Baseball Quiz: 1) Most games played, career, at first base? 2)
Just twice in baseball history have two 500-home run hitters
homered in the same game. Who were the players? [Hint: Both
instances were post-1960 and one player was involved in both
games as well.] Answers below.
"5-year-old injured in bear attack at Delaware Water Gap"
Folks, it happened. Just what the editor has been predicting for
years now. On Friday, a 5-year-old boy hiking with his father
and two sisters was attacked by a young black bear, marking the
first time on record in New Jersey that a black bear injured a
human.
Thankfully, the boy was just clawed at and his injuries were
minor, but what the father did was incredibly idiotic.
The father and his kids were hiking up a rocky trail when they
saw a 130-pound bear just ten feet away. According to Susan
Todd and Jim Lockwood of the Star-Ledger, the father then tried
to snap a few photos. The bear didn\’\’t bother them and the family
proceeded to a spot for a picnic.
But on the way back down, they encountered the bear again and
this time it came within two feet of them. Todd and Lockwood
pick up the story.
"At one point, the man tossed a bagel at the animal, possibly to
distract it or to get it to stay so he could try to photograph it
again.The encounter got dicey, and the father spent about an
hour fending off a more serious attack.
"The bear walked closer to the hikers, close enough at one point
for the father to tap it on the nose.At that point the bear started
circling the children.
"When the boy made a sudden move, the bear growled and raked
its claw across the boy\’\’s left arm and shoulder blade, ripping his
shirt and leaving bloody scratches."
The father then pushed the bear away with his back pack and
positioned himself between the bear and the kids as they ran
hundreds of yards back to the car.
This bear did absolutely nothing wrong, but he will be killed
when captured. [N.J. has a one-strike and you\’\’re out policy.]
The boy is also lucky that this was a young one. If it was a fully-
grown 300-350 pound bruin, the story probably has a far
different ending.
New Jersey bear complaints are up six-fold in just five years. As
the bear population grows, your editor is going to have much more
fodder over the coming years.
PETA
Wow…if any of you are members of People For the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, I\’\’m in trouble for posting the picture on
Week in Review of my barracuda catch. I didn\’\’t realize it until
I read Rick Reilly\’\’s column in Sports Illustrated, which you can
find in the current issue.
Reilly says that PETA is now targeting fishing as being cruel.
Yup, that\’\’s right, fishing is cruel to the fish! Freakin\’\’ fish!
Writes Reilly, in part:
"PETA thinks it\’\’s evil to eat fish, too. But why should we stop
eating them when they eat each other? Besides, they had their
chance to evolve. They could\’\’ve crawled out of the primordial
ooze with us, but they didn\’\’t. They decided to stay behind and
swim in the water they pee in and go around never blinking.
When fish lift their scaly butts past us in the food chain, they can
eat us. Until then, pass the tartar sauce."
Reilly later points out what any fishermen already knows, fish
are dumb. PETA, though, treats them as if they actually have a
brain and have feelings.
"If fish are so smart, why can you catch a fish, throw it back and
then, two hours later, catch the same fish? I mean, do you really
want to save something dumber than Robert Downey Jr.?"
This last point hit home with me and my barracuda. While
fishing with Al off the island of Yap about five weeks ago, Al
emphasized that when I lost a hit on the line that we should just
keep circling the area, because the same one would keep coming
back.
And as Reilly says, where will PETA stop? What about the
worm? Or plankton? This isn\’\’t environmentalism or protecting
endangered species.this is idiocy. And for those who have
followed my animal columns over the years, you\’\’ll appreciate
Reilly\’\’s conclusion.
"I\’\’ll tell you one thing. Before I agree to this whole fish-human
truce, somebody had better have a long face-to-face with the
sharks about it. I say we send a bunch of PETA members down
right away."
Great Escape
But wait, there are more animal stories for your enjoyment, boys
and girls. A capybaras is the world\’\’s largest living rodent and is
a native to South America. It looks like a small pig and can
reach the size of a dog. And now Florida has a big problem.
2 capybaras\’\’ escaped from the Jacksonville Zoo by swimming
through a hole in a chain-link fence that cut across an exhibit.
And as Harry K. points out, these things breed like, well, rats!
First off, here is a description of the escapees. Florida officials
could use your help.
Coarse, light brown hair, a thick head, a long snout, small ears
and nose and partially webbed feet. They are armed and should
be considered dangerous.
I would focus on the webbed feet angle. What if they mate with
dolphins, finally giving the dolphins the ability to walk on land
again and effectively take over?!
But Harry K. says (as Reilly mentions above) that dolphins
already had their chance to walk the earth and freely chose to go
back to sea. Harry says the bigger issue may be if the capybaras\’\’
mate with the walking catfish and then swell the voting rolls in
Miami-Dade, thus guaranteeing mammoth Democratic gains in
2004.
Lion Attack
What a week. 4 lions attacked and killed their zookeeper at the
Walvo Zoo in Matapozuelos, Spain (75 miles from Madrid). The
poor soul left their cage door open as he was preparing to
transfer them to an exhibit area. 180 visitors were in the park at
the time and certainly left with nightmares for the rest of their
lives.
Canada Day…In Praise of its Beer
Now I realize that the original intent of Canada Day wasn\’\’t to
celebrate beer, but this is Bar Chat, after all, and Canada
produces many of the world\’\’s best brews.
The first commercial brewery in all of North America was
established in Montreal in 1786 by English immigrant John
Molson. Molson was followed by Carling, founded by Sir Thomas
Carling, in 1840 in London, Ontario. Next was John Labatt, 1847,
also in London.
Later in the 19th century, Carling merged with rival O\’\’Keefe,
founded by Eugene O\’\’Keefe, to form Carling O\’\’Keefe. Molson
would then merge with Carling O\’\’Keefe in 1989, which allowed
the two to control about 55% of the total beer market in Canada.
As for Labatt, it survived the original brewery being burned
down twice in the 19th century, and along with the other two
giants, survived Prohibition.
National Prohibition in Canada lasted from 1918-32, after which
each province developed its own rigid rules. Today, the Ontario
Liquor Control Board, for example, is one of the biggest
purchasers of alcohol in the world and has a monopoly on selling
beer throughout its 585 stores. And taxes on alcohol (as of a
year or two ago) are the highest of any nation at 53% of the total
price. Holy cow!!
Local laws in Canada require beer to be brewed in the area where
it is sold so Molson, Labatt and Carling have breweries scattered
across the country, producing it under different labels.
So I thought we\’\’d highlight a brand or two, courtesy of "The
Complete Guide to Beer" by Brian Glover and "Ultimate Beer,"
by the master, Michael Jackson. It should also be noted that
Canadian brews have far and away the coolest labels in the
world.
La Fin du Monde: Unibroue produces this deep-yellow, fruity,
spicy, extra-strong, triple-fermented ale (9%). [Two of these and
you probably shouldn\’\’t be driving.]
Magpie Rye: This is an unpasteurized, tart-flavoured rye beer
(5%), which comes from The Big Rock brewery in Calgary.
Raftman: This gold, smoky, bottle-conditioned beer (5.5%) is
brewed using peat-smoked whiskey malt. Mmmm, peat-smoked.
According to the label, it is said that lumberjacks who cut timber
and rafted it down the St. Lawrence River were always willing to
settle their differences over a beer. [I\’\’m no lumberjack, but that
sounds good to me!] Best served at 55 degrees F (13 C).
Harry K., who has been known to quaff an ale or two over the
years, especially, as he tells me, when hanging out at the garbage
dump, watching the bears, has a preference for brews from
Sleeman and Creemore.
Sleeman Original Dark: A dark-amber ale (5.5%.these are like
baseball slugging averages, ya know?) has a malty aroma and is
lightly hopped.
Creemore Springs Premium Lager: A deliciously fresh malt
aroma; a smooth, clean-textured, lightly nutty body; and an
elegant balance of hoppy dryness (5.0%). Serve this at 48 F
(9 C). It is also said this is best with fish. [Speaking of what
goes with what, Sunday\’\’s New York Times has a piece
recommending Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Saranac Pale Ale
(California and New York, respectively) for washing down
barbecue. Of course, most Canadian beers would work too.]
So there you have it. I know I\’\’ve omitted some great brews, but
rest assured it wasn\’\’t intentional. And remember, boys and girls,
drink in moderation. Bar Chat\’\’s liability insurance covers the
editor, only.
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/3/65: #1 "I Can\’\’t Help Myself"
(Four Tops) #2 "(I Can\’\’t Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling
Stones) #3 "Mr. Tambourine Man" (The Byrds.now that\’\’s a
Top 3!!! And 1965 was arguably the best year ever for rock and
roll)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Eddie Murray appeared in 2413
games at first base from 1977-97. 2) On 6/17/70 at Candlestick
Park, Willie Mays and Ernie Banks homered. On 5/8/71, Mays
and Hank Aaron duplicated the feat, again at Candlestick.
*Back to first base, Bill Buckner holds the record for most assists
in a season while with the Red Sox in 1985. But then the next
season……….aagh!
**On Friday night, the Royals beat the Indians 5-3. 5 home runs
were hit in the game…no doubles. That has to be close to a
record, though I didn\’\’t see any mention of this. It\’\’s also
reaffirmation of the modern game, as Johnny Mac and I have
noted over the years. Swing for the fences.
***The pitiful New York Mets (the editor has given up on the
season) have scored 3 runs or fewer in 42 of their first 82 games.
And the leading base stealer on the team has 4…that\’\’s right, 4!!
[This just in…it\’\’s now 7!]
Bar Chat is taking the Fourth off. The next one will be posted by
8:00 AM Thursday morning when we will feature the Chet
Atkins story.
