5 Things On My Mind: Why Harrison Bader was right to opt out of Philly option

Go get that money, Mr. Bader. Make them pay you standard fees.

Respecting your own talent is an underrated quality in life. We spend so much time observing, resisting the urge to judge, and thinking about everyone else’s quality. All the while, our own value goes unseen. It’s more humbling and gratifying to hear it from other people, such as a personal writing idol. Without getting into specifics, I recently received a string of highly positive messages from someone I look up to in the writing world, and it has lit a fire under my ass ever since.

He said I had found my voice as a writer, and it was the best thing to hear. It would be Albert Pujols telling a younger slugger that they belonged at the party. If I had said it myself, the impact would have been lighter. Still, knowing your own worth and what you’re good at is essential in life.

At my day job, I offer a strength to any complicated matter. Today, Andy and I teamed up to unload a custom-built shower door for someone as tall as Shaquille O’Neal. Listen, nobody calls me over to give them a hand using a power tool. I am the power tool. Written words and lifting heavy stuff are my skills, and I remind myself to consider moving forward when assessing value. Hence, the current article you’re reading will be for paid subscribers only —or at least the rest of it.

Before you think about unsubscribing due to an increase in the price for 100% access, remember that half of the future output and a boatload of recent free content are available to free subscribers. But a man has to eat, so the paid followers must be offered something more enticing to keep giving me dollar bills.

Here are five things on my mind at the moment. I’m talking about right now, and not yesterday or tomorrow’s mindset:

~Harrison Bader declined a mutual $10 million option to spend another year with the Phillies. This decision most likely has little to do with the fact that the former Cardinal doesn’t like dealing with the deranged Philly fanbase, and more with the fact that the guy wants to get paid. He turns 32 in June, and the clock is ticking on getting that final juicy contract. Or, he remains an annually for sale utility journeyman outfielder who offers occasional pop at the plate and Gold Glove-worthy defense in center field.

It’s a smart time to hold out for more cash. Bader put together his highest WAR in four years, which came with the Cardinals. 3.9 wins above replacement is nothing to scoff at. Get paid, Mr. Bader. Still, the only athlete I interviewed one-on-one twice.

~I have little desire to see Black Phone 2. With no disrespect to the highly talented Ethan Hawke, a sequel wasn’t essential. The original made for a fine thriller, but studios keep insisting on searching for the second strike of lightning with the same product. The haphazard plot for Part 2 didn’t help. It was the epitome of jumping the shark, then jumping two more sharks immediately. Unnecessary. Please give me instead a Training Day prequel with John David Washington playing a younger version of Alonzo Harris, a character his father won an Oscar for 24 years ago.

~When in doubt, cook three eggs and throw in some cheese for the late meal win. Bread and a vegetable don’t dampen the party, but a simple combination of protein and dairy does the trick. A trio of eggs makes for a high protein count, and the cheese gives the bones in an aging body some extra juice. Preaching to the choir, but it’s a decent note to add in a day and age when DoorDash drains bank accounts worldwide—having worked both sides of that equation, delivering and consuming as a customer, it’s not worth the hassle. Cook at home and make it quick so the movie or TV show doesn’t get cold.

~Having delivered to the city and county over the past three years for Crescent, I can honestly inform the St. Louis-bound soul of a precursor for the shocks on their vehicles. The city is awful when it comes to roads and road rage, and the county has better roads but double the rage. Everybody wakes up every day at a certain level of mad, and the travel usually ends up twisting the knife. A utopia in my mind begins and ends with better roads. Think of it like the atmosphere in a sports clubhouse during winning and losing times. Better roads lead to better moods, just like wins delete team drama.

~I do wish life itself were easier. It goes beyond being nice to others and keeping your body and vehicle healthy. It’s more about the challenge of making enough money and dealing with all the extra charges that regular life brings. The regular bills, car expenses, medicines, pet fees, groceries, gas, and numerous other monthly requirements make living harder than it should be. I work a hard 40 hours each week and make a good wage, but it’s barely enough to cover the bills. That’s a terribly sad fact.

One more thing. Try to be less tense than the people in the workplace. Be the calm, not the storm. Others will want to be around you more often.

Take luck,

DLB