Hooters Gracie Is Ready For A Huge Sports Weekend, Taylor Swift Drinking A Busch Light(?) & Pumpkin Spice Bacon Is Here
Many of you told the OutKick Audience Engagement Officer to start posting positive stories, so here we go from Cincinnati
Bry Hall needed a driving instructor and Bengals wide receiver Trenton Irwin had free time this summer. The two teamed up, Bry passed her driving test and then saved up enough money for her own Honda Accord and now she's off and living life.
Doesn't get much more positive than this.
I had to go investigate to make sure pumpkin spice bacon was real
• Matt L. sent in a Facebook screenshot of this John F. Martin & Sons pumpkin spice bacon:
Make it stop Joe. Please make it stop.
Kinsey:
Is there a guy out there who thinks this sounds enticing? Is there a guy out there who will admit to being a pumpkin spice junkie? I'm all ears.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Paulina is on Ozempic?
• Gary M. writes:
You clearly have to be smart enough to know/see the Paulina Gretzky/ Dustin Johnson’s wife is on
Ozempic
Look at her photos now versus 12-24-36 months ago. It certainly is not a peloton and hot yoga program!!!!
Amazing what $130+M in Dustin’s bank account from LIV can accomplish.
FYI I am not a Dustin and Paulina hater.
Inside baseball
• John in Milford, MI writes:
I heard during the Dbacks-Dodgers game last night that LA had four guys with 100+ RBIs (Betts, Freeman, Muncy, and J.D.). Looked up the Braves stats, and they had four as well this year (Acuna, Albies, Olson, and Ozuna). Checked online and it turns out it is a pretty rare feat with the exception of a brief window in the late 90’s when they were sprinkling steroids on their cereal.
Unfortunately for both LA and Atlanta, it didn’t carry over into the postseason. On a side note, I loved that 1982 pennant-winning Brewers team that made the list. On top of the four 100 RBI guys listed, it also featured Paul Molitor, Pete Vuckovich, and Rollie Fingers. They were loaded for bear.
Sports production techniques you cannot stand
• Rick in Canton, OH writes:
1. Get rid of all 'neutral' announcing teams in football and college basketball (or at least give a home fanbase option similar to the 'Manningcast' option over the dreadful Buck and Aikman clown show). There is no excuse for not giving fans game callers and analysts that actually know at least one of the teams (i.e. how to actually pronounce players' names and explain team gameplan trends). Clueless announcers (practically everyone at all the networks) make everything worse. Be honest, you know you can't stand any of them (Nance's day is over, Romo is terrible now, Fowler hates the world, Herbstreit is worn out, etc). Being extra loud (I'm looking at you Gus Johnson) does NOT equate to excitement or quality game calling (and what happened to the actual fun you used to have? Gettin' away from the cops speed anyone?). We Cleveland sports fans may be lucky to get a C- quality team, but at least we have A+ radio crews. Give us a broadcast where you sync the radio call over the tv broadcast in the home market at least (which is what I do on my own anyway, but it takes some effort to get the timing right).
2. I think ESPN calls it 'synergy' and it's horrible. STOP trying to pitch other sporting events on your network while the game I'm watching is IN-PROGRESS! Do what you want during advertising breaks, but stop trying to sell me on nba garbage while I'm watching a college football play happen in realtime. Even worse, no more multiple windows on the tv at once where you show me a game I don't care about while minimizing the game I'm actually trying to watch. If I cared about the other game, I'd be watching it on the station it's on. This is why espn in particular has become synonymous with making you hate everything you used to love; they tend to be the worst offender of interrupting your live game to sell you on something you will never watch.
3. This has been exaggerated lately but it's not new: KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE ACTUAL GAME. I could not possibly care less about Taylor Swift. She can have her fans, they can buy her stuff and that's all fine, but stay the hell out of football games. I am boycotting any broadcast she is even rumored to be near. I can deal with gratuitous camera shots of a player's family in the stands once or twice a game and I'm good with featuring armed service personnel in attendance (thanks to all you great folks), but unrelated BS frequently shown and commented upon by the game broadcast is completely unacceptable.
And again it's not new (remember how many times old Musberger kept talking about Brady Quinn's sister and the ND boxer during an OSU/ND bowl game?), it's just worse now. These networks pay 100's of millions of $ to show the game which is what brings in the viewer. Is it really too much to demand they stay on-point? NO it's not.
• Tirey in El Paso, TX writes:
I hate that, no matter who is broadcasting the golf tournament, every cameraman zooms in as the ball goes into the hole on a putt. Other than the occasional horrible lip-out, which they will show on a replay a dozen times, what is different from one putt going in vs. another at close range? Nothing. The player's reactions on the other hand, as well as the sense of how long the putt actually was???...
'Screencaps banner'
• Mike from Cape Cod writes:
Huge fan - I never miss a day. As the torch bearer for this community I think we need a banner to display our pride. I suggest a mosaic of you made from photos of Instagram models similar to Salvador Dali's painting of Lincoln. Surely there is someone in the community clever and talented enough to make this happen.
The Current State of Video Games as we head towards Christmas
In his letter to the OutKick Audience Engagement Officer, Tyler in Georgia mentioned how he'd like to see more video game coverage, but he understood that it was not necessarily OutKick's wheelhouse, so I did what any great Audience Engagement Officer would do in such a circumstance: I asked Tyler to tell me about the current state of video games.
He then proceeded to pump out the following copy, which I have to say, is very impressive for putting him on the spot.
