Update, Wednesday….down below in the college football section
I added my three picks for the coming weekend.
Next chat, Oct. 9.
—
[Monday…from Prague]
NFL Quiz: 1) Top three TDs, career? 2) Most TDs, season? 3)
Most rushing yards, season? 4) Most yards rushing by a
quarterback, season? 5) Most years leading league in yards
rushing? Answers below.
**Miss World…18-year-old Tatiana Kucharova of Czech
Republic! Yes I arrived back in Prague on Sunday and wouldn’t
you know she wins last night. Earlier, I had been in Romania
and Bulgaria and they were both admitted to the EU.
Coincidence? I think not. I now head home Tuesday to
shepherd my Mets to the World Series and improve my portfolio
performance as well.
And if you don’t believe me, just know the first runner-up in the
Miss World pageant was Miss Romania. Ahem. I rest my case.
[Then again, I saw where Miss Romania was just 17. Geezuz,
isn’t that illegal or something?]
By the way if you knew who last year’s Miss World was, pour
yourself a cold one.
Miss Iceland…Bima Vilhajalmsdottir
As in Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Bima, Vil haj alms love-ly dot-
tir…”
As I was leaving Bucharest Sunday morning, I saw the story
about former pitcher Jason Grimsley implicating Roger Clemens,
Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, and Jay Gibbons in
the steroids scandal…all part of Grimsley’s affidavit from earlier
in the year, though at the time the names had been blacked out.
The Los Angeles Times then uncovered them.
[Former player David Segui earlier had admitted he was the 6th
name.]
Of course all the above claimed their innocence, with Clemens
saying “I’ve been tested plenty of times…I have passed every
test.”
Yeah, Roger, but not for HGH!!!!
And who told you about Roger years ago? Granted, nothing has
been proved yet, nor may it ever be, but it was I, your editor,
who brought the topic up.
On to other stuff….before I hit the streets of Prague again.
Bucharest’s National Art Museum
[The following is eligible for four ‘culture’ credits. Just copy
this and send it to your favorite university and within 2-3 weeks
you’ll receive a certificate of authenticity…really.]
OK, art fans. I went here on Thursday and it was surprisingly
good. Great building, great presentation, and huge wings for
both Romanian and European art.
So I’m in the Romanian wing and a couple of these guys were
really quite good. Emil Volkers (1831-1905), Georghe
Tattarescu (1818-1894), Theodor Aman (1831-1891) and the big
guy, Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907), perhaps best known for
“The Gypsy Girl from Ghergani”; a rather sexy work.
Moving to the European wing, I was anxious to see if they had
any works from some of my favorites.
Why there’s Lorenzo “Hey, ya never know” Lotto (1480-1556),
and Tintoretto (1518-1594). Huge fan of the Tin Man.
El Greco (1541-1614) was here. Some of his stuff is mediocre.
And I’m still trying to come to grips with Rembrandt (1606-
1669) and whether or not he’s overrated.
Ah, but they had one of my five all-time favorites, a few works
by Pieter Brueghel (1564-1638). His winter scenes are simply
the best. Looking at them, it’s the only time I’ve ever felt like I
wanted to be right there, freezing my butt off on the ice. [This
was pre-global warming, of course.] In fact I have two postcards
of his paintings under my blotter in the office.
And here’s the one and only…Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).
No one has ever done a better Lion and Hercules. But his still
lifes are weak.
Omigosh! It’s Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), another of your
editor’s top five…and there, can it be? Yes! It’s Al (Alfred)
Sisley (1839-1899)…top five and perhaps the most underrated
artist of all time. He worked with Monet some, you know.
Speaking of the Claudester, Monet (1840-1926) was poorly
represented in this museum. “Boats at Honfleur”? Gimme a
break………………………..feigning disdain.
But nonetheless, I still have Monet as my number one.
1. Monet
2. Pissarro
3. Brueghel
4. Al Sisley
5. Thomas Cole
Admittedly, it’s a fluid list.
I also went to Bucharest’s National History Museum which was
essentially two exhibits. Both were far better than I expected.
