People ask me how it is driving for Uber all the time so often that I have answers set and ready to go. The money one can make, car requirements, hours needed, etc. I tell them how great it is setting my own hours, answering to no one, and making quick cash within my parameters.
What I don't tell passengers who get into my car is the alarming rate that I see crime when I drive through the city I grew up in, adore to this day, and will never leave again. I don't tell them how much it sickens me to see cop cars flying around to crime scenes every single night on the job.
When I am asked if I feel safe driving for Uber, I halfway lie and offer a Ray Donovan-esque "sure". The truth is no job in this city is safe. You are liable to be close to doom no matter where you work, because the crime rate in this city is for real. How about an example?
THE OPENING ROUND
Last night, I was driving after midnight downtown and dropped off a guy around 23rd Street and Washington Avenue. I headed down the popular downtown street stuffed with restaurants, bars, and notable spots for entertainment. Before I could go two blocks, two cop cars raced past me down toward 15th Street. I looked to my right and saw two more cop cars race down Market street. Ambulances arrived, people gathered, and the wrong kind of lights, the dreary kind, lit the street up.
I got closer and saw an unmarked cop car pull up and park, and a guy got out of the car while putting a bulletproof vest on. Something was very wrong. You don't see six cop cars rush to a scene in an instant for an accident.
And then I saw what it was. A body was lying face down in a parking lot right off Washington Avenue. I couldn't tell if he/she were alive or dead, but it didn't look good. Here's the thing about crime: everybody wants to tell what they heard or saw. I don't look like a cop or Columbo, but two different people told me they heard multiple gunshots. That was all I needed to hear. Gunshots. Violence. Probable death. It happens so often in my city that I always stop to wonder three things:
A) Did that person know he or she would get shot today?
B) What caused it?
C) Why do we keep hurting each other?
As Elliott Ness once said, there's so much violence. Here's the scary part. I don't think anyone knows how to stop it. How do you fix a poisoned well?
Moving on to other items in this random batch of sports and entertainment related topics and pouring another cup of coffee.
SPORTS
*The Cardinals lost an ugly game on Monday night, but there's no room to pout. Lance Barksdale qualified for the worst performance by a homeplate umpire with his ridiculously inept strike zone, but the truth is the Cardinals played sloppy baseball. Whether it was so many walks handed out, missed opportunities by the hitters, or just a lapse in the field, the Cardinals shot themselves in the foot. They control their own destiny, but it's a very loose grip. They have a half-game lead on Colorado for the second wildcard spot, and the Rockies play one more game than the Birds and do so against lesser teams. Strap in for a bumpy ride this week.
~Ben Hochman wrote a good piece for the Post Dispatch about the empty seats at Busch Stadium last night, and I can connect it, at least partially, to the crime rate rocketing up the past few years. For a game with playoff implications in late September, that was a smaller gathering than expected. It was Monday night with some rain and school is back in session, but I don't recall a crowd like that for a meaningful game in recent years. However, the numbers tell a different story. Overall, the Cardinals rank third in total attendance (3.3 million) and average attendance (42,087). That's paid admissions and not actual arrivals, but still impressive for an up and down season.
~Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder need to step into a boxing ring in 2019 and beat each other up. If Wilder can get past the sleep-inducing Tyson Fury in December, a sledgehammer show awaits boxing fans in the coming year. These two heavyweights don't like leaving the fight to the judges. Between the two of them in 62 total fights, only twice have the judges played a part in deciding the fight. Joshua and Wilder are the future of the heavyweight division, and could deliver a trilogy of good fights. My money is on Wilder.
~The last time Robby Fabbri scored a goal for the St. Louis Blues, the date was Dec. 28, 2016. The young center is only 22 years old and has time, but the kid simply can't stay healthy. A couple knee surgeries and over 100 games lost, and this preseason isn't treating him any better. It makes you wonder if he will ever get back to where he was or more importantly, where he was headed. Fabbri has talent and can find the back of the net, but his lower body may end up betraying him. I doubt he starts the season in the opening lineup.
ENTERTAINMENT
~I am quietly optimistic about the new Bumblebee film. I know they made four films too many, and Michael Bay all but ruined a key part of my childhood. I know Paramount Pictures is handling this spinoff, and the first two trailers show off a similar blend of action and disconnect that Bay's at times unintentionally funny films portrayed far too often. I know few are asking for more stories about Autobots and Decepticons. I get all of that. But I still think there's some worth in this adventure. Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena have roles, but it's the silent but deadly lead machine that has my interest.
