I tested video pinball machines at Costco so you don’t have to
I don’t want to start the morning with all the negativity, but this needs to be addressed before I forget the topic and one of you goes to Costco this week and makes a terrible decision to buy the company’s Star Wars video pinball machine on sale for $699.
Please, for heaven’s sake, test the slot before you play it so you can see how much of a waste of time the game is and save yourself $700. Buy a VR headset, buy the golf game, and thank me later.
Monday night I was in the store with Screencaps the III and the machine caught my eye because it was attached to an end cap and I’m a fan of pinball games. The device looks cool, has a reasonable height and appears solid.
Then I started playing the damn thing and it was complete garbage.
You don’t feel like you’re actually playing pinball at all. The device does not start to jerk when the video ball hits the bumpers. I’m pretty sure there was no false feeling in your hands when the fins hit the video ball.
Or don’t listen to me and make a tragic business decision. You make the call.
I took a look at this list and decided that Screencaps readers should create their own list to use when this column publishes a newsletter
All of these sandwiches come from major metropolitan areas.
Now let’s make a sandwich list for the rest of America that these websites always ignore. I’m guessing there are only two sandwiches in the Midwest that deserve a spot on this list, and one of them is in Chiraq.
I’m starting.
What other sandwich shop deserves to be on Screencaps’ list of the best sandwiches in America, and what do you eat?
Email: [email protected]
Four big sports, four guys with strong characters, one moment
• Indy Daryl writes:
Thank you for everything you do and for continuing to excel! Generally, we only played recreational league soccer for our kids: one practice per week and one game in the spring and fall seasons. Enough to learn some team dynamics, but nothing too crazy. That all changed when my middle schooler decided she wanted to do track and field for the past two years, and let me tell you… Oof…. Three nights a week and the damn meetings are long!
As far as the number of professional athletes in a city at any given time, Denver, Co. has had a decent amount of success…although two sports really dwarf the rest, definitely a reach for the NBA and MLB…but I think it is a decent list and I couldn’t let Steve Yzerman rest too easy!
John Elway – Broncos QB ’83-’98
Joe Sakic – Avalanche – ’95-’09
Patrick Roy – Avalanche – ’95-’03
Dikembe Mutombo – Nuggets – ’91-’96
Larry Walker – Rockies – ’95-’03
Todd Helton – Rocky Mountains – ’97-’13
• Eric in Colorado Springs echoed Indy Daryl’s answer:
From a Denver perspective, the 90s were a glorious time, this one is simple:
John Elway/Terrell Davis – NFL
Joe Sakic/Peter Forsberg – NHL
Larry Walker/Todd Helton – MLB
Dikembe Mutombo – Real Name: Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo – NBA
All 7 played in Denver at the same time – best thing ever!!!!
By the way…your column is great!!! Always the first reading of the day.
Respect Summer is the best
• John L. says:
I believe “Respect Summer” will go down as one of your top themes/topics for 2023.
In honor, I offer the following photo, taken at Brant Point Beach around 3 p.m. today. My dog Laddie isn’t thinking about pumpkins – she’s just thinking about relaxing in the sun!
Absolutely disgusting behavior at this time of year
• Anthony G. writes:
I have a neighbor who disrespects not only the end of summer, but the entire fall season. There is a projector on the garage door that shows the countdown to Christmas. It starts at 99 DAYS! This is how it began last Sunday, September 17th. That has to stop. Now I purposely drive to the nearest entrance to our settlement just so I don’t see him.
Introductory odds system for Monday Night Football
• Greg B. writes:
I’m really into Chris Stapleton. The power and roughness of his voice. His reach. His songwriting. You hear one of his songs and you know it’s him.
Although I’m not a huge fan of rap (now called hip-hop – I’m not sure when the term officially changed, but I’m sure I’m showing my age), I have to admit that Snoop Dog is the The epitome of cool. He seems to have fun with everything he does and can adapt his style to complement Martha Stewart, the Manning brothers and other people my daughter says are famous but I have no idea who they are.
