Bama Grad Katrina Pacensa Salutes The USA, NASCAR Traffic Jam & Eagles OL Jordan Mailata Nails 'Isn't She Lovely' At His Wedding
Weekend observations heading into a quick holiday weekend
• NASCAR could be onto something with its Chicago race. I'm not going to lie, in my mind, a street race typically means one guy is going to dominate at the front and it's going to be one helluva boring race. Last night's TV broadcast was anything but boring. Give me that chaos at least once a summer and I'd be just fine sitting there for a couple of hours consuming the show.
• After a huge stretch of drought, now we can't get through a night without some torrential downpour that has the lawn on rocket fuel. We're talking twice-a-week mowing could be back on, which was not on my bucket list this time of year.
• I hear Twitter has new rules which I don't understand. I'm allowed to read 800 tweets per day? What if I'm just scrolling? Am I going to be credited with reading tweets that I don't open? Luckily, today's Screencaps was created without troubles.
• I'm convinced 86 degrees is the perfect pool temperature.
• MY Reds are tied for the N.L. Central heading into July 3 in Washington D.C. That means I'm watching baseball on July 4th weekend. That has not happened in a long time.
• Some NFL training camps open July 18!
• To the guy in the neighborhood shooting off fireworks in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday, hope it was worth it in the bright sunshine. He must not be married.
• To the guy in our Saturday golf scramble who pulled a prank and stole our golf cart key -- good one!
More observations from the readers:
• John from SD writes:
Beginning of Fourth of July weekend: Where to start!
Why do we have to look for USA Network to find an Indy Car Race at Mid Ohio? Because a WNBA regular season game is better to put on major network coverage during prime time sports coverage? (I know different networks but let’s look at ratings).
For the better part of the day ESPN online showed Ricky Fowler winning the Detroit Club tournament at -25 under while the three players finished at 24 under and Fowler won the first playoff hole with a birdie. The worlds lost leader in sports can’t figure out how to report a playoff win accurately? (I should have taken a picture)!
Doing hard things:
50th birthday party for one of our friends. He decided on a pig 
roast! He did all the hard work, built the pit himself, and started the cooking process at 11 in the morning versus buying the $500 cooking device you can buy through Costco (fyi, you can buy a pig through Costco corporate). His rookie attempt and it turned out great!
• Chad B.R. writes:
Do you get the fascination that some people have with fireworks shows? I will never understand it, but maybe it's just me.
Kinsey:
I think the setting and context matters here. Are we talking fireworks at Mount Rushmore like what I was lucky enough to experience when I was a kid on a cross-country RV trip with my family? Or are we talking about Brad's front yard fireworks show in the street?
A fireworks show after a backyard pool bash with a bunch of good friends sounds like a good time. A fireworks show where I have to sit in a field with 5,000 people and where I have to carry chairs and coolers after a long day doesn't sound great these days.
I do love the nostalgia of one solid 4th fireworks show where the kids feel excitement in their bones. I want them to love the 4th of July.
• Jason in Far Nor Cal has a beautiful new chalk drawing for the short 4th of July weekend:
• Indy Daryl is on the move again:
Hope you are enjoying a nice Sunday evening! We are up here in northern Wisconsin enjoying some much needed r n r. I know there are things waiting for me when I return home (have I mowed in three weeks??) but gosh it feels good to just be on lake time. Boating, swimming, kayaking, and a delightful Sauna at a nice 150 degrees are just what a guy needs.
Also, I don’t know if there is much more that I enjoy cooking than chicken thighs and legs over an open flame.
Have a great holiday and thanks again for all that you do!!
• Mark D. writes:
I had to chime in as I didn’t want to disappoint you. Hildee still covering up that belly button. I’m convinced she or someone in her corner is an avid fan of Screencaps. Her changing the type of pictures she takes maybe the most significant thing I’ll ever do in life. Sad and yet exhilarating at the same time. LMAO. Alright have a good weekend.
• Brandon C. in Pinckney, MI writes:
Our nation has officially gone off the rails with reliance on "expert" culture. (See attached) Who the hell are the "experts" on where up north starts? Is there a degree at Harvard on geographical determinism? But what can I expect from a state that is trying to make a felony calling a person by their biological designation?
Btw- this is also a sad commentary on how bad the DetNews has gotten in the last two years. In the post merger environment for 20+ yrs, the News was the more straight news publication and the Free Press was the more editorially focused one (not surprising since that where Mitch "I make up interviews" Album writes).
But now even straight news stories at the DetNews are written with an ideological bent.
Kinsey:
Brandon, don't get too triggered by the Detroit News. As my buddy Millennial Chris B. in Bowling Green likes to say, Up North doesn't start until you hit the very first legitimate jerky store gas station off I-75. Typically, that's the first jerky store north of the Zilwaukee bridge.
Pete LaCock vs. Bob Gibson
• Paul F. needs to add some context on this battle way back in 1975:
Hi Joe, I am a 63 year old (outside your demographic) living in Laguna Beach (outside your demographic) retiree with no lawn to mow. But I am a Midwesterner at heart and by birth and I start every morning with a read of Screencaps.
I do need to tell you in my best Paul Harvey voice you missed “the rest of the story” on Pete LaCock and Bob Gibson. Gibby was a hard man an incredible competitor. He had his leg fractured in a game against the Pirates in 1967 and faced 3 more batters. He only left the mound when he reached back on a 3-2 pitch and passed out from the pain.
The kicker to the Pete LaCock story is 10 years later they meet in an Old-Timers game. Gibson plunks him in the ribs with his first pitch.
Kinsey:
BTW, Paul sent that message via the Instagram DMs. Outside the demographic? C'mon Paul, the demo is 25 to 90 or older.
• Bob P. also wants in on this LaCock trivia:
INTERESTING SIDENOTE TO LACOCK GRAND SLAM VS BOB GIBSON...
A FEW YEARS LATER IN AN OLD-TIMERS GAME, WHEN LACOCK CAME UP AND GIBSON WAS PITCHING, BAM, LACOCK WAS HIT BY THE FIRST PITCH...GIBSON HAD A LONG MEMORY!!!
That's it this morning. I need to get moving on some other stories so that I can get on the road. More on that later.
To those working today, I hear you, I feel you. It wasn't easy to get up this morning, but we do what we have to do in life. To those of you still sitting by the lake, enjoy every minute of it. To those RVing, enjoy that morning coffee while telling the neighbors, "Mornin'" while they pass by on their morning walk.
Take care.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com