Bright Emily's St. Patrick's Day Attire Stuns The Instagram Community, Belichick's Spring Break & Irish Stew!
Happy St. Patrick's Day to those who celebrate
And good luck to those of you who have to work tomorrow. If you like to slam Irish car bombs, you probably should've just taken off the whole week.
The rest of us will hold down the fort while you're getting hammered.
Email: joe.kinsey@outkick or you are always welcome to use my Gmail that I'm no longer allowed to publish on here
The power of Screencaps and the West Point connection
— Matt in Dunwoody, GA writes:
I've got an update for you related to the wide world of Screencaps connections. You may remember last Fall that two dads of West Point cadets realized they both regularly read Screencaps and through separate emails to you we discovered that our sons were also roommates during Beast (summer basic training for over 1,200 rising Plebes).
Well, this weekend was Plebe Parent Weekend at West Point. It's one of the signature events during their 47 months at the academy. While the 3 upper classes get a two-day head start on Spring Break the Plebes run the academy for the weekend and the parents get a front row view into life as a cadet.
I got to meet my fellow West Point Screencaps dad, Scott, in one of the bookstores. We embraced each other with a hug, and he assured me he's ready for mowing season. Anybody that knows me well will tell you that I'm a bucket list guy. For years, West Point was high on that list and each time I go there I'm reminded why.
Take Saturday evening when I got turned around trying to get back to my car in one of the lots, I asked a cadet who was headed in the complete opposite direction where to go. "I'll take you, sir." Respectfully, I told him no because he was going the opposite way. "Sir, it's not a problem. Let me show you."
These kids through the smallest acts demonstrate the best this country has to offer. I'm reminded of this every time I visit. I found my car and found Scott for the picture below. Get to West Point someday. You won't regret it.
(A couple of Screencaps dads with their sons on Plebe Parent Weekend. That's Avocado Scott on the far right. He's a perennial Top 10 contestant in the Thursday Night Mowing League. )
The readers who followed my latest gambling advice are coming out of the woodwork
It turns out some of you did listen and did cash tickets.
— CJ Fresh via Instagram DM:
Thanks for the free money on the Toledo game! Can’t wait to read those emails.
— Doug C. writes:
Check out this bet I placed on Hard Rock Bet!
Joe, America is listening!! Thanks for the tip. Keep them coming! Love the Caps Community!!
— Chris C. hopped on the bandwagon:
Totally forgot to send it till reading this morning but I’ve cashed both the Akron tickets my man. Never really email but I read this great column every day. Probably started when you first started coaching your rec ball team and it’s my favorite part. Look forward to hearing about it this spring and summer.
— Brandon C. in Pinckney, MI hit big:
Did it with my $1 free bonus bet promo. Cashed in a sweet 92 cent profit. Thanks Joe!
Side note-- the algorithms are working at Costco. Just after screen caps publishes a week long list of wife -to-do items, guess what's waiting for me at the entrance rack of Costco..... Entire racks of ready to plant in the ground berry bushes, fruit trees, and shrubberies. The wife was all 'ooh look at those, let's get 3 or 4 of them!'
Yep, Costco algorithms have partnered with my phone's key stroke logger into an unholy alliance of digitally tailored marketing.
Btw- big military satellite trade show coming up in early April in Colorado. I'll be sending photos and on-the-floor reports to you.
Looks to be at least 10 foreign country pavilions scheduled to attend, and we have some rookie companies hosting evening socials. If you have requests on what to cover as your Screencaps correspondent, let me know!
And now Cool Twitter® will roast the Bengals for having a half-assed defense & offensive line after screaming about how they were too cheap to sign both Chase AND Higgins
How to water a garden like a pro in 2025
— Keith W. emails:
Regarding irrigation systems, I live in AZ and have installed systems from my wife's raised garden beds, to my entire yard including emitters and bubblers on plants and trees to sprinklers for the grass.
I hesitate to give much input because I don't know how things translate to areas that get freezing temps. But, a must regardless of area is you need to put your system on a timer. They come in so many options from inline on a hose, to hard wired for multiple valves/zones.
And I'm not there yet with the tech, but I hear they're app-based now even. Regardless, you dont want to rely on yourself turning on and off the water manually. Get a timer and set it and forget it!
