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.
- Surprised… Or Not?
One of my nieces organized a surprise birthday party in Cleveland for her dad (my brother) and her sister. She had it at a pretty cool waterfront spot near downtown called Merwyns. It was a fairly typical surprise party setup, with all of us arriving early, standing around and talking, and then preparing to shout when given the signal that they would be walking in soon. Of course, we all yelled “Surprise!” and from their reactions I think it actually worked.
The night was perfectly spent with friends and family, celebrating, telling stories, and simply being together. Both of them swear they had no idea, and I believe them, but I always wonder how often surprise parties really stay a secret. I’d be willing to bet that at least a quarter of the time somebody knows ahead and just plays along. There are just so many moving parts, too many people who know about it, and all it takes is one slip for it to be revealed.
I can speak from experience. My birthday is December 29th and a few days before my 21st we were visiting my grandma in Michigan where most of my family lived. One morning I was making coffee and saw her wall calendar with “Eric’s Surprise Party” written on it. I never told anyone and just went along with it. Hopefully my mom isn’t reading this because to this day I don’t think she knows that I knew.
Even though I had to fake my shock, I still didn’t know who would be there or where it would be, and of course it ended up being a really special and memorable night. I may not have been surprised per se, but I was touched by how many people showed up and I had a wonderful time celebrating a milestone birthday. And I think that’s ultimately the point of any birthday party, surprise or not.
So Randy and Mary, whether you were truly startled or just good actors, I hope you had a wonderful time and I love you both! Happy Birthday!
- Coaches Need Love Too
I actually feel bad for NFL head coaches. I know that sounds crazy given how much money they make, but if I’m being honest it has to be one of the least forgiving and toughest jobs in sports. Sixteen hour days almost year round. Constant scouting, breaking down film, game prep, practices, travel, dealing with trades or free agent signings they had no control over, off field drama, holdouts, bad decisions by players, and the never ending mix of personalities. And the list could go on.
But what really strikes me this time of year is the balancing act they face in preseason. Do you play your starters enough to knock off the rust and get them ready, or do you sit them to avoid a meaningless injury? Either way, you are opening yourself up to second guessing. If you play them too much and the unthinkable injury happens, fans scream “why was he still in there?” Sit them too much and you risk starting slow out of the gate.
I admit I have been guilty of screaming similar sentiments in recent years. I have often complained that Bengals HC Zac Taylor never plays his starters enough in August and it has led to 0-2, 0-2, and 0-3 starts the last three seasons. In my opinion that lack of live reps has mattered as evidenced by those slow starts.
Well, I think Zac finally got the hint. The starters have received noticeably more work this preseason and Joe Burrow even played into the second quarter against Washington. By the way, that was the Bengals first preseason win since 2022. Not that wins in August matter, but it shows how rarely our starters have played.
I heard Zac is sitting the key players in the final preseason game and that is fine with me. I understand not wanting to risk a freak injury right before Week 1. I am just glad our starters saw much more action than usual this year.
So yes, despite the money and the fame, being a head coach today can be a thankless task. You get pulled in every direction and every decision is picked apart. Zac Taylor, I thank you for making the tough calls. Now let’s hope it pays off and the Bengals finally start fast. It’s time for another Super Bowl run.
- Bidding, Bargains, and 4 Star Hotels
I needed to book a last minute hotel last week and these days I always just use Marriott. But it got me thinking about the past and whatever happened to Priceline’s old “Name Your Own Price” feature?
I used to love that option back in the early 2000s when I was a young dad on a budget. It dawned on me that I haven’t seen it in years, so I did some digging and sure enough it’s gone. Priceline phased it out over time, first with flights around 2016, then rental cars in 2018, and finally hotels stopped being priced that way a couple of years ago.
From what I found there were a few reasons. Once people started booking mostly on their phones the patience for that type of bidding disappeared. Hotels also developed smarter ways to manage unsold rooms and pricing so they didn’t need Priceline to unload inventory. And instead of bidding, Priceline leaned into things like Express Deals and Pricebreakers that gave customers discounts instantly. From a business perspective I guess it makes sense.
But I really liked that old system when I was young with no money. There was certainly some strategy to it too. You would submit your number, maybe $75 for a four star hotel, and sometimes it worked. If it didn’t you had to wait three days to try again at that star level in that area of the city, which meant you needed to put in your best offer especially if there was urgency involved. I remember grabbing some really nice hotels that way and feeling like I had scored big time. For a young family it was a great way to stretch the budget and still stay somewhere nice.
So while I understand why Priceline moved on, I still miss that part of it. It was fun and I like to think it saved me money. And it means I no longer get to see those awesome Kaley Cuoco and William Shatner commercials.
- Farmageddon Kicks Off the Season In Style
College football officially kicked off on Saturday. And while it was only five games as part of their so-called “Week Zero” lineup (and I still hate that name), it was real games on the schedule and football is back for another season. And if the first matchup is any indication, we are in for a good one.
The headliner and easily the most compelling game of the weekend took place in Ireland, where two Big 12 rivals squared off in “Farmageddon.” Iowa State beat Kansas State 24–21 after making the gutsiest call of the young season. Facing a 4th and 3 in field goal range that would have put them up six with two minutes left, Matt Campbell decided not to leave it to chance. He went for it, his QB Rocco Becht connected with RB Carson Hansen, and they moved the chains.
That set up the first bad beat of the season too. The over-under for the game was 51, and Hansen looked like he might have scored to push the total over, but replay showed him down at the half-yard line. With Kansas State out of timeouts, Iowa State simply took three knees instead of risking anything crazy. Final score 24–21. A nailbiter all the way and plenty of stress for bettors right out of the gate.
As for me, I may have been rooting a little extra for the Cyclones. I picked Iowa State as my surprise dark horse in the Big 12 and also loved their season win total over 7.5 as one of my preseason best bets. So yes, I’ll take it.
And now we get Ohio State vs Texas, LSU vs Clemson, Notre Dame vs Miami, and plenty of other gems in just a few short days when the season truly starts to heat up in Week 1. It was a great summer, but if you’re anything like me, you are ready for the fall, firepits, and football. The time is finally here, so let’s enjoy it Sandman Nation.
- Tommy Terrific & A Fantastic 2025 In Golf
The 2025 golf season came to an end with Tommy Fleetwood winning the Tour Championship, and I’m happy for him. He finally notched his first win on the PGA Tour and he sure picked a nice time to do it, cashing in with a $10 million payday. Congrats Tommy!
I love watching golf and this was a fantastic year as a fan. Rory finally broke through at the Masters and achieved his career Grand Slam, Scottie kept up his best Tiger impression as the most dominant golfer we’ve seen in years, the LIV Tour still seems to be struggling (oh darn), and a handful of younger players look ready to take that next step.
And while the 2025 PGA season is officially wrapped up, the year is not quite over. The Ryder Cup is just around the corner at Bethpage Black in late September, and that amazing event always delivers. So cheers to another great season in the books, congrats again to Tommy, and here’s hoping we see the red, white, and blue raise the Cup in New York next month.
- What Am I Missing?
What if I told you there is a restaurant beloved by most, with more than 2,000 locations across the country in 25 states, serving tens of millions of customers every year, bringing in $1.4 billion in U.S. revenue, employing 30,000 people…. and I just don’t get the fascination?
Tin Cup is one of my favorite golf movies ever and when it came out in 1996, I remember Waffle House being talked about like it was the Taj Mahal of breakfast eateries. At the time I had never been to one, so naturally I had to check it out not long after. In the almost 30 years since, I’ve probably been a half dozen times (sometimes inebriated) and honestly, I just don’t get it.
Yes, it’s open 24/7. Yes, it’s simple and affordable. And yes, you usually know exactly what you’re going to get. But the food is far from high quality. In fact, I’d call it borderline bad, and breakfast isn’t exactly a hard meal to get right. The restaurants are small and dated, I’ve had some less-than-clean experiences, and I could rattle off ten other breakfast spots I’d rather go any day of the week.
So please, Sandman Nation, explain it to me. Convince me why I should give this American icon another shot. Because right now, I’m just not seeing it.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.
