Welcome to this week’s Six Pack! Each week, I’ll share a mix of thoughts (some sports-related, some not) and I’d love for you to jump in with your reactions, ideas, or recommendations in the comments. Here’s what’s on my mind this week.
- Beach Week is Here
This week’s Six Pack comes to you from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, specifically Nags Head. I was introduced to this spot 15 years ago when Jamie first brought me along with her family. And when I say family, I mean the whole family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, sometimes 50 or more of them all gather here for a week of sun, sand, and catching up.
The tradition started in the late 1960s with her grandma, and while the houses may have changed over the years, the heart of it never has. For decades now, the home base has been a little beachfront spot called the Windjammer. It is not fancy, but it is steps from the ocean and full of memories. I love cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and posh hotels, but this week always hits me in a different, and very good, way.
There is just something about it. No big itinerary. Just time with people who love you, a cold drink in hand, and your toes in the sand. It is simple, it is needed, and it always resets me.
One bummer this year is that Mackenzie could not make it due to work and school. She loves this week as much as I do. But the beach will be here next year, and so will she, and we will keep the tradition going just like Grandma Gillen started all those years ago.
Some might call this paradise. I sure do.
- $20 Well Spent
I talked on last week’s podcast about how much I love traditions. We even made sports traditions the focus of our Top 5. And while this beach trip to Nags Head brings a lot of great yearly rituals for me, one of my favorites is tied to college football.
Since I was probably 12 or 13, I have loved diving into college football preview magazines. As soon as they hit the shelves, I would grab one and read every page. Athlon, Street & Smith, Lindy’s, you name it. I used to rotate through all of them. I wanted to know the teams, the players, the sleepers, and everything in between. It just made the season feel closer, even if kickoff was still weeks or months away.
At least a decade ago, I discovered Phil Steele’s Preview magazine, and I have not looked back since. At 360 pages, it is massive, packed with info, and far and away the most detailed and impressive preview guide out there. The first time I picked it up was during this beach trip, and ever since then, I have made it a personal tradition. I buy it when it comes out, but I do not touch it until we get to the beach. Then I spend the week reading it front to back with music on and a cold beer in hand, absorbing as much as I can.
It costs a little more than your typical preview mag, but even at $20 it is worth every cent. I use it all season long, especially for article research and podcast prep. If you are into college football and want to get a jump on the season, it is the best resource out there. I always get the hard copy, but there is a digital version too if that is your thing.
So find your happy place, grab the mag, and immerse yourself in all things college gridiron. And get that smile on your face knowing kickoff is right around the corner.
- A Surprising Baseball Streak
Last week I wrote about sports dynasties and how, while I appreciate and respect them, I much prefer seeing new teams emerge each year. The same teams winning over and over just gets boring after a while. I focused mostly on the NBA, where the last seven years have produced seven different champions, the longest such streak in league history. That trend works for me.
This week I turned my attention to baseball, and something just as interesting jumped out. While there have been some great teams in recent years, it has incredibly been 24 years since we last saw a repeat World Series champion. The Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000, but since then, it has been a different winner every year. That is by far the longest streak of its kind in MLB history.
To put that in perspective, the World Series began in 1903. From then through 1978, there were 12 instances of teams winning back-to-back titles or more. Since 1979, there have been only two: the late 90s Yankees and the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. That is it. Two in the last 46 years.
I am not entirely sure what that says. Perhaps it says parity is alive and well, which is frankly so surprising in a sport known for financial gaps and teams that can essentially buy their rosters and construct super teams. But those are the facts. And again, I love it.
The Dodgers may be the team to break that streak. As we hit the All-Star break, they are the clear favorites to win it all again.
We will see what happens. But for now, long live the chaos. And long live new champions.
- “Night” Movies
I watch a lot of movies. Some are new, but many are rewatches from years past. And I recently revisited two that felt worth mentioning here.
