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'Nightcaps' is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday–Friday on OutKick.com.
We made it. We're here. Another Friday. We're cruising right along, folks. Somehow, we've arrived at the THIRD weekend of July!
Did you know a majority of NFL rookies have to report to training camp starting next Tuesday? Better yet, did you know that rookies for the Seattle Seahawks reported TODAY? That's right. We have actual players in actual facilities right now.
Sure, most of the vets don't report until a week from today at the earliest, but still ... you can almost smell it in the air. It's coming. Hang tight just a bit longer.
On that note, welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where Sam Burns shoots at 62 at The Open but nobody knew it was happening because NBC and USA Network decided to ignore the entire thing. Wild.
What else? I've got Sophie Cunningham rattling the internet with a simple question, a compilation of the worst umpiring from the first half of the MLB season, plenty of reader mail from yesterday's ESPYs disaster, and Hooters Gianna checks in one final time to end the week.
Whew. What a MENU! Lock it in for a few more minutes, folks, and then let's attack this weekend like patriots.
Grab you some peach ice cream for National Peach Ice Cream Day, and settle in for a Friday 'Cap!
Oddly enough, I had peach ice cream earlier this week for the first time in forever. Solid ice cream flavor, especially this time of year when it's 400 degrees down here in Florida. No smoke from the woke Canadians, though! Clear as day down here in the Sunshine State!
Mount Rushmore of Ice Cream Flavors to start class? Sure, why not?
I'll be honest, I'm not sure that last one even exists anymore, but I used to have it all the time as a fat kid growing up, and I have fond memories. Delicious.
Lordy, that's a weird looking list. I'm not even sold on it but, frankly, it's a Friday and I have a yard to mow, so let's get on with it and start class.
First up? Lucas Herbert shot a 62 this morning over in Royal Birkdale, tying a major record. He missed a makeable putt on 18 in heartbreaking fashion, which you'll see in just a second.
At the same time, Sam Burns also shot a 62, which you will also see in a second. The difference? Viewers barely even knew Burns was playing:
Wild stuff. I had it on in the background all morning, because that's just how working-class folks have to watch this tournament every single year. I have Zoom meetings to pretend to be on, and newsletters to put together every morning. I love the British Open, but the timing is so dumb.
Anyway, I knew Lucas Herbert was on 59 watch because NBC/USA Network shoved it down our throats. Rightfully so, by the way. It's not often that happens.
But imagine my surprise when they finally showed Sam Burns on 18 and he was ALSO on 59 watch! Amazing. How does that happen? Yes, I know Burns started the day at 3-over, so I understand not giving him much play early on.
But his back-nine was unreal. You could sense it coming for an hour, and we barely saw him at all? What a choice by the production team!
OK, let's keep the line moving ...
Yesterday, we focused on our great USA hockey teams losing out to the New York Knicks for the ESPYs' "Best Team" award earlier this week.
And folks, you guys had some thoughts. A quick sampling:
Did we hit all the notes, or what? "Fragile whites" is a great name. Credit to that guy. He brought the heat ... and gave me an easy fantasy football name in a couple months.
Well done, everyone. That's what I like to see on a random week in July. Some folks mail it in this time of year. Not me. Not us. This is where we GRIND.
OK, couple quickies on the way out. First up? Where do we stand on this take from Sophie Cunningham?
"So how do we save our farm land and stop all these dumb data centers?"
That simple post, and question, sent the internet into an absolute tailspin yesterday afternoon. Libs were mad at Sophie. Conservatives were mad at her. The farmers loved her. Most of the MAHA crowd stood behind her.
Now, I have no idea what the answer is. Frankly, I have no idea what any of these data centers mean. I think they're a little like Apple's version of "the cloud." Nobody knows what iCloud really is, or what it does, or how it works. We just know that it exists.
"Oh, it's saved in my iCloud."
What does that mean? Nobody knows. That's what these data centers are. Nobody knows what they do. Are they stealing all of our water? Are they killing the farms? Are they like the 5G towers all over the country and frying our brains?
Nobody knows. And, of course, nobody can agree.
Next? You know what we all CAN agree on? We have seen some horrific umpiring this season in Major League Baseball:
Lordy. ABS be damned! For those who thought it would eliminate all the bad officiating, think again! Rest easy, folks — bad calls in baseball are alive and well.
Oddly enough, three of the worst umpires in the league all took a buyout earlier this month and will retire at the end of the year.
Surely just coincidental!
OK, that's it for today — and this week. Good work, everyone. Loved the fire this week. Few more slow weeks, and then we're off to the races.
Have a big weekend.
Here's NASCAR wife Gianna Blaney continuing to enjoy a Turks And Caicos beach vacation to take everyone home:
Are the data centers going to kill us? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
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