Ask Buffa Anything: Blowing the Blues up, picking Cards broadcasters, and waiting for ‘Yellowstone’

Let's get into it while Freezingrainageddon works over the Midwest.

If anything, people are predictable creatures. They repeat mistakes, run over the same paths, and like routines. This pertains to grocery stores and bad weather alerts. Nothing clears eggs, bread, and milk out of a store faster than a meteorologist telling people that 1/10 of an inch of ice is coming. Legit and halfway crazy, the French toast lovers are always prepared for a storm.

Me? I’d be loading up on chips, veggies, frozen fries, and Coke Zero. Coffee is never something a storm needs to remind me about reloading, and who the fuck eats enough eggs to worry about mowing through a dozen in the next 24 hours? If we’re baking, then yolk up. Fresh brownies is a requirement in any kind of stressful situation.

Questions can be stressful, unless you have fun with them. I asked my Facebook pals to throw whatever they wanted at me, and they kept it to sports and entertainment. While I was ready to reveal the color of my boxers or my thoughts on the last episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, those ruminations can wait for the next batch.

From Ryan Patrick: Do you think the Cardinals will be willing to open the pocket book a bit more since Amazon has bailed out Bally's?

Hard to tell. The deal doesn’t tentatively go active until 2025, so I’m not sure when revenue or cash flow from that new deal (is there a deal?) will affect player acquisitions. It does hopefully take the confusion out of where the baseball can be found. Right next to Reacher!

Now, in 2-3 years if the Amazon money stays and invests, the team could start to push some of that money into trades and deals. If they used it as a reason for not going further into spending, it should improve once the dust settles.

From my Cards blogging amigo Bill Ivie Jr: Build out the Cardinals TV and Radio broadcast teams the way you would like them based in the current roster of announcers. How many games do you give to the various commentators? Who do you like and who would you limit exposure on?

I’d like less Jim Edmonds on the TV broadcast, but not a larger amount of Brad Thompson. While I like my fair serving of optimistic Kool Aid man B.T., it can become overzealous. It’s like Cary Elwes in Liar Liar. Sometimes. Edmonds is just so full of himself, but then he’ll drop a fascinating nugget of knowledge on viewers. I want more Rick Ankiel, who has an amazing story to tell and knows when to shut the fuck up and let Chip take the ball up court.

I would love if somehow the baseball gods would forgive Dan McLaughlin further and let him do some more radio. He screwed up, lost his license and dream job, and has made a small comeback on the radio. I like how he pairs with John Rooney, and even in a three-voice split with Ricky Horton, who is good yet can run into familiar B.T. territory.

While he can talk baseball and gives great interviews, I would love to limit Mike Claiborne on radio play by play. His monotone call doesn’t really change no matter what is happening. He reacts to a double the same way he would a fly ball. It’s just not good radio. I’d love to get a whiskey with him.

Now, with recent developments, I would love to see Joe Buck and Chip Caray have a few games to kick old memories (and new baseball) back and forth. It’s in their blood and the Cardinals franchise, so make it happen… Amazon?

From Gary Lebcowitz: Do you think it is time to blow up the blues roster and have an actual rebuild instead of a retool as they call it? Has Bannister shown enough difference to be made full time coach or is there a better option this off season out there?

I think with another mediocre season or two, a complete rebuild will be the way. Doug Armstrong collected a cup, and then collected risky long term deals and saw the bottom drop out. Retain guys like Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas along with a few others, but rewire the entire ship for a better push towards playoff action. Too many “wishy washy” seasons can result in a waste of prime years from your young studs. Firing Berube was drastic and unnecessary, and the about even play since hasn’t changed my opinion.

Drew Bannister has shown some nice strides with the roster, but it’s a very small sample size and not enough of a change in play. Over 6-8 games, they lose four and win four, give or take a nudge in either direction. The way out of the mess isn’t going to be a sharp 90-degree turn, either. If next season goes the way of the dodo, it’s time to rip it all down and start over. Possibly without Doug Armstrong. WHOA! WHAT?! You can only fire so many coaches before you need to get fired yourself.

From Scott R. Smith (and Charlie Cochran for that matter): Will Yellowstone be coming back? I see that 1923 will have a second season which I absolutely love.

November, 2024. That’s what The Hollywood Reporter said two months ago for the final installment of Yellowstone. It would be nearly three years after the last batch of Season 5 aired. The drama between Kevin Costner, Taylor Sheridan, and Paramount Plus really came to a head, delaying production and clouding scripts. It’s perfectly fine for a great show to run 5-6 seasons before finding a suitable end. The entire show was running out of steam, nearly killing Costner’s patriarch twice. He may have decided to put a bullet in his own character.

But Costner got the itch to finally make his epic film series (titled Horizon) and didn’t want to wait on television shooting schedules. I understand both sides. Sheridan is a maverick storyteller, but he has a very crowded table. It’s much more crowded than before, the same going for Costner.

Hopefully, Thanksgiving comes with a fresh portion of Dutton justice. 1923 is renewed for a second season, but it’ll be hard wrangling Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for 8-12 episodes. The strike really extended the waits on these series.

From David Browning: Why is “The Bear” so popular? I’ve tried forcing myself to watch maybe 4 times and just can’t get past episode 3. It is a hot mess. Horribly boring.

David, from someone who adores this show and its two seasons more than 98% of television over the past six to seven years, let me urge you to go back in. One more time. I started and stopped once myself before binging the entire season in a day. The early episodes are intense, relentless, and thrown at the viewer in a jagged pill sort of way, but the fifth and sixth episodes really sink the emotion and moral of the show in. That’s where the greatness starts to pick up.

Ceres, the sixth episode, brings in the Michael character, played by NONE OTHER THAN JONATHAN BERNTHAL! From there, it really takes off. Don’t force yourself to watch it though. People could tell me to sink into Seinfeld or Big Bang Theory again, and I would tell them it’s not happening. Some things are not for everybody, even the fascinating drama show of Carmen Berzatto and his family, both blood and the ones he chose.

Give it another shot. Watch Ceres and see if you want to watch the previous two episodes. Jump around a bit. Consuming television is your playground to build.

From Robert Thornton: Do you ever think we’ll get baseball in Australia?

There is, or was, baseball in Australia called the Australian Baseball Federation. I’m not sure how active it still is. While there have been around four Australian born players to participate in the all star game, the main problem with baseball popularity in your homeland is the popularity with other sports. Also, getting scouts to head over there probably isn’t easy when the odds of finding a star are low.

It has to do with how much care and attention they put into the sport, which I don’t think there is at the moment. The St. Louis Blues do have the only Australian born hockey player on their team in Nathan Walker, but it’s a rare find even in hockey.

From Scott: Any word on The Orville?

Seth McFarlane’s Hulu show ran three seasons and while he’s claiming that a fourth is being written, the chances of it getting made anytime soon are remote. Again, the strikes and pandemic did a number on certain TV shows and their follow-up seasons. Chances are it has a 30/70 chance of happening. While Seth is writing it, he could be working on other scripts as well. Fingers crossed for Mr. Smith, but it’s not looking good.

That’s all the mailbox brought today, friends. Be safe out there today with the crazies, bad roads, unsure motorists, and of course the everchanging St. Louis weather. My buddy Chad said it keeps the city from becoming too populated, the extremes too hard to handle. I believe he’s right… most of the time.

So long until the next dose.