I would like to formally apologize for jinxing Norway last week. I swear it was not my intention.

I really wanted the lovable Scandinavians to bring home a FIFA trophy and not just a taxidermied raccoon.

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More on taxidermied animals in a minute.

But now I have fully moved on from the World Cup as I prepare to head out tomorrow for my annual pilgrimage to visit the in-laws in the Great White North.

And by that I mean Wisconsin.

My husband, our dog and I will also be spending a few days on the Minnesota North Shore. Thank you, by the way, to everyone who sent me recommendations last week. We now have a full itinerary of restaurants, breweries, dog-friendly patios, hiking trails and scenic spots to check out.

TWO REGULAR JOES WILL COMPETE WITH PROS FOR $3.25M PURSE AT INAUGURAL 'THE CHAMPIONS' BASS FISHING TOURNAMENT

Now I'm in that annoying phase of pre-travel preparation where I'm trying to get everything done that I swore I wasn't going to put off until the last minute.

This happens every single time. I really should stop lying to myself and just accept my fate.

I do, however, have the car ready. Anticipating my husband's comments about my lack of basic vehicle maintenance (I'm literally just a girl), I got the Denali aired up, washed up, gassed up, oil changed and detailed.

Why was the detailing necessary, you ask? Because this:

Yep. I bought Rocky a pup cup on Friday as a reward for being a perfect angel at his nail trimming appointment. Apparently he had used up all his perfect angel behavior, though, because he launched for the pup cup and splattered it all over my console.

I spent a good chunk of time meticulously scraping whipped cream from cracks and crevices, and β€” considering my car doesn't smell like rotten hot dairy β€” I think I did a pretty good job.

Anyway, enough of my griping about my problems. I'll gripe about something else instead. Let's do some Nightcaps.

The Home Run Derby was last night. Not that you would know it since they put it behind a Netflix paywall.

Just kidding, I think just about everyone has a Netflix account at this point. But still, did I watch one single second of the 2026 Home Run Derby?

I did not.

Do you know who did watch, though? Livvy Dunne.

I mean sure, her pitcher boyfriend Paul Skenes isn't out there launching dingers, but a girl's gotta get her Miller Lite sponsorship money where she can. And if that means serving as a celebrity bartender for a photo op, then so be it.

But Livvy. My sister in Christ. We have to talk about this pour.

Criminal. Straight to jail. Do not pass "Go" and do not collect $200.

I know some Pervy McPervert out there is formulating a joke like, "That's OK, I'll take lots of head from Livvy Dunne."

"Head" is another term for foam at the top of a beer, by the way.

But I'm gonna stop you right there. There is simply no reason to desecrate a Miller Lite like this. That's my late Grandma Helen's favorite beer, and she would never stand for it.

Livvy Dunne poses for a photo at Daikin Park.

Livvy Dunne poses for a photo during a game between Team United States and Team Great Britain during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, on March 7, 2026. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)

Shame!

If you're not familiar with Hannah Barron, you're about to be.

She went viral a couple years back for her noodling skills, and she's now become a full-on fishing, fitness and outdoors influencer with nearly two million Instagram followers.

What is noodling? I am so glad you asked.

Hannah doesn't just noodle, though. She also bowfishes. And yesterday she shared a snap of a longnose gar she landed from a paddleboard.

That's a good day, Hannah.

Speaking of fishing, OutKick Outdoors will be headed to The Champions tournament in Nashville this fall. The world championship of bass fishing. A record $3.25 million purse. YUGE.

I regret to inform you those competitors won't be wearing bikinis like Hannah, though.

Young woman fishing on the sea

Cropped shot of a young woman fishing at sea. (www.peopleimages.com)

But if you're one of those guys (or gals) who finds yourself out on the lake bragging that you could totally out-fish the pros, here's your chance.

They're giving two Average Joes the chance to compete in the tournament. I talked to World Bass Enterprises CEO Brian Bird about it this week:

Next up, Average Joes versus NFL players, NHL players and pro boxers!

Nevermind, someone might die.

Let's open the mailbag.

πŸ“© Email: amber.harding@outkick.com (Send your thoughts, stories, tips, rants and photos of your dog.)

🐦 Twitter/X: @TheAmberHarding

Angry grandpa-flipping bison is in the running for wildlife video of the year

Bill Writes: Thank the good Lord this man was not seriously injured or killed, but on the lighter side... The only thing higher than his blood pressure was his airtime.

Amber:

Zing!

A lone bison eyes a safely distanced visitor with a telephoto lens in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

A lone bison eyes a safely distanced visitor with a telephoto lens in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

By the way, we have an update on that guy.

His name is Carl Isom-McDaniel, and he's a retiree in his mid-60s. He suffered suffered multiple broken bones but is expected to recover.

In case you didn't know, Dana White is a dude

Brian W. Writes: Good God Amber, what rock have you been living under? Dana White is a dude. Everybody knows that. Turn in your journalist badge at the nearest counter. You suck!!

Amber:

Look, I get plenty of emails. Most are from very nice people responding to my column or sending me pictures and videos of cool dogs. Some are from miserable folks who want to tell me how bad I suck at writing and how wrong I am in each and every one of my opinions.

And then some... just baffle me.

Because I cannot, for the life of me, figure out when I accused Dana White of being a woman. I asked Brian to clarify, but he never responded.

So if anyone can point to a specific instance where I even remotely insinuated that I didn't know the gender of the UFC CEO, please send it my way.

Otherwise, I'd love to get my journalist badge back.

Heroic husky saves kid from a bear

Amber:

Thanks to Drew in Katy, Texas, for sending that over.

I'm always worried about hiking in bear country with my dog. My husband assures me that our German Shepherd might actually scare a bear away. But I worry it would do the opposite β€” like provoking an aggressive reaction.

Fortunately for this family, the dog did exactly what the dog should do: protect.

I fear Rocky might just try to be friends with the bear.

Military animals and police dogs set to get their first national monument

Gene in the Rock Writes: 'Bout time. It always kind of puzzled me that the only "official" US monument to hero animals was in Guam.  It's beautiful, but I mean, how many people have ever been to Guam?  Tell your congressman to support this if they haven't already!

A fellow Taylor Swift wedding guest list reject checks in

Andy K. Writes: Oh, this is my dog Bonnie. She not real but she's mine. She's very loyal. She's the best. She was the perfect solution when I lived in the City and traveled alot.

One last thing. I wasn't invited to Tay Tay's wedding either! I know, shocking, right? And I thought we were close. I mean, I don't really know her music particularly well, although when I hear her music I sometimes like it. But I know many people who love her and her music, yet somehow that wasn't enough.

Seriously, though, I do admire her ability to run a multibillion-dollar organization, and apparently treat her people very well at the same time. I'm sure she has management and staff that do the day-to-day, but she does the heavy lifting remarkably well. I'm impressed with that. And her business acumen.

man wearing glasses poses next to a bulldog plushie

Bonnie looks like a real bulldog to me. (Photo by reader Andy K.)

Amber:

You could have fooled me. Bonnie looks like a real dog.

But funny story about dog plushies. Last year I lost my soul dog, Lucy β€” my baby of 16 years. (That's not the funny part). After she died, my husband bought me a custom plushie of Lucy. It looks just like her and is almost the same size as her, too.

LUCY'S STORY: I FOUND MY BEST FRIEND ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

I posted a picture of it on my Instagram story and got a ton of strange responses β€” mostly from friends who seemed confused and concerned.

It later came to my attention that people thought I had TAXIDERMIED my dog!

I guess that's a testament to the company that made the plushie. It's THAT realistic.

Look, no judgment. Taxidermy your dog or cremate or bury or whatever feels right in your heart. But just so we're clear, the stuffed dog now chilling in my bedroom has never been alive. Just a stuffed animal.

Oh and back to the Taylor Travis wedding... we reported last week that Taylor Lewan and Will Compton were pretty sore about not getting an invite.

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John B. Writes (about Will Compton): because he's a dβ€”head and Travis thinks so too!

That explanation's good enough for me.

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Take us home, Princess Bella

close up of small white dog wearing green bandana

First-time Nightcaps emailer David S. sent this photo of his dog, Bella. (Photo by reader David S.)

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OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.