The first is a spectacular tribute column to the Roman Emperor
Trajan, who ruled from 98 to 117 A.D. Trajan, evidently one of
the good ones, had an expedition across the Danube here in
Romania in about 102 and defeated the local king, Decebalus
(my hotel happens to be on Decebal Blvd., so like I’m drinking
to this tonight!……………just kidding).
Anyway, it’s amazing in how good a shape the column is after
1900 years. Having watched HBO’s “Rome” I just kind of
thought this was neat.
And they have an exhibition of jewels, also from the Roman era,
going back to the 3rd and 4th century B.C. Now I’ve seen my
share of this kind of stuff and never thought I’d care to see
anymore, but these were truly spectacular. So parents, drag your
kids to a museum some day. Bring ‘em to Bucharest, by god!
Maybe they’ll be inspired to become a Web editor and do ‘bar
chat’ like yours truly!
OK, enough of “Culture Watch.”
The other night in Bucharest I had dinner at the Count Dracula
Club. I had read beforehand of this place and the reviews said it
may seem a little hokey, but the food was very good.
Sure enough, I go on Thursday night, you ring a bell outside and
a sliding door opens up to check you out. It was the strangest
looking guy who greeted me and he immediately said “You’re
new, aren’t you?” “Yes.” “Let me show you around.”
Very cool, as long as you choose to get into the spirit. Much of
the restaurant is below street level and they have various dimly
lit rooms for dining, with the walls and ceiling done up in period
design. Vlad the Impaler’s weapons are all around.
And the food was out of this world, all Transylvanian specialties.
So I tried the Wild Boar. Superb. If McDonald’s decides to
offer Wild Boar Wraps, it would be a huge hit.
Unfortunately, my dinner was over around 7:30 and I couldn’t
stick around for the nightly 9:00 pm show. They have a
professional Dracula actor who I later learned is very good, but I
wasn’t aware of this until I got there.
Otherwise, I spent my last few days in Bucharest taking long
walks. You do have to constantly look down at your feet here.
Everyone has a dog, or had one, because Bucharest is known for
its strays. I had read there was an issue of rabies so I kept my
guard, but they treated me quite well, actually. You ought to also
see them negotiate four lanes of rush-hour traffic.
If you’re a car owner, though, there is a drawback to all the dogs.
Cars park up on most sidewalks and the dogs tend to take
advantage of that, if you know what I mean. I guess you just
wait for it to rain again.
The weather, incidentally, turned out to be awesome, which is
why I did so much walking. Three of the days were totally
sunny and in the 70s. Normally it rains a lot here.
Vlad and Vampires, continued
Just another few words on Vlad the Impaler, a k a Dracula. I
mentioned he did in about 23,000 Turks once, but what I failed
to say is that when invaders approached his scene of destruction,
Vlad had prepared a forest of stakes, 1km by 3km, upon which
20,000 plus were impaled.
But that same year, 1462, Vlad was tricked up by a fake treason
note, alleging he was offering to help the Sultan, and he was
basically put under house arrest until 1475; then regained the
throne in 1476, only to be killed that same year if I recall
correctly. His head disappeared – reputedly sent to the Sultan as
a gift – and the rest of him was buried inside a church at Snagov
Monastery, where it remains to this day.
[Snagov was supposedly just 30km from Bucharest and I didn’t
learn this fact until I was leaving, so I’m kicking myself for not
going.]
There are no portraits of Vlad from this era nor any inscriptions
on his tomb, which lead some to believe the authorities back then
didn’t want to preserve his memory in any way. But ironically it
was the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who rehabilitated Vlad as a
fighter for national independence.
As for vampires, I learned this in the Lonely Planet guide to
Romania.
While Vlad was never actually considered a vampire,
‘vampirism’ was indeed a real integral part of folklore in his day.
In Eastern and Southern Europe vampires were known as
vampire and in Romania, strigoi. The essentials are generally the
same with both.
“A vampire is an undead corpse, animated by its spirit and with a
body that fails to decay, no matter how long in the grave.
