5 things on my mind: Redbird revival, steady Brolin, gas station food battles, and my all-time lady crush
Did the Cardinals wake up suddenly on this homestand? Let's climb over the hump.
To many, the AMC hit series, Mad Men, is known as the launching pad for hometown kid Jon Hamm. Playing Don Draper, the boozed-up, cheating bastard who writes brilliant copy, the actor had the biggest steak on the show’s plate when it came to screen time and presence.
Christina Hendricks ran laps around him for me. Sorry, Jon. We may be cousins from distant relatives, but the truth is Hendricks is why cavemen chiseled on walls. She could break a man with a single stare, while you fish their brain with catchy phrases and half-hearted sales pitches. Her Joan could just walk up to a fellow employee, bluntly cutting down the moral high ground standing in front of her.
#1-The Hendricks Factor
Also, if I may speak candidly, she’s gorgeous. Hendricks is the person who gets to come to my house, on only one occasion, and kindly tell my wife to leave the house. She gets Chris Evans, and I get Mrs. Hendricks. Yes, she did recently marry an Italian gentleman who looks like a lucky guy, but I can still drool and flirt from thousands of miles away. In a sea of big-talking men who thought they controlled the game, she was truly their Queen.
I’ll also recommend her Instagram page to my readers who are hardcore IG fans. She posts often, offering breathtaking wedding photos or her simply getting fitted for costume on a set. There are also pictures with her beau and her family. Good stuff, hot fucking lady. Anyway, I digress.
#2-The Outer Range of science fiction
My show of the moment is the Prime Video drama series, Outer Range. It’s got just enough “what the heck is going on” mojo working to match its very game and dedicated cast, including Josh Brolin as the patriarch of the Abbott Ranch, a central pawn and location in the television series.
The hybrid comparison still stands strong; think of Yellowstone shaking hands with Signs, and wrestling with Requiem for a Dream. Imogen Potts and Lily Taylor are great, as is Tamara Podemski as the resilient sheriff toeing the line of local racist threats and otherworldly developments. This is Brolin’s show, even if the always solid Will Patton gives him a run for his money on occasion.
Don’t get me wrong, the bench is strong and deep here, even flipping Reacher’s heroic sidekick family man (Shane Sipnos) into a greedy, self-driven bully trying to quietly take over his own family throne. Brolin just lands the most punches, especially the hardest ones. You feel the weariness of his Royal Abbott, harnessing life-changing secrets and a mountain of guilt over pure choices. The series doesn’t cling to a religious or political position, only offering an out-there story with a few intriguing threads building slowly.
Before I started the final episode of the second season, I wondered if the final moments would be some sort of cliffhanger. That’s my only nitpick. The way that a show starts building a runway with a plane fueled up and ready to go. Brolin, who directed a stellar episode in season 2, has hinted in interviews of a third season. The show is Prime’s highest rated shows/movies since its debut on Thursday. I kindly request some kind of closure that only leaves wanting more. After all, it took us two years to get a new season.
I can tell you that the cliffhanger was present by the time the credits rolled, but my hunger for more was palpable. I am enjoying a show whose ambition never wavers. I’ll have a full review after it marinates and starts bubbling up to the surface.
What else doesn’t go away? Gas station food. It’s always there, becoming less gross, and still booming with temptation.
A Prime Example: QuikTrip’s pizza.
#3-To QT or not to be?
When it first came out, I was ready to bypass it every time. But every single time I grab a tall boy Coke Zero (they’re one of the very few who sell ice cold 24 ounce soda cans), I stare down that one slice, boxed up treat. The sandwiches and wraps are decent, and the breakfast offerings are fine as long as they don’t include brisket. Go to Salt and Smoke or Pappy’s for that shit.
Just saying no isn’t so easy when you’re a hungry, stressed out truck driver. Easy to throw down and move on greasy protein treats shout loud during that walk to the bathroom and soda chamber. It’s hard. That’s all. Then again, that’s not all. There will be another temptation, followed by others. Can we say no? Sure. It’s every time that gets hard.
#4-The one decent thing at Bread Company
There aren’t a lot of good things to get anymore at Panera, aka St. Louis Bread Company. The portions are smaller, the prices are higher, and the quality is down. Going there for a sandwich used to be something that kept you under $10, but that’s a sad cry. For most sandwiches, that price point is a dream. Once again, the quality hasn’t changed. It’s not like Gordon Ramsay is back there whipping up amazing turkey sandwiches. These are most likely teenagers to slightly older employees who are overworked due to short staffing or a general carelessness for their job. I get it.
But why did the steak sandwich shrink so much? Who threw a hot wheel car at the once huge cinnamon roll from Ant-Man’s holster? It’s consumerism at its worst, which is common in 2024.
However, there is one thing that still sells and produces a WAWG (wins above wallet gouging) that you are satisfied with: the tuna salad sandwich. Oh yeah, half the people on this subscriber list just jumped ship. Outside of politics, nothing divides more people than tuna. Adding salad doesn’t always help either.
I love the sandwich, which is one of their cheapest menu items. You can get this for less than $8, and the portion is still decent. You won’t be hungry, and the quality hasn’t dropped. They didn’t just go heavy on miracle whip, and call it a day. On a roster that was once robust, it stands alone as one of the most reliable buys. If it’s not there anymore, avoid them all together.
Yes, the broccoli cheddar soup is great, but it’s also loaded with sodium and so expensive. If you’re going that naughty with the food, just go smash a pizza somewhere. It’s not as great as it used to be, and definitely not popular on 80 degrees-plus days.
#5-Who are these Cardinals?
St. Louis entered a baseball game on May 21 with a 15-24 record, hardly a getaway day for the poor-playing team. After today’s sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, they are 9-2 in their last 11 games and have climbed from last place to third in the division. Baltimore came into town with 29 wins, and left with the same amount. The Cardinals go from near flatlining to a respectable 23-26. What happened?
They started hitting AND scoring runs. In seven of those eleven games, they have scored at least five runs. The starting pitching has been there, and the bullpen hasn’t buckled. They got big innings from Kyle Leahy and John King in the pen today after a storm washed out the final third of Tuesday’s game, and delayed the completion of today’s contest. I’m not taking full credit because I went to Monday’s game, when the offense had already woken up.
I’ll say this because it can flip back on Friday after a day off tomorrow: a lot can change so quickly in baseball due to the sheer number of games and how a couple bounces of luck your way can steer a series in a healthy direction. It’s the little things, like Sonny Gray pulling himself out of a game or Nolan Gorman smacking a two-run homer before noon today to secure a big series win. A big turn like Michael Siani smacking a three-run homer on Monday for his first big league homer. The little things add up.
Suddenly, the Cardinals have rejoined the human race. Pitching may win championships, but some offense can reverse a bad streak.