How can one step put us on the wrong side of the river? Ready to mount up, strap up and step up, one more time? It's your ante. Are you in?

Returning: The Wrong Drunk. The Way Back. And Airborne Allies for My Wife's Weird Dog

Back in the Ante Room! New stories and a New Season. They didn't remember me at the hospital where I was born. Breaking (unlimited) bread (sticks) at a table of three, with memories of a fourth. Fat City Address. Every. Breaking. Wave. Time to Hit the ground runnin'. It's your Ante. Are you in?

What is "Alabama Chrome?" The Algorithm takes us down a rabbit hole. Mama said knock you out. Polyester Beer sponges. I'll excuse if you break your own heart, tonight. False starts. False Positives. Pay to play at this table. It's your ante. Are you IN?

Don't open any packages from me for the next couple weeks. As good as we once were, Just this once. A poet, a novelist and a country singer walk into a podcast. Ages and stages, different predicaments for each. Second appearance of the word "Accretes." You pay to play at this table. Are you IN?

The Demon Dog returns. Illegal, rebellious acts of education. Just once - It wasn't the pizza that was hot. A great job if you can't play goalie and are NOT a priest. I doubt the Rolling Stones ever had as good a time. It's your ante. Are you IN?

Unexpected sunshine in the Ante Room. Stories changing midstream. Can't eat it. Can't hold it. And it won't get you into Heaven. You fall back on training, better train Right. It's your ante. Are you IN?

Managing Deceleration. Every Word is True - Probably none of it ever really happened. The Illusion of Speed. A Race Run Only in Your Mind. Are you winning if you're not comparing? How do you keep score? Adventures in DIY sound this week in the Ante Room. You pay to play at this table. Are you IN?

Everyday Magic. Ordinary Grace. The wind that transforms the landscape overnight. Believe it, you might see it. Or you might only see what it does. Accrete. Sublimate. All the great Vocab. One trip canceled, but the Ante Room's always open. Are you IN?

No destiny without certainty. Welcome to the Hotel California. Know where you're going. Get there! Get There! Get There! Wherever THERE is. Cast your net in the deeper current in Life. Belief. Certainty. Doubt. Urgencies. Waiting for Life to be assigned. It's your ante. Are you IN?

The Coach's Curse. Hitting the Catcher's Mitt without so much as a pop. Bus ride at the Apollo. Translate it into Sophomore American English. Go do what you DON'T Do. THAT bear's not your problem. Don't be eskeert. Ante up. You pay to play at this table...

Bull Elephants vs. Slap Nuts, Like a Junebug vs. a hurricane. Unintended Consequences. We know what we meant, the world sees what we did. Role Models. Guardrails. It's our time. Time to step up. Time to Ante up. Are you IN?

David Foster Wallace's best advice nearly forgotten. This compass points South. Long enough to reach the ground. A Man of Infinite Jest. Message in a bottle received. It's your ante. Are you IN?

Saint Hank's hit a listenership milestone: Bonus content as a thank you. Coached up by R. Lee Ermey. Killed on basic cable and a Z-Lister is born. Rear-ended by a semi on I-405. Your 40s are a second chance at your 20s, with a better budget. No more Somedays. Turn the Wheel. It's your Ante. Are you IN?…

In the Ante Room this week: We swing a borrowed hammer. We give 100% of our 35% aptitude at construction. When you don't know enough to fail. Saved ya' the cost of a boom truck. It's your Ante. Are you IN?

If you can't crack yourself up, who CAN you crack up? We ain't parachuting into Billings. Look at the Buffalo! Billy Badass will be there waiting, whether you enjoyed the bus trip or not. Did we win? You better believe we won. It's your Ante. Are you IN?

Saint Hank's moves an 800-pound gun safe by hand. Couldn't look guiltier if we were wearing Hamburglar masks. It's all a gift - a gift that's on loan. Someone always goes. Someone always stays. Turn the page and throw out the calendar. It's your ante. Are you IN?

Mike's in the Ante Room! His ante: Selfless Service. He shares a great Christmas story. Enjoy this bonus episode. Just a little something for under the tree - or wherever you celebrate - from Saint Hank’s.

Saint Hank's takes on a defense of the Bumpuses. Wearing two pairs of pants at the same time, 'cause ya gotta be ready for anything. Ric Flair and The Bhagavad Gita. Shifting the perspective, by just a few degrees. The night everyone important was happily frozen in one place. Thrill to the breathless (and sometimes breath -y) adventures of a DIY po…

What we are vs. what we wanted to be. Rock and Roll means well, but it can't help telling lies. How to ride out resistance like a Bull Elephant. You may never BE Flash Gordon, but you CAN meet him. Thrill to the DIY sounds of another Saint Hank's adventure in the Ante Room. You pay to play at this table. Are you IN?…

Is 13 a lucky number for Sicilians? Take care of business and see what mistakes Grace can erase. Learn why Gandhi stopped eating sugar. Thrill to the sounds of DIY audio! We splash the pot this week - Hank's rules and antes are rollin' all over the felt...

Back to Tuesday. Back in the Ante Room. Taking on a couple of Hank's rules. Raise Your Gaze: From the Hood Ornament to the Horizon. Find the meaning in limitations. Hear the downside of doing it DIY. Apply the leverage of a little spiritual jiu-jitsu. Is there a part of the dance where we still lead? Strength. Guts. Balls. Grace. A look ahead.…

Saint Hank's tackles Bad Beats, custom-fit adult Tigger the Tiger costumes, a fencing master, illicit poker tournaments, why some kids thought Sicily and Ireland don't count as islands, loss, heartbreak and more... Just another evening in the Ante Room. Oh! You might learn a secret about how Saint Hank's got its name.…

I've got the Ante Room to myself for one last week. That means I get to share the story of a true legend, a great man we'll just call Coach.

Here's your introduction to Saint Hank's - The American Badasses' Guide to Everyday Sainthood. I'm no badass and I'm far from a saint. But I'm ready to throat punch the weak sauce I see masquerading as manhood these days. Somehow, after misplaying nearly every hand Life dealt to me, I'm sitting at a cash game with a huge stack of chips in front of …