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NEW TNML MERCH DROP! WINTER COLLECTION 2024-25! 

I think it was back in August when OutKick T-Shirt Manager Olivia G. came to me with an idea for TNML ugly Christmas sweaters. 

Yes, I’m in. Let’s do it. 

We went back and forth on designs and Wednesday I got my first look at the very first TNML Winter Collection® in TNML history. I’m pretty impressed with what we’ve come up with, including the anorak jacket pullover that I’ll be wearing this winter. 

BUY! https://shop.outkick.com/collections/tnml

– Homebrew Bill emailed me an hour after the MERCH DROP: 

Thanks for ordering enough 3xl to accommodate us portly guys! Now I have something to wear to the party at my brother in-laws in early December.

Shoulder replacement recovery is going well, albeit slowly. I’ll have a wicked cool scar when it’s all over. 

Thanks for contributing to my sanity. 

Kinsey: 

You’re welcome, Homebrew Bill. I just hope the Christmas sweater gets to you in time for the party. 

REMEMBER: I have NOTHING to do with how fast these items get to customers. 

I HAVE NOTHING to do with pricing. 

I HAVE NOTHING to do with anything besides guidance on designs. 

When I say the email inbox is LOADED, it’s not an exaggeration. Let’s start with who’s rooting for Notre Dame on the 80th anniversary of the 101st Airborne telling Germany to hold their nuts.

I don’t know what it was about Wednesday Screencaps, but you guys HAMMERED me with messages. Let’s get through some of them. 

– Dan from Boston: 

I’m a West Point grad (class of 1991) and this is easily the biggest non-Navy football game for Army since probably the 1988 Sun Bowl vs. Alabama. The late, great Derrick Thomas was dominant in that game, blocking two Army FG attempts.   Army led for most of that game, ended up losing 29-28.

My late father was from Indiana, and a career NCO, retiring after 25 years as a Master Sergeant – he was a big ND fan. My late FIL was an ND grad and was an officer in the Army after college. Love both of them, but no one in the family will be rooting for ND on Saturday night!

Keep up the great work with the column.  It’s been a great last couple of weeks!

– PGD says he’ll be anti-America on Saturday when Army plays Notre Dame at 7 ET on NBC: 

Respect Army, but Go Irish! We need an SEC school heading north to play in a South Bend snowstorm the weekend before Christmas!

I will have a real Christmas tree at the tailgate, as well.

– Rob in Florida emailed me on a variety of topics, but I wanted to focus on these three strong messages: 

  • Army-Navy- I have watched that game every year for as long as I can remember. I will be watching Army Notre Dame Saturday, and openly rooting for Army, period. And by the way, is there any franchise that is more overrated than Notre Dame? They are in the pantheon of fan bases that I truly dislike with Yankee, Red Sox, Eagles and Habs fans in the same group. All of you, go away, and stop moving to Florida.
  • I smoke a Turkey for Thanksgiving every year. I’ve done it on a pellet smoker, a bullet smoker and an offset smoker. My lovely wife has no idea why I need three different smokers on the patio and am looking to add a flat top grill.
  • Sunday December 8th will be the first race of the 76th season of Swamp Buggy Racing. It is a one of a kind sport that is only run in Naples, Florida. We will have our RV parked in the pits for three days, golf cart in tow to be a part of the most unique sport in the world. If anyone is in the area that weekend, it is a must see. You can get a ticket for $25.
  • Joe, please keep up the great work, you have created a great community, it is a must read every day, thank you for all you do.

– Two-club Invitational veteran Dan C. asks me a personal question: 

Hey Joe, daily reader and PIB attendee. 

I’m wondering if you honestly would be pushing for Army if OSU was their opponent?

Keep fostering the sharing of ideas and interactions in the Screencaps nation!

Kinsey: 

Good question. I see what you’re doing to me! You’re trying to twist me into a pretzel. At the end of the day, I’m a content guy. I NEED Army undefeated in early December. Are you kidding me? 80th anniversary of the Bulge. Undefeated Army having a historic season. Army having a chance to get into the playoff. 

This is how movies are made. This is Content 101. Ohio State is good for business, but Army having a movie season is REALLY, REALLY GOOD for business. In this scenario, I would be rooting for Army. Give me the once-in-a-lifetime movie over yet another Ohio State season. 

Who’s with America this Saturday night? I want to hear from Army fans and those who’ve decided to be on the right side of history. 

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

Readers have some thoughts on my parking lot ‘Hate Rankings’

If you missed the rankings, go back to Wednesday Screencaps. 

