Hot Cop Michelle Paula Fights Crime & Wants To Make America Healthy Again, Regular Joes vs. A Bull & Tacos!
Rec ball coach lays down the law on the travel ball families who think they're special and can come and go as they please
Inject it into my veins!
— Matt in Phenix City, AL shares this story:
I’ve loved reading about the war on travel ball and thought I’d share something from Kid 1’s first practice of the season for spring ball in our local youth league.
After practice, coach had all the kids gather in the bleachers with their parents to do the basic expectations for the season, his goals for practices, etc. Then he started talking about the practice schedule and how we’re allotted 1 weeknight and 1 Saturday practice per week. He said while he understands life happens and kids will miss a practice here and there, if kids are constantly missing weekend and/or weekday practices because of travel ball he has ZERO problem sitting them on the bench.
He then went on to let the other parents know it’s not fair to the other kids, even if they aren’t the best, that show up every day to have to ride the pine while the schmuckatellis playing travel ball think they can come and go as they please and still expect to be in the lineup and given special treatment. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, especially as the two travel ball moms, sitting in their fancy chairs, gripped their Stanleys right gritted their teeth. Absolute cinema.
Keep up the good fight and hopefully I’ll have some updates on how this plays out this year in Kid 1’s team!
Kinsey:
Matt, you need to tell that coach how much you appreciate him taking a stand during these times when it isn't remotely popular to take a stand. He is one of greats who are serving on the last line of defense in communities where travel ball scumbag organizations are ripping apart the fabric of society — the community parks.
You might remember last summer when I wrote about the scumbag Stanley-succin' travel ball mom standing outside our dugout after we just lost the 11-12 city rec ball title in dramatic fashion after Sequoia hit a grand slam to tie it in the top of the 7th.
She was trying to steal players out of the rec league for her and her husband's gain. It shows exactly who these scumbags are.
It's burned into my memory.
What's going on with West Coast college baseball? Is Fullerton dead?
— Chris B. jumped all over this topic:
I have multiple friends who graduated from here back in the late 90’s and this subject was brought up recently. We all grew up in Orange County and if you were a power house high school program in the area you definitely had kids going to Fullerton to play baseball as they were not just competing for conference championships, but national championships and wanted to follow in the footsteps of many who went on to play professionally.
Now it’s just basically a commuter school and unless Kevin Costner or even Disneyland for that matter starts bankrolling the program we don’t see it turning around even with all the talent in the area. Same can be said for Long Beach State.
Look at the talent that came out of there back in the day. West Coast baseball in general has died due to NIL. There’s schools out here that should have no problem recruiting, but can’t touch what kids are getting at other schools that care more about their sports. CA schools in general don’t pay the kids what they can get elsewhere.
Even SC football has their issues.
Most of the transfers it seemed last year in the College World Series were from CA schools. They get good and leave chasing the money. All the San Diego (USD, UCSD, & San Diego St) schools should have no problem recruiting. Who wouldn’t want to live down there? Same goes for Santa Barbara and Pepperdine.
Their schools are literally on the beach and Santa Barbara is known for partying. Cal Poly SLO is a college town and close to the beach. USC, UCLA, and Cal were overtaken by the Oregon schools before the Pac 12 collapsed. Even Fresno State who tries to compete with the big boys and went on their run in 2008 struggles.
It wasn’t like the Cavinder Twins weren’t making money while at Fresno State, but knew they could make more elsewhere. UC Irvine is another one that can’t seem to stay competitive. Stanford is really the only school out here in CA that competes on a yearly basis, which obviously is an outlier due their academics and who they recruit.
It’s crazy the schools listed aren’t competing for championships every year, but the resources just aren’t there like the others that are up at the top. Location and party scene aren’t the allure they once were. It’s all about the dollars and cents now.
— Bruce knows his Pacific Coast baseball:
Your college ball post hit home, especially since CS Fullerton is in the same conference as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Attached are a few pics of our stadium and, as you can see, it is great. Named after Robin Baggett, former catcher and huge supporter of Cal Poly Baseball, Baggett Stadium is one of the premier college stadiums in the West.
The Stadium also features Ozzie Smith Plaza and Krukow’s Klubhouse (named after alum Mike Krukow, SF Giants fame). Ozzie Smith, who you might have heard about, best fielding shortstop ever played here the same time as I did.
