5 things I know: Never apologize for an opinion on a piece of art

Let's get into it as the hottest work week (yet!) of the year takes its final breaths.

One of the cool things about writing the “5 things” articles is that you can go anywhere with them: broken off into topical conversations (like I did this past week), or a general potpourri of thoughts. Yes, I do them a lot. That is due in part to the kettle corn-type allure of them for a writer. Instead of worrying about making one column about one topic flow perfectly, you present the reader with a grab bag of potential.

Tonight, we’re talking about five things I know. “On my mind” suggests that the opinions are still somewhat percolating, even after publishing. This time, we’re talking hardcore, immovable opinions. Speaking of which, that very specific word kicks off the first “thing.”

1) Never apologize for your opinion

It’s worth something, damn it! If you think something strongly enough, dig your feet in behind it and defend it. Opinions can change, but they should never be allowed to be defeated or to be sorry over the fallout. Jamie Lee Curtis, a phenomenal actress and candid interviewee, got real about Marvel’s recent run of movies. When asked what phase they’re in, she replied with, “bad.”

It got a good chuckle from her castmates and interviewer, but it blew up online in her face. I mean… it sort of did. MCU loyalists came at her, but a good portion liked the honesty. Out of second guess work or a push from her publicist due to Ryan Reynolds putting the MCU back on the upswing, she issued an apology via social media about the thing she said. Curtis even called Marvel CEO Kevin Feige to offer her insincere “I’m sorry” pie up for grabs. It’s insincere because she meant it.

Don’t we want actors to be outspoken about something outside of politics and Martin Scorsese’s opinion on comic book movies? YES! Curtis shouldn’t apologize for something she sincerely believed-the way she said it was affirmatively, not hesitant-because it will hurt someone’s feelings. It’s art, people. It is made to be dissected, devoured, and recycled for more than it’s worth.

Don’t be sorry, Jamie. Just come back for another Hall of Fame episode in Season 4 of The Bear, and we’re all square.

2) Don’t bench a hot bat

No other St. Louis Cardinal has been hotter at the plate during the last month than Michael Siani. One good, simple way to check on a hitter is scroll over to MLB-dot-com, and check their recent stats. Those are the last 7/15/30 games.

Once there, you can see simple stats like home runs and strikeouts, along with their slash lines (BA, OBP, SLUG) without having to click five more times. It’s on the player page after a few thumbnail scrolls. Siani is hitting over .400 in his last seven and 15 game sets. He had a hit and walk today before being pinch-hit for in the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded at Wrigley Field for… Brandon Crawford.

We’re not talking about the Crawford of Giants lore here, unfortunately. Just the guy who struck out after the Cubs had walked five Cardinals in the inning to force home two runs. Chicago located the one guy on the St. Louis bench who would fold like a pretzel. Siani could have at least drawn a walk and kept the merry-go-round flowing. Manager Oli Marmol took away that opportunity.

Why? Stats! Seven at-bats to be exact. Crawford had success back in the day off Hector Neris, the Cubs closer. It was that dusty head-to-head work that led Marmol to pull Siani in one of the dumbest moves of his managerial career. Don’t defend it, just let him eat his shit cake.

One can easily blast new guy Erick Fedde for laying an egg in the second inning, but he didn’t fade before giving the team five frames in the roughest start of his career. Wrigley in August and September hit differently for pitchers who don’t pitch there often. I’ll blast the manager for making a bad move in a 5-3 game that was one hit away from being tied.

St. Louis is six games back of first place, and 2.5 games behind the third wildcard spot. They can go from good to rough in a few days. Zero consistency.

3) Life’s all about how you handle things

Look, we’re allowed to fuck off and do whatever we want in a lot of our lives. But there are certain moments where you need to put your head down, and just do the damn work. It may not be what you absolutely want to do, but the best way to tackle anything that seems like a wall is to run right the fuck through it with hard work.

If you work hard and try to limit the potential stupid shit that could flow out of your mouth, what you absolutely want to do will come back into frame like a local thunderstorm that wasn’t on the forecasted menu. After all, it’s St. Louis. Anything is possible on any given day, weather and life-related. Without going super deep as I hear someone else mow their lawn (the jealousy has begun), remember that life challenges are all about perspective.

The right perspective gets you back to GO for $200, while the wrong one gets you stuck. We’ve all been there, at least by the time you’re 42.

4) Every workplace needs a quiet, restful “shut the fuck up” room

It doesn’t need Cybex machines or a crossfit coach. Just a pillow, the faint sound of Frank Sinatra playing, and no other human. When it comes to lunch breaks, I want two things: eat my food and maybe write 3-4 paragraphs of an article. You can’t do that at StarWorkBucks, the social corner of any room carrying more than one human. Conversations between two people turn into an all-out tribunal, leading to crushed half-sandwiches and Coke Zero cans before a cloud of smoke is left in a chair's space.

Do you ever want to get away? I do. A place where shop talk, political talk, and any other dinner plan reveals go to die. Thankfully, my work has a place to rest and be calm. Maybe find out what the three seashells bullshit really meant after all. All I need is a quiet room. Make sure your workplace gets one. That, and an air fryer.

5) Never leave a dog in a hot car while it’s 100 degrees

The Arnold Police Department issued an awful death notice this week. One of their K-9 animals, named Vader, died after heat exhaustion from being left in the car. The air conditioning was left on, but there was a malfunction. The dog’s life vest alert system, created for situations like these, also malfunctioned. This happened on Wednesday, when the temperature was 100 degrees or right near, with a heat index of get fucked.

Pardon my language (you should really get over it), but this can’t keep happening. With no offense to people who knew the cop or have a connection to the Arnold officers, this just can’t happen. Whatever the officer was doing, whether it be auditioning for a real life version of The Wire or investigating a crime, you can’t forget the dog is in the car for long enough to die.

I support cops and laugh at the “defund the police” loons, but this is inexcusable. Protocols, like rules, are made to be broken. You break them when four-year-old beautiful animals lose their life for no reason outside of equipment malfunction. If this was a regular person, they’d be publicly fried. Cops don’t get off any easier here.

Be better, my friends. Thanks for reading.