5 Things On My Mind: Hoping for city streets not to be hockey rinks soon may be a dream
I have a movie idea that Hollywood needs to pounce on quickly.
As I sip coffee and prepare for another day of rigorous plumbing supply activity, I ponder what driving down a snow-less, ice-less city street will feel like. Strange weather that a city can’t handle throws everything off and makes ordinary souls dream for reality. Madonna may be a wiser one to explain it, but it will be my truck wheels being touched for the very first time by pavement in two weeks.
Since St. Louis doesn’t plow city side streets, it’s been Steinberg Park Central over here in Princeton Heights. While I stew over what I can’t control and move through what I can, here’s five things on my mind:
1) When I say it’s a solid sheet of ice on my neighborhood streets, it’s not hyperbole. The St. Louis Blues could have practiced outside my house for a week, the ice was so thick. The normally wide and breathable January Avenue has been partially or mostly covered for close to two weeks since that 2025 storm stepped in and said hello. A look down Goethe, Milentz, or Finkman includes at least a 60/40 split in ice to snowy pavement. It’s amazing what city decision makers can get away with it when a weak precedent is included.
“City streets don’t get plowed.”
Wrong answer! That may work when the forecast calls for a lot and the grocery shelves are emptied only for a few inches to hit the ground. With a winter storm like this, a faster and more consistent response would be lovely. Put some cash in my hand and a plow on my truck, and let’s rock. I am sure 15-30 other folks in my surrounding neighborhood would pledge to make the streets safer. In other words, a chunk of ice can be as threatening as a weapon with older people and treacherous walks to automobiles. These people can’t drive properly with naked streets, much less an inch of ice and a few inches of snow on top.
Hey Tishaura Jones, where’s the Rams settlement money? Some of that could go towards employing trucks to plow some of these shitty streets. That shouldn’t be too hard to come up with for a leader. If not, what good is a Mayor if they can’t help their citizens get to work? Mother Nature can put her foot down especially hard, but there needs to be a better response. This was pathetic.
The last thing a Mayor should do is forget about the hard-working taxpayers who pack her community with purpose and fill restaurants and shops with business. Block us into our homes and we’ll show you the pandemic sequel. Do the right thing, Mrs. Jones, and fix this shit. Or, get out and we’ll give Cara Spencer a shot.
2. Major League is streaming on Prime. With a subscription, the wonderful Bob Uecker is yours for a slick 100 minutes of 90s baseball film glory. Minutes after learning of his passing, the first inclination was to check Prime for the classic and there it was waiting for a visit. Before Wesley Snipes didn’t pay his taxes, he broke into a spring training facility. Before Charlie Sheen found tiger blood, he found a mohawk and fastball control under the tutelage of the wise Lou Brown. Before Tom Berenger kicked ass as a substitute teacher, he wore bad knees like a roughneck poem. Uecker, though, is the magic sauce in that pot of goods.
3. September 5, like other recent STL releases that came out weeks ago on the coasts, doesn’t sit in the strongest part of my memory. It was viewed during a screener binge back over a month ago. What I do remember about the new Midwest release is the white knuckle tension created and the performances. Everybody in that tense, bottleneck true story setting about the sports TV crews rising up at the 1972 Olympics in Munich gives a good performance, but Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro are standouts. As a producer and coordinator who makes key choices during tragedy, they cut through the cloth of character and actor to make us feel the gravity of their emotions.
Millions of people watched it across the world; they had to deal with the instantaneous fallout. Sarsgaard can do a lot with a little so his sharpness isn’t surprising, but it’s the breakout work of John Magaro in a role tailor made for him that sticks with you.
4. The Blues may be inconsistent in the win/loss department, but they’re scoring a lot of goals. In eight of their last eleven games, the Blues have scored four or more goals. That followed a four week period where Jim Montgomery had them winning more games but failing to score consistently. This is the product of a roster buying in hard to a head coach’s philosophy. It’s also a coach who knows how to adjust on the fly and do what his players need.
One can’t forget the ability of Monty to call the team out after a recent putrid performance, and then see the team respond with TWO big wins over Calgary at home. The Blues had a worse home record than road record going into this week, and that’s the opposite feel of a strong playoff team. By pounding on the Flames to the tune of five goals to one in those two wins, the team is making a statement that it can put up some goals. It’s not just Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, or Pavel Buchnevich either. They have seven players with double-digit goals.
5. Attention, Hollywood decision-makers: I have an idea. Since Jason Statham, Gerald Butler, and Liam Neeson are guaranteed “Cheap budget, good box office” pros, put all three of them in a movie. Think of it as a great food dish: three healthy proteins, spices, butter, a veggie or two, and mix it together. Add some comedy to the pan and let the action stars unwind with their hidden personas while kicking legitimate ass.
The bad guy’s will feel their butts kicked all the way through the box office. Instead of expensive world-building superhero films with the request of 3-4 more films ahead or a tasteless remake, give us three likable dudes with some laughs and action. Maybe call Paul Feig and let him write it and David Leitch direct the movie. Just an idea. Hurry up, though. They’re not getting any younger.
That’s all I have. It’s time to finish the day and think about a weekend with no work and cold temps. The snow and ice may be melting right now, but whatever’s left over will freeze along with the rain tomorrow night. Stay safe, informed, and ready for another plate from the Buffet tomorrow.