“Nice guys finish last.”

Baseball manager Leo Durocher first said a version of that now-legendary phrase in 1946, and nearly 80 years later, bending, breaking and ignoring the rules is commonplace in public life.

Deceit is so mainstream that a number of merchandisers have developed “Make Lying Wrong Again” ballcaps and T-shirts.

But Drew Baldridge counters the idea that nice guys are losers. He went all the way to No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2024 with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter (Reimagined),” a song with a protective veneer that he released on his own Patoka Sounds label. Follow-up “Tough People,” an affirmation of regular Joe resilience, peaked at No. 13 in June 2025.

His latest single — “Rebel,” which Stoney Creek released to country radio via PlayMPE on Oct. 30 — t

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