Buffa's Buffet: Losing good neighbors is a sad yet unavoidable ordeal

5 things on my mind as a terrible Monday slowly dies.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am tired. Like, dog tired. The kind of exhaustion where you nod off at a traffic light, and come out of it ready to fight four people. The mind is racing because the body’s battery hit the canvas, but you have to get home.

It’s not easy pounding 45 hours of physical grunt work, the kind where you lift heavy objects and do so outdoors half the time, and then compose an exciting night life. My night moves consist of air conditioning, part of a movie, herbal contemplation, and maybe some writing. As you can see, the last part hits the cutting room floor when the final product goes to print.

A combination of things kicked worked me over today. All of them are work-related, thus rendering them useless to explain to a regular audience. Delivering plumbing supplies is a good gig, but the job can slice on a Monday when you least expect it. If I go home with scratches and a few cuts, it’s considered a good day, health wise.

All of this to say that I am really tired, but let’s talk about a few things. A free buffet begins now. But first, subscribe so it lands in your email and my feel-good tank gets a beat.

Leigh Anne says so long to Princeton Heights!

Good neighbors aren’t easy to find. It’s not just a friend that happens to live next to you. It’s someone who knows when to come over, when not to, and how to just blend into a group. They also pet-sit on short notice, keep an eye on your home, and take zero crap. Princeton Heights, my small slice of south city, is losing a good one in Leigh Anne.

She was a good friend to the Buffa family, becoming real close with my wife. For a husband, a cool friend for the wife is like a best friend stunt double. I can step out, and not accumulate “anti-brownie” points for not sweltering in the heat with my wife. Leigh Anne easily laughs, never judges, and likes a good time. When the pool opened up the past two years, Leigh Anne made everything better.

That’s what good neighbors do. Make it all a little better. She’s taking off to Afton. They got lucky. We’re lucky she’s not that far away. Bye, LEIGH!! Also, she’s taking a pair of fine doggies with her: Marty and Cubby.

The Cardinals aren’t going to suck it away into the night

Nope. They aren’t going to lose every game. There’s the 15th highest payroll in baseball out there. Mustering an 11-24 record is the least they can do. Nolan Arenado has left more runners on than anyone would like to count (it’s around 78, or 78), but he’ll be fine. The pitching may not be fine, especially since it’s something new popping up every week.

Adam Wainwright was very impressive in his first start back from a groin injury… until he wasn’t. I’ll take the five innings of four-run ball, but it fits too snugly in with the rest of the results. What he didn’t do was put the game out of reach in the first inning. The Birds managed to get 27 outs and score more runs than the other team on Sunday. Ease your hearts, Cardinal Nation.

Oli Marmol won’t be fired. John Mozeliak is the guy who deserves more of an inspection, but he also won’t be fired. Still, he owns at least half of this mess. While Bill DeWitt Jr. signs all the checks and gives the yay or nay in the end, the deals that Mozeliak took to him that received a green light aren’t so common anymore. Expect a full article soon that directly measures his success, and how long it’s been since the team really won anything of value.

Division flags are nice and all, but they look hollow if a team knows you out in two days.

Heat is on Netflix!

Do I need to write more than that? The masterpiece of all masterpieces is streaming on the mega streamer. Michael Mann’s 1995 crime odyssey got a sequel novel last summer, and that best seller is now being turned into a movie. Mann will be behind the camera and holding the pen, and the cast members are being tallied as we speak.

The original remains a hypnotic experience, even on rewatch. The way Mann soaked you into that Los Angeles crime and punishment collision between badges and thieves always hits fresh upon revisiting. Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Tom Sizemore, and on. Kevin Gage’s Waingro as the catalyst. The bank shootout. The airport chase.

All of it still sizzles. HBO Max or Netflix. Now, go watch it. My dad watched it Saturday, and I put it on last night. Catch up with us.

Goodbye, Yellowstone. Hello, Yellowstone 2?

Once Kevin Costner’s exit became official, it was only a matter of time. The Paramount Original hit series, surrounding the events of a law-bending Montana family ranch led by Costner’s John Dutton, will finish up its run with the six remaining episodes that will air this fall.

Shortly afterwards, a sequel series-most likely starring Matthew McConaughey-will begin its run. The name isn’t out there yet. The cast isn’t official. Taylor Sheridan is most likely done writing it, and that’s the only ounce of finality in it. Casting will conclude in the early summer with a (most likely) summer-ish production start date with the late year release.

The thing about television shows is they don’t have to be all done before the first hour of a new season or half-season airs. They’re usually working on #3 while #1 is on and #2 is in the editing bay. All of this is a pure hypothetical, but the sequel series is now the hot spot for Yellowstone fans.

It’s a fitting end. Shows get rusty after five seasons 90% of the time. It takes a tighter walk across the high wire to pull off stories with built-in characters and keep the quality high at all times. Yellowstone has suffered a few storytelling lapses more than usual in the past season and a half. You can run out of ways to try and kill Dutton, and Costner rang the bell first.

Paramount relented, and is moving on. Good for all parties. Finish it right, and give the people all the Rip and Beth they can handle. I don’t know what the next series will entail, but it has my attention and eyes. Sheridan likes working with classic leading men, and that continues with McConaughey.

Russell’s biscuits *still* abide!

-Russell’s on Macklin’s biscuits are still the best in town. Say what you want about brunch and what it costs these days, but it takes a certain menu item that has an undeniable quality to it. Their large, uniquely shaped, and flaky biscuits are a meal in itself. Get them for home, and cook the rest. However, that deprives you of the real thing you’re paying for: a break from your home with good people and food.

That’s why you go. Just get ready for Trish’s Bloody Mary. The bartender doesn’t mess around with the vodka, so tip her well and hide a V8.

That’s all. Goodnight from Princeton Heights.