Vampirism can be contagious or people might occasionally be
born as vampires, bearing stigmata such as a dark-colored spot
on the head or a rudimentary tail. However a vampire is usually
created when a person dies and the soul is unable to enter heaven
or hell. The reason may be that the person has died in a ‘state of
sin’ – by suicide, for example, or holding heretical beliefs [like
the belief the Cubs will win a World Series in our lifetime.]
“Once created, a vampire is almost immortal and becomes a
menace to the living. [Tell me about it.] In Romanian folklore,
vampires frequently return to their former homes at night, where
they must be propitiated with offerings of food and drink [I
imagine they want to try the new Heineken Light, don’t you
think?], and excluded by smearing garlic around the doors and
windows. Should a new-born baby lie within, it must be guarded
until it is christened, lest a vampire sneak in and transform it into
another vampire. [I need to thank my mother when I get home
for protecting me when I was young, know what I’m sayin’?]”
By the way, while in horror films and Bram Stoker’s novel
vampires must bite their victims and suck their blood to cause
contagion, in reality all they need to do is stare at or touch you.
“A classic account refers to the Austro-Hungarian village of
Haidam in the 1720s. There, before witnesses, a man dead ten
years returned as a vampire to his son’s cottage, touched him on
the shoulder and then departed. The man died the next morning.
Alarmed by this report and others relating how long-dead
villagers were returning to suck their children’s blood, the local
military commander ordered several graves to be exhumed,
within which were found corpses showing no signs of decay. All
were incinerated to ashes – one of the classic methods of
exterminating vampires.”
Goodness gracious. Sounds like I may have to take a road trip
to Haidam one of these days.
Heck, as recently as 1988, outside of Nis in southern Serbia, a
13-year-old girl was killed by her family, who believed her to be
a vampire.
Then again, maybe I won’t go to Haidam.
Finally, Bram Stoker did most of his research for “Count
Dracula” at the British Museum. He got his inspiration when he
came across the figure of Vlad Tepes during this time.
Stuff
–I’m staying at the Four Seasons in Prague. Yes, a rather nice
spot. But as if it wasn’t already charging enough, it costs $35 to
use the Net every day. That’s outrageous. My SAS Radisson in
Sofia gave me a better room, for far less, and the Net was free.
–What do bartenders do in their free time between serving
customers in Bucharest? They download music, as I observed on
more than one occasion.
–Ignorance, thy name is the CNN International weatherman
who, in discussing Typhoon Xangsane, which was about to slam
into Vietnam, said it was making a path for Hue…only he
pronounced it Hu…….It’s Hue, you moron, as in Hway. Sorry,
this kind of thing ticks me off. Then again, the people of Hue
clearly had other things on their mind.
–In Romania, a bottle of local Ursus Beer was just about $2.50
in most spots. It was funny, though, how some restaurants didn’t
serve any local brews. So in those instances I had Carlsberg,
which really is pretty good when selecting the budget category.
–Czech Airlines, which I flew twice, serves Gambrinus…and
it’s free! Also, like KLM, tasty cheese sandwiches.
–So the baseball playoffs are all set up. And congratulations to
Minnesota’s Joe Mauer for becoming the first A.L. catcher to
ever win a batting title, besting Derek Jeter. Congrats to
Minnesota, overall, too, for just a great season.
–Not for nothing, but as Johnny Mac was trying to build a case
the other day, the way Albert Pujols finished up really should put
him right up there with the Phillies’ Ryan Howard, especially
since Howard didn’t end up with 60 homers (58) and he also
didn’t lead his team to the playoffs. I bet the voting is a lot
closer than some think it will be. I’d vote for Pujols, myself.
–A fond farewell to Frank Robinson. Not only one of the greats
in his game, but a man of integrity. [And a reason why I sponsor
his page on baseball-reference.com!]
[Robinson will surely remain in baseball in some capacity, but
obviously his managing days are over.]
–OK, so for the record, Terrell Owens’ attempted suicide was
deemed to be “accidental.” He then played on Sunday. How
would you like to be Bill Parcells and have to deal with this B.S.
–Hey, my Jets are actually playing pretty competitive football,
having taken Indy to the last play on Sunday.
–You know something? That Tiger Woods fellow is pretty darn
good. Six straight PGA Tour wins.
–And now your college football review.
No huge upsets, and only a minor one in #24 Georgia Tech’s win
over #11 Virginia Tech.
And my Wake Forest Demon Deacons are now 5-0, though I
wasn’t impressed with their 34-14 triumph over Jerry Falwell’s
Liberty gang.
New Jersey’s Rutgers is now 5-0 as well.
But in your EXCLUSIVE PICKS TO CLICK department, it was
not a good week for the kid.
I had Florida, giving 13 to ‘Bama…and Florida won 28-13. Yes!
But I also had USC, giving 17 to Washington State, and the
Trojans and their cheerleaders only won by 6. Drat!
The crusher, however, was taking Army, giving 11 to the winless
Rice Krispies.
Well wouldn’t you know, Snap, Crackle and Pop put up 48
points against the Cadets……….48-14! Frankly, it’s further
evidence we need to institute a draft if we are to keep up all our
military commitments around the world and still have a bowl-
capable football team at this leading institution.
So I’m now 3-3 on bets thus far this season.
[As I’ll be wasting a lot of time traveling the next day or so… I
will squeeze in this coming weekend’s picks on Thursday in this
spot. I need to do a little more studying, you understand. It’s
about the children………
**10/4….and here they are.
Wake, getting 16 1/2 vs. Clemson
Ohio State, giving 34 1/2 to Bowling Green
Nebraska, giving 7 to Iowa State
From last week, one other huge game I almost forgot…Virginia 37
Duke 0. And Cal and Nebraska won as well, plus our Bar Chat Top
Ten stalwarts Richmond and New Hampshire. I will resurrect this
poll next Monday.
–Romania has thousands of brown bears, but didn’t hear of any
maulings while over there.
–And as I was sitting for hours in Bucharest’s airport on Sunday,
I noticed the armed female security guards all wear high heels.
But I wasn’t about to engage them in a footrace to see if they
could handle it.
–Among the stories I read from some Rolling Stone pieces I
brought along was a lengthy one on Led Zeppelin. Geezuz, these
guys were among the biggest dirtballs in rock history. Their
stage manager beat one guy to a pulp once, the four band
members couldn’t have behaved worse, and when Robert Plant’s
two-year-old boy died, only one of the other three showed up for
the funeral.
–Singer/writer John Mayer on the Beatles:
“I recently started listening to the Beatles, which I’d never done
before. In a funny way it was out of respect for them. I didn’t
know where to catch up, and I thought it was too daunting. It’s
like the Beatles discovered the entire artillery of good music, and
took all the good stuff out. They raided the pop locker.”
Top 3 songs for the week of 9/28/68: #1 “Hey Jude” (The
Beatles) #2 “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (Jeannie C. Riley) #3
“People Got To Be Free” (The Rascals)…and…#4 “Hush”
(Deep Purple) #5 “Fire” (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown)
#6 “The Fool On The Hill” (Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66)
NFL Quiz Answers: 1) TDs, career: Jerry Rice, 208; Emmitt
Smith, 175; Marcus Allen, 145. 2) TDs, season: Shaun
Alexander (Seattle / 2005), 28. [Alexander had 27 of them
rushing, as did Priest Holmes in 2003, but only Alexander had 28
total.] 3) Most yards rushing, season: Eric Dickerson, 2,105
(L.A. Rams / 1984). 4) Most yards rushing by a quarterback,
season: Bobby Douglas, Chicago Bears / 1972, 968. [He had a
fun Strat-O-Matic card.] 5) Most years leading league in yards
rushing: Jim Brown, 8. 1957-65, except 1962.
I need time to catch up on things when I return from Europe.
Next Bar Chat, Monday, Oct. 9. Except I’ll slot in the
aforementioned football picks on Thursday.
