Heidi Klum & Sofia Vergara Share A Special Moment For Sofia's Birthday, Project 2025 For Golf & Fish & Chips
My 12U boys are officially in the house ball championship game
I'm not big on pregame speeches, but last night I brought out one of my best to date.
"Listen up…LISTEN…Who wants to keep playing baseball this summer?"
All the hands go up. That's a good sign.
"Good, then if we don't win tonight, it's over. We're done. The season is over. Understood?"
They got the message.
"Good. Now go kick their asses."
Relax, I didn't say it exactly like that, but I looked the boys in the eyes and told them to go take care of business.
They won 16-4 under the lights. I got home at 10:40.
This was a business trip. I allowed this group to jerk around plenty during the regular season. I ran a very loose program from May through June. Last night was different.
Quick observations:
- Sequoia was shot out of a cannon. He didn't have his best offensive night, but he gave me two highly intense innings on the mound, including a final inning with the score 16-3 where you would've thought he was in a 4-3 battle with the winning run on third. At one point, I had to go out to the mound because he was INTENSE and needed to cool off. It didn't work. On the final out, he snagged a comebacker, threw a laser to first and let out a yell. I swear that kid goes home and chops down trees to eliminate energy.
- My Tom Seaver had yet another incredible start. He went his three innings, scattered a couple of unearned runs and did his job like he always does. The story goes that Young Seaver has a tire at home on the farm that he throws into. He goes out by himself and throws into that tire. Pitch after pitch after pitch. Right into the middle of that tire. Over and over. You can tell. He rarely misses the zone. For an 11 year old rec ball player, the precision is beautiful to watch.
- Daddy Ball Report: Screencaps Jr. didn't have the greatest game. There were two strikeouts that were ugly and there was a dropped fly ball to center that had my blood boiling, but there were a couple of hits that produced runs to make up for the drop. Put it this way, we survived his rough night.
Last night was our final night with my assistant Scott, who hasn't missed a game or practice this season. He's going on vacation.
It goes without saying that I'm damn happy to have had his help this summer. It was his first coaching experience and, as he said last night, "I can't believe I went this long without coaching. This has been awesome."
Or something like that.
I'll give Scott credit. His voice didn't crack as he spoke to the boys. I thought he was going to lose it, but he held it together.
Now it's onto the championship game this Saturday during a huge day of house league championships, a Home Run Derby, then all-star games, food trucks, throwing contests, etc.
The boys will need their best effort of the season. The opposing team has pitchers that can bring it. We're going to have nine kids for the final game, and it's going to be hot. No subs. Thankfully, I'll have plenty of catchers and pitchers.
The pregame speech will be simple: "Go kick their asses."
Relax, moms, I don't say it word for word. They're just kids.
Taking kids to their first MLB games (I love these reports…it's been a great summer for these)
- NR writes:
Hope this note finds you having a great summer! Took my juniors to Oracle Park for a Dodgers v Giants game…this game was planned as a birthday present for my oldest for a while. Neither of them knew we were going to the game, nor did they know that I was able to call in a favor and get media passes to watch BP and warm-ups. Being a born-and-bred Dodgers family, juniors were APMED up about getting to meet the players and get some autographs!
Lots of take aways from this experience, but here are the winners:
-Manager Dave Roberts is a great man. He went out of his way to come over to sign some balls, take a picture, and actually TALK to my kids. He was a total gentleman and a class act!
-Chris Taylor is my oldest sons new hero! Taylor also went out of his way to sign a jersey and a ball, but he also asked the kids where they were from? What position do they play in little-league? He could have easily just signed the ball and walked away, but he engaged with all of the fans that were there waiting!
-Teoscar Hernandez is MY new hero! This guy also engaged above and beyond with talking to all of us! He was smiling the whole time and was a man of his word. At one point while Teoscar was just standing off to the side, my oldest asked him if he could get an autograph. He promised to come over after he was done with BP and guess what? He fulfilled his promise! And it helps that he is terrorizing teams right now with his play!
Honorable Mentions:
-Kike’ Hernandez. Dude was in full game mode. Even though he did not stop to sign anything, he did make a point to say hello and toss a couple of balls our direction.
-Will Smith is one of the coolest cats around. I can see why he is doing so well behind the plate. Dude is laser focused and a total manager type. Enjoyed getting to talk with him a little.
-Freddie Freeman, Cavan Biggio, Andy Pages and some of the other players were all very cool too!
-Unfortunately we did not get a chance to see Ohtani take BP, but we are going to a game in LA in August and will hopefully get to see him there!
It was a special day and the first professional game my youngest had ever been too…Going to be hard to top this one!
Grandkids snagging foul balls and automated balls & strikes in the minors
- Chris in Indy emails:
I took 2 of my grandsons to the Indianapolis Indians game on Wednesday afternoon. I’ve gone to countless Indians games in my 64 years of existence. I was really disappointed when the Reds and Indians split. I’m a huge Reds fan, been going to see them since I was 8 or 9. I remember going to an exhibition game when the Reds used to come into town and play the Indians, had to have been in the early ‘70s. Imagine that happening now. I’ve been to probably 10 different MLB stadiums. Not once have I ever sniffed a foul ball, never came close.