I'm actually currently installing a couple of new lines for some new trees, using a 3-valve orbit system I snagged at Home Depot for like $5, if you have any need for pics for Screencaps.
The State of Hearing Muffs (noise canceling headphones to wear while mowing) in 2025
— Raccoon slayer Sheriff John in Houston shares:
I had a brain tumor removed 11 years ago (acoustic neuroma, same type as Kelly Stafford). It was a big one and they couldn't save my hearing in my right ear, so I'm totally deaf on that side and have to take great care with the other ear. I wear hearing protection for everything.
For shooting clays, I wear custom made earplugs. They work great but you can't hear anything else. Not a problem because everyone else at the gun club is wearing them, too, so nobody can hear.
For lawn mowing and tractor time and on airplanes, I wear plain $20 shooting earmuffs from the sportings good store, usually with an airpod (or earbuds) in my left ear underneath so I can listen to music and talk radio.
My personal experience is that the expensive electronic noise cancelling muffs are a waste of money consdering they cost just as much as a pair of airpods. I just keep a pair of "dumb" muffs in my backpack and they are easily and cheaply replaceable if I ever need a new pair when I'm on the road.
My doctor tests my hearing every year at my annual physical and I haven't lost anything in the good ear since the surgery.
— Rod G. hopped into this conversation:
In response to Andrew's email regarding headphones, he can probably start by looking at his local big box store and looking in the power tool section for hearing protection. I have a couple different over the ear sets, one from DeWalt that is AM/FM/AUX and a bluetooth one from Amazon that get used for yardwork and NASCAR races. They do wonders for protecting your ears.
— G. in IL suggests:
What’s up Joe, long time no talk – been busy!
I have had good luck with the Sony WH-CH720N (easily searchable on Amazon) over the years. They are under $100 and perfect for the mower and great for any trips via airline. My last pair lasted several years and only failed after I accidentally left them on the patio overnight and it rained. Oops!
I have a loud John Deere rider that is barely noticeable with these on with the noise cancelling mode turned on.
— Dave L. knows this topic:
Re: Andrew with the ear bud problem. I've been using these guys:
for the past couple seasons. Nice clear sound, battery lasts about half the summer before needing a charge. I've also used them for snowblowing. 10 seconds to connect bluetooth and you're mowing and listening to Yacht Rock.
Kinsey:
#notsponsored
— Jon C. shares:
Tell Andrew to look into Isotunes hearing protection. They have both earbuds and headphones. I’ve never tried them but have plenty of woodworking friends that swear by them.
Screencaps reader catches an Ally the Piper show on St. Patrick's Day weekend
— Jon D. checks in:
Had an awesome Saturday night watching Ally the Piper perform in "Colombus, Ohio" [sic] (IYKYK). (See attached photo.)
When she spoke between songs, she was indeed as sweet and gracious as I had hoped. But she rocked those bagpipes like a mother. It's easy to see why she's been embraced by both the "bagpipe community" and the bands whose hits she's covered, most notably Metallica.
She invited an 18-year-old (on his birthday) from nearby Dublin, Ohio to share the stage for a spiritual pipes duet of "Amazing Grace." She and her instrumentalists even handled a potentially serious technical difficulty with humor and aplomb. (I imagine mic'ing bagpipes to be like putting socks on an octopus.)
Props to venue The King of Clubs and opening act David Michael Frank for setting the scene and the table. And thanks to you, Joe, for featuring this lovely lady in Screencaps after she performed "Blue" in Lucas Oil Stadium.
#notsponsored, but Ally's got about a dozen East and Midwest dates left on her spring tour (piperally.com). It's a good time.
Readers who are holding ticket stubs they cherish
— Don B. in Big Canoe, Georgia writes:
My Dad’s ticket. 1968 World Series. St Louis vs Detroit Tigers. $8 for Upper Deck. Back is signed by Pee Wee Reese.
— Dean in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin emails:
I miss using paper tickets at sporting and concert events. I am a Green Bay Packers ticket holder who gets frustrated by the electronic ticketing system now used by Ticketmaster, whom the Packers partner with to manage season tickets.
