2.02.2010

IN THE KINGDOM OF MOLSON


September 14, 1924

Montreal is a bigger Quebec City with less horse dung and more English-speaking. After our Frontenac chateau experience it was a shock to be in a regular size hotel off of St. Catherine Street, the road where everything's going on here. There were restaurants and tobacco merchants and lady undergarment shops and big shopping stores and half-naked girlie clubs and more taverns than you could count. Rachel and me even split up for an hour or so to give us a chance to take in what we liked, and then we met up at a supper club called Brasserie Champlain over on St. Denis Street, which we were told has a lot of sporting fans.

Well, that wasn't telling the whole story. There were framed pictures of horse jockeys, local baseball teams, boxers and about 89 different hockey players stuck on the walls. Behind the bar there was even a ticker machine so we could get the American ball scores. We had to sit there anyway because there wasn't a table ready for us yet, so everything worked out.

The bartender, whose name was Jacques, liked Rachel right away because she spoke French to him. He was an expert on Molson Ale, and started pouring out one kind after another for us. The Molson Brewery's been around since 1786 if you can believe that, and they've had women working in their bottling plant for over fifty years now. The Export Ale was plenty delicious, and it didn't take long for Rachel and the barman to be talking about baseball. Brooklyn was up 3-0 on Cincinnati with Doak pitching and when Jacques discovered Jack Fournier was her favorite player he poured us two free ales right away.

"Jacques Fournier!" he said, "He is from Michigan but is French!" So began our next hour of ale-drinking. Fournier as it turns out was having a great day and ended up with three singles, a double and a walk as Doak shut the Reds down on just two hits. A jazz combo started up around 5 p.m. and very tipsy Rachel pulled me off my stool for a little dancing. That didn't sit all too well. Molson reached the three million gallons of ale production a few years ago and it felt like two of those million were inside me.

The rest of the evening was just a big drunk mystery, but I think we were standing on the bar singing a French song at one point and Jacques had his sweaty arms around us. The last night of our honeymoon trip won't exactly stick in our heads, but at least a few dozen people in Montreal won't forget it.
—Vinny, I think

CIN 000 000 000 -0 2 0
BRK 100 022 11x - 7 17 0

Other ball games today:

CARDINALS 8-15-2, at GIANTS 3 10-1
Another reason to get plastered, McGraw finally loses, and pretty badly. Virgil Barnes gives up 15 Redbird hits, two by Hornsby and four by Bottomley as Dickerman cools off the hot Giants to tie the Robins with them again.

SENATORS 9-15-1, at TIGERS 1-4-2
Looks like the American League pennant party is over. It's no contest between Zachary and Whitehill, Cobb makes a horrible two-base error in the top of the 1st and the Nats score five times in the first two innings. If they sweep them tomorrow their magical number is down to three.

YANKEES 7-11-3, at WHITE SOX 5-11-1 (14 innings)
Already eliminated with the Washington win, the Yanks pull out a titanic fight in extra innings when Wally Pipp homers off Doug McWeeny for the winners. New York do have a 5-1 lead at one point but skunk that away and Chicago ties it in the last of the 9th on a two-out Aaron Ward error at second.

RED SOX 7-14-3, at BROWNS 1-9-1
Ehmke pulls a Hal Carlson Houdini act for nine innings. The Browns put 15 base runners on but only once are two of them strung together, which will mess you up every tme.

at INDIANS 8-12-0, ATHLETICS 4-10-1
Another example of baseball playing with your mind. Luther Roy and his over-9 earned run average throws a complete game against Ed Rommel. Myatt breaks tie in the 6th with a huge triple.




















NATIONAL LEAGUE through Sunday, September 14
Pittsburgh Pirates8853.624
New York Giants8260.5776.5
Brooklyn Robins8260.5776.5
Cincinnati Reds7963.5569.5
Chicago Cubs7368.51815
St. Louis Cardinals6874.47920.5
Philadelphia Phillies5586.39033
Boston Braves39102.27749
AMERICAN LEAGUE through Sunday, September 14
Washington Senators 8654.614
Detroit Tigers 7864.5499
Chicago White Sox 7368.51813.5
New York Yankees 7169.50715
Boston Red Sox 6873.48218.5
St. Louis Browns 6676.46521
Cleveland Indians 6380.44124.5
Philadelphia Athletics 6081.42626.5

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