The Hooters Girls Celebrate Opening Day, Dodgers Fan Gets Trucked & AI-Generated John Daly Eating Chicken Wings Is A Fail
It's always nice to hear from one of the content geniuses of our time
Yes, I've been pushing TNML HARD the last 30-45 days. Yes, the OutKick marketing team of Olivia G. (she's also responsible for TNML t-shirt management) has been pushing the emails & IG HARD. Yes, there's a renewed focus on Facebook where we're seeing very nice growth and interaction.
YES, I've been pumping stickers into envelopes instead of sitting in the recliner and watching TV.
But there's something really organic to what's happening right now with TNML.
There are groups who are forming their own friendships within TNML. There are guys teaming up and talking mowing content without me prodding them to interact. There are people challenging their neighbors to Thursday night mow-offs.
Guys are being guys. Alphas being alphas.
I'll go ahead and say it: The analytics are through the roof for this project that has zero budget. This is all homegrown, word-of-mouth, grassroots promotion and now it's spreading like a field of wild fescue.
And now the Queen of Content, Holly Sonders has joined the movement. Say what you want about Holly, but she knows a trend when she sees one and the queen spoke Thursday when she jumped on board with both stilettos.
How do I know this mowing league is growing faster than I ever could have imagined?
I have people sending me DMs saying, "Hey my buddy said I should be in this morning league. How do I get a sticker?"
Or I get Boomer wives sliding into my DMs looking to buy gear for their husbands because the husbands don't use social media.
The believers are pouring in.
Just when I think the waves of sticker requests are over, there are hundreds of requests that come in. Seriously, it's wild. This must be what it feels like when nerds come up with an app and it just starts firing on all cylinders and then they turn the app into a career.
• William R. in Reisterstown, Maryland writes:
The mild winter here in northwestern Baltimore County gave the grass an early start, and there was no way I was going to make it to the official TNML Opening Day on the 4/20. So I'm writing in to confess that I had no choice but to jump the gun and start my engine yesterday after work. And based on the way she started on the first pull, the old Honda motor was chomping at the bit as much as I was.
I'll be honest with you, as recently as a few years ago, I viewed lawn care as another chore to get out of the way whenever it needed it. There was no schedule and I'll even cop to mowing on weekends, and sometime even on Friday evening.
The neighborhood in which I live is the long way from being considered affluent and there's been a lot of change in recent years. The community was built in 1965 and the OG residents have been moving on in one way or another and new people are moving in. A lot of the homes are being bought by investors that are renting them out, so there isn't much pride of ownership around here, and it is reflected in the lack of care and in many cases flat-out neglect of some homes in the community. Certainly not great for the property values.
At any rate, I'm really hoping that there's a tiny chance that with my membership in the TNML that I can be an example for some of these jabronies in the neighborhood. Maybe my little property can be a beacon to inspire others to join up and start doing the right thing by their lawns and their neighborhood.
I certainly enjoy the league recaps where people show off there fancy machines and spacious yards and am greatly looking forward to receiving my sticker so that I can announce my official membership in this great community.
Couple of quick hits off-topic at the end:
- There's an old-school Pizza Hut up in Hampstead, MD that is still open. I haven't been there since before the pandemic but to the best of my recollection, it had what you're looking for. I need to get up there so I can send you a detailed report of my findings
- Keep trying for that strike. Duckpin bowling takes a lot of practice. Interesting fact, there has never been a perfect game (300 score) in duckpin bowling. I saw a good friend of mine shoot 261 many years ago and it was an unbelievable thing to watch as he was on fire that night. I've never even come close to shooting 200. Regardless, my experience is that most people that are fairly new to the game try to throw the ball too hard so if that is true in your case, I would recommend taking your ball speed down a few notches.
• Troy R. writes:
Proof of mow. Next step is working on growing some grass. Don’t roast me next week when I don’t check in, I’ll be on my honeymoon and not a care in the world. Cheers
Kinsey:
Congrats to Troy R. Happy wife, happy life. Sometimes you have to miss league night.
BUY! BUY! BUY!
COME AND TAKE IT!
Kirkland jeans comedy is here and it's good
I don't know how to embed Facebook reels so you'll have to go here to watch the full bit:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/214313434525571/
I'm worried about my throwing shoulder heading into the house ball batting practice season
Guys, I need advice on this one. There has to be an orthopedic surgeon reading Screencaps who can give me advice on how to know if my shoulder will make it through the house ball practice season.
I fired up the old flamethrower last night in the front yard with my son and needless to say, I'm feeling the wear and tear from years of ball and throwing back 24 oz. Busch Lights. I'm not in pain, but I can feel the stress in the rotator cuff region.
I need help. I need to survive the season.
The good news is that it sounds like even if I do have to spend time on the IR, it doesn't sound like my day job will be in huge jeopardy.
AI-generated John Daly eating wings photo series of the day
That's like a cross between Jimmy Carter and John Daly eating chicken wings at Hooters. These AI bots are not to be trusted. You guys need to be on high alert for deep fakes.