– Ripcurl, who is now living in Europe, writes: 

The subject of returning a shopping cart always hacks me off. How hard is it to return your cart. I have been at Costco’s where people leave their cart right in front of their car even though they are parked about 3 cars away from the cart corral. It is crazy.

When we first moved here, we were down in Carcassonne visiting a friend.  I was explaining to my friend about my theory of that you can tell a lot about someone by whether or not they return their grocery cart. She said, “not here in France”.  She then explained it perfectly when I asked if the French were just super conscientious. She said, “No, they’re cheap”. Turns out, in order to get a shopping cart, you have to stick in a 1euro coin (they have one and two euro coins here) to get the cart to release from the cart rack. If you don’t bring your cart back, you don’t get your euro back.

Maybe we should take notes in the U.S.

– Franco writes: 

The only parking spots off limits to me are the Handicap parking spots. All the others are fair game. There are too many specialty parking spots. A pregnant woman is perfectly healthy and can walk. Same thing with military vets.

Screw the GrubHub and UberEats drivers. I’m taking their spots. I have never seen an Employee of the Month spot so I can’t comment on it. 

Reserved Parking spots are a slippery slope. Next they’ll reserve spots for cops and firemen. Then they’ll reserve spots for senior citizens. Then they’ll reserve spots for Taylor Swift fans. It’ll turn into madness if we don’t rebel against this insanity.

My money is as good as theirs and they can walk the extra distance just like everyone else from the parking lot. I don’t give one F if people give me dirty looks. 

p.s. I always back into a spot too. It makes driving away so much easier.

– Voiceover Mike in California shares: 

My local grocery doesn’t really have any shorty’s, so that’s not an issue. People who can’t return the cart frost me. 

My wife will put in a grocery order at Wal-Mart, and it’s my job to pick-up and bring it home. Almost every trip I’ll see someone park in a pick-up space and then head off into the store. Now, granted there’s 30 some spaces, and I usually only see about 10-12 being used most times. That’s beside the point. 

A few times I’ve seen people come out of the store, load the car, and leave the cart right there. C’mon people, the cart corral is 20 feet away. 

Geez, I need to share this with Matt Reigle for The Gripe Report.

– Alex R. takes a shot at MY Camry: 

Love the parking points put I need a pass on #4.  If I like the spot and I know I am putting groceries in my trunk I am not pulling through.  You are going to have to go around and back in your Camry.  

– Jason B. in Tennessee says: 

I share all your views on “parking lot ‘hate’ rankings,” but I love to play devils advocate. If I must check myself out, may I not nominate myself for “employee of the month”?

– Jim T. in San Diego checks in: 

I’m so damn busy – full-time job, bunch of freelance writing gigs, volunteering at Moose Lodge and with Kiwanis – that I rarely have / make time to work out or exercise. So when I run to the store, I try to park in the furthest spot away from the store (assuming it’s not a sketchy neighborhood). Get my steps in, avoid the idiots.

When Mom passed this summer, we found her handicapped sign to hang from the rear-view mirror. When I turned that and her plates back in at the DMV, they lady seemed stunned we were actually returning them.

Battery Daddy went through a redesign! 

Trust me, I noticed it the second I opened this email. That’s a new resting spot for the battery tester. 

– Lions fan Dave R. sent in this one: 

Daily reader for Screencaps (#NOTSPONSORED) and have read for a long time about Battery Daddy life, but never pulled the trigger. Just kept my batteries in a shoe box.

Was in Home Depot (#NOTSPONSERED here either) the other day and there it was on the main aisle; Battery Daddy, Buy One get one Free. I looked at the Mrs. and stated that Joe and his readers swear by them (took a minute to explain who Joe was).

Ten minutes later, there I was at the checkout with two Battery Daddy units in my cart. All I can say is that I am a convert. Should have listened to you guys a long time ago.

Is it me or is it a quiet Christmas holiday shopping season?

As a content guy, I need people fighting over air-fryers and toaster ovens. It just doesn’t feel like it’s going to be one of those years unless I’m missing something. 

Based on the headlines this morning, maybe I’m not crazy.

Based on the emails on the best ‘complimentary’ hotel breakfast, there’s not a true clear-cut winner. Embassy Suites was the chain mentioned the most, but it wasn’t overwhelming

– Matt R. in Phenix City, AL got in on this one: 

Regarding the hotel chain breakfast, I’d have to say nothing beats Holiday Inn Express. The wife and I are both retired Army and logged multiple cross country moves with kids and dogs. 

