The Hot Club

THE HOT CLUB

Mr. D. said that Waterfire really originated in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Their river was on fire. The water fires on the Cuyahoga! Must have inspired Barnaby Evans.

Louisiana Steve was getting a lot of calls from relatives in his home state. We're glad for him and others that New Orleans was spared the brunt of Hurricane Katrina.

That reminded me of my first trip to New Orleans for the Pats-Bears '86 Super Bowl. Findo and I took a red eye (6 am) into New Orleans and landed in a monsoon. We had to drive to our hotel in Baton Rouge, return for a rally and then head back to sleep. The road crosses Lake Ponchartrain and is straight as an arrow. On the last trip, I thought we'd die