Enthusiasms — What to look forward to 8-21-24
Welcome to Enthusiasms. Your reminder to always be looking forward to something. Pulltab Sports Editor-In-Chief, John King, points you in the right direction.
LIFE IS FAIR
You’re either a State Fair person, or you aren’t. If you’re keeping score, 1,835,826 Minnesotans were State Fair people last year. The common mistake with the Great Minnesota Get Together is to see it as an outsider, to view the event as a novelty on a stick. There are plenty of people who only “play the hits” at the Fair, viewing these twelve magical days as a chance to make an annual pilgrimage to get some Sweet Martha’s cookies, cheese curds, and argue about corn dogs vs. pronto pups. Of the 1.8 Million Fair goers, that’s probably the vast majority of folks, simply ticking their State Fair box for the year.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have the “people watchers.” Here at Pulltab Sports, we have no room for these folks. These are the city folk who go to the Fair each year to essentially make fun of people. They arrive in their quarter zips, sunglasses on hats, hoping to see a few Joe Dirts from small town Minnesota, heavy folk wearing ill-advised belly shirts, and maybe even a plumber’s butt or two. Make no mistake, the people who make fun of people at the State Fair are the same anonymous trolls you’ll find on social media. The worst of the worst, because this is a fact: The Minnesota State Fair is awesome, period.
After these two groups, we have the people who truly embrace all that the State Fair has to offer. The easiest way to know if you’re a true State Fair lover, is to look at how many times you go. If you go to the Minnesota State Fair more than once each year —you likely understand what makes the State Fair special. Because once you push past the Sweet Martha’s and cheese curds, a virtual playground awaits.
The State Fair is a live music venue. And we’re not talking about Blake Shelton or Chance the Rapper at the Grandstand. We’re talking about the endless string of amazing bands playing at Dino’s every day and night (including Dino himself performing “Sweet Caroline” daily). We’re talking about Ali Gray’s Country Jamboree turning the Frontier Bar into a honkytonk as people old time dance and toss peanut shells on the ground.
When you know you know. Once you’ve reached State Fair transcendence, you’ll make time to walk through the Fine Arts building, you’ll take in a crazy beekeeper performance, and you’ll balance watching Wayne and the Boys (even though he’s just one guy with a guitar) playing outlaw country whenever the chainsaw show isn’t making noise at Giggles. You’ll eat pickle dogs, and try pina colada seltzers, and you’ll finish each night at the true hidden gem of the Fair —the Midway Men’s club, where you’ll find the cheapest beer and a delicious slider as you walk to your Uber thinking about coming back the next day.
The Fair is here, don’t just visit—find a way to live there, at least for a couple days, because life is fair.
BAD MONKEY ON APPLE TV
Here in the Midwest, for lake lifers it’s the time of year where you button your shirt a little lower. Maybe you’re wearing more rayon, and your chest hairs have turned golden brown from the sun. For anyone who loves themselves some vintage Magnum P.I., or John D. MacDonald’s anti-hero Travis Mcgee book series, Bad Monkey will be right up your alley.
Based on the books of Carl Hiaasen, Bad Monkey puts Vince Vaughn in a Hawaiian shirt as he works to solve “Florida Man” style crimes. Vaughn is in vintage Swingers form with an endless string of one liners, and visually the series is as vibrant as a tiki bar you’d find in a Tarantino film. The first couple episodes of Bad Monkey are already out on Apple TV, and the rest of the 10-episode first series will drop weekly on Wednesdays.
Is Bad Monkey must see TV? Probably not, but it’s tiki bar TV that’s funny and fun. Just like a sugary umbrella drink served in a skull mug; you’ll be thirsty for the next episode each Wednesday.
ZACH BRYAN AT THE BANK
With T. Swift making friendship bracelets in Europe, no one is making more money touring in the U.S. than Mr. Zach Bryan. It’s amazing to think that less than two years ago, Zach performed at Surly. Bryan is one of the greatest song writers of our time, and Saturday’s U.S. Bank show will be a victory lap for the new King of Country. Unlike Morgan Wallen, another supreme hit maker, Bryan is quite comfortable in a live setting. Whereas Wallen can come off a bit as a “product” on stage playing the songs just as you’ve heard them as he works his way from stage to stage seemingly not even knowing what city he’s in—Bryan is the opposite. Bryan is a be where your feet are singer songwriter, who generously gives himself to each crowd in each city he’s in on a nightly basis. Which makes sense for an artist that broke on Twitter dropping blurry red-eyed iPhone videos recorded on Navy boats.
U.S. Bank stadium is not known for brilliant acoustics, but it shouldn’t matter much as Bryan’s adoring public will be full throated singing every word. Word to the wise though, expect Minneapolis to be an absolute gong show on Saturday night filled with white boot clad girls and bro-country boys with a Zyn 6 in all four pockets of their mouth. If you don’t have a paparazzi caliber escape plan after the show, expect to wait for an Uber for a couple hours likely tarnishing a great night. Whether it’s making hotel arrangements or pitching in for a car service for the group—make sure you’ve thought through the logistics for Saturday. Zach will do his part to make it a special night, but you need to do yours too.
TWINS PLAYOFF PUSH
Since late April, our Minnesota Twins have been one of the best teams in the major leagues. Despite a rash of injuries, the Twins have miraculously kept pace with the kicking-way-past-their-coverage Cleveland Guardians.
In the championship starved Twin Cities, the Twins one of the few franchise that have taken us to the promised land, turning Minnesota into Winnesota way back in ’87 and ’91. And while those homer hankies may have faded with age, the Twins did win a first-round playoff series just last year. And we all know how hard those are to come by in this town.
There’s a reason old ladies listen to the Twins on the radio, and most Minnesotans would love a powder blue Puckett jersey for Christmas (or any holiday). The Twins are likeable as hell. Current Twin, Royce Lewis even has that Puckett-like spirit animal quality, and despite the Pohlad’s cutting the budget this season, the small market Twins appear determined to once again beat the odds like a scene out of the movie Major League.
Most Minnesota sports fans have been conditioned to be careful with their love, because we’ve been burned so many times before. The Twins have been the notable exception to this rule, and this season looks to be well worth diving into even if they’ve been hard to find on the television. Don’t sleep on the Twins, Minnesota. They just might be the guys to right the ship, despite the deck being stacked against them.
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