4th batter in, my 10 year old grandson grabs a foul ball. This is probably his 10th or so Indians game. I’d like to say I was jealous, but I wasn’t. He thought it was coolest thing in the world! He held onto that ball like it was gold for 8 more innings.
One other note, the ABS (automated ball-strike system) was in play. They show the results on the scoreboard with the ball floating over the plate, it was pretty cool. There were only 4 challenged calls, 3 overturned. I don’t know the specifics on how accurate it is, but man, it was great to know they got the calls right. Time for MLB to do the right thing.
Former Pizza Huts & what are they now?
- Dave R. checks in with this former Hut in Kill Devil Hills, NC:
When Pizza Hut first closed down, it became a local pizza place (Peace of the Pie), which lasted about two months. Then it became a local bar and grill which lasted another three months. Now it is just parking for the restaurant next door.
Friendliest towns in Georgia
- Jim shares:
Lived 16 years in NE GA, until this past December and moved further south, have been to all of the cities mentioned many times. Blue Ridge, Dahlonega, Ellijay were all in our backyard. Great places, very friendly, lots to do if you like hiking, camping, fishing and your wife will enjoy going along in those activities, especially if she likes to visit excellent small local wineries, afterward.
Madison and Washington are close to Athens and in easy striking distance of UGA games, but Washington is a small town with nothing to do in my experience, except deer hunting. St. Mary’s and Brunswick are part of the Golden Isles along the GA coast, beautiful marsh estuary with a few rivers and large islands, running south from Savanah to St. Marys. Great inshore fishing and boating all along there.
Not much in St. Mary’s but it’s next to the King’s Bay Naval Base- where subs and the nuclear missiles they carry are maintained, Cumber Island National Park, and also only 30 minutes from Amelia Island by car and 15 by boat. Only passed through Brunswick on the way to other places, it is a fairly industrialized small city with a couple auto assembly plants there- biggest news was about 5 years ago, huge ship loaded with new Mercedes autos, rolled over in the channel and it took about a year to cut it up and remove it and the cargo it was carrying- a total loss.
I've found everyplace in GA, outside of major cities, to be very friendly, but I think that is fairly true in much of the US, in my experience.
- Pat D. wants in on this topic:
First, it's hard to find a Georgia town that isn't friendly. One of our little burgs even refers to itself as the Accommodating City. (Another calls itself the Friendliest City. Can't remember if it is Glennville, where Sterling and Shannon Sharpe are from, or Reidsville).
As to John H.'s recommendation of Southern Soul barbecue, that's a good 15 minutes from Brunswick and about 25 off the interstate. St. Simons is just awesome. But you gotta take the causeway to get out there.
Much closer and in the heart of Brunswick is ... get ready for this ... Willie's Wee Nee Wagon. Right across the street from the College of Coastal Georgia.
Your taste buds will love you - even as your arteries don't.
Also once peeked into the old stadium in Cleveland as they were tearing it down while we were on a Great Lakes baseball trip in 1994. They didn't let us all the way in but they let us take a look from the concourse.
Got chased one day by a crazed mother elk while playing golf in Banff.
Jack Mehoff from earlier this week
Here's the story of Jack Mehoff.
- Doug writes:
Good Morning from Yakima Washington.
I’ve been a loyal OutKick reader for many years.
Love It. Keep up the good work.
I was sitting in my yard in the shade last night when I read about the young man from Lafayette, LA who pulled off the prank of the year in that town.
Oh my gosh. I laughed so hard I was slobbering.
That is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.
That kid almost snickered during the interview. He held it together nicely.
I’m so glad you found that story to tell.
For the sunset fans
- Lee D. in Tampa wants you guys to see this one:
HOT AF!!!!!
- Joe S.A. writes:
Up here on the Central Coast of California over the Fourth of July weekend it was toasty. We had family visiting and we went wine tasting on Friday 7-5-24 in Paso Robles. When we got back to my truck it was 120, now I know these things always read hotter than it actually is and after driving it did cool down to read just 115. Keep up the fight.
I'm told this one is for Mike T. & Cindy T.
- Mike N. thought they'd appreciate this:
How to find Screencaps if you're a late-day reader
- Clay W. says:
Sometimes I dont get online till late afternoon. How so I find your Screencaps post from earlier that day. Nightcaps is ok but I want the real thing- You. Seems that searching outback is useless as it randomly just returns much older content. It’s Thursday- i need my mowing league.
Kinsey:
Save this link to the "Morning Screencaps" page. Use it. Reference it. Keep it in a safe spot. The goal in the near future is to modify the page for readers so we can do things like bring back the Russian Defense Contractor Convention Show post and old stuff like that for the new readers.
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That's it this morning. I have a radio show to appear on, then a Zoom call, then the Dan Dakich Show, then the TNML recap, lunch, finish the TNML recap, then work with the writers, then another Zoom call and then maybe something fun to end the week.
That's my day. It's packed. Your day is packed. We stack up packed days because we work hard, play ball hard, rest hard on the patio and give 110% on a daily basis.
Go get after it.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com