If you think travel ball or travel volleyball prices are crazy, you ain't seen anything like travel 7v7 football
• Mike in Cedar Park, TX (age 52) hits on a couple of recent hot topics:
Double duty coaching for Klifton M.: While it may sound and feel insanely crazy now, these are the days to live for. K-8 time moves the fastest. Unless you are a high school coach yourself, these days will come to a very hard and sudden end. Due to the lack of wrestling people in Texas, I lucked into a situation where the head high school coach asked me to come in and help. Those days were unexpected gifts. The lifelong connections to kids (yours and others) doesn't happen from the stands... To all moms and dads out there: with a few days of coaching camps/ training you don't need ANY experience to be a great coach K-8.
Requested hot tub story: In college, my roommates and I would throw a hot tub party every year. The hot tub was rented and was built into a trailer. An extension cord ran the heater. Kegs Old Milwaukee, 100 kids, girls in bikinis, hot dogs on the charcoal grill, 100 ft speaker wires all over the backyard... aka heaven for all the senses.
Big $ on travel sports: The creation of 7v7 spring football, which is a relatively new phenomenon/ industry over the last 15 years, is a crazy animal. The kids absolutely love it - especially the super fast small kids that may struggle in tackle. Moms love it after the Will Smith concussion movie (don't get me started). Not sure the "happiness/ satisfaction" is that much greater on a travel team vs. local. If you let your kids try out for the "national" teams, get ready to fly to 5-7 tournaments between January and July (Tampa, Vegas, Orlando, Arizona, Dallas etc). Depending on if both parents go/ any siblings you are talking $1k-$2k per weekend.
Heck of a collection of readers and contributors you have put together, Joe. Very unique in this day and age...
• Scott S. writes:
Big suggestion from a father of five all playing youth sports, get involved with the league board. I had the position of putting the schedule together and guess what? My kids never played at the same time and they played right after each other. Never missed a game and coached four of the five.
When other coaches or parents complained that my teams had the prime times, I asked them to get involved with the board to help make decisions. Making the schedule was one long day but after it was made, our game days ran smooth for the family. Plus in a couple years, it’s all over. Very small price to pay to see your kids score their first goal.
Kinsey:
Scott, you trying to kill me here? I have the biggest online mowing league in the world to run.
Look at my schedule on 4/20 TNML Opening Day:
6 to 6:30-9: Build Screencaps
9-9:45: Tweets, Facebook updates, get caught up on Slack, fit in a quick breakfast, story research
9:45-10:15: OutKick Zoom morning meeting
10:15-12: Work
12-12:30: Lunch with Mrs. Screencaps
12:30-1: I might wrestle the dog so she gets some excitement in the middle of the day
1-3:15: Work
3:15-3:45: Kids' pickup line (yes, that seems long, but this is also when I meditate in the car to clear my mind)
4-5:30: Mow my yard and make it look nice for Opening Day (typically I'm at the computer working, but mowing is part of my work in the summer)
6-8:30: House ball practice
9: Shower
9:15-11:30: TNML Opening Day recap post so it's ready to publish Friday morning
Scott, there's ZERO chance I'm signing up to be on the baseball board.
They sell these at malls in California?
• Remy B. writes:
They say a picture is worth 1000 words.
Westfield Mall at Santa Anita.
The Ts are home from Europe & they say there's no place like home
• Mike T. writes:
Found this nice message from our neighbors and their kids on our front door when we returned home yesterday!
Dead fridge sticker rescue solution
• Joe T. in Phoenix writes:
I was reading Screencaps this morning and Jacob B is staying up with nightmares about losing his stickers if the garage fridge finally quits.
Potential solution.
Some years back when I lived in NE Ohio I was drag racing at Norwalk Raceway Park (Best drag strip in the country). We had to put contingency stickers on our cars. Basically it was an advertising sticker of the products you used on your race car. If you had the sticker on your car and you won the event that company would pay you. Ex: If you used an MSD ignition box and had the MSD sticker on your car, MSD would send you a check upon winning.
Some of the racers didn’t want to put the stickers on the car in fear of ruining the paint. They instead bought sheet magnets and put the stickers on the magnets and cut the sticker out. They then just put the magnet with the sticker on it on the side of the car. They could easily take them off with no damage to the paint. It didn't work for everyone though. The faster the car went the higher probability of the magnet flying off. It did not work for my car.
Maybe Jacob can do this with the stickers on his fridge.
Just my two cents.
Speaking of stick shifters
• Heywood writes:
They don't make carjackers like they used to.
That right there is a FULL edition of Friday Screencaps.
Enjoy Final Four Weekend if you celebrate and remember what happens next week in Augusta -- that's right, the birds will be chirping. In case you've been in a coma, April starts tomorrow. Make sure to send in those March accomplishment posts. What did you accomplish this month? How did you take life by the horns?
Now go have a helluva weekend.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com