The only certainty during those moves? The same hot, delicious breakfast at every single holiday inn express all across this country. From the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest, you always knew what you were going to get. 

Scrambled eggs or omelets, bacon or sausage, biscuit and gravy or potatoes, a pancake maker, cereal, pastries, hard boiled eggs and yogurt. 

Always hot, always delicious, always comforting knowing wherever the army sent us on our moves we could at least count on a decent breakfast during our travels.

– Leon in Richmond, VA emails: 

Thanks for the column Joe, always one of my favorite reads daily. I saw your question about hotel breakfasts and I just watched this YouTube video about that the other day: 

This guy is pretty funny and also did a series ranking wings in different regions across the US that was pretty cool as well.

– Glyn C. shares a message I heard over and over: 

Embassy Suites, no debate. They will custom make you an omelet!

– Anonymous (properly vetted!) writes: 

Stayed at Courtyard by Marriott (City Centre) in Munich when Bucs played Seahawks. That spread would put Cracker Barrel to shame. Perhaps best breakfast buffet ever had, hotel or restaurant. Returned a year later (because there was so much I wanted to see in that area because I’m a WWII history freak) and stayed at the same hotel specifically because of that breakfast spread. 

Heard later over beers at the Augustiner-Keller from a fellow tourist that a different Courtyard by Marriott in Munich had the exact same spread. So not sure if it is a Courtyard by Marriott thing, a German thing, a Bavarian thing or a Munich thing. This breakfast spread even had a large slice of fresh honey straight from the hive, still on the honeycomb. A big square slice of fresh honey — beat THAT Hampton Inn! 

You want breakfast sausage? Real breakfast sausage? Giant bratwurst-sized breakfast sausages? Go to Bavaria! Those folks don’t f’ around with sausages.

So, in closing, at least in Munich, the Courtyard by Marriott makes Hampton Inn look like a Saturday morning two-bit youth soccer game candy stand.

– Oregon Millennial Dalton D. from South Of Crater Lake shares a great hotel chain ‘complimentary’ breakfast story: 

Momma likes going to the Oregon Coast once a year so we drove a couple hours to Bandon (known for golf courses) for a long weekend and stayed at the Best Western (not sure how far East they go but we have a lot of them).

Big continental breakfast with eggs, meat, biscuits & gravy, waffle maker, etc. We go through the line for round one with the 4 kids and have a table loaded with food. Im watching the weather channel on the hanging tv. Kids and momma are making trips back for more food while I eat whatever they have decided “isnt good”. I lose track of the family as they come and go and Im also people watching the overall breakfast crew which is always entertaining at a large-ish hotel.

I pan over towards the far corner of the big room…. and a GOOD looking blonde catches my eye at the juice machine facing away. Im squinting but I can tell shes shaped just right and takes care of herself. Nice….

Go about eating and sneak a peak a couple more times only to realize……its MY WIFE! She had taken her sweatshirt off and put her hair up in a pony tail when I wasnt paying attention. I laughed to myself because I thought “hell ya! She is even still hot when I dont realize its her”. Apparently my eye sight is going to shit.

I thought I should tell her this funny story because its obviously a “compliment”….but dont because she definitley wont think its funny….or will she? I keep laughing about it for the rest of the weekend until I have to tell her….”I have a funny story for you….”

Idiot. SHE DIDNT TAKE IT AS A COMPLIMENT.

I go into explanation/defense mode. She basically asks me “why are you looking at other women?” Dumbfounded, all I could reply with after a long pause was “IM A RED BLOODED MAN”. Made sense to me.

Ive been ridiculed with “hey red blooded man, when are you going to (insert honey do list item)” for over a year now.

– Hunter sent a message I heard more than once: 

I would say it’s a toss up between Drury Inn and Suites (also have free “supper” that is mostly finger foods which are perfect if traveling with kids and also includes 3 free alcoholic drink tickets for each adult staying in the room, best value around and the rooms are nice and affordable) and Hampton Inn with the nod probably going to Drury. We’ve had great luck staying at them when traveling with our kids. 

– Greg W. actually gave me rankings, which was a nice touch: 

My hotel breakfast rankings:

1.  Drury – always fresh food, plus a soda machine (I don’t drink coffee, so a little morning Diet Coke always hits the spot).  And as a bonus, their evening “nightcap”, which includes 3 adult drinks per person and enough food to make a meal.  Also, bonus points for not watering down their juice in the machines.

