Buffa's Buffet: 5 things on my mind

Tom Stillman sets the bar for sports owners also being diehard fans.

Tom Stillman likes to hunt turkey, but he does get down about seeing players leave town. 

The St. Louis Blues majority owner jumped on the Cam and Strick podcast this week to discuss all things hockey and what's happening with the team, but the first 10-15 minutes of the pod centered around the strategy, preparation, and action of hunting turkey and deer in the woods. Normally, you may be sitting there rolling your eyes and waiting for the content to get moving, but I like the mixed bag launch. 

Do sports owners mourn the departure of team favorites?

Stillman was asked about feeling sad when players leave or they can't be re-signed, something Cam Janssen and Strickland brought up with David Perron. The Detroit Red Winger won a Stanley Cup in St. Louis and found a new level to his play during his recent stint-his third-with the team. Stillman said he was down when it became impossible to keep Perron around, a salary cap casualty that left a gaping hole of production on the Blues top line. 

He also dished on his working relationship with General Manager Doug Armstrong, and how they communicate and come together on potential trades and signings. I find the background, behind the scenes part of sports increasingly more fascinating than the sport itself at times. Seeing how front offices operate now as opposed to 10-20 years ago, and downloading the hierarchy of teams and how their cap issues are relative and different. 

And it may be beating a dead horse by now, but Janssen and Strickland do get Stillman to be more candid with each five minute block of the podcast. Having a former player and hockey journalist fire questions at an owner they know yet may not know everything about is enticing for a Blues fan, or it should be. 

Winning games is pretty cool too. Something the Blues have done twice since their regular season kicked off over the weekend. Last night it was Justin Faulk netting two goals and Jordan Binnington making a breathtaking stop against the Seattle Kraken, a team that made a late charge to make the final score more nail biting than usual: 4-3, St. Louis. 

Redbox for the win?

One of the things I've discovered since starting the day job (yesterday was one month) is that streaming movies at home and finding access to others in unusual areas is a big deal. Speaking of hierarchy, studios making movies go direct to streaming or find streaming within weeks of theatrical release helps the day job warriors like myself. 

Everybody has walked by a Redbox kiosk at some point in their life, but now they're available via an app on your Roku at home or on multiple other platforms. So, instead of having to find a physical Redbox, you can sit back on your couch at home and rock the movie comfortably. The pricing for that benefit though may change your mind. Instead of being $2-3 for a rental, it's $6.99, $9.99, or even $20. If you're watching with a few people, it's more than worth it. However, flipping $20 for a movie for yourself isn't something most people do.

But when you think about it, going out to a theater will cost gas and pricey snacks if you indulge. Waiting for the release to get cheaper only brings on more new movies to stack on top of it. When you think about it, $20 for a relatively new movie from the comfort of your home has its benefits. Redbox is onto something. 

ALSO: Roku boxes are heroes in technological disguise. 

The best drink at Starbucks in the cold weather

Medicine Ball hot tea. A combo of four different teas, honey, lemon, and whatever magic dust they drop into that hot double cup. While the Flat White latte-basically a stronger latte due to the ristretto shots used-still takes the cake as their best year round beverage of choice, the chillier seasons require a sickness-destroying drink like the Medicine Ball. I was in the drive-thru one day and asked the barista for the best cup of magic they had to make one feel better, and this is what she offered. 

For someone who likes to talk and HATES being sick, it's a game-changer. Warning: There are times when they're completely out of this concoction due to the secret getting out from posts like these. Ah, the double-edged sword of coverage. 

Helping the old man

There's a rule in our house. Maybe it was drafted by me, or just became its own thing eventually. If my wife can't fix something in the house, my dad will have to fix it. If they can't fix it, we call somebody. Once upon a time, my dad once helped us find out where the water shutoff was in our basement. Another time, he helped me put up a gazebo on our deck. We also fixed a collapsed fence, albeit temporarily. 

The old man, aka Rich or dad, is helping the Buffa family this fall by picking up mini Buffa from school up to five days a week. A job I had for years belongs to Buffa Sr. since the day job takes away my afternoon availability. So, when he needs help with anything, I am essentially a YES man. 

Whatever he needs, I'm there. It could be a scene like from THE TOWN, where Ben Affleck enlists Jeremy Renner's help in solving a problem. It could be just a couple guys delivering a very large flat screen to a cousin's house, like we did last night. What sounds like an easy grab and go became a project of sorts, with TV mounts being taken off and another being put in its place. Voices and tempers rise like the Phoenix easy when it comes to Italians, but throwing in a Lebanese origin tale into the equation makes things extra interesting. 

No matter what, though, it's always a good time and there will always be laughs. That's what a fine relationship with your dad at 40 gets you. I can't imagine a week where we don't hang out at least once, or where we don't make each other laugh. 

The cruelty of life is the unsavory thoughts flying into your head at random junctions, and one of those is wondering when the chance to hang with my mom and dad will expire or not exist anymore. There's little cadence to these thoughts. They come and go, fucking with me at will. You can't waste time at this time. You just can't. So, when the dad asks me to come move this or hold that, I am game. It gives me a chance to also see and hug my mom, who is more reserved and doesn't ride around with us crazies but still is the glue who holds the family together. 

My advice is to hug your parents, siblings, or whatever family or friend who you depend on to make your life better. They most likely depend on you too. Before I leave you and in the comforting embrace of not ending this buffet on a downer, let's fire off some random final hits. 

~It's almost time for a stronger beer companion. Temps are dropping, moods are shifting, and the time for a willing beer with some backbone does come into play. Stella Artois, as I stated in an earlier buffet, will never move out of my fridge. However, the Boulevard brew packs a damn punch and you only need one or two bottles to feel better about life and people in general.

-I don't care who wins the World Series, but seeing a long shot like the Phillies shock the world would be a sweet result. Like the 2006 and 2011 Cardinals, they barely got into the postseason and have dispatched two teams (St. Louis included) with better records. I'd like them or San Diego to make it because they're both long shots in relation to who was picked, but Philadelphia baseball fans deserve a big win. The last time they were this far, the Cards were looking back at them. 

-The Blues starting 2-0 doesn't mean shit when it comes to fans losing their marbles after the first win. 80 games left in the season and a team that has a good shot at finishing second in the Western Conference, Blues fans will put one foot off a ledge after the first setback. To sports fans, the season didn't just start. There's no time for losses. 

-The X-factor for the Blues this year is Jordan Binnington. If he's the Binner from late last season or 2019-20, the team is positioned a lot better. But if the goaltending isn't strong, there's a larger need for goal production and someone on defense stepping up. As you saw last night, a lead and game can change in a heartbeat. But Binnington was there with an amazing save and overall performance, which helped St. Louis hold on. Binnington, who has a nice six-year contract, has to be top notch. 

That's my unprofessional, semi-famous regional opinion on the hockey team. That's also my final thing to say. Have a good one.