Writer Misses Mini Golf Masters Finals Due to Sudden Schedule Change

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.

I have some bad news: I did not get to go to the Mini Golf Masters. Tragic, I know! See, it was a three-day tournament, and I was supposed to attend the finals on Saturday. I was even going to interview some of the competitors and write something on it for OutKick. Always looking for that content, baby.

Well, I woke up on Saturday to a rainy morning on Myrtle Beach. Still, I threw on my waterproof shoes and Frogg Togg and set out for Hawaiian Rumble. For those who don't know, that's the famous course that hosts the Mini Golf Masters each year. It has a 40-foot tall erupting volcano.

That's when I found out, much to my dismay, that the tournament organizers decided to go ahead and have the finals on FRIDAY instead since the rain was about to move in. So I missed it. Devastating. No putt-putt for me. I had to watch college football at a beach bar instead.

That said, we still had an absolute hoot of a time in Myrtle Beach. More on that and my epic kayaking trip coming soon to OutKick OutDoors. In the meantime, let's do some Nightcaps.

We had a Hailee Steinfeld sighting on Monday Night Football. Hailee is, of course, the wife of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. And I'm going to warn you right now: we're going to talk about a few WAGs today. That's because I'd rather not talk about the other three things completely dominating my timeline today.

First, there was a horrific video of a tiger killing a man that people keep sending around for no apparent reason. Second, Shane Gillis calling women "whores" for wearing tight shorts to the gym. Third, Kelly Clarkson publicly bickering with a magic shop over a $15,000 animatronic bird.

Which leaves us with Hailee Steinfeld absolutely losing it during the Bills' barn burner with the Rams on Monday Night Football. Cameron Brink was there, too. She's not a WAG. I just love Cameron Brink and wanted to post a picture of her. What a game, though, am I right?

As a lifelong Dolphins fan, I want nothing but bad things for the Buffalo Bills and the bozos who belly flop onto plastic tables out in their parking lot. But also as a Dolphins fan, it is nice to watch some real football every now and then. And that's what we got last night at SoFi Stadium. Not to be confused with the football the Chargers play in that same stadium.

I can't believe we have to wage a basement battle for draft picks this season with MIKE MCDANIEL, of all people. He shipped off to the complete opposite coast and is still creating problems for Miami. The crappy Titans are, of course, also in said basement battle. And they have the added bonus of asking their fans to pay big money out the wazoo to watch their crappy football in their massive monstrosity of a new stadium next year. Hilarious.

Anyway, back to the WAGs. On the Nightcap podcast earlier this week, Chad Ochocinco/Johnson and Shannon Sharpe were discussing how much Justin Herbert stinks this year. They wondered if maybe he was distracted by his hot, famous fiancé.

That's when Chad pulled up a photo of Madison Beer. "Let me see what she looks like… Oh s–t!" Johnson exclaimed. "I don't put too much cream in my coffee, but I get it." Fair. Listen, Justin Herbert is getting absolutely raked over the coals on the internet right now.

Getting paid $262.5 million to start a season does not erase the harsh reality of public scrutiny, yet it certainly means those moments will happen regardless of how much money is on the table. That financial windfall cannot silence every voice in the room or stop the inevitable fallout from high-profile employment contracts. Still, having that kind of cash does not mean his partner wants to hear about the constant online attacks targeting her husband's character and performance on the field.

Enter Allie Neuzil, the wife of Falcons center Ryan Neuzil, who recently took to TikTok to confess exactly how much stress this situation causes her family every single game day. On Sunday she posted a raw admission detailing her daily routine of searching Twitter for her husband's name only to find a barrage of insults calling him a dumbass, idiot, worthless piece of s–t, and unrespectable loser. She listed dozens of similar slurs before explaining that she is strictly forbidden from responding to these comments despite feeling completely justified in doing so.

"I look at them and then fully type an evil response and talk s–t about them … and then I just do nothing because of the rules by which I am bound," Allie explained while questioning whether this behavior is normal for other spouses dealing with similar online toxicity. She admitted that she wants to know if this silence is standard practice, concluding that it is probably not but noting she said exactly what she felt was necessary at the time. It remains unclear whether these restrictions are self-imposed boundaries or part of some hidden league mandate preventing wives from chirping back at fans and other players on social media platforms.

Although such rules might exist somewhere in the background, they have never stopped Kelly Stafford from spouting off her opinions publicly. Or Gisele when she complained that Tom Brady cannot throw the ball and catch it at the same time during a game broadcast. That specific moment stands as a true throwback to an era where athletes' spouses felt free to voice their own frustrations without fear of official retribution or social media bans.

Let us open the mailbag for today's collection of reader thoughts, stories, tips, rants, and photos featuring adorable dogs sent directly from around the country. CF in Kansas writes that your girl's trip sounds like so much fun and hopes the Mini Golf Masters will be interesting with a bit of drama and some light moments to balance out the competition. A windmill hat to go along with the green jacket would certainly be de rigueur for the winner, while you should hope the weather remains in your favor for beach activities and water sports during your visit. Remember that calories do not count on girl's trips so feel free to eat your weight in delicious Caroline seafood without worrying about the consequences later.

MP from Virginia writes to express gladness about hearing details regarding your Myrtle Beach trip and suggests you aim to arrive on the weekend of November 6-8 for the Carolina Beach Music Awards if possible. Keep the first or second weekend in November in mind for a future trip to that charming coastal town where music fans gather every year. Jim B asks if Cindy Brunson's crazy comments about Caitlin Clark, WNBA stars, and other athletes got her husband fired from his Diamondbacks announcer gig after fourteen seasons on air.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, Jim is referring to Steve Berthiaume who was recently ousted from his role as the Diamondbacks play-by-play guy after fourteen years of consistent broadcasting work in Arizona. Well ousted isn't really the right word since his contract was up and the team chose not to renew it rather than firing him for any specific reason related to social media posts. I cannot speculate on whether his wife's disparaging comments about Caitlin Clark had anything to do with that decision regarding his future employment prospects, but probably not given how complex those conversations tend to be in professional sports organizations. Steve did tell the Arizona Republic he was both surprised and disappointed to find out he would not be returning to the booth for another season next year. Tough break for a broadcaster who spent so many years building relationships with fans across the state through his distinctive voice.

One more thing: senior pup takes up Pilates and proves that age is just a number when it comes to fitness routines designed for older dogs everywhere. Please take a moment to appreciate this good and nimble boy showing off skills typically reserved for much younger athletes in professional leagues around the world today.