Bumblebee has always been the more lovable Transformer, and director Travis Knight has compared his film to The Iron Giant and promises a more character driven flick. The December release date is a wise play as well. Also, in the last Transformers film, they did enlighten the timeline of Bumblebee, documenting how he helped the Allied troops defeat the Germans in World War II and has been on Earth for quite some time. There's a film there, and I hope Paramount gets it right. Don't waste our time and money.
~One of the best treats television has to offer at the moment is AMC's Better Call Saul. The prequel to the highly popular Breaking Bad series, BCS has slowly been putting into motion how the once earnest yet slick lawyer, Jimmy McGill, became the criminal-aiding and scene-stealing Saul Goodman. The cast is stuffed with BB slums, but out of all the new characters, Michael Mando's Nacho Varga stands out to me. Here is a straight-up criminal who shouldn't garner much sympathy from the audience, but Mando's portrayal makes you invest in his plight. Over the course of four seasons, audiences have gotten to know Mando's Nacho more and more, seeing many layers and more than just a drug-dealing cartel member. The connection with his father, the need to get out of the business, and a tragic fate that seems all but sealed.
~Showtime's Shameless is back and through two episodes, is starting to show its age. The eighth season was strong, but the current ninth-round proves my point that they should stop creating stories when lead star Emmy Rossum takes off next year. You can only tell the same stories so many times, and I think this show got old very fast. There are 11 episodes left, so let's hope it picks up with more than just Lip redemption, Frank shenanigans, and Fiona ambition. Show us something new.
~If there's one film that you should be looking for in 2019, it's Tim Sutton's Donnybrook. It's the Southern Gothic Fight Club with an extra shake of nasty and more truth than simply harboring a dual identity in your head. Adapted from Indiana novelist Frank Bill's pulse-pounding book, Sutton has gathered an esteemed group of players, including the invaluable Frank Grillo. A movie about fighters that don't dwell on the fighting, instead casting its shadow on the reason that a father and husband would risk his life for $100,000 or why a vicious drug dealer is the way he is. How do we get to where we land in life? Can we fight our way out? Sutton, Bill, and the cast are digging deep here. The film debuted this month at the Toronto Film Festival to rave reviews and IFC Films scooped up the rights. If you liked Fight Club, but wanted more Out of the Furnace, check out Donnybrook.
LIFESTYLE/LOCAL
~If you're like me and crave tasty beer instead of hydrated tap water, head over to Kirkwood Brewhouse and get a pint of Tank 7. The Boulevard product is a farmhouse ale with some kick and will lighten your mood with one sip. I am not kidding. This beer is delicious, filling, and will give you a good buzz. It can be 50 degrees out or 90 degrees, and the effect is the same. Get some. I am there every Tuesday at 5 p.m. for my 590 The Fan movie segment, so you can join me for a beer afterward. That's a wise plan, because it's Happy Hour and a Tank 7 only costs four dollars. You're out of excuses, so get out there. The food is top notch as well. Here's a five-word belly rub: candied bacon pretzel bun burger. The fried chicken and smoked turkey sandwiches are legit goodness.
~Trust me on the biscuits and gravy at Russell's on Macklin, folks. This Sunday, be there or orphan your stomach's happiness.
~Fall weather has shown its face, and I can't be more excited. I will not miss sweating through my clothes 30 minutes after a shower when I take the trash out. Summer is overrated!
~La Cosecha Coffee Roasters are hosting a cool event this weekend. Friday is National Coffee Day, and you can head over to the Maplewood coffee shop for special prices on drip coffee, lattes, and their delicious flash brew. By doing so, you directly support the farmers who provide La Cosecha with the beans to make the coffee. They deal in fair and direct trade with the very people who make the good coffee happen. This Friday and Saturday, head on over all day for a special price on the best coffee in St. Louis. Just do it. Tell them I sent you.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
-If people could learn how to drive, the world would be a better place. Forget parallel parking and three-point turns. Just learn to merge and take turns at a four-way stop. The little things.
-Pistachio whatever is something I crave these days. Cannoli, ice cream, snacks, whatever. Give it up.
-I once had a fling with Pinot Grigio before a movie screening. Drank a lot, wandered around the Delmar Loop, and forgot a few things. That was it. I had a sip of this garbage the other day and nearly barfed.
-I'd like a new rule for MLB umpires to discuss their moves after a baseball game.
-I still have no interest in the NFL, but I find Baker Mayfield comebacks are fun to watch. Nice decision, Cleveland Browns.
That's all I got. Have a good day.
Take luck,
DLB
