Enjoy National Taco Day With Nikola Jokic, An Empty Ballpark, Pumpkin Beer And Former MLB WAG Brittany Joyce
Raise your hand if you knew NBA training camps opened this week! Don't worry, I won't fill this column with news from the association. I know the audience and I also realize we're still in the heart of football season and today is a holiday of sorts - National Taco Day! But I will drop a Damian Lillard prank that involves the city of Toronto catching a stray and give you reason to like Nikola Jokic even more.
Everyone but Deion Sanders that is. More on that later.
We'll also scratch our heads and wonder if we've been grabbing pizza slices incorrectly all along, debate whether we really want to start our day with a Taco Bell breakfast and visit with former MLB WAG Brittany Joyce.
So let's not waste any time. Afterall, we've good 'za to (maybe) properly slice, alcohol to cleanse the palette and NBA preseason games to prep (Mavs - TWolves tip tomorrow) for, right?
Damian Lillard Feared He Was Headed To Toronto
In case you missed Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay on NBA Inside Stuff over the weekend, Damian Lillard was traded from Portland to Milwaukee last week. Lillard's move to the midwest was met with excitement from the point guard. But before receiving the news that he'd be a Buck, he was first pranked into thinking he was headed north of the border to Toronto.
And let's be real, unless you're Drake or Celine Dion, nobody really wants to put down roots in the Great White North.
"Everything was up in the air," Lillard said of the days before he was dealt from Portland. "And I was on the phone and I got a random text from (Toronto's) OG (Anunoby) that said 'Welcome to Toronto.' He's always messing around and joking. We train together in the summer and when he texted me 'Welcome to Toronto,' I was like, let me call this dude and see. I finally called him, he didn't answer, and then he called me back laughing.
"It caught me off guard."
Lucky for Dame, he's now in Milwaukee and not Toronto. Or is it Mee-Lee-Wah-Kay?
And, just for fun.
I can't think of a better time or place to drop an NBA Inside Stuff clip, so you're welcome.
Nikola Jokic Has No Idea Who Deion Sanders Is
Love it or hate it, the sports world has basically been a buffet of Deion Sanders and Taylor Swift content for the last month. No one can avoid mentions of Coach Prime or overplayed "I'm the problem, it's me," jokes. Unless you're reigning NBA champion, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Despite making his living in the same state as college football's most talked about coach, Jokic has no idea who Sanders is.
When asked at Denver's media day if he knows much about Deion Sanders, Jokic shook his head and replied, "No, sorry."
That's not just Jokic batting away a question so he can quickly end his media session. The Serbian center spends his offseason back in his homeland racing horses and dancing on tables.
Nikola Jokic doesn't know who Deion Sanders is. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images).
Alejandro Avila, who easily makes the top three list of OutKick's writers residing in California, expounded upon Jokic's answer Tuesday. You can read that below.
Unsurprisingly, it seems as though Colorado Buffalo games aren't exactly a priority of Jokic's. Maybe Taylor Swift is.
Actually...I doubt it. See, Jokic is unlike just about any other NBA player - and that has nothing to do with his dominate play. As former teammate Austin Rivers recently told The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Jokic is one-of-one on and off the court.
"I don't think he really gives a shit about American pop culture and trends and fame and relevance," Rivers said of Jokic, a two-time league MVP. "Those things don't interest him. Like really deeply to the core. And the things that do interest him aren't those things."
MLB Fans Can't Get Enough Rangers - Rays
It's not only the start of NBA training camps that fans aren't aware of. The MLB playoffs apparently started Tuesday and few knew. That includes Tampa fans - excluding the hundreds who watched the Rays host the Rangers in Game 1.
Announced attendance for the series opener was 19, 704. And there's no way that many were in the ballpark to witness a 4-0 Texas win.
Tampa ranked 27th (out of 30) in regular-season attendance. Their initial postseason attendance, lowest since 1919, shows that Tampa is nothing if not consistent.
Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series is scheduled for 3pm EST today. I haven't checked any ticket apps, but something tells me plenty of good seats are still available.
How Do You Cut Your Pizza?
Now that you've nibbled on an NBA appetizer with a side of Major League Baseball, let's dive into the main course, pizza. Now I'm not here to enter the timeless debate about whether pineapples belong on pizza (though I will let you know that they very much do belong on the bodies of swingers...). I am here to discuss how you go about grabbing a slice.
