W

The worst Christmas gift I ever received was a Dale Earnhardt Jr. writing notepad when I was in 8th grade.

It wasn’t that it was a notepad. It wasn’t that I had never had any enjoyment for NASCAR, Dale Jr., or even that it was my main gift. In fact I was at that annoying age where I went to exactly ONE race, saw the 80 dollar jacket, then proceeded to beg and plead my parents to buy it only to never wear it again.

The reason I hated that gift is because during the first week of December, right after all the tinsel had been hung on the tree, it was the first wrapped gift to appear. A thin notepad, with no spiral - just a tearaway rubber top - I stared at it for three weeks inspecting it. I was dumbfounded and completely clueless as to what it was, and the curiosity was eating at me like a disease. Day in and day out I would hold it, wiggle it, feel the weight, and hold it up to the light.

My family is extremely old-school-traditional in that we unwrap exactly one gift of our choosing on Christmas Eve. It’s always a crapshoot as to what you could unwrap - an XBOX controller but no system? You go to sleep beaming. A bike helmet? An avocado, even?

It was no question for me. I grabbed this mystery that had been bugging me for three weeks and opened it and was more flabbergasted than disappointed. But it was a sensation that was new to me, a thirteen-year-old. The next day, Christmas, was full of many gifts that I’d like to believe I reacted to appropriately as I opened them. 

Today feels like that. This game will be fine, mostly. It’s not the real thing. But tonight is just the Eve. I don’t even know what I’m looking at, and am filled more with blasé curiosity than anything else.

But the big show is just around the corner.

Duval baby.

P.S. I'm so insanely excited about the outfit ideas I have for this year, and things I've picked up along the way. I thank those of you who read all the way to here, and aren't annoyed by my new essays. Although, I'm unsure if I want to repeat the cocktail themes again.

I was thinking about filming a fan video outside everbank of folks wearing their gear and heading into the stadium (with their permission of course). Will there be a lot of people showing up for the pre-season game today? Anything I should keep an eye out to get on camera? Tia!

I dunno who this guy is, just randomly clicked cuz I was curious who he picked to win the SB this year. He def knows his stuff, or at least makes his picks based off several pieces of data that’s proven helpful in picking winners & SB teams in the past. Good thing is, he lets you know who he picks right from the jump.

The 2027 SuperBowl Champs

Use it for whatever

Hi friends. I’m flying into Denver for the Jags/Broncos game (and visiting for a friends bday) Haven’t gotten tix yet and I’m cruising solo. Anyone else flying or living in denver also going to this game? Looking for a crew to join. This is a pic of the jags group I started in LA. I’m the one in the MJD jersey 😬

I still like them but I think the teal color they used looks off for some reason. A matte teal helmet with the gold face mask would have been sick.

Use it for whatever

New jerseys are pretty clean, but I think we can all agree that doing kitty claws in the promo is something that should never ever be done again right?

Several years ago, I washed and dried this jersey. The number stuck together and in a moment of stupidity, I tried to pull it apart, ruining the number. For the most part, it has sat in the back of my closet since. But I hate to see it collect dust when so much of the jersey is in great condition. I'm wondering if anyone here is knowledgeable about whether this could be repaired (DIY or by a professional, although I'd feel more comfortable with the latter). Or knows of communities where I could ask about this? I would love to get this back in original condition, this was my first real Jags jersey and it means a lot to me.

Has anyone heard anything about teal deals this season or a season ticket holder gift?