St. Louis Cardinals Quiz (1900-2003): 1) Who were the two
rookie of the year winners in the 1980s? 2) Who was N.L. MVP
in 1944? 3) Who won 20 games in each of 1984 and 1985? 4)
Who are the only two to drive in 150 in a single season? 5) Who
am I? I threw a no-hitter in 1968 and my initials are R.W. 6)
How many seasons did Bob Gibson win 20? Answers below.
*It’s an abbreviated chat, most of which is being compiled from
Hong Kong, Saturday night, as I spend my last moments in Asia.
I know I wouldn’t be able to face writing up a chat when I get
back to New Jersey, though I’ll throw in a few comments later.
Stuff
–Beer Count, part last. It was all in good fun, folks, as I thought
I strongly hinted at in part one about two weeks ago. Please
don’t try these things at home, you understand. After all, on the
road I’m a true professional. And so I ended up Thursday and
Friday enjoying Tsingtao Beer in Shanghai, except for dinner on
Friday when I had a spot of Hennessey. Actually, the latter went
well with the warm chocolate pudding I was eating. Of course
they forgot to tell me that the pastry had the warm pudding
inside, so I kind of made a mess of myself…but no one was hurt!
–What a pleasant surprise. I flew Dragonair on Saturday from
Shanghai to Hong Kong. Dragonair? When my travel agent
booked the flight I was a bit skeptical. Well I mean to tell you it
was a great two-hour experience, with a superb meal, San
Miguel, and an absolutely beautiful group of stewardesses.
[Singapore Air has competition.] Plus an Aussie pilot!
–Confession time. I had shark fin soup the other day. Now I
know what you’re thinking. ‘How could you, editor, a defender
of sharks, contribute to their destruction by ordering such a
dish?’ Well, it was kind of like this. I felt like splurging, it was
on the menu – specifically labeled “Double boiled shark fin
soup” – and I thought of that hot babe in the beginning of the
movie “Jaws.” She didn’t deserve to die, you know, so I thought
just this once I could eat part of a fin that may have been from
that very Great White that did her in……….. [I was
just informed Jaws was a mechanical model that can be seen at
Universal Studios in Florida.]
But I mean to tell ya, the soup was mighty tasty…and, err,
terrifically expensive, but that same dinner I also had my first
abalone, and topped it off with an octopus dish, which I left a
little of on the plate because there are starving children in China,
you understand. And to really make your mouth water, for
dessert I had a walnut puree with dumplings filled with poppy
seed; a dentist’s delight, in other words. I was afraid to open my
mouth afterwards until I had been to the room to brush my teeth
because it must have been disgusting.
Ah, but now it’s back to Stouffer’s Swedish Meatballs and
chipped beef. I also have two cans of tuna fish left, I think, and
maybe a box of crackers. You see, I just blew all my money and
eating is going to be kind of sketchy these next few weeks until I
can stage a walkathon or something.
–At a museum in Shanghai I saw a ton of jade of the kind I
discussed the other day that was selling at auction in Hong Kong
for $1mm+. So I say again to my friends in Taiwan, take the
extra stuff stored in that mountain next to your national museum
and sell it while the price is right. You may never get another
opportunity to do so.
–A passenger on a Qantas Air flight found a live frog in a salad,
a 1 ½-inch whistling tree frog. So I can just imagine what was
going through his mind when he was served the meal. “What the
heck is that sound coming from the salad?” he must have mused.
“****! [Goodness gracious.] Why it’s a freakin’ frog! Hey!
Hey!”
–The Shanghai Daily on Saturday noted that an American
microbrewery had garnered the top award at a big international
beer contest in Australia. India Pelican Ale from the Pelican Pub
& Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon.
–Friday’s edition of the Asian Wall Street Journal compared
retail (store) beer prices around Asia, using a bottle of Heineken
as the marker.
Manila…$0.83
Bangkok…$0.85
Hong Kong…$1.27
Seoul…$1.98
Singapore…$2.22
Tokyo…$2.42
No wonder the folks in Singapore were complaining about the
cost of beer. Now I can see why the hotels and bars tacked on so
much to the retail price.
–The same Asian Journal had a good piece on golf club
memberships in the region. Following the 1997-98 economic
crisis, some prices have rebounded sharply, but still not back to
record levels. For example, The American Club in Hong Kong
charges $93,600 to join, up 25% in the past year but still 56% off
the high. In Manila, The Wack Wack Golf & Country Club will
set you back $125,800, yet this is still 74% off the 1996 high,
and the name isn’t exactly a conversation starter at your local
cocktail party.
Now I wrote the other day of going to Sentosa Island in
Singapore and how I thought the golf courses there looked good
and it turns out the Sentosa Golf Club, with two 18-hole layouts,
charges $56,000, off 33% from the 1996 peak…but you’d still
sweat a lot.
But check this one out. Membership in The Mission Hills Golf
Club (Shenzhen, I think) is $27,000. The place has 10, count
‘em, 10, 18-hole courses, 50 tennis courts, restaurants, a spa
and a nightclub.
–I forgot to mention this last time. It only rained in Singapore
two of the six days I was there, and both times for no more than
30 minutes. I left the impression it rained far more than that. I
hope the Department of Tourism accepts my heartfelt apology.
–Everywhere you go in China they check for counterfeit bills,
including with payment at the museums.
–So I’m in the hotel lounge in Shanghai and this American goes
into the special cigar section, selects one, and goes to pay at the
bar, where I’m sitting. He gets his change and receipt, doesn’t
say ‘thank you’ and walks off. But he left his credit card so the
barmaid calls after him, he returns, grabs it out of her hand, and
again says nothing. I was astounded, and had wished I had
tripped the a-hole, so I asked the woman if he came there often.
All the time, I was told. It’s crap like this that gives us
Americans a bad name and it ticks me off.
–On Friday night I ate in the same Italian place where I had my
first meal, Wednesday. A very good spot called Palladio. But
what I found in this place and the other restaurant I ate at in
Shanghai was if you’re alone they give you magazines and
newspapers to read. I swear I’ve never been to a place,
anywhere, that did that. It was kind of a nice touch, but not
necessary in my case since I just scribble away normally.
But in this one magazine they had a piece on the rock group
Deep Purple which had given a concert in Shanghai recently.
Bassist Roger Glover was interviewed and among his insightful
comments was his preference for the Dave Matthews Band
among the current rock lineup. Huh, I mused, as I sipped my
Tsingtao.
Glover was also asked if he ever got tired of playing “Smoke On
The Water,” the group’s 1973 classic (for those of you not
familiar with one of the top ten rock songs of all time). So
Glover responded:
“Tony Bennett was once asked if he got tired of singing ‘I Left
My Heart In San Francisco’ and he replied, ‘Do you get tired of
making love?’ We had no idea it was going to be the song that
would catapult us to the top of the charts. I don’t know what I
feel about it really, just happy.”
You’re reading Bar Chat….
–The locals at Palladio were ordering Budweiser!!
–At the end of my meal, I thanked the Italian owner for a great
feed and he said this. “I know it’s not easy eating alone…but
next time if you have a particular menu preference, let us know
beforehand. I’ll go get it for you.” Folks, again, this was rather
extraordinary. I don’t mind eating alone in a foreign country but
his concern was so genuine. Unreal. Obviously the American
cigar guy hadn’t been in to ruin it for the rest of us Yanks.
–I did have a major problem with the music at one of the hotel
lounges. They had a tape that played the same four songs over
and over again, I kid you not, including “Phantom of the Opera”
and “Blue Velvet.” The big problem was they were recorded by
something like ‘101 Strings.’ Remember those albums your
parents would buy? The ones that had Beatles songs? [I keep
forgetting your parents may not have had the musical tastes mine
did.]
–I didn’t realize Norway was crippled so much by a truckers
strike, going back to late March. In fact things got so bad the
citizenry began hoarding toilet paper for fears they would run
out. So Denmark stepped up on Friday and evidently shipped at
least 1,000 rolls for the capital of Oslo. 1,000! That’s all?!
—–
–Back in the States now…Yankees are 18-13, crap. But Barry
Bonds is below .400 (.379), good! Mets at 14-17 remain two
games above the level where Mets fans would need to sign-off
their e-mails to each other with “Mets blow.”
–My A.L. pick to play in the Series, Kansas City, is 9-20.
I”m not giving up! My N.L. pick, Houston, is much better and
I”ll still be collecting from all of you this fall.
–Congratulations to 46-year-old Joey Sindelar for capturing his
first PGA Tour win since 1990 in Charlotte. Nice story. And it”s
not like he beat a cupcake field…Tiger, Phil, Vijay.
–Geezuz, even in Shanghai everyone was writing off the Lakers.
–We note the passing of comedian Alan King. This generation is
just about all gone now; the one that many of us grew up with
on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Now I watch the comedic talent on
BET to see if I can understand one word they”re saying.
–Finally, going through customs at Newark Airport on Sunday
was a freakin” mess. The lines were super long and then when
I got to the agent, we had the following conversation.
“Did you travel alone?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see anyone?”
[Now what am I supposed to say? “You mean the Singapore Air
girls?” “The Miss Universes scattered all about Singapore?”
“The super cute girls tending the various lounges at the Shanghai
Ritz-Carlton?”……….No, I don”t think he was looking for this.]
“No.”
“You always travel alone?”
[Now I”m ticked…but I hold my temper.]
“Yeah, most of the time…done it all my life.”
[Unless it”s my wild golfing trips with the guys in Ireland.]
“Well, I guess sometimes that”s the best way.”
Imagine my mood…after a 15-hour flight, I”m getting a freakin”
lecture from a customs a-hole on being single. Then again, I
told him the trip was all pleasure and it was really half
business.
So now it”s on to pick up the bag, no problem there, and to then
hand the customs declaration form to the guy at the end.
But noooooooooo…..I was shifted over to the line examining
whether I brought back any live farm animals and such. I mean
to tell ya………by now I”m steaming and staring at all the
cameras and the mirrors (where the guys are drinking coffee
on the other side).
It took an hour to get out of customs. It took me no more than
15 minutes in either Singapore, Shanghai, or Hong Kong; from
the second I walked off the plane in these places to hitting
the taxi.
But then I get home and read the front page of the Sunday
Star-Ledger (the N.J. state paper) and see a screaming headline
that airport security at Newark Airport is lax.
Welcome home, I mused.
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/12/79: #1 “Reunited” (Peaches &
Herb) #2 “Heart Of Glass” (Blondie…ughh) #3 “Hot Stuff”
(Donna Summer…bring back the 60s, I say!)
St. Louis Cardinals Quiz Answers: 1) Vince Coleman, 1985, and
Todd Worrell, 1986 won rookie of the year honors in the 80s. 2)
Marty Marion was league MVP in 1944 as the Cards went 105-
49. Marion, a SS, only hit .267 with 6 HR and 63 RBI. 3)
Joaquin Andujar won 20 games in both 1984 and 1985; 20-14 and
21-12. John Tudor, incidentally, won 21 in ’85. 4) Two who
drove in 150: Both were also triple crown winners when they
accomplished this – Joe Medwick, 1937 (31, 154, .374) and
Rogers Hornsby, 1922 (42, 152, .401). 5) Ray Washburn threw a
no-hitter in 1968. The day before Gaylord Perry no-hit the
Cards. Ah yes, 1968 – the year of the pitcher. 6) Bob Gibson
won 20 games five times: 1965, 66, 68, 69, 70.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday. Back to normal fare.