First, the good. One of the more underrated thrillers from the 1990s is a movie called Judgment Night. It is a bit of a hidden gem with a surprisingly solid cast that includes Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, and Denis Leary in a charismatically evil role as the film’s main villain.
The story follows four buddies from the Chicago suburbs heading downtown for a boxing match. They take a wrong turn into a sketchy neighborhood, witness something they should not have, and end up on the run from Leary and his crew. It is intense, fast-paced, and absolutely worth your time. Highly recommend.
Now for the not-so-good. Please do yourself a favor and never watch the 1994 Bruce Willis film Color of Night. I remembered seeing it back when it came out and had some vague positive memories, but I truly cannot tell you why. I convinced Jamie to watch it with me, and while she made it through the whole thing, her exact words at the end were, “Wow, that was atrocious.”
And I cannot disagree. It is a messy whodunit thriller that features what Maxim once ranked as the best sex scene in movie history. But even that cannot save this train wreck. Avoid at all costs. You’re welcome.
- We Didn’t Go To WallyWorld But…..
As mentioned above, I love beach vacations, cruises, anything relaxing. But that is definitely not how my parents did things when I was growing up. For them, it was all about seeing the country. Think National Lampoon’s Vacation, but with slightly more reasonable people than the Griswolds.
I have three much older siblings, so by the time I was a teenager, it was mostly just me and my parents. One summer when I was 13, we set off on what I now call the road trip of all road trips. Fourteen days. We started in Dallas and made our way through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, eventually landing in Yellowstone National Park for a few days. From there it was on to the Grand Tetons, then down through Zion, Bryce Canyon, and finally the Grand Canyon.
It was not what I would call relaxing, but it was unforgettable. We saw wildlife, geysers, took many hikes, rode mules, went whitewater rafting, and stayed in a strange mix of shady motels and surprisingly nice resorts. This was way before iPhones, so those long stretches of driving were not exactly thrilling for a kid, but I had my Walkman and a stack of cassette tapes to get me through.
Most importantly, I got time with my parents, and not the kind of time that feels forced or awkward. It was fun, and meaningful, and I am grateful for every bit of it. I have told Jamie we probably need to do something similar with our family someday. Even just once. There is just something about that part of the country that sticks with you.
Although if we do it, I hope one part ends differently. On that original trip, my dad managed to rack up not one, not two, but three speeding tickets. I guess he just really wanted to get to the next national park.
- Wimbledown?
I grew up in a tennis family. My parents played all the time, and I was in lessons from a young age. I remember waking up early for Wimbledon finals and watching legends like McEnroe, Connors, and Borg battle it out on the grass. There was something special about it, just something that felt huge, even over here in the States.
Maybe I am wrong, but similar to what I wrote recently about the Indy 500, it feels like Wimbledon just does not have the same cultural weight it once did. I know this year’s men’s final featured Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the top two players in the world, with Sinner prevailing in a decent, but not spectacular, match.. Alcaraz was chasing his third straight Wimbledon title after beating Sinner in the French Open final just a few weeks ago, so there were definitely some storylines. But for whatever reason, these names do not move the needle for me the way the old guard did. And I just do not watch tennis like I used to.
Then I saw the women’s final result and maybe this is part of the problem. Iga Swiatek beat Amanda Anisimova 6–0, 6–0, the first double bagel in a women’s Wimbledon final since 1911. The only other time that has happened in a Grand Slam final during the Open Era was Steffi Graf’s 1988 demolition of Natasha Zvereva at the French Open.
I am not knocking greatness. I just miss the drama. The rivalries. The personalities. The 5-set classics. Maybe it is still there and I am just not tuned in. But Wimbledon used to feel like an event. Now, it feels more like something I scroll past.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Six Pack, Sandman Nation! I’d love to hear your thoughts: what resonated with you, what you disagree with, or your own takes on these topics. Drop your comments and let’s keep the conversation going.
Want more like this? Come hang with us here:
Join our newsletter for weekly updates, banter, and more.
:
:
:
:Author