All in all, the introduction to MNF was a complete failure! “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins wasn’t the most original choice, but it might have worked if the intro had been cohesive. Instead, we were exposed to a disjointed menagerie of musical genres.
The transition from Stapleton to Snoop back to Stapleton was just weird. There was no flow and aside from my dislike of the montage, it wasn’t memorable. Hank Jr., Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill – now they’re unforgettable! Are you ready for some football? A Monday night PARTY! Short skirts that reach to the hips with boots from CFM (not Hank of course). Here’s how to get things rolling.
By trying to appeal to all demographics, ABC/ESPN appeals to no one. Do an intro with just Snoop. Do one next week just with Stapleton. Choose someone else for the following week. Just strive to provide viewers with cohesive entertainment and don’t worry about appearing diverse. Last time I checked I didn’t see much diversity on the roster and I don’t care.
I want to see the best athletes…period.
The more we make things a quota system to ensure we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings, the more diluted the product becomes. I watch sports for entertainment and as an escape from the absurdity of society and politics. Why do some media outlets feel the need to push this absurdity into the entertainment industry? If they go too far, I will vote again with my wallet and my time.
It’s up to me to select a deserving member of the Bills Mafia for the Labatt box
That’s pressure like the Thursday Night Mowing League commissioners will feel when the league must select a 2023 Mower of the Year.
There are so many screencaps stars who are Bills fans. I have to make a decision that will shake many hearts and minds. It’s the same when you’re dealing with what readers have named “America’s Best Daily Column.” The cream is rising to the top and someone has to win because that damn box isn’t staying in this house. I’m in liquidation mode.
A winner will be notified today. I want the box gone.
Siesta Key show
Stop fooling around and give me an app that doesn’t have MLB blackouts
And that concludes this Wednesday edition from mid-September. It’s been an incredible Respect Summer run and now it’s about to get even better. It’s supposed to be 82 and sunny here today, and all these local weather idiots who were cheering for 65 and sunny are suddenly acting like they respect summer and they’re cheering for 82 and sunny.
Deep down I know they are hoodie fans wanting summer and it’s disgusting.
Let’s keep our foot on the accelerator until Saturday morning. Don’t even think about making a pot of chili until the calendar says it’s fall. You’re almost there.
I hope you have an incredible day.
Email: [email protected]
Pay from:
#BlueJays Starter Yusei Kikuchi believes he will be fine in his next start after leaving the game with cramps. The biggest revelation was that he said it may have been because he only slept 11 (!) hours last night instead of the usual 13 or 14 hours (!!).
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) September 20, 2023
Things you sent in and things I like:
😩 $1.8 million ERROR 😫
In 2014, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s most valuable rookie card sold on eBay for $7,000.
However, after receiving the card, the buyer noticed a small problem…
On the back of the card the buyer saw that there were two minor issues… one… pic.twitter.com/K6DnFiyWuw
– The Collector Guru 🧠 (@ericwhiteback) September 19, 2023
🚨🚨🚨 Another BIG win at LAS! 🚨🚨🚨
Congratulations to Brittany from Texas who won $643,435.00 playing Wheel of Fortune at the A Gates.
Will YOU be the next winner?! pic.twitter.com/J0L7iH5eN6— Harry Reid International Airport (@LASairport) September 19, 2023
***MUST SEE ON TV***
Eyewitness account of the F-35 crash. I warn you all, you are not ready for this.About two dozen people sent this to me on Facebook. I’m at the end. Deceased. I have tears in my eyes because I’m laughing so hard. pic.twitter.com/2DImUPpVk9
— ☈ Chris Jackson ☈ (@ChrisJacksonSC) September 20, 2023
The Dale and Dale Show!
See that man in the background taking a photo of the back of her head? That would be me! With my luck in having used the camera over the years, this would have been my best shot and it would have been blurry, but I would still be glad I got her picture! 😉😂
📸 Unknown pic.twitter.com/NkwPCQjLUr
— The Dale Earnhardt Archive (@ArchivesDe) September 19, 2023