Whether its trying to access Ticketmaster’s system via my laptop using several different browsers or my iPhone/iPad and the Safari browser or Ticketmaster app, I regularly run into error messages from Ticketmaster’s system. It sometimes takes me several attempts to get the electronic tickets into my iPhone’s wallet before I am successful. I blame Ticketmaster, not the Packers, for the poor programming of the Ticketmaster website and app. The Packers started using electronic tickets during the 2020 Pandemic Season.
I don’t know if the other NFL teams do this, but the Packers offer to their season ticket holders the opportunity to get a sheet of game tickets sent to them after the season (the ticket holders have to opt-in).
Those season ticket holders who opt-in receive a sheet of tickets for all of the home games from the past season and the tickets do have photos / art work like they did pre-2020. However, none of the tickets list any seat numbers. Still, it is a nice souvenir to have and the sheet is perfect for framing showing all of the home games.
— Tom in Houston has one that he cherishes:
I'm late to the party for ticket stubs, but I think this one is worth sharing. My ticket from the last Packers game at Milwaukee County Stadium. Not the best seats - I think Bob Uecker was two rows in front of me, but a great game and a great time.
— G. in IL hops into the conversation:
I have some REALLY good stuff in terms of old stubs etc. and came across this today when moving my den to a new room to make room for baby #2 next month.
This link gives a good explanation:
‘I don’t have a cool ticket stub, but look at my cool autograph'
— Tom T. checks in:
I have some cool ticket stubs from back in the day, but my prized possession is this autograph that my mom snagged for me. She and my dad went to see the Redskins vs. NY Giants on Ocotber 29th, 1974. They went to Trader Vics after the game, and she ran into some Redskins:
Kinsey:
I see Sonny Jurgensen. A quick check of his stats tells us 1974 was Sonny's last year in the NFL. He was 40.
Places to eat in 2025: Pizza in Connecticut
— Chris in Milford, Connecticut writes:
If anyone comes to Connecticut, you must try our pizza. The govener has named our state the best pizza in the U.S.
I agree.
My favorite is Modern Pizza (not sponsored) in New Haven. Thin crust just absolutely ridiculous. Pepe pizza (not sponsored) is close to modern so you can do one or both. Pepe and Modern go back and forth for states best.
Places to eat in 2025: Oysters in what looks like a former insane asylum in Traverse City, MI
— Millennial Chris B. in Bowling Green writes:
Responding to your best places you’ve eaten lately segment to help screencappers plan a night out as the weather breaks. My wife and I went on an extended weekend trip to Traverse City for our 10-year anniversary back in mid-January.
We previously lived in Virginia and fell in love with oysters. We had a burger joint down the road, Burger Bach, with succulent sea snot rockets…. Anyway, I wanted to treat the ole lady to some oysters #UpNorth, so I hit up Google and found an Italian joint called Tratorria Stella.
We roll up to what seems like a college campus (still not sure what it actually was) and the gps dumps us at the basement of what looks like a former insane asylum that some genius bought off the government and flipped into $4k month lofts.
I digress, the food at this place is unbelievable. All pasta is made in house. Most ingredients used are from local farms, weather it be spices/herbs or the protein. Great drinks. Get a reservation early because the menu changes with what they can get in and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Sysco isn’t making a delivery to this joint.
We ended up with 18 raw oysters to get us going. I had a delicious lamb meal while the wife went with veal chops. Ended with some of the best tiramisu we’ve ever had. Both our entrees weren’t on the menu for the evening. The waitress told us they got their hands on a few shanks of meat and the chefs were getting creative with the preparation of them. SEND IT!
I feel like they do that a lot. It’s a place with real chefs, people who studied and were pressured in the heat of the kitchen by the Bourdain’s and Ramsey’s of the world The waiters and waitresses were ecstatic about the menu and seemed like they truly enjoyed what they did. It made the experience that much better.
Sure, it’s on the pricier side but if you’re looking for something to wow the misses while winery hoping above the 45th parallel, this is the spot. Throw on a polo and nobody bats an eye. Word of advice, get the postgame activities done before dinner. This meal is putting both of you in a coma.
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That's it, let's roll!
Go have a Guinness.
Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com or the old Gmail that I'm no longer allowed to list on here