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On Mother’s Day, hosts Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa return to their “park bench perspective,” invite listeners to leave Fan Mail or voicemails on their Buzzsprout page to share St. Louis Park stories, and dedicate a mom-centric episode to their late mothers, Judy and Maria. They discuss grief and the ongoing one-way “conversation” after a parent’s death, including therapy practices like talking at the cemetery and writing letters, and reflect on how their moms quietly supported families and neighborhoods through work, Scouts, sports, and hospitality. The conversation touches on generational realities such as women’s limited ability to sign contracts before 1974, financial strain after divorce, and the importance of checking on others. They also share personal memories, including Marty Hammer’s severe accident and ICU ordeal, Maria’s lonely phone calls, and Judy’s “not today” refrain near the end of her life.

00:00 Park Bench Return

00:43 Listener Voicemails Invite

01:50 Mothers Day Reflections

03:29 Grief Coping Tools

04:37 Moms Who Show Up

05:32 Pick A Pop Memories

07:09 Divorce And Resilience

09:00 Check In On People

10:13 Entrepreneur Mindset

15:23 Sales Luck And No

17:40 Create Your Own Luck

18:50 Handling Rejection

19:11 Rejection Isn’t Personal

19:57 Sales Process and Asking

20:43 Fair Deals and Karma

21:17 Hidden Fees and Tipping Screens

23:55 Back to Mothers and Similarities

24:41 Judy’s Compassion and Passivity

25:54 Aging Parents and Doctor Visits

27:49 Marty’s Accident and Aftermath

33:19 Shoutout to Moms

33:36 Maria Story and Not Today

36:25 Final Farewell

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Posters, Pop Cans, and Park Bench Perspectives

Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa reminisce on a “park bench” about teen bedroom posters (Farrah Fawcett, Led Zeppelin, Lamborghini, Easy Rider), poster-shopping at places like the Fun Shop and Ridgedale, and trivia that Fernando Valenzuela’s poster surpassed Farrah’s in sales. They recall collecting RC Cola baseball-player cans by digging through Westwood Deli’s stock, confirm RC Cola still exists, and detour into a Vegas blackjack memory. The conversation shifts to beer and bar memorabilia, including distributor neons and personal wall art like a Rat Pack “Royal Flush” poster and a signed Ramones album. Carlos shares a 2003 story of receiving Bubba Gump souvenir glasses from Mike’s sons during a difficult period. They discuss St. Louis Park history (name from the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad; early downtown near Walker/Broadway and Wooddale), the value of the postal service, letters/telegrams, and reflect on parenting, especially Judy Hammer’s resilience and “showing up.”

00:00 Park Bench Intro
00:41 Cuban Family Story
01:24 Teen Posters Debate
02:43 Poster Shopping Memories
05:12 Iconic Posters Trivia
06:08 RC Cola Can Collecting
09:24 Vegas Drinking Detour
11:18 Beer Signs Bar Swag
16:01 Bubba Gump Glasses
19:23 Movie Posters Talk
21:44 Warriors Nostalgia
24:35 St Louis Park Origins
26:39 Elmwood Origins
27:59 Postal Service Debate
29:13 Stamps And Seniors
32:25 Postcards And Letters
34:44 Telegrams And Keepsakes
36:25 Yearbook Secrets
37:40 Judy Tough Love
42:27 Showing Up Parenting
46:26 Youth Sports Costs
50:41 Wrap Up And Plugs

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Lady Gaga, Keg Parties, and Park Bench Perspectives

From their park bench, Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa catch up about Mike attending a Lady Gaga concert and joking about painkillers for his bad knee, then give a shout-out to classmate Ron Barry’s “BarryFin Day” podcast. They discuss building a listener community around their shared hometown of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and begin reminiscing about favorite local places and teen hangouts: Park National and Carlson fields near the water tower, the Cedar Lake Road train trestle keg parties and police run-ins, Meadowbrook and Cedar Lake “Bareass Beach,” Knollwood Mall, Burger King across Highway 12, Brookview Golf Course, Coast to Coast Hardware, Cooper/Cooper Cameo theaters, and learning to drive at the Honeywell lot. They invite listeners to be guests, tease future St. Louis Park history topics, plug FootPainAuthority.com, and note Carlos’s novel “The Ghost of Lake Ossis” and baseball-law newsletter.

00:00 Park Bench Intro
00:25 Catching Up
01:02 Lady Gaga Night
02:10 Show Highlights
03:03 Bad Knee Remedies
03:52 BarryFineDay Podcast Shoutout
05:18 Hometown Favorites Setup
05:39 Little League Landmarks
06:53 Train Trestle Keggers
08:01 Keg Party Economics
10:30 Basement Parties And Cops
13:04 Meadowbrook And Beach Spots
14:02 Next House Party Tease
14:11 Running From The Cops
14:41 Why We Do Dumb Stuff
15:06 Prefrontal Cortex Myth
16:25 Staying Curious As Adults
18:04 Talking Yourself In Or Out
19:11 Risk Calculations And Law School
21:08 Norwood Mall Memories
22:19 Golden Valley Adventures
22:44 Golf Courses And Marty
23:59 Coast To Coast Hardware
25:56 Cooper Theater And Honeywell
27:17 Inviting Friends On The Show
27:51 Next Episode Tease
28:24 Projects And Sign Off

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