Are you using the plastic "mini table" that some, but not all, pizzerias include with their carblicuous meal? I'm absolutely not. But apparently that's the tool that is supposed to be used when attempting to cut a slice.
Don't take my word for it, take IG user @rowheimfarooqui's who demonstrates that the "mini table" is not for keeping the box from getting too cozy with your cheese, but rather, to slice up that pie.
The IG user says a Dominos employee told him of the "little tool's" intended use. And if there's one thing we know, it's that no one knows real pizza quite like someone tossing pies at a Dominos. The video has more than 775k likes. I like to think it's because people are dumbfounded by the "mini tables'" use.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't pizza come pre-sliced? Is this really necessary? I may need help with math, changing my car's oil and lifting anything heavier than my body weight. But I can assure you, I never have and never will need help grabbing a slice.
Taco Bell Breakfast Yay Or Nay?
If you're one of those sickos out there eating Taco Bell before the sun rises, I've got good news for you. Taco Bell is expanding its breakfast menu. No longer will you be limited to breakfast burritos, quesadillas and the need for some DUDE Wipes.
Well, to be honest, you're probably still going to need the DUDE Wipes - I recommend the shea butter smooth option so your butt knows you appreciate the daily battles.
Anyways, Taco Bell has expanded it's breakfast options to now include breakfast...wait for it...tacos! Who'd have thunk it? Yep, beginning Oct. 12 tacos with egg and cheese and the option to add bacon, sausage or potato will hit TBell's menu. All for the low, low price of $1.49.
The 10/12 launch date is a swing and a miss if you ask me, considering that today is National Taco Day. But you already knew that.
Also, how in the world does National Taco Day NOT fall on a Tuesday? Poor planning.
Listen, I love Taco Bell more than any man who's in his fourth decade should. But I draw the line at TBell breakfast and especially the breakfast tacos. How can anyone choose breakfast tacos over regular tacos? I don't care what time of day it is. The people that make a run for the border for breakfast tacos are the same lunatics hitting Wendy's for a salad and a cup of chili.
If we're doing fast food breakfast, it's McDonald's and McDonald's only. Sausage McMuffins with cheese, substitute folded egg, couple a hashbrowns and a chef's kiss.
So what do you, the Nightcaps loyalists, think of breakfast tacos from the TBell? Are we on board or are we flying by the Bell and finding the nearest Chick-fil-A for chicken minis?
Let me know: anthony.farris@outkick.com or @OhioAF on X. Also, head over to the OutKick X page and cast your vote!
Something To Drink With That?
What kind of Nightcaps host would I be if I didn't offer you a drink after all that pizza and taco talk? Allow me to suggest a Bud Light.
Just kidding!
Now that we're into October, I think we can finally put the Kinsey/Dean - Screencaps/Nightcaps debate between summer and fall on ice. It's officially pumpkin pie season. And I'm prepared to ride this thing all the way through Thanksgiving weekend. Give me the cornstalks and bails of hay. Give me leaves falling and football weather. But most importantly, give me pumpkin beers.
I'm not a coffee drinker so I can't suggest pumpkin spiced lattes or whatever it is your wives are blowing money on. Pumpkin beers on the other hand, let's double fist those bad boys.
One of the best on the market is the one below courtesy of our brothers in Boston.
Get some of this pumpkin goodness on tap and it's game over. And don't be afraid to get it with a rim job (hey now!). Have the rim of the glass lined with cinnamon and sugar. When pumpkin meets spices all will be right in the world. You'll be left satisfied and in need of a cigarette.
Enjoy Pizza, Tacos And Pumpkin Beer With Brittany Joyce
Since I don't have the capabilities of providing pizza, tacos and beers to you, I'll leave you with something else to enjoy. Being that we've officially reached the MLB playoffs, who better to spend National Taco Day with than the wife of a former MLB All-Star? Of course I'm talking about Brittany Joyce, the better half of retired outfielder Matt Joyce.
To the best of my knowledge, Mrs. Joyce is yet to appear on OutKick before today.
And that's a real shame.
Next time we won't wait until the MLB playoffs to invite Brittany to the page (or is it pages?) of Nightcaps. She's always welcome, no spring training needed.
Let's Eat!
Time to chow down on the best of the rest until we do this again next Wednesday. In the meantime, help yourself to some leftovers and enjoy your upcoming rim jobs!
*Nightcaps publishes at roughly 4pm Monday through Friday.
Follow along on X: @OhioAF