Reporter Natalie Winters Refuses To Play The Nasty Libs’ Disgusting Game

One of you had to take my Toledo vs. Akron gambling advice for last night’s game, right?

I didn’t receive a single email from the gambling community after NAILING yet another Toledo basketball gambling line. No, I didn’t bet it because that’s not my thing these days. 

However, I thought at least one of you would’ve used my wisdom that I’ve gathered over the years about my Rockets and how they finish basketball seasons. 

Here’s what I wrote Friday morning: 

Tonight, in Cleveland, Akron is an 8.5-point favorite in the rematch. 

On Thursday, Toledo went to overtime to beat Ohio U. Meanwhile, Akron blew out Bowling Green and preserved its legs. Toledo’s defense is terrible (2nd worst scoring defense in the league) and Akron has the league’s top-scoring offense. 

I’m not saying throw all your winnings on Akron, but you might want to sprinkle some on the Zips on a Friday night with a trip to the finals on the line. I just don’t see Toledo having the legs to get up and down with Akron. Tip is at 5 ET. 

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Akron beat Toledo 100-90 last night. 

Congrats to those who cashed a winning ticket. I’m now 2-0 on my college basketball predictions in 2025. 

SMH if you weren’t reading Friday and missed that easy winner. 

A Players Championship volunteer checks in

— Scott writes: 

Beautiful morning at The Players from hole 18. Changing pin location for day 2.  Thought SC community would like the view. Volunteering for Players. Keep up your fine work

— Scott adds: 

I’m actually on 18 green as a spotter for shotlink. You are able to walk around and catch some golf.  It being in 18 green, I’ve got a great seat.

How to water a garden in 2025

— Anonymous walks us through his system: 

I too felt that standing with a hose watering plants for hours a week was a waste of my time so this is what I did.  I have 4 different splitters.  The pic shows one of them in winter mode.  Once we are past the freeze danger, I will hook up the infeed to the outlet (currently winterized) and I will hook up my hose reel to the empty slot.  

The other three remain as is year round and lead to different shrub/flower beds.  This way, I hook up to the faucet and turn on and leave on once a year.  After that, I don’t even have to get off the concrete, covered front porch to turn on and off the water.  Each hose section is cut to the length needed to reach the drip strips and then the connectors are added.  

The 20-25$ big box drip strips with dozens of connections last about 7 years in my area.  The hose strips, connectors and some of the spitters are approaching 20.  

No need to do this for the drip strip connectors, but if you are adding male/female connectors to hose strips, using a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen the ends makes a world of difference.

Kinsey: 

I’ve had multiple readers reach out about The State of Watering in 2025 and Rain Bird. There are more emails to come. I just didn’t want to burn ’em up on a Saturday when many of our daily readers take a day off. 

More to come. 

TNML hearing protection for 2025: Who can help on this one?

— Andrew tells me: 

I also got “the talk” last weekend, albeit mine was a little less specific, just the “do we need to have mulch delivered” way too generic open ended question, but I understood it as an order to be executed post haste, but that’s not the reason I’m checking in.

As someone quickly approaching my mid-40s, with a history of loud music, I try my best to protect my ears while walking behind my dual blade Cub Cadet, but also like to have the yacht rock pumping through my airpods. The issue is that my current ear protection is of the $8 off the rack at Lowe’s variety, which doesn’t do much, and my airpods are as loud as they’ll go to drown out the mower. 

Do you know of a good option for high-quality noise-cancelling ear protection that integrates with Bluetooth so that I can keep the Kenny Loggins & Steely Dan rolling, but wouldn’t need to be at full volume defeating the whole purpose of the ear protection?

Kinsey: 

Will ear buds fit inside commercial grade noise canceling headphones? I’ve never tried it. 

Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com or use my Gmail that I’m no longer allowed to list here

Am I wrong with my take on Justin Herbert getting into raising chickens?

This guy is born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and is now into raising chickens. This is a MASSIVE red flag if I’m a Chargers front office guy or a fan.

Here’s my post. 

Yes, this felt a little bit like Cowherd ranting about backward hat guys, but Herbert turning to a profession like some suburban white woman should cause alert systems to go off for NFL GMs. 

— PCA in StP, Minnesota was all over this topic: 

Herbert is cut from the same cloth as Trevor Lawrence.  Both have remarkable physical gifts as well as unteachable fitness and skills for the position, but both guys offered what card players call a [tell] when conducting interviews with Media and surrounding the NFL combine ahead of their draft classes.  They both intimated that while they love football, the sport is not their identity, and that football does not define them as a person.  

For two guys who were about to ask NFL franchises to draft them highly and invest hundreds of billions of dollars toward their employment, development, and care, I was struck by their lack of awareness at the irony of their public statements. 

I commented that while both guys were certainly intriguing, if I am the owner, President, or GM of a NFL franchise and I heard those words, I would check down to the next guy because by their statements, it would be evident that they would never be willing to pay the price in pursuit of greatness.  Look at the evidence, Trevor Lawrence behaves like its always a different element of the team that causes the failures, and Herbert’s head coach is 100 times more intense, competitive, and driven than him!   You can tell that these guys are truly committed by the carefree attitude they display on the field.

Cruise advice for Reed who’s about to set sail on his first with his family over Spring Break

— KJ in SWFL knew just the person to help Reed: 

I’ve never been on a cruise, so I can’t personally vouch for her, but there is one woman on FB/Instagram who seems to share solid advice. She’s also a worthy addition to the bottom half of Screencaps articles too.

— Alexander writes: 

Loving the column as always!  I have a few pieces of cruise advice for Reed and family:

1. Sign up for the scheduled dinning room dinner.  Get it set at the same time every night, if possible.  The food is terrific and it is a great way to let people do their own thing all day, but then get back together as a family/group for dinner.  Must do.
2. Make sure to check out all the scheduled events on the cruise.  Pro ice skating shows, comedy acts, and the like.  Always good.
3. Find times when the indoor bars have special events.  Trivia was a blast with the kids, live piano, etc.
4. Do not fall for all the excursions (depending on where they port).  Do some research and find some local fun beaches or whatever they offer.  The excursions are expensive and you don’t make the memories of taking the family out on the island and exploring.  Instead of doing all the attractions, for example, my family hit up a local and rented a golf cart at Turks. We found untouched beaches, some really rustic churches, etc.  It was a blast!
5. Do the math on the all-inclusive alcohol. You have to buy one pass for every adult in the room.  If you have a wife in the same room, the all-inclusive may be a rip-off.

I never did a cruise until the in-laws popped for one after I got married.  They are great fun.

— Sean C. in Granger, IN shares advice: 

Let me see if I can help Reed out with my limited experience.  I’ve only been on one cruise, and it was a Disney Cruise that my company took us on in 2019.  Good thing it wasn’t scheduled for 2020.  As coincidence would have it, we’re scheduled to leave for another work cruise in April.  Again, a Disney Cruise.  I’ve never taken any other cruise line, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.  

But I do know that there are “Spirit Airlines” equivalents out there.  I don’t want to call any of them out, but I’m sure it’s an easy google search.  If Royal Caribbean is a litte pricier, hopefully it means that it’s free and clear of the nonsense that happens on the cheaper cruise lines. Disney is an expensive cruise option.  And despite all the nonsense that goes on from a corporate level, the service is always second to none.  Especially if you’re going with kids.  

I do prefer an all-inclusive resort to a cruise, but I understand that it’s not always the most fun for kids.  But if you have good port stops, and a fun excursion or two to do, cruises can be fun.  

The kids will probably meet new friends who are in similar situations as them, and you may end up meeting adults who are in the same situation (and no, I’m not talking about key bowl friends).  

I do think cruises are better with larger groups.  But, you’re only on the boat for evenings for the most part.  So that’s dinner, pool time, drinking, and activities for kids.  So you should end up with time to yourself as well.  Most cruises have a bar or club that has karaoke, comedy, trivia, or other fun group activities.  

People often complain about the food.  The food is fine.  There’s usually one really fancy place to eat on a cruise ship, and the rest is fine.  But it’s also plentiful.  You can get food whenever you want.  But that’s probably not why you’re going.  

The only real downside are the rooms (at least in my experience).  They are small, but they have to be.  But in fairness, you don’t want to just sit in your room all day anyway.  You just hope that the neighbors aren’t super loud partiers at 3am.  You’ll either lose sleep or join the party.  

Definitely take advantage of the port stops.  They’re not always super special, but it’s better than sitting on the boat all day.  Get out and explore, even if it’s just to go to the beach at the port stop or hit up the local bar that’s right off the dock.

Just make sure you don’t miss the return time.  They won’t wait!  lol

— Isaac from TN has been on cruises: 

I have 2 different cruise experiences, one in the Mediterranean (Italy and Greece) and another similar to Reed (Mexico, Honduras, Belize – out of NOLA).  You can figure out which one was the better experience.  

– If you can, try to book excursions with local businesses and not through the cruise line.  We had a much better experience booking our own as it was more private with our own transportation or a local expert – depending on the excursion (we were also traveling with a group so this was easier to do)

– Early on, find a good bar on the ship that you will return to daily and find a bartender who is always there and tip him well.  Tipping well early on will pay dividends later on the trip.  From my experience, I would come up to a crowded bar, the bartender would spot me, make my drink, and hand it to me before I could order.  If not the bartender, the waiter working the bar area.  Trust me on this one.

– Take advantage of the free breakfast onboard before getting off the ship so you don’t spend too much off board on food/snacks.  

– Take a water bottle as water is NOT free (at least in my experiences) and ask for it to be filled at bars or restaurants.  Taking LiquidIV or other hydrating powders is helpful too!

– Go get good local food off the ship – I realize you have to be more careful with this especially on your cruise (food sickness), but it helped that I spoke Spanish and got local recommendations and plenty of help.

– If you are getting specialty dining on the ship – make reservations early on the trip when you decide on the restaurant.  They will fill up and you will have trouble just walking up to the good ones the night of.

– Definitely wash your hands a lot and just make the most of it!

— James H. shares this with Reed: 

Wife and I live in Florida so, cruise two or three times a year. We have cruised 4 different lines and don’t see a huge difference between either line. In my opinion, Princess has the best entertainment.

As far as helping out new cruisers.

Load up on the Vitamin C and D or “Airborne”, before the cruise.

Make sure you do all the pre check and check in stuff before arriving at the port. Parking is rather simple and easy, at least here in Florida. Never cruised out of Galveston. Pack lighter than you think. Most people over pack for a cruise and you’ll never wear all those shoes, shorts, shirts and suits you packed. 

Royal Caribbean has a bunch of “specialty” restaurants. I suggest making reservations for these in advance of your sail date. I would eat at a Specialty Restaurant, at least two nights out of the 6. Also, time your dining with the shows you want to see on the ship. Normally, there is an early show at 7 and a late, more adult themed of the same show, at 9.

Again, make those reservations in advance.

I personally wouldn’t clog up my cruise with a bunch of excursions or commitments, other than dining and shows.

Try to find a nice spot on deck, for sitting around the pool and relaxing. These days, most cruise lines don’t allow the “Chair saving” with a towel over the back, that some people do at 5 am in the morning.

DO NOT GET A SUNBURN!

Casino’s are a big draw on the ship. I personally, cannot stand all the smoke in there so I normally avoid the Casino’s. I assume, since the cruise we’re discussing is a 7 day cruise, this will be the larger type ships. Those may have a non smoking Casion area.

Just relax, have fun, hit the buffets, eat and drink to your content. It’s all paid for !!

Remember, About 60% of the people on your boat, are also first timers!

— Todd in Honduras knows the tropics: 

I live on the island of Roatan, Honduras where he will port. You can share my email with him if you want and I’ll be glad to fill him in on the spots to go. 

One piece of general advice I can give all cruisers. The “excursions” the cruises offer are just locals offering a service then the cruise doubles the price and sells it to you. 

If you’re willing to do a little research online you can get any of those excursions for half price by contacting the locals directly. 

Kinsey: 

It’s great to add another international reader. We’ve had TNML members in New Zealand. We have our reader in the Philippines. There are a bunch of Canadians. There was a guy in Germany, I think, who was TNML. 

Now we have Todd in Honduras. 

Love it. 

The ticket stubs you hold dear topic has kept the emails coming this week

— Tim from Harleysville, PA shares: 

I started reading Outkick and Screencaps about a year ago after I retired at 61, and appreciate your great work every day. The recent influx of ticket stub stories really got me going! I’ve been a concert enthusiast since seeing KISS as my first concert at the Spectrum in Philly in 1978. 

But the concert that tops them all is the Led Zeppelin reunion show in London on December 10, 2007. The concert was a charity event in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegun, the band’s longtime mentor and the former president of Atlantic Records. The event famously received more than 20 million ticket requests for the available 20,000 seats. 

How I got that opportunity (literally a 1,000 to 1 shot) and all of the other details surrounding this once-in-a-lifetime event could be the subject of a rather lengthy post, but I found myself in the VIP section to the right of the stage. 

Gweneth Paltrow and her mom, Blythe Danner, were just one row in front of us. 

Further down were a number of rockers and celebrities like Brian May from Queen, Marilyn Manson, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jennifer Connelly. But that scene barely registered given the enormity of having Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (accompanied by John Bonham’s talented son, Jason, on drums) about to take the stage. Nobody knew how it would go given that it had been more than 27 years since their last proper concert. 

There had been several other brief performances during the ensuing years that didn’t go so well (see: Live Aid). But this time the band rehearsed for several months to be sure that they got it right. Many reviewers agreed that for these two hours, they truly became Led Zeppelin once again. I grabbed a newspaper before my flight the next morning, and a fellow passenger asked if she could read the concert story. I said “Sure, but I’ll need it back when you’re done …” I still can’t believe that I was there to witness rock history and certainly won’t ever forget it!     

The Ts got home and went straight to their massive firepit

— Mike T. says: 

Great to be home. 

Kinsey: 

Pizza and beer for lunch day after day is great, according to Mike T., but at the end of the day, there’s just something about returning home. 

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That is it for this Saturday morning on conference tournament weekend. Good luck to all of you who are going to get blasted at St. Patrick’s Day parties this weekend. The wind will be clocking in at 50 mph plus pretty much all day here. 

Stay safe across the south, and I’ll see you guys bright and early Monday morning as we march towards the first Spring Break of adult life. 

Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com or use my Gmail! 

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