• Tyler in Georgia writes:
With strikes roiling the Hollywood entertainment machine the impact is less than it was before Video Games took over as the entertainment juggernaut. In the last decade the gaming industry has grown to be bigger than Hollywood and the music industry combined. You can take away Stranger Things Season 5, but you damn well better not touch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3!
Sony’s PlayStation 5 remains the Georgia football of video game systems, outselling rival Microsoft XBOX around two-to-one. Sony just announced a new PS5 “Slim” model coming to the States for the upcoming holiday season. This 30% smaller model with a detachable disk drive will replace existing PS5 inventory just in time for their next big console exclusive, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Microsoft XBOX may be behind Sony, but since its release in 2020 the Series X and Series S have sold millions of units. While Sony has done better on exclusive titles, the XBOX Game Pass subscription service is the best deal in video gaming with hundreds of games and all Microsoft first-party exclusives available on day one of release at no extra charge. Microsoft recently released Starfield, their first big exclusive post their acquisition of Bethesda Studios, maker of top-selling Role Playing Games (RPGs) like Skyrim and Fallout.
Nintendo is also a big player with their Switch handheld system. Geared more towards children and without the technical power of other systems, the Switch is for the younger, more casual gamer on the go. Most cross-platform new releases are not able to be run on the Switch, needing the meaty technical specs of Sony or Microsoft to work. But Nintendo more than holds their own with kids’ favorite titles like Zelda, Mario Kart and Animal Crossing.
The Video Game industry is chock full of drama. You have everything from Microsoft’s $69 billion battle with the Federal Trade Commission over their purchase of Activision Blizzard, Sony lamenting future Call of Duty exclusivity, Nintendo leveraging their franchises to make the biggest animated movie of the year (and almost ever) to Facebook throwing billions of dollars away at the ‘Metaverse’. Never a dull moment in the world’s biggest entertainment medium!
Kinsey:
Then, as the Audience Engagement Officer, I re-engaged with Tyler because he left out the current state of VR and now a bunch of you guys have been asking about my Golf+ on MetaQuest2 experience.
• Tyler added:
Have you ever personally played VR? Reason I ask is because I've found it's one of those things that once you experience it you really understand it. But anyway, it has overall high potential but very disappointing in its current state. The Meta Quest 3 is most user-friendly out there. Easy to setup, no wires, expensive but not insanely expensive. But the supported games are lousy.
The better ones are kitschy sports games (golf, boxing, ping pong) or more like old school Nintendo Wii movement games (Superhot, Beat Saber). True modern day games similar to what you find on an XBOX or PS5 flat out don't exist. Or there are pale imitations that people pretend they like because they are playing it on a $500 VR set they bought and feel dumb for doing so.
Non-Meta products, like HTC Vive are better for true games. You can port over more mainstream titles and play in VR. But they are very difficult to use and set up, often you need a very high-end PC and it's wired to boot so movement is a pain in the rear.
VR, currently, is best for silly little mini-games or experiences. I have a couple on the Meta where you can climb skyscrapers, ride roller coasters, go to the space station, etc. They can be wild, will really make you feel heights, and can mess with your head (and stomach). But I don't consider those games at all. Honestly, I think the units with the right level of hardware coupled with ease of use/comfort are still a good 5 years away. And a true tier 1 game experience, like what we've seen in the movies about VR and the future...at least 5 and maybe 10 years away is my guess.
But who knows, Zuckerberg has basically bet his fortune and his company on the Metaverse. He's gonna force it mainstream or die trying. Who am I to hedge against the Zuck, ha.
Kinsey:
This is why I engage. Tyler wanted to talk and look at all this intel I was able to get out of him.
Now, because Tyler is looking to engage the audience, I want you guys to ask video game questions for Tyler. Many of you are about to start buying Christmas gifts. Don't go in blind. ASK TYLER!
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Don't mess with Dale
• Roger C. has a message for the Screencaps reader who doesn't get why each post ends with Dale:
Never trust anyone who doesn’t respect the Intimidator. If anyone has a problem with Dale, I have a problem with them. Probably libs who have an issue with gasoline, sports, mowing, meat, grilling, garages, real women, and manhood. Great selection of Instagram girls today!
Didn’t report any on TNML Thursdays this year, harsh winter and lack of rain was rough on the yard but still participated. Plus, after seeing the guy who did the press conference from his garage after mowing would be hard to match – that was brilliant! Probably will be retired next season and may have something for the young guns next year. I’ll have to up my technology game between now and then. We comin’ though!!
We're getting closer to the $20 burrito bowl
A simple thank you brightens the day
• Laura L. writes:
I haven’t written in a while but I would just like to tell you how glad I am to open screencaps every day. No matter what kind of day I am having, screencaps lifts me up.
With this week being so hard for so many, I love hearing about all the normal stuff going on in the world. Your readers get it. Thanks for providing a place to find peace in the joy of simple things (especially family life) throughout this great nation. Lets keep praying for those who have lost so much.
P.S. I love your Dale posts at the end of each day. Your pictures of him make me smile.
And on that note, Laura seemed to bring this week to the perfect close. I hope Screencaps brought some normalcy into your lives as this world further lost its mind.
I challenge each and every one of you to go have an incredible weekend on the patio, or in my case the basement because it's supposed to rain all day Saturday, and inhale some fresh air. There shouldn't be any complaints from sports fans right now. You have plenty to watch, the weather is turning incredible even for the people in Florida who roasted all summer.
Let's try to clear the mind and enjoy the weekend.
Take care.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com