1.31.2010

IT'S ALL FRENCH-CANADIAN TO ME

September 12, 1924

To us, I mean. To us. Geez, it's been hard to believe I'm married now, even though I am. The fact we we didn't really go out on regular dates and everything wedding-wise happened so quick sure didn't help.

But now we're up here in Quebec City on our second day, and it might be the closest we ever come to being in France so it's sure a great place to celebrate love. We're in this old castle of a hotel called Chateau Frontenac, which is so gigantic and king-like I keep expecting to see mobs roll up guillotines and pound on the doors. We have an incredible view of the St. Lawrence River, and the food's been delicious even though I can't read the menu and don't know what I'm eating half the time.

That's another thing about Rachel I just learned: she knows French, or at least enough to get us through the day. We visited an old fort and saw the walls that the British soldiers climbed up, and we rode in horse taxis and walked cobblestone streets dodging horse dung until we got blisters on our feet and never once did we get lost looking at our French city map.

And I bet you didn't know there's real baseball up here called the Quebec-Ontario-Vermont League. That's right, they just started a six-team Class B operation, and we caught the last few innings of a game between the Ottawa-Hall Senators and Quebec Bulldogs, who've been in first place for both halves of the season. The two Vermont teams, the Montpelier Goldfish and Rutland Shieks, dropped out for money reasons after the first half, and hardly anyone was at the game today and the field was in awful shape but no one seemed to care. We sure didn't, because after a day without ball we were both missing it bad. We were even able to get the American scores tonight from a French-Canadian version of Mort's, this tavern on a back street called Leclaire's that had jazz music on a gramophone and served fabulous local ale.

Yup, you heard me. They tried to pass the Prohibition thing in Canada too but the Quebec province threw it right out, so there was legal booze to be had all over the place. Rachel picked wine and I went for this stuff called Boswell's, which got the frog legs in my stomach dancing in no time. Tomorrow we'll be taking a train down to Montreal, where I figure the ale will be running like sink water.

It's been great spending so much close time with Rachel. We've tried to just enjoy the moments instead of worrying or even talking about future ones, because that's what honeymoons are for. Matter of fact, marriage should probably be the same way.
—Vinny

National League games today (and one American):

PIRATES 14-21-0, at BRAVES 5-8-2
Brooklyn has the day off but the Bucs don't do them any favors. Kiki Cuyler, who I ran out of words to describe about a month ago, gets SIX straight singles in this one and the Pirates pound Genewich for 12 runs and 14 hits in the first four innings. Kiki is up to .374 now and closing on Hornsby for the hitting title.

at GIANTS 5-10-0, CARDINALS 4-9-2
Well, the Giants tie the Robins for second place, something Rachel isn't too thrilled about, but what a game this is! Down 4-3 to Sherdel in the last of the 9th, Ray Blades boots a grounder with two outs. Gowdy and Jackson follow with singles to tie the game, and a Meusel single, wild pitch and Groh single in the 10th win it. That makes New York 12-2 on the month.

CUBS 4-8-2, at PHILLIES 1-5-2
Yuck. The team I used to care about can't even hit Tony Kauffman. At home. On a warm day.

INDIANS 5-7-2, at BROWNS 3-10-1
Joe Shaute's first good-pitched game in a long while, and leave it to the drowning Browns to help him out. Tris Speaker wins it for the Tribe with a bases-loaded triple in the top of the 8th off Bill Bayne.




















NATIONAL LEAGUE through Friday, September 12
Pittsburgh Pirates8753.621
Brooklyn Robins8159.5796
New York Giants8159.5796
Cincinnati Reds7862.5579
Chicago Cubs7268.51415
St. Louis Cardinals6773.47920
Philadelphia Phillies5585.39332
Boston Braves39101.27948
AMERICAN LEAGUE through Friday, September 12
Washington Senators 8454.609
Detroit Tigers 7862.5577
Chicago White Sox 7267.51812.5
New York Yankees 7068.50714
Boston Red Sox 6772.48217.5
St. Louis Browns 6575.46420
Cleveland Indians 6180.43324.5
Philadelphia Athletics 6079.43224.5

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