Things On My Mind: Arenado arrives, Plaza Frontenac cinema closes, and Robin Williams still amuses

My late grandmother adored that place, which championed foreign language and independent cinema like few theaters in town.

Let’s get into it on a rainy, cold Sunday and forget the numbering cap. Instead of “5 things,” let’s get into all things and do it in a fast-paced news style delivery. First of all, the reappearance of old school hockey on Saturday night. What a glorious sight to see the Broad Street Bullies suddenly appear.

~In the words of the late Bob Uecker voicing Harry Doyle, the United States of America and Canada hockey teams appeared to be beating the crap out of each other last night. Before any puck action could get underway at the Four Nations Tournament, three fights broke out. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk took on separate opponents while St. Louis Blue and Canadian defenseman Colton Parayko slapped around a tiny American. It was reminiscent of old school hockey where full length brawls broke out before play and a safety measure didn’t block out the nuts and bolts of the game. Give me more of that.

~The Plaza Frontenac movie theater will close in a week. The kind of European-inspired cinema house that didn’t have any new tricks, it played to older crowds like my movie-loving grandmother, Henrietta. It held countless film festivals and hosted unique films that wouldn’t be caught dead at Ronnies. They were averse to anything involving superhero tights. Concession combo orders, arcades, and family-friendly fare was pushed to the side for a more intimate experience. I’ll never forget watching No Country for Old Men with my dad and brother stuffed like sardines shoulder-to-shoulder. They played movies that most theaters outside of the now closed Tivoli would never play, like international thrillers and dramas that didn’t always have a big lead to help boost ticket sales. A dying breed, it’ll have one more weekend of service, closing on the same day as Mom’s Deli.

~Attention, snow and ice. You can leave now. Seriously, this ‘82 blizzard baby who doesn’t mind colder weather doesn’t need any more fluff around town. This morning, the Princeton Heights streets were slick and wet, sending cars spinning out or sliding to the curb. It was like watching Mad Max: Suburban Road unfold before my eyes. Tuesday and Wednesday, a legit 6-8 inches of snow is expected. We know Colorado isn’t in our blood. More proof isn’t necessary.

~If there is one severely under-appreciated Robin Williams movie, it’s Man of the Year. The story of a comic talk show host who gets thrown into the Presidential race is quietly one of Barry Levinson’s films and the chance to see Lewis Black and Christopher Walken rant comedy for two hours. Laura Linney, Jeff Goldblum, and a good cast feed juice into an election conspiracy plot, but it’s the comedic gold chains in the script that create the most laughs. If you want a funny story about election night picking a talk show host (in the vein of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert) with Williams at his funnyman best, turn this on during your next Prime surf.

“Politicians are like diapers; they should be changed frequently and for the same reason. Please keep that in mind at your next election.”

~Cinnamon-crusted almonds remain a killer snack that isn’t going to kill you. The sugar does its job, but you’ll be getting the necessary protein from one of the healthiest nuts around, and written by a human nut! Available at your local gas station. Show me a faster and better lunch than two Volpi meat/cheese sticks and a bag of almonds loaded up with cinnamon. I felt supernatural for the next 30 minutes, and then I passed out.

~Nolan Arenado entered camp today and gave Oli Marmol a big hug. It was the kind of hug that nearby reporter Derrick Goold captured on camera, a positive image in a turbulent offseason for the third baseman. Four years ago, he arrived in Cards camp mere weeks after being traded to St. Louis. The missing piece who didn’t notice all the other missing pieces on the chess board fielded questions from reporters and said the right things. The following isn’t a direct quote but a summation of what I read:

“I spent the offseason trying to be the best possible player I could be, because last year sure wasn’t ideal and it made Paul shave his beard to be a Yankee. Poor guy saved his clippings. I sent him some of mine. I read everything and have nothing but love for all the bloggers who kept my name circulating as if I was running for President. I was this close to being an Astro, but I didn’t really like collecting 315 foot home runs down the left field line and all that sun and guns. I’d rather be in St. Louis freezing my ass off and keeping things interesting and continue my dream to hit baseballs to right field. I am in the best shape of my life and finished all the movies in my Netflix queue as well. Very proud and humbled to be here. Hi, Jeff Jones. Is that really a beard?”

Brenden Schaeffer/KMOV

Will it be awkward? Yes. Will it affect the results? Nope. Like Bernie Miklasz wrote last week, it could motivate him to prove to those other teams that he’s still got it. Either way, he’s ready to play ball and is hungry enough to change how the table is set. At the moment, few teams wanted to pay the hefty salary of a guy who lost his power stroke last season. Only he and some lumber can change that setting. Let’s find out.

~Many, many years from now, these Friday night hangs with my dad will age like gold bricks. Every work week-ending evening, we hop into his Hyundai and drift all over St. Louis county and sometimes, the city. Our route takes us west on a highway to a road that is never completely projected from our initial launch out of Richmond Heights, but we get to where we’re going with the ease of Yadier Molina down the first base line. Bullshitting, family crap, weekly barking, and anything else under the hood is discussed. All of it ends with a drive-through trip to Canes to kill some chicken or a pizza and salad at Ami’s or Talayna’s restaurant. The Jukebox bar may be closed, but that deep dish and New York style is legit.

Don’t stop hanging with your parents if they’re still around. I only accept jealousy in regards to my life in two areas: finding an incredible woman and having great parents make it to the 70-yard line in life. Cherish it. Also, stay inside because it’s all bad news outside.

A thousand words seems like enough ammo for today. Stay warm and be safe out there. Remember the golden rules. If you lose your shit on a nearby driver and then drive along to see it’s just an old person trying to get home from the store, it’s okay. We’ve all been there.