Bill in Nebraska writes:
Themaworks ThermaPen One is what John in SD needs. Me and several of my brewing friends use them for our homebrew hobby as well as at the grill.
• Jake M. says:
For john in SD. Look at Thermopro. TP03H for instant read and the TP826 for smoker/bbq cooking.
Wishing ScreenCaps readers Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
• Marc in Brentwood, TN wants in on this topic:
Thermo Works has a great line of accurate and reliable grilling and cooking instruments.
Thermo Pen, Thermo Pop are 2 high-quality recommendations.
Not cheap but some of the best you will find.
• Bills fan Guy G. in western New York knows meat:
Trying to help John from SD. Basic is best. I’ve used wireless probes, I’ve used Thermapen’s and cheap multi-port digitals from Walmart. It is crazy how expensive the probes can get, and how much you pay for a name….to get the same temp that every other thermometer will give you.
For $20, it doesn’t matter to me if it only lasts 1 season. Forgot to put it away, and it got rained on? Oh well. Wife puts it through the dishwasher and shorts it out? It’ll happen.
After thorough testing, the temps are dead on with about any digital you can get. I’ve gone through the expensive ones, and it just isn’t worth it.
• Doug from Johnson City, TN swears he doesn't work for Thermopro:
If looking for an insta-read thermometer? Hard to beat the Thermopro. I’ve used mine for over 5 years. Measures the temperature in 3ish seconds. The probe is long enough to keep your hands from burning. The display is backlit. It is accurate. You can even get in the color of your favorite team.
There is a newer (more expensive) version, Thermopro One, that measures in 1ish second. Looks the same.
If looking for something you can leave in the meat as well as keep an eye on the grill temperature? The TP-20 is a reasonably priced option. Two probes. Remote that you can monitor from a few rooms away vs. having to stand at the grill. I don’t care what “range” any of them state, I’ve found 1/2 is realistic.
If you go to their website
www.buythermopro.com and enter your e-mail address, they will send you all sorts of updates on items as they go on sale.
The Screencaps Ragnar Relay team for the October 4-5, 2024 event in Lexington, KY is coming along nicely, according to Captain Indy Daryl
• Indy D. writes:
I hope you had a wonderfully merry Christmas! Not sure the last time it rained that much, gosh I wish it had been snow!!
As of this morning, we have 5 confirmed Ragnar Relay participants, with 3-4 maybes. We are well on our way to a great team. That being said, looking back I think I really undersold the amazingness of the event.
It’s genuinely the highlight of my running career!
Yes, it is hard. But it is so much fun and the bonds forged during a Ragnar really do last. You and the other five people in your van truly become one organism, cheering each other on, excited about the next exchange spot, trying to get there as quick as possible, all the while spending hours on end getting to know each other.
Come join our team! No matter the running experience level we want you!! Email me at indydaryl@gmail.com
Kinsey:
Here's your team captain -- Indy Daryl. The long-time Screencaps readers know all about Indy D. and his Do Hard Things mindset. Yes, there have been Indy D. haters who have said he doesn't really Do Hard Things and his version of Do Hard Things is different from their vision of Do Hard Things.
Well, here's your chance to step up. We're talking a 200-mile relay race across Kentucky in October. Sign up.
Celebrities/Athletes in the wild acting like us normals
• Pete in Golden, Colorado shares:
I have two experiences with celebrities acting like normal in the wild…
Many years ago during the holidays I stood by Michael Keaton, the actor, at Montana Aleworks in Bozeman, MT. He was just sitting at the bar with a friend having a beer. He looked like he might have been out pheasant hunting that day and was just having a cold one after a long day afield. I don’t know that for a fact, but that was just how he was dressed. I might never have recognized him except the friend I was with knew Mr. Keaton owned property in the area and frequented the Montana Aleworks brewery. I didn’t say anything to him or bother him…I just let him enjoy his evening and his beer.
Many years ago I also crossed paths with Walter Koenig, Chekov of the original Star Trek series. He was on a moving walkway late on a Sunday evening at a very empty Minneapolis International Airport. He was going one way and I was going the other. Our eyes met and he instantly had a panicked look on his face that said, “Please don’t say anything to me.” I nodded to him, he nodded back, and so went my meeting with Chekov. I believe Mr. Koenig was in Minneapolis for a Start Trek convention and was heading home. After a weekend of talking to Star Trek fans, the look on his face told me he didn’t want to talk to one more fan at the airport.
And so goes my only “meetings” with actors in the wild that I know of. I often wonder how many celebrities put on a hat, sunglasses, and casual clothing and mingle with the rest of us without us ever knowing.
It wouldn’t be a proper Screencaps Christmas message without a little holiday cheer below from my “kids.” Thanks for all of your exceptional work and I am looking forward to 366 days of ScreenCaps on 2024!
First-time emailer ALERT & he knows the perfect temperature to put down your convertible top
• Merc Matt says:
Long time reader. First-time emailer. Thanks for keeping the flame going on Christmas Day and other holidays. Nice work.
I'm a cranky old guy (now 57) who is well-known around here as "The Guy Who Never Spends More than $10,000 on a car." Ever. Oh, I buy new cars for my wife. About one of those every 6 or 7 years. But never for myself.
I have a 1999 F250 diesel with 230k+ on the clock. Bought it in 2010 for *exactly* $10,000. That was a close one. I use it mostly for working on the property, hauling stuff to the dump, and bringing lumber and PVC pipe back from Home Cheapo.
But my daily driver is a 2003 Merc SLK320 convertible that I bought for $7,000 a few years ago. And that was after abandoning a 1986 Merc 560SL convertible that I drove for about 6 years, before that. Bought that one for $5,000 and drove it until the transmission seals starting leaking so bad that it required a major rebuild. I won't go back to the timelines before that, but you get the idea.
That's not Merc Matt's car. It's just a Google Search file photo for reference. / Google Search
So my 2-ride, eternal car solution is the F250 (which I'll probably own until I die) and a Merc convertible, the latter of which usually lasts 6-7 years before I need to donate it to some charity and get another.
If the roads aren't slick or icy around here, I'm driving the Merc. And if it's not raining? The top is down.
Always.
I just drove it with it down yesterday morning and it was about 22 degrees out. Windows up. Heat blasting. Before sunrise at 630am. That was with a light-knit, skullcap on and some music cranked up to 10. It's actually quite tolerable. There's not much cold air that gets into the cockpit in that configuration.
I don't know the coldest that I've driven with the top down, but I'd guess it was 10 degrees F or lower. We get a lot of those sunny, dry mornings in the winter out here.
To the libs....
• Travel Ball Hardo Chris B. in Houston knew this would be a hit on Screencaps:
What a morning. Now the blood is pumping. Now I'm ready for a work Zoom and 80 college football games. Now I'm ready to blog until this afternoon when it'll be time to see what the kids want to get into.
To those of us back to work, let's get after it. Don't allow yourself to coast into the New Year. We finish years off strong.
And to those of you in France or on vacation in Australia, enjoy your time off. Just remember to click and stay on OutKick for 30 minutes each day.
Go give 100%.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
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