5 things on my mind: Nolan Gorman is doom for pitchers right now
Also, a great and cheap eating spot in University City and my take on the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark narrative.
There comes a time when you just need to get some things off your chest, and this seems like a nice forum to discuss the important and not so important issues taking up space in my head. Or, it could be important only to me, but perhaps eventually to you. Welcome to the latest 5 things on my mind.
1. Stormin Norman
After a slow start to the season that had him finishing April with just four home runs, Nolan Gorman is bashing the baseball again. Since May 17, he’s hit nine home runs. The slugging percentage was a paltry .376 on May 1. Today, it started at a robust .508. Half of the time he’s connecting with the baseball, it’s going for extra bases.
If only the team couldn’t disguise him with a mustache and different hair so he could hit twice in the lineup. The Phillies pitchers didn’t scare him. The Astros arms think he’s Albert Pujols’s lefthanded buddy after the first two games of the series. If there’s a player not named Masyn who is immovable or pretty close, it’s Gorman. I also think his defense will keep improving; the cannon for an arm certainly helps.
But it’s his bat that will get him paid and give this team the power depth they need. Gorman has 55 homers in his first 261 baseball games. That’s a game-changing power. He’ll miss the ball quite a bit, but he’ll pulverize when there’s a connection.
Also, he’s doing this right now because it’s Ray Lankford’s birthday today. Happy 57th, Ray. Gorman, who wears Lankford’s classic #16 jersey number, wanted to give him a proper tribute.
2. Angel Reese didn’t make the WNBA relevant again
Caitlin Clark did. It’s almost too easy to understand. Anyone without skin in the game could figure it out. I’m a guy who doesn’t watch a lick of or care about NBA or WNBA games, so I say this from the comforting confines of Switzerland: I had no idea Reese, a player for the Chicago Sky, existed until she committed a flagrant foul on Clark earlier this week and found herself in an orbit of the national conversation. That’s because it’s Clark, the college and pro phenom, who brought all this attention to the sport.
It’s her, not Reese or anyone else, who will help young female athletes reach the promised land and get paid. I got a laugh when Reese told reporters they were there for her and that it’s not about one person. Wrong. Right now, it’s all Clark. And shortly down the line, Caitlin will get Angel and other players better contracts by bringing more attention to a sport that can’t outnumber a packed D.M.V. at one of their championship parades.
Angel just needs to ride the wave. Don’t be a bully on the court. Don’t walk up and intentionally foul Clark or any other player in a dirty way because you’re jealous of someone finally bringing attention to your sport, and it’s not you. It’s got nothing to do with black and white, male or female, etc. It’s pure jealousy.
Angel just needs to shut up and play. Before she leaves the court the next time the Sky gets a Fever, shake Caitlin’s hand and say thank you. She made you and the sport relevant.
3. Miles Mikolas pulled after 62 pitches: good or bad?
It’s fine. If you have a problem with Oli Marmol pulling the Cardinals pitcher today to go to his bullpen shutdown crew, your baseball brain is malfunctioning. Mikolas threw 62 pitches to get six innings under his belt, which is fine because the third time through the order can be a doozy for him. He stays in and gives up a game-tying home run, and fans will chew Marmol’s ear off.
Like I said in last night’s column, managing the bullpen is the toughest job a manager has. But today was teed up perfectly to put in JoJo Romero (only seven pitches), Andrew Kittredge, and Ryan Helsley. You have one of the best shutdown crews in baseball. The Cards will be okay if they can reach the playoffs, and score runs when they do. All the starter and other relievers need to do is get the game to the seventh inning. That didn’t happen on Monday, and it led to problems.
The day and age-man, it was a good time-where a starter throws 100 pitches or close every start is dead. It’s not just in St. Louis. I used to love seeing Chris Carpenter polish off a team with 105 pitches before the bullpen got warm, but these days it’s not that way. Sabermetrics, extra thinking, the dissection of injury causes, and other random shit have turned managers against the old Dusty Baker way of grinding an arm into the ground.
Mikolas getting 18 outs is fine and dandy. If you lose today’s game, the deficit starts to widen again. It was a good call. Some Cards fans live to roast the manager. Meanwhile, Bob Gibson rolls over in his grave at a starter going 62 pitches deep into a game. Back in the day, that was around half of his workload in a start. Different times.
4. Come to University City for tasty, cheap comfort food
There isn’t a single item on the menu of Chicago Fish and Chicken Grill that doesn’t make you think of a warm food blanket being thrown around your shoulders. Breaded jumbo shrimp, fried mushrooms and chicken, Philly Cheesesteak, double cheeseburger and fries, etc. The chicken wings, thighs, and strips all looked plentiful and filling.
I tried the double cheeseburger and fries, which only cost $8.99 before tax. The container was full of hot fries and the burger weighed half a pound, knocking me to the ropes of my lunch. You eat too much in a hot warehouse, and the afternoon burn will make your personal space feel like a jet engine broiling near you. I said fuck it, bring on the grease. I couldn’t get over how fresh the fries from France were, staying hotter than ever on the walk back across the street.
That’s another bonus. C.F.C.G. sits right behind our warehouse in University City, at the northwest intersection of Vernon and Kingsland. It’s crossing a street for me, which is nice for a guy feeling the early onset of summer moisture. My wife and I had a meal for just over $31, and that’s with tip. Places like these establishments-where there’s tasty, care, and affordability put into a product-are rarer than ever these days.
Head over and try them out. Look for the outside design of a former auto body shop, and head in for smells that could make your stomach write bad checks.
5. No more Bad Boys for me
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence may be bad boys for life, but I am not. Three films was enough. Heck, two of them were pretty good. Back in 2020, the third installment of the action film series, originally helmed by Michael Bay, came out to nice reviews and a sexy gross. So, the powers that be in Hollywood decided to chase more money and make another one.
Business wise, it makes a lot of sense. Creatively, it’s shit. These days, my tolerance for shitty movies is pretty low. If I take an evening screening after a long nine hours at work, I will be in a bad mood. It’s instantaneous. Giving my time to a movie is a big deal these days, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die looks like the same rendition of the last three films.
The two leads wrestle older life, bad guys, and differing opinions of fashion as their facial hair doesn’t change over the course of a weeks-long story. Lots of flash, camera cuts, and stunt doubles. All in all, something I can skip. For some, more of this could be a good thing. Critics even agree for the most part, giving it a solid 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. A few years ago, I would have taken the plunge on this useless sequel. Today, I will happily skip (perhaps watch it later) and keep binging Loudermilk on Netflix.
Speaking of that finely written comedy series starring Ron “don’t call me a poor man’s Paul Rudd” Livingston, expect a review after I complete the third and final season. For now, I’m done. The barrels are emptied, but the Buffet stays open 24/7 to new readers.