NIL is definitely leaving its mark on programs like this. San Luis Obispo is a town of 50,000 and raising funds to pay players AND have a top-notch facility is next to impossible. CS Fullerton, UC Irvine, UCLA, USC and others can at least draw on the population of Los Angeles to fund their programs. It will take some time for the NIL programs to shake out as the NCAA figures out the best way to handle NIL and the transfer portal. In the meantime, college ball will always be better than MLB (in my opinion).
Also, Poly will always compete on the national stage and play some great teams. Just last weekend Poly played at top ranked Texas A&M and played them tough, winning 1 out of 3 games. Oregon State will be here for a 3 game series next month and Fullerton will be here next weekend.
— Texas Tech Ryan Hyatt writes:
I love seeing more and more folks getting into college baseball. There's probably a fun team to watch within close driving distance to all Screencaps folks! The game is better than ever and you don't have to get a bank loan to take the family out for a night of fun.
As for the decline of teams like Cal-State Fullerton and many other "small schools" or former college baseball power, particularly on the West Coast... It's complicated and it's simple at the same time.
As far back as the mid-90s we began to see a change in power when it comes to college baseball. The days of teams like USC, Arizona State and others ruling the sport were being challenged by SEC schools like LSU and others. Of course the Florida schools had always been good along with teams in Texas... But things were changing.
The two biggest factors were lack of fan interest out West and the influx of cash to SEC teams and other Power Conferences through the BCS in the late 90s.
That gave schools a great slush fund. They had to spend it somewhere so they built awesome college baseball stadiums and facilities. Schools like Fullerton and Long Beach State and others couldn't keep up.
I saw first hand in the 90s, calling Texas Tech games, as the Red Raiders recruited great players from California and the West Coast because they'd see 3 thousand fans at a mid-week game in Lubbock vs a few hundred fans at a UCLA or USC game for conference play. Nobody cared. Sorta like LA Dodgers fans....
So, as the 90s turned into the 2000s, more and more money poured into facilities in the South and in ACC country and they took advantage of that, changing the landscape of college baseball from a niche sport to a sport rife with cash and great facilities. We went from bus trips of 8 hours to charter flights just like football and basketball during that time. The small schools had a hard time competing with that and it showed in the SEC dominance.
As we get closer and closer to the demise of the NCAA, the CWS will be one of the things I will hate to see go. It's one of the last Pure sporting events out there. But here in less than ten years, the power conferences will stage their own March Madness and their own college baseball tournament. I hope it's still in Omaha.
All of that said, it's still amazing to see some of the smaller schools like Coastal Carolina or UC-Irvine, UC Santa Barbara or Dallas Baptist still hang around the rankings. A testament to how much college baseball talent is out there.
So, if you get a chance this Spring, go see a college baseball game. You'll have fun. Take the kids. Get some autographs. Never know, you just might be watching the next Skenes or Jung or Oddabie McDowell!
Would love to see Screencaps readers send in their college baseball pics all season long!
Small-market MLB has a TV issue
— Brad brings up a topic you're going to be hearing much more about from baseball:
Talk about a sad state for MLB. Do you realize the Cleveland Indians (don't get me started) do not have a local TV or cable deal for this season? MLB is running a $treaming $ervice for them. They've also cut pre-game shows for away games and the post-game shows will only be 15 minutes.
Thankfully, we still have Hall-of-Famer Tom Hamilton in the radio booth!
Kinsey:
For $105.99, I can buy the Reds season pass which doesn't seem like too bad of a deal considering I don't have to get a cable package. If I want Spring Training, that will cost me another $16 bucks.
Readers react to the death of Al Trautwig
— Michael V. tells me:
Hey Joe, Al Trautwig was well known by Knick and Ranger fans but I was not expecting to read about him in screencaps. I wanted to share a quick story about what kind of person he was. About 10 years ago we were playing his alma mater (Carey HS in Franklin Square, NY).
Prior to the game the field was being named after a long time PE teacher and coach named Bob Walpole. Al showed up to MC the event and shared stories about how much Bob meant to him as a teacher. We were the visiting team and after he was done speaking, Al shook every hand, posed for every photo and signed baseballs for our kids.
He could not have been any nicer. Al Trautwig traveled the world covering the Olympics, the 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup win and numerous other major sporting events. No matter where his long career took him, he never forgot where he came from.
— Brian in Parker, Colorado writes:
Was sorry to hear about Al’ s passing as well. There are sports moments from your youth that simply stick with you – and Al’s voice has a small space in my brain from calling some of these moments (similar to Vader).
With a spare moment – worth a quick view & listen:
Roll right along to the 8:50 mark for the good stuff. Al gets us started – making cross country skiing of all things feel like pure adrenaline. I’m sure some Norwegian kids have that moment seared into their psyche for all time. *And was that Al at the 12:00 mark (Sarah Huges just bought the house down...)? dusty in here now…
Al was maybe a bit of a weird dude – but I loved his calls. He was a sports junkie and called literally anything and everything. As a Colorado kid - he was never better than at the winter Olympics.
Keep up the great work – love the column. Thanks for the sticker!
Golf bag must-haves that most people don't think about putting in their bags (you guys seem to like this topic)
— Ryan W. must have:
Baby powder, especially on golf trips with humidity, iykyk. Can’t count how many guys on a trip hit me up for some baby powder! Love the content, keep it rolling!
— Andrew promises this is #notsponsored:
I haven't emailed in for a while, but just know that every morning I'm starting with ScreenCaps!
Hands down this is the most coveted addition to my golf bag. The Groove Tube (Not Sponsored). Probably the cheapest golf-related item I've ever bought and used the most.
Also, the Vegas Golf Game (Not Sponsored). If you and the boys want to spice up your round with a few buck or brews on the line, this game is a can't miss!
— Jim K. says:
My suggestion: Keep an extra hat and a couple of White Chocolate Macadamia Clif Bars in the bag. Forgetting the golf hat is my go to move when I am in a hurry. I have purchased a few at the pro shop as a result. As for Clif Bars they are good as an emergency breakfast if you are running late for an early tee time. A Clif Bar is also an excellent snack choice at the turn. Trust me on the White Chocolate Macadamia.
— Steve in Baton Rouge would like to help you fill that golf bag for the 2025 season:
Been a minute since I've written but still reading daily (mostly).
Most of my golf now is 9 holes before work in the morning carrying a Sunday bag so I've left a lot in my cart bag. I still carry band aids for potential blisters and try to keep beef jerky or Slim Jim's in there too but usually forget when I need them the most! And a golf specific Swiss Army knife that is no longer made (or at least not that I can find). My parents gave it to me years ago and they're both gone now. Carrying everything makes you think about what's worth lugging around and what's not.
On those occasions when I ride 18 with my buddies, one of them carries anything he's ever bought or was given so we all mooch off of him.
Best and keep up the great work!
— Kevin A. is a shit in the woods kind of guy:
A$$ wipes. Sometimes you just aren't making it back to the club house.
— RJM knows his booze:
If you like cocktails on the course like I do you need to be packing a 1/2 gallon stainless steel wide mouth water jug filled with ice cubes from your house. Nothing worse than making a drink with half melted cooler ice from the clubhouse cooler...
— Jason, who carries the alignment stick in his golf bag, reveals his handicap:
Sound skeptical there’s a reason for them (unless you’re a scratch?) GHIN attached.
The driving range has targets - those targets aren’t directly in front of you. Turing your body to aim at the range is awkward and for me doesn’t help. So I line up the target with the alignment stick and then just hit as normal
Like anything else at the range it kinda gets me in the groove with my swing
— Cypress Shawn in Cypress, TX snuck in this email at 8:26 ET just as I was typing:
Extra things I have:
- The little old school pencil sharpener for the cart pencil.
- A single chopstick for stirring drinks in my 30 oz Yeti.
- Shot glass.
- Medical tape.
- Spare batteries for rangefinder.
- Skeeter spray.
Do you guys have any gambling games on the golf course that Screencaps degenerates can suggest to their golf buddies?
— Michael S. asks:
I was wondering if any of your readers have any gambling games they play on the golf course. I golf with the same group of guys and one of them is much better then the others. It is always hard to find a game to put money on that is fair. The only 2 we can play is Bingo Bango Bongo and putting poker. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Kinsey:
Michael might want to take a look at the Vegas golf game suggested above by #NotSponsored Andrew.
Are there any others?
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Italian self-serve beer vending machine
— Mike T. knows this would get my attention. He's always on the hunt for the unique:
Lots of 24 hour self service snack kiosk's in this part of Italy. This one sells beer €1.60 for a lager. €2.60 for an ale.
Here's what the Ts had for lunch today in Trapani, Sicily. Are they getting tired of pizza and beer? It doesn't look like it:
