Pittsburgh Pirates Quiz (1900-2003): 1) Name the four infielders
whose uniform is retired. 2) Who was the last N.L. MVP? 3)
What was the last season for Forbes Field? 4) Who was the last
batting champ? 5) Who holds the club record for RBI, season?
6) Who has the club record for RBI in a game with 9? [You get
this one…pour yourself an Iron City. Then again, go for the
Rock instead.] 7) Who is the career leader in hits? 8) Who am
I? I had a career record in a Pirates uniform of 191-218.
Answers below.
Well, I’m now in Shanghai and despite some initial frustrations
with the Internet hookup in my room, I think all is well, aside
from the fact I’m typing this at 3:00 AM. But let’s catch you up
on what I’ve been doing, shall we?
Beer Count, continued…
AUDIT ALERT…So I’m sitting in this bar in Singapore, “Ink,”
and it hit me…I didn’t include a beer I had here last Thursday! I
mean this is how all the Wall Street accounting crap started, you
know? Well, I’ll have to file an amended 10-B form (a weekly
beer report required by the SEC) and the new count as of Sunday
should have read 37 ½, not 36 ½.
So it’s now Monday, May 3. There is an island off the main city
in Singapore called Sentosa and they’ve built quite a resort there.
It’s connected by a bridge or you can get there by cable car so I
opted for the latter choice. Now this was cool, as you get a great
view of the massive port here, one of the busiest in the world.
Then once on the island you take a monorail around to your
destination of choice. The place has three good-looking golf
courses, but it’s so damn hot and humid most of the time I don’t
know how enjoyable that would be. My stop this day, though,
was the Bora Bora Beach Bar and so I plopped myself there, all
sticky and sweaty, and enjoyed three ice cold Tiger Beers. This
was highly relaxing and with a light breeze probably the coolest
I’ve been in all of Singapore. [And as it was before noon, I
qualified for morning beer bonus points!]
Well, after Bora Bora, I got on the monorail again to catch the
cable car back and upon return to my hotel sat in the Ink Bar for
Tiger #4 as I chatted up the very pleasant hostess. [It was then I
realized about missing one here the other day.] After a bout of
shopping (there is a great mall attached to the hotel…and boy,
people love to shop here), I headed up to the 71st floor bar for a
spectacular view of the city and a Ni Hao Ma. Now I have no
idea what’s in this drink, but it was different and a change from
my normal fare. But then it was back to Tiger. Total take for the
day, six (counting Ni Hao Ma as one), thus bringing me to 43 ½.
That evening, though, I went to the Night Zoo, or Night Safari as
they call it in these parts. Now this was one cool experience.
It’s connected to the regular zoo but only open after dark. You
walk around on a dimly lit path and then you’ll turn a corner and
in this very faint light spot a lion hanging out not 20 feet from
you. Or you’re in this glass enclosure, staring into the dark
jungle, when suddenly two tigers appear. And then there was a
point where big freakin’ flying squirrels are leaping over you.
Now that had me worried about my rabies protection, especially
when one hit the ground not a foot in front of me having brushed
my head. It is all so well done and my compliments to the staff
who got me out of there, even as I kept getting lost.
Tuesday, May 4. Time is running out in Singapore and I had one
big goal, get out into the water and see the tanker traffic in the
Strait of Malaca and Singapore Straits. You see it all from the
beach at Sentosa and from the top of my hotel and it’s really
quite a sight. It’s also more or less “Week in Review” material
because my interest was tied to the global economy and
terrorism.
But suffice it to say; when I kept asking the concierge at the hotel
how to get out there she was confused, as were various
supervisors. Nobody ever asks to do that, sir, I was told. And
it’s not like you can just rent a boat.
So I did what any person in my shoes would have done, headed
to Indonesia, by ferry. I went to the terminal, told the ticket
agent I wanted to go to Indonesia and back the same day, she
said, “How about Batam?” and I said, “Err, OK.” Now normally
I would have had to get a visa beforehand but she said I could get
one there upon arrival.
It’s a long story that needs to be retold for WIR, but suffice it to
say it turned out to be a highlight of the trip and I got to see the
tanker traffic. I also had one of those five minute encounters in
Batam that make life special.
Well, there wasn’t any opportunity to have a beer during my
excursion – the whole thing cost only about $30, by the way,
including two hours on the water and my $10 visa fee – and I
was a little pumped by it all upon my return so I headed to the
Long Bar at Raffles, the one I mentioned earlier that is the place
where the Singapore Sling was concocted. Yes, it’s a touristy
joint but also across from my hotel, very comfortable and a good
way to get out of the heat. 3 Tigers.
But get this for cruelty. An English-speaking tour group comes
in at one point, the guide offers each tourist a peanut (a tradition
here is shelling them at your table) and then she says this is
where the Singapore Sling first came about. Then they walk out.
I mean that’s torture, folks. You walk into a famous bar and
can’t have a drink?! Goodness gracious. [Actually, you should
have seen the look of relief on the waitresses, who for a second
thought they might have to serve the unruly mob.]
Anyway, after the Long Bar it was back to the 71st floor joint to
see where my boat had taken me and that meant two more
Tigers. Finally, my last night in Singapore, I returned to the
Turkish spot, Ephesus, where I had dinner on Saturday. My new
best friend, Mahmut, shouted “Welcome home!” “I promised
you I’d be back,” I said. “We have fresh baklava just for you!”
Man, I love the Turks. And what an awesome last meal, plus
two more Tigers for a total of 7, bringing me up to 50 ½ in 11
days. In other words, according to the scientific study that
started this whole beer count deal, it isn’t looking good. It’s also
a good thing I’ll be home shortly.
Wednesday, May 5. I bid adieu to Singapore, as the doorman at
the hotel, who had arranged about 12 taxis for me over the six
days here, said “Mr. Brian, you have been so kind to me. Please
come back.” I didn’t even know he knew my name. It was
rather touching, frankly. Singapore is a neat place and, again, I
don’t want to repeat a lot of things I’ll have in the next Week in
Review, but any stories you’ve heard about the strictness of it is
a bunch of bull. Oh yeah, it’s there, in the background and as it
needs to be in these parts. But don’t hesitate to come here if
you’re planning a trip to the region.
Wednesday morning I boarded Singapore Airlines for my five-
hour flight to Shanghai. I thought I’d get a lot of reading done,
but I was served my first Tiger (cans this time) at 11:00 AM, the
second at 11:25, and, coupled with a glass of wine at lunch
shortly thereafter, I was basically out the rest of the way.
Arriving in Shanghai was a breeze. They screen the incoming
for SARS with the thermal imaging devices, my bag arrived (a
good thing), and I wasn’t stopped at customs. At this point,
though, you exit into the entrance hall and I never saw so many
people in my life waiting for friends and relatives. I was looking
for the taxi sign when a gentleman grabbed my big bag and said
“What hotel?” I have a standard look for these folks in foreign
lands, and it isn’t a pleasant one, but what was I to do here?
Sometimes you just go with the flow and when he said 250 yuan
(about $30) for what I knew was a long trip I was like, not a bad
deal.
This guy then proceeded to give me the thrill of my life. Holy
cow. If NASCAR is looking for a Chinese driver to reach a new
audience, this is the man. Scared the crap out of me at first, then
I prayed “Dear Lord, I place my life…” But I obviously arrived
in one piece and he shook my hand vigorously as he said
farewell. Welcome to China, I thought. Oh, and three beers with
a delicious dinner thereafter in an Italian joint playing Chinese
rock music. We’re at 56 ½. Yikes.
Stuff
–Note to Jeff B. I was sitting at this Bora Bora Beach Bar and
they were playing calypso music when a version of “The Lion
Sleeps Tonight” came on and I almost committed hari kari.
Thankfully, it lasted only 30 seconds.
–Singapore Air is introducing an 18-hour flight from New York
to Singapore. That’s 18 hours with the Singapore Air girls, not
such a bad thing.
–A 60-year-old woman in Japan was arrested for stealing 1,500
golf balls from a lake at a club. She worked at night, donning a
wet suit…until she was nabbed in an international sting
operation.
–Lightning killed two hikers and injured 29 more in Malaysia.
This was a big story in these parts. As was the story of the
reemergence of the snakehead fish in Maryland, snakeheads
being native to China and Korea.
–Hey Boston Red Sox fans. Pedro may be good, but he is a first
class jerk.
–I see the Yankees are playing better. This depresses the hell
out of me.
–The stories you hear of pirates in the waters around Indonesia,
Malaysia and Singapore are all true and pretty scary, suffice it to
say these days. It’s why you see fighter jets screaming over the
waters every now and then, along with all manner of surveillance
craft. Plus today’s pirates have AK-47s rather than knives.
–And finally, a Singapore secondary school principal was forced
to step down after hitting a student with a soft-cover book. Now
this kid had evidently been a real troublemaker and clearly had it
coming to him. But The Straits Times ran a survey and 44%
believed the principal was right, 44% wrong. A full 83% said
the principal should not step down and 70% are in favor of
corporal punishment. Good for them.
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/9/64: #1 “Hello, Dolly!” (Louis
Armstrong) #2 “Do You Want To Know A Secret” (The
Beatles) #3 “My Guy” (Mary Wells)
Pittsburgh Pirates Quiz Answers: 1) Retired uniform #s: 1B –
Willie Stargell, #8; 2B – Bill Mazeroski, #9; SS – Honus
Wagner, #33; 3B – Pie Traynor, #20. 2) Last MVP: Barry
Bonds, 1992. 3) Forbes Field’s last year was 1970. 4) Last
batting champ: Bill Madlock, 1983. 5) Paul Waner has the
season record for RBI with 131 in 1927. [Surprisingly low.] 6)
Johnny Rizzo had 9 RBI in a game, 1939. 7) Roberto Clemente
is the career leader in hits with his 3,000. 8) Bob Friend had a
won-loss record with the Bucs of 191-218. Including stints with
the Mets and Yanks he was 197-230 lifetime, but with a 3.58
ERA. He’d be making $8 million a season these days.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday…assuming I’m in one piece upon my
return.
