Paige Spiranac Wants To Crush Meat Missiles On July 4th, Reds Fan Gets Tased & Cardinals Fans Are The Best
The 12U team is now over .500
Let's keep this relatively short. After tying last night's opponents in our previous two games – I think one game was 7-7 and the other was 9-9 – it was time to get the job done under the lights with an 8:15 first pitch.
After a shaky first inning where our infield defense was off thinking about something other than playing ball, our 11-year-old Tom Seaver settled in and was straight dealing.
I brought in our crafty lefty for a very clean 4th and 5th, and we were heading to bed with a 16-5 win to run the record to 3-2-2.
We've now avenged the ties and our ugly Opening Day loss.
Daddy ball report:
- Screencaps Jr. batted 6th, started in center and then moved to 2B for the 4th and 5th after a couple of the boys didn't want to listen to me that we're not holding on runners. I can look Junior in the eyes, say we're not holding on runners and he's on the same wavelength. Simply put, I enjoy our line of communication.
The Chuck Knoblauch Yips:
- My shortstop project who told me he's always been a catcher has been playing catcher the last few games and has developed the yips getting the ball back to the pitcher. With one of our other catchers on vacation, I needed him last night, but his yips are so bad that I had to get the gear off of him.
I have baseballs being thrown in the dirt, to the side, over the pitcher's head. And then I have a shortstop and 2B who don't understand that I need them to crash behind the pitcher as a backup. It's been a real battle.
The injury bug:
I'm pretty sure we've lost a boy for the summer due to either a broken ankle or a severely sprained ankle due to a trampoline accident. With kids always on vacation or out for some reason, things could get real interesting down the stretch. It's entirely possible we may need a 10-year-old as a reinforcement.
‘Because of him we have our freedom’
- Cord M. writes:
Glad you're back and recharged after the long week off. I wanted to share this text with you as it’s little things like this that give me hope for our great country and civilization in general.
My wife was flying from Atlanta to Dayton yesterday for a business trip and witnessed this event as it unfolded.
Very touching. I teared up reading her texts.
We all need to be grateful each and every day for our military personnel, first responders and their families and I think all in the Screencaps community feel the same. Most of us couldn’t do what they do and make the ultimate sacrifice for God and Country.
Old chain restaurants: Where are they now?
- Mike S. in West Allis, WI has a story:
Seen some of the restaurants you were asking about and here is what I can tell you about the Milwaukee area. We had 2 Old Country Buffets but they didn’t make it through the pandemic. Golden Corral is the only buffet around here. My first job was at a Ponderosa where I cooked a steak for Vin Baker the day after he was drafted by the Bucks. I believe we have 2 of them left in the state, one in the Dells that was a must hit before the drive home. That is all I know of the one’s on your list. Everything else is gone.
[Ed. note: I asked Mike to give me a little more on this Vin Baker story.]
Mike continued:
I was working the day shift on the grill the day after the NBA draft at the Ponderosa located a couple blocks from the Milwaukee airport. In walks Vin Baker with 2 white guys. They all sit at a table and had a late lunch early dinner at Ponderosa. I am a huge Bucks fan so I knew who he was. Just a normal lunch and then they left.
Another story. I rode my bike to McDonalds back in the late 80’s and was eating lunch and who walks in? Donald Trump. Orders a quarter pounder value meal, gives the cashier a $100 bill tells her to keep the change and off he goes.
Kinsey:
I did a little digging on Vin Baker's time in Wisconsin and learned he drank, gambled, and wasted the millions he made in the NBA. Then, his life changed after reaching rock bottom.
It turns out Vin, who was completely broke, ended up spending a year working at a Starbucks. I'll let him tell the story.
- Gatlin in Cincinnati writes:
The area around Northgate Mall in Cincinnati has both a Fridays and a Quaker Steak & Lube.
- Sean C. in Granger, IN checks in:
There were a couple of long forgotten restaurant chains meantioned in Screencaps today that compelled me to email.
TGIFridays is still relatively prevalent. But, we lost 2 in the area during COVID. The story was that the franchisee owner was at fault. But it sounds like it’s more than that. It’s too bad because they were known around here as the late night place to go for service industry workers. The bar was always busy. There are still plenty around, but not as many as there used to be.
Ponderosa was a GO TO around here. My grandparents used to take my brothers and me bowling on Sunday mornings, and then next door to Ponderosa. Then, as I got older, it was a great place to go for hungry college kids. I feel like Ponderosa went away very quickly. But recently I found one that’s an hour and a half away (actually equidistant from you and I), in Coldwater, MI. It might be worth the 90 drive one day.
Two that weren’t mentioned that were staples around here were Shakey’s Pizza and Sizzler. They’ve been gone from the area for quite a while, but there are still several Shakey’s in Southern California. Same with Sizzler. California still has a few and so does Oregon.
One more that may be a long shot…..Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. They’ve been gone for a while, but as a small kid, they were known for their great birthday ice cream sundaes. And they had a candy store as well. I’m curious to know if anyone else remembers Farrell’s.
- Drew C. in Virginia shares:
Daily reader here! There is a Fuddruckers in Ashburn Va that seems to be doing very well. Bring my kids there after hockey. They even have a Kobe beef burger that my boy crushes. Another one for you, we have a Long John Silvers in Warrenton Va. Loved that place as a kid, haven’t taken my kids there yet. Not sure if they’re ready for all that greasy goodness!
New uses for old Pizza Huts
- Mike writes:
Dad’s Pub & Grub Monroeville PA. Great hot dogs, great menu and great beer selection… formerly Pizza Hut
- John C. writes:
Baby Boomer from Pittsburgh here. Though I did spend some time living in your area when I was younger (Napoleon, OH and Hillsdale, MI). I remember buying Mud Hens gear at Toledo Express. My daughter also lived in Toledo where she said the 3 best things were "It's cheap to live here, it's cheap to live here, and it's cheap to live here."
In response to your chain restaurant challenge:
Old Country Buffet - Reportedly there are a few still around over in Eastern PA but none that I ever come across in my travels. The one closest to me became a Chinese Buffet before moving out of that shopping center into a larger location that eventually was torn down and replaced by one of these storage locker places.
Bennigan's - Only 7 locations left in the US. Closest to you is Mt. Pleasant, MI. They seem to be thriving in the Middle East for some reason.
Fuddruckers - They've got around 40 locations left, which includes Regina, Saskatchewan, but none around here. Closest to either of us in on Van Dyke in Sterling Heights, MI.
Quaker Steak & Lube - The location near me just closed and the other one a bit further east was replaced by Texas Roadhouse. It appears the only one left in Pittsburgh proper is down near Acrisure Stadium. According to their website they are open in Sandusky, OH.
TGI Fridays - One open a couple of miles up the road from me that appears to be doing well.
Chi-Chi's - They went belly-up about 20 years ago when a location in Beaver, PA to my north got hold of some tainted onions and a bunch of people died from hepatitis. A food processing company bought the name so you can still buy Chi-Chi's salsa and tortillas. Fun fact: My brother used to work for them. Chi-Chi's is Mexican slang for "big breasts". One of their original owners was Max McGee, Green Bay Packer wide receiver and MVP from Super Bowl I. Mrs. McGee was reportedly well-endowed. Hence the name.
Ponderosa - There are a handful of locations left, and shrinking. My step-son-in-law lives in St. Louis where his first job was at Ponderosa. There is reportedly one still operating in Butler, PA about 30 miles to my north. Planning to take him there for some nostalgia when they come to visit this summer. They appear to have a couple open in the state of Indiana as well.
This former Pizza Hut in Carnegie, PA became a microbrew pub (though those people suddenly shut the doors in February). The other one in this area was torn down to make way for a Bank of America branch.
Teams that should've won championships, but never did
- Kevin in Gibsonia, PA writes:
Easiest question ever asked. My Buffalo Bills went to 4 consecutive Super Bowls and came away with nothing.
Kinsey:
Great point. I should've never overlooked that brutal stretch in American sports history.
- John C. shares:
I think the Detroit Tigers teams from 2010 through around 2016 should go down as one of the best teams to never win a championship. They only made one World Series during that run in 2012, but their best teams were probably the next couple years after that. A lot of great position players rolled through here during that period - Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Jhonny Peralta, Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter, Prince Fielder, Ian Kinsler, JD Martinez, Nick Castellanos, Yoenis Cespedes, and a whole slew of great role players. And the pitching wasn’t bad either - Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello, Drew Smyly, and even David Price for a brief time.
We always lacked quality relief pitching, but the real reason I think we never quite got over the hump was our managers. I liked Jim Leyland, but he was a bit stuck in his ways. Brad Ausmus on the other hand was just incompetent. I have a moderate baseball IQ at best, but I can’t tell you how many times I saw him make moves that any slob could see were mistakes. That guy drove some great teams straight into the ditch.
I do agree with you that the Suns were an amazing team in 94. Barkley, Cedric Ceballos, Kevin Johnson, Danny Ainge, Dan Majerle, AC Green, Frank Johnson, and they were coached by the great Paul Westphal. But Hakeem and the Rockets ended up winning it all the two years Jordan missed. That’s why Hakeem is the second greatest player ever in my book. When the Alpha stepped away during what was probably the most competitive era in NBA history, it was Hakeem that stepped up and filled the role.
On a side note regarding first game memories, here is a shot of the tickets from my first Lions game my Dad took me to when I was eight. Cost a whopping 10 bucks. My most vivid memories are of the awesome unis the Bucs wore back then and the cloud of cigarette smoke that filled the upper half of the Silverdome.
- Kevin W. writes:
You're right about the Phoenix Suns Barkley era being a heartbreaker.. but I feel like the Nash-era 7 seconds or less Suns is an even better choice.
Revolutionized the game, was the best team, but then had some terrible luck (Joe Johnson freak face injury in the playoffs, etc.), and in other years Tim Donaghy as well as the horrific Horry hip-check of Nash and Stern's ruling to suspend Amare and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench.
I lived and died through both teams and eras... now not sure I'm going to live to see a Suns championship. Put us up there with any cursed fanbase.
Iwo To and looking for outdoor dining table recommendations
- Matt W. writes:
Looks like this didn’t send prior to Memorial Day, but now it’s two fold, bc I need some Screencaps recommendations!
First…
"Uncommon valor was a common virtue"
-Admiral Chester Nimitz describing the men that fought on Iwo Jima.
Iwo was the only conflict in World War Two, where the total American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese.
The Japanese call it Iwo To, and it is still used as a Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force base. The US Navy’s only forward deployed Carrier Air Wing used to to perform our Field Carrier Landing Practices - carrier box painted on the 8000’ runway.
Keeping with the sunset/sunrise theme. Attached is sunset from Invasion Beach on Iwo, with Mt Suribachi in the background. The second is Suribachi from the base on the island.
Second…
Looking for a rec for the best outdoor dining table that will need to survive just getting blasted by direct sunlight, with no shade; concrete table top? Polywood type material? Aluminum? Wood? Also looking for it to be lower maintenance - understand there will be some.
Cheers! Wyndham Clarke is already describing the greens as "borderline" in regards to hard and fast! Should be an entertaining week down at Pinehurst No. 2.
Fun for the whole family
I've been going down a long Instagram rabbit hole the last few days after learning there are so many talking parrots providing so much content. One of the best is Symon, a 2-year-old female who is a content machine.
Trust me, your kids, wife, boys, family dog, etc. are going to love Symon. She's great.
Do your kids have the Mark Rober CruchLabs build kits?
Screencaps the III has been BEGGING us for the Rober build kits for the last two months at least. He's 7. I kept thinking he would phase out and find Legos to build, but it just hasn't stopped.
Tuesday, I pulled the trigger. Done. A full year of build kits.
And then it happened when I had Screencaps the III read an email saying the first kit is on the way. I'd never seen that look on his face. It was pure joy mixed with damn near happy tears.
Have any of you been through the CrunchLabs phase?
I figure this is money better spent than dumping $250 into a hitting coach.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
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That's it for this mid-June Wednesday. We're back to the park tonight for Game 8 of our 12-game season. It's crunch time, especially with the heat building and kids who are about to get the summer blues and lose focus.
Congratulations to those of you who are at the beach, at your lake houses and at the golf courses. The rest of us will hold down the fort.
Go have a great day.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com