I might be an anti-Northern Lights guy unless it’s in Alaska or Norway

This might be one of the most controversial takes I’ve posted in this column. Like those who don’t get excited over sunset photos, the hair on my arms doesn’t stand at attention over the Northern Lights content that was EVERYWHERE last night on social media. 

I refused to go outside last night and look at the sky because I’ve always associated the Northern Lights with Alaska, Norway, Iceland, some remote spot in Canada, etc. 

Do I want my first Northern Lights experience to take place two miles from Starbucks and Buffalo Wild Wings? Absolutely not. I want to be in Alaska with a coyote howling like I’m in some AI video. 

– Gerard W. writes: 

The phone makes it look better than it was. ( I didn’t use a filter though) It was still pretty cool!  

Kinsey: 

This is another one of my problems with the aurora borealis crowd. I’ll see Facebook comments from people I went to high school saying it looks way better through a phone. 

WHAT? Through a phone? 

If I’m going to see the aurora, I’m raw-dogging the aurora. I want my virgin eyes to see the Northern Lights in all their glory. Looking at an enhanced photo of what my eyes didn’t see feels like cheating on the Northern Lights and I don’t want this on my personal resume. 

I will wait to see these color bursts in Alaska or Norway, or I will die having never seen the Northern Lights. 

Change my mind: 

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

Screencaps delivery time issue

– Tom in Travelers Rest says: 

First time emailing, have been reading SC now for several months and love the format and support of everyone. I read sometimes where folks drink their coffee in the morning while reading SC in their email boxes, but mine never gets delivered before 9am. 

I’m usually up drinking coffee at about 6am, head to work (I own a pool business in South Carolina), so if I am not in my office in the morning, I don’t get to read my daily SC until later in the day, sometimes about 9pm. 

My email is via Gmail, so not sure if there’s something I can do to speed up the delivery! Thanks so much, keep up the great work!

Kinsey: 

1. Thanks to Tom for emailing and showing so much passion for this column. Like I’ve said, I’m convinced that once people start visiting Screencaps, it becomes a routine in their lives because this is the sports talk radio of Internet columns. You can’t miss a day.
2. This column publishes at 9 a.m. ET (give or take a couple of minutes) unless my kids have an early soccer game on Saturday, which they do this week, which means I’ll be working later tonight, so that I can be ready to roll in the morning, which means I’ll be working from 6 a.m. this morning until 5 ET, then I’ll make dinner, do the dishes, play with the kids and dog, then I’ll sit down for a couple of hours to work on a Friday night.
3. The column takes about 2 ½ hours to build. I have to gather the content, edit, work on headlines, think of angles I want to take with the editorial section of the column and how to put together the puzzle.
4. Having this column ready to go by 6 a.m. ET six days a week just isn’t feasible. I’ve been at this career way too long to work until midnight six days a week, including Fridays and Sunday nights.
5. Yes, I do stay up and watch sports until midnight. Could I build Screencaps while I’m watching sports? I could, but sitting at my desk at midnight six days a week after sitting at a desk for around 10 hours a day isn’t a long-term situation I’m looking to get into. I’d go be a Costco greeter.
6. Now, if Screencaps was so powerful that I could negotiate into my contract that the column was my only job at OutKick, I might consider that lifestyle down the road.
7. Yes, I understand guys like Peter King would publish Monday Morning QB at like 4 a.m. on Mondays for five months, and the columns would have like 15,000 words. I’d do the same once a week if it meant I didn’t have to sit through 12-14 Zoom meetings each week.
8. TRUST ME, I’m not complaining about this job they pay me to do. I’m incredibly fortunate, but I have to use my time wisely while maintaining a personal life.
9. I’ll say it again, I LOVE Tom’s passion. He’s treating this column as his morning newspaper. That’s a huge honor. I don’t take it for granted.

Are you ready for the Saturday we’re about to get in sports?

1. Tigers-Indians for a trip to the ALCS (8 pm first pitch)
2. Ohio State-Oregon
3. Texas-Oklahoma
4. Ole Miss-LSU
5. Florida-Tennessee (must-win for the Vols?)
6. Penn State-USC (is this where the wheels fall off for Franklin?)
7. Kansas State-Colorado for the LATE Saturday night gamblers

You can’t ask for a much better Saturday than this. Throw in some golf and good food and this is heaven. 

Our new emailer Dalton is back and he has more Ohio-Oregon connections to share

– Dalton D. from south of Crater Lake says: 

Ohio – Oregon Connection

I manage the engineering department for a Design-Build construction company in Southern Oregon that specializes in Park and Rec structures across the country. We have 75-ish employees and somehow we have a handful of Ohio natives working for us (Akron, Cleveland and Athens). ALL of them are die hard Ohio State fans. One gives me weekly Ohio State updates (that I dont need), and he’s been keeping me posted on the Ohio State/Oregon spread since August (I need this game to be over).

My company has done a TON of work in Ohio all across the state.  We work nationwide, but Ohio has always been a hot spot for our buildings. Blue dots are completed projects. The example picture is in Perrysville.

Service Academy Football

I definitely related to the stories about parents dropping their kids off at the Service Academies. My youngest brother played Defensive Tackle for Air Force. He was the wild, dirt eating, youngest of 4 boys who barely spoke or wore clothes until he was 5 years old but was obviously going to be a giant (6’4″ 295lb). He got ok grades but school was a struggle. 

Nobody thought he would make something of himself outside of football, but he got recruited to play at Air Force and had to go to their prep school to get his grades up (think Air Force Junior College). He almost gave up and transferred, but powered through and got into the Air Force Academy. 

He ended up starting for two years on the D-Line, getting his degree, marrying a great girl from the Academy, and now he and his wife are Captains with multiple deployments under their belts and two young boys of their own. 

The Air Force took a raw Oregon kid without a life plan and molded him into an outstanding American. Seeing what those kids go through for school and then playing a sport is EXTREMELY impressive and makes you proud to know that our Country produces amazing leaders. 

His best buddy at the Academy was from Dayton, and his other buddy (originally from Oregon) ended up getting stationed at Wright Patterson so again the Ohio connection is strong. 

One of my other brothers and I traveled to watch him play against Army at West Point. West Point was unbelievable for scenery and history. Inter-Service Academy football games are awesome because you won’t find a more pro-American group of people in one stadium anywhere (zero blue hairs) and there is immense respect between the teams even though they fiercely want to beat each other.  

The National Anthem gives you chills when you are surrounded by so many who have fought for our Country. It truly “Just Means More” (the SEC doesnt win that argument when Army/Navy/Air Force are playing each other).

Screencaps is the tie that binds. Keep it coming.

Kinsey: 

I knew it was just a matter of time before Dalton D. gave us some great stories. Go read that section on his brother again. I know many of you are jaded by the youth of this country and you think that the worst is coming. 

Never forget that there are young men out there like Dalton D. and his brother who have the American Dream running through their veins. And how about the pride Dalton D. has in his brother? That’s some inspirational stuff on this beautiful Friday morning. 

Keep the emails coming, Dalton D. You’re going to be a regular. 

The only use for $50 Yeti shot glasses is…

– John from SD writes: 

Glad the Costas v Buck/Troy question caught so much attention. Thanks for the updates since I don’t use X. Great points about Costas.

When did Mike Gundy and the mullet take over coaching the 49s head coaching job? By my google expert search, that was only the second kickoff return of the year (Cardinals week 1).

Guy G. in WNY is probably using the same plastic/foil wrap we’ve been using for years. We use it for pork shoulder but also modified it to cut out the plastic and has been just as tasty (wife began getting concerned about the plastic). Maybe the butcher paper can be a good substitute.

The only use of the Yeti shot glasses is sipping Limoncello as an after-dinner drink, of course outside by a nice fire on a fall night.

Keep up the great work and hoping for quick recovery in FL!

Bob Costas

– John C. in Bowling Green, KY emails: 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that Bob Costas himself could not wear the TV Baseball Man Hallowen costume featured in today’s screencaps.  (https://x.com/DJLeMVP/status/1844087476366999979)  The discerning (non-pink)eye will note that it only comes in “Adult” size.  Sorry, tiny Bob!

For the Canadians/Tragically Hip fans

– Hans in Arizona writes: 

Just wanted to make you and all the readers aware of an amazing documentary I recently watched about the Canadian band The Tragically Hip. I grew up in NW Washington right on the Canadian border and we would listen to rock stations out of Vancouver so I became really familiar with the Hip. 

These guys aren’t super well known in the US, but man, they are an amazing band with an amazing story. The documentary is on Amazon Prime and well worth a few hours of your time.

Mike T. and Cindy T. are on the road

– Mike T. writes: 

We drove to the Oregon coast today from Eagle Idaho.

Drove the Columbia River scenic route along the Columbia river,A lot of the area is a scenic preserve, no new homes, beautiful!

Fantastic drive especially in the Fall, highly recommended!

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That’s it for this Friday. I’m a couple of minutes behind – had to take out the trash – and I need this column sent to inboxes. 

Let’s go get after it. There’s a chill in the air, but the sun is out and it’s going to be another productive day. I can feel it. 

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

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