2.  Holiday Inn Express – biscuits and sausage gravy, enough said.  Yes, it’s “just add water and stir” sausage gravy definitely not homemade, but it’s decent.

3.  Hampton/Fairfield – a tie between the Hilton and Marriott brands, decent food, nothing spectacular.  (Frequently lose points for watering down their juice, varies by location.)

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452. Comfort Inn – ugh

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1,974. LaQuinta – just don’t.  You have better luck going to the seedy gas station on the corner.

Shopping cart pet peeve – Our local Kroger (yes, I’m calling them out) never has carts inside the front door, they have been completely out five of the last six times I’ve gone.  Mentioned it to the customer service desk, and their answer was “Did you check the other door?  There may be some there.”  

Uh, no.  

The correct answer should have been, “Sorry, we’ll get someone on it.”  Kroger has a virtual monopoly here so their prices are ridiculously high – their only real competition is Walmart, and we now have smattering of Aldi and Trader Joe’s, but they are few and far between.  I’m finding myself at Aldi and Trader Joe’s more and more.

Kinsey: 

I was just having a conversation about how big of a pain in the ass it is to go to Kroger. The store design is a mess. The entry points are terrible. I don’t even go there. Give me Aldi. 

No, I’m not starting the sunset trend again, but I thought this might calm those of you who are fired up over Army-Notre Dame

– Lee D. sent over this one: 

How to beat the outrageous public golf prices at the top courses

– Brandon C., who famously shared the Russian defense contractor experience email, writes: 

The twitter copy you had on the costs of playing the top 20 “public” golf courses sparked a topic I’ve been talking about with friends forever– how to play “famous” courses without playing the famous course. This started a number of years ago when I was traveling on my AF job and bringing my golf clubs everywhere because I had a great travel bag and was usually traveling by myself so it was easy to get on a course as a single for the first tee time in the morning, playing 18 in 1.5 hrs. The goal is to play a course that has the same geography, weather conditions, general views,  and signature features as the more famous (and more expensive) course, but at a significantly cheaper price. You sacrifice course conditions & amenities, but the cost savings allow you to actually buy drinks/dinner/swag/additional rounds.

Examples:

Play Pacific Grove Golf Links instead of Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Same peninsula, front 9 is Spyglass Hill going into the hills and trees, back 9 follows the ocean and has a couple seaside holes with scenery to match Pebble. Pebble is $730, Pacific Grove is $82 at primetime weekends. (Low as $44 for twilight 18)

Play Eisenhower Blue at the Air Force Academy instead of The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Colorado mountain pga grade tournament course with great course conditions, immaculate views. Eisenhower is $90 for civilian guest rates (significant discounts if you’re active duty or DoD civilian). Broadmoor is as high as $335 and you typically have to stay on site to get a tee time. 

Play Troon Links Golf Course or Prestwick Golf Club instead of Royal Troon. Literally across a fence line from each other at places. Both Scottish links courses right next to the Firth of Clyde. Troon Links has slightly less wind since you’re one block off the water instead of on the water, but you’re a little elevated so you can still see the water and get the winds whipping off. Prestwick is the actual first British Open Course, right on the same coastline, literally next plot of land south of Royal Troon. Cost difference- Royal Troon 365£, Prestwick £265 w/ formal lunch in the members dining room, Troon Links is £50 max. 

I have lots of other examples, but hopefully this gets a thread of responses going.

Kinsey: 

Mark your calendars for Christmas Day. I’ll bring back that famous Russian defense contractor show email on Christmas when I pre-write the Screencaps column so I don’t have to work on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. 

‘Am I late with my email on the Strahan anthem controversy?’

– Andrew D. tells me: 

I know this is probably old news at this point, as a Vet, I have always felt and I think most would agree that there are 3 things that are required to show the proper respect to our Nation:

Hat Off (Hand placement not important over the heart/at the sides/in-front of you ro behind you, it’s perfectly acceptable)

Find the nearest Flag and face that flag and lock-in on it

Do Not Move/Speak until the Anthem is finished

There was way too much faux-outrage from people, that in many cases, never made the commitment to serve our country.

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And with that, Thursday Screencaps is in the books. The first snowflakes of the winter started flying this morning and Screencaps the III said out loud that now it feels like the holiday season. 

You’re right, kid. 

The bad news is that it’s not going to warm up and I have a ton of leaves to move before the city stops picking them up. 

But, we’ll survive. 

Go have a great day. You can feel that vacation time coming up fast. Finish strong. Max effort. Go give 110%. 

Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

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