Mailbag Time! Dexter, Peacemaker, lockouts, OPS, tipping, meaning of life, and more

You asked the questions. Here are my answers.

I love answering questions.

One of the jokes I used to run on my radio shows was the idea of bringing on a guest and just letting them do a speed round on me. Rapid fire questions. No time to think or design an answer. Only respond and hope you don’t offend everyone.

In that light, I present the first mailbag session here at the Ramble. You asked, and I will ramble on a little in my answer. Let’s get started with Mike McClone’s question.

Q: Best old fashioned recipe, I’ve got woodford soaked cherries, and woodford reserve. Just not sure what else.

A: I hate to be the guy to say this, but I am not a big old fashioned fan. The Kentucky Mule is more my speed. The last OF I consumed came on a 12 Foot Beard Whiskey podcast I did, where they served drinks and I talked for 85 minutes. Woodford would definitely make it drinkable.

Q: When do you expect the MLB lockout to be over? And do you see it having an effect on fan attendance? —Kyle Spencer

A: I expect it to be over in March. I can’t see progress being made quickly enough for spring training to be started on time, but sometime in March is when both sides gets wise and find middle ground. If not, you bet your ass fan attendance will be affected. People don’t have time for overpaid athletes arguing with their boss about a raise.

Q: What....is you favorite color? —Sam Gregory

A: RED. Crimson red. A little darker than Cardinal red.

Q: Did you watch Dexter and the Dexter: New Blood? What did you think of the final season.....any chance it continues? —Seth Schoem

A: I literally just finished it last night. Here are my thoughts. It was too long. 10 episodes was too much. But the ending was a better finale for Dexter’s story. Could there be more? Certainly. It broke a lot of Showtime records in its opening month.

Q: What do you consider to be the greatest Horror movie of the 1980s?—Jeff Abney

A: Predator. Calling it a horror film may be a stretch, but think about it. They are dealing with a monster in his home ballpark, finding themselves picked off one by one in gruesome horror movie fashion. One of Arnold’s true classics. Yeah, it’s a horror flick. If not, then it’s First Power with Lou Diamond Phillips!

Q: Are you watching the peacemaker on HBO Max? If so, what do you think of it?—Charlie Cochran

A: I am really enjoying it. Three episodes in. James Gunn-style warped humor with solid action. It’s the John Cena we all like; the non diet version who isn’t asked to keep his character to one speed or type. The supporting cast makes the show endure itself to all audiences with its inclusive casting and sublime production value.

Q: What’s your beef with Eternals about? I just watched it for the first time and it wasn’t too bad. Certainly not Marvels greatest movie, but definitely no where near the worst.—Louis Meyer

A: Let’s start here, Louis. You liked it. I hated it. There are miles in between our takes, brother. I watched it. Gave it three hours of my damn time. It was just another superhero tale with no signature element. The humor was Michael Bay Transformers movie light, and Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek essentially had a chat while cashing their checks at the ATM. It was just a shitty movie and since Marvel’s bar is pretty high, the turd did put off a special brand of stink.

Q: Top 3 OPS (in order) for the Cardinals in 2022 in your opinion.—Adam Van Grack

A: Tyler O’Neill with a .895, followed by Nolan Arenado (.855) and Dylan Carlson (.828).

Q: Question for you? Do you believe that your roots in St. Louis influence your taste in food biased towards local taste?

Reason I ask is that I recently came across a TV series called Pizza World. Having traveled a fair bit, I knew that pizzas in Minnesota where I grew up were quite different to those in say Chicago or New York, but I had no idea how much regional differences actually existed before watching.—Dave Weber

A: Hello, old Banshee friend. I don’t believe my roots are biased towards local taste. St. Louis has plenty of delicious food options to offer, but great food is great food. The zip code doesn’t matter. I had some of the best seafood ever at a place called Drago’s in New Orleans. Filet mignon sliders at a bar in New York. Chicago pizza packs a certain punch. There are certain places and foods I prefer around St. Louis, but I don’t think it has deterred my overall foodie heart.

Q: What’s your take on all the new and upcoming Star Wars shows? Anything you’re excited/disappointed to see?—Scott Kurtz

A: Confession time. I am not a huge Star Wars fan. Like most of them, despise a few, and can take or leave the rest. So, when the 50th rendition of the past 10 years is released, I don’t exactly jump. Rogue One was a masterpiece and I enjoy watching The Mandalorian with my son—but if the rule for surviving tomorrow included the cease of future Star Wars stories, I wouldn’t throw a fit. While I wouldn’t exactly use excitement or disappointment with what’s coming next, I will just admit I don’t care that much.

Q: Why is tipping so foreign to everyone except Americans?—Rob Staggenborg

A: I guess we’re too much of the giving type. We are easy to praise someone essentially doing their job, or feel pity for the waitress who probably isn’t making a shit ton of money outside the tips. Or, we give a damn about each other yet prefer to show it in odd moments.

Q: Want to play softball? —Dirk Roberts

A: Maybe. Thinking about getting back into it possibly this spring.

Q: What is the meaning of life?-Mo Bulus

A: I think it’s an evolving concept, depending on where we take our lives. Once you have kids, it’s all about leaving something good behind for them while making sure you didn’t waste the time either. I’d say the meaning is finding that balance of giving and self-love.

Q: What was the dog's name on Petticoat Junction?—Gordon Montgomery

A: Higgins. I didn’t know, so I googled it. The cat’s name was Biggins.

Q: What is the greatest Mustang year of all time?—Billy Ogden

A: 1967.

Thank you for the questions. There were compelling and rich.