Thursday Night Mowing League 2024: Playoffs Week 2 - Hold On For Dear Life

Survival of the fittest…survival of those who are watering their grass…survival of those where it won't stop raining

It's starting to sound like a broken record around here. The mower never came out of the garage this week and outside of mowing down some high spots for Screencaps Jr.'s birthday party, the mower has been out of the garage around three times since July 4. 

I know that sounds impossible. I promise I'm not lying. 

And it's not just here in Ohio where it's been dry. Look at the Ohio River valley. Yes, there's moisture from that hurricane that should help southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southern Indiana, but it's going to take some time to work into the root systems. 

How does the long-range forecast look for guys like Fink, Timmy2Cuts, Diesel, Coach Fresh and some of the other big dogs in this league? Not good. 

Here in NW Ohio, one of the local weather guys gave a rather sobering report on Friday. "Many of you are asking when the dry pattern will ease. I took a deep dive into the long range weather maps today, and every single computer model shows a very dry pattern compared to normal in late September through Halloween," Ross Ellet from 13-ABC in Toledo wrote. "Not only are we dry, but the pattern is expected to expand and include most of the US in the weeks ahead."

Let's face it, with just three weeks remaining in the TNML playoffs, my mowing season is over. The next time I take out the mower will be to chop up leaves. It's going to take an incredibly wet October to get us out of this rut and that doesn't look likely. 

Timmy2Cuts spent his week in Hong Kong

What a performance by the defending national champion while he was in the Far East on a business trip. I have no idea what he was doing there for work, but I know Timmy2C took his flag, his Polo of the Summer and he repped the league on the road. That's huge. 

The TNML colors made it through airports around the world and that's the type of marketing that's going to take this league to the next level. 

This is national champion behavior. 

Will this be enough to win another national title when he hasn't mowed in weeks? We'll find out. This is still a mowing league. 

Roombas on the golf course

- Sean C. in Granger, IN reports: 

I know I mentioned my hectic August and September, and what part is has played in my poor end-of-the-season performance. I’ve been on the road again this week, but from what I saw, it’s been so hot and dry back home, I doubt I’d have much to mow anyway.

However, on my trip this week, to South Lake Tahoe, our conference had a golf outing at Lake Tahoe Golf Course (unfortunately not Edgewood, which is where they have the Celebrity Golf Tournament, and was right across the street from where I stayed at the Golden Nugget).

So in lieu of a mowing report, I give you this…..the Roomba robot mowers have invaded golf courses!! Now, this was technically in California, so it almost makes sense. They had a big one and a little one. I counted about 2 dozen in total.  They don’t even put down decent lines. Give me a break.

TNML Commissioner:

Like I've always said, it's not about being anti-robot mowers. It's about the government telling us we can't use a gas-powered mower. If courses want to use robots that mow fairways that look like a mess, then go for it. The customer will ultimately decide if they're cool with lines everywhere. 

Personally, these fairways look like a mess. There are aesthetics to golf that should never be compromised. If the course has fairways with lines everywhere, they better have the best bunkers in the business because freeing up manpower should mean improvements elsewhere. 

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com or joe.kinsey@outkick.com

BUY! BUY! BUY! 

BUY this look! It's the Polo of the Summer! 

*The XL is now out of stock. 

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Written by
Joe Kinsey is the Senior Director of Content of OutKick and the editor of the Morning Screencaps column that examines a variety of stories taking place in real America. Kinsey is also the founder of OutKick’s Thursday Night Mowing League, America’s largest virtual mowing league. Kinsey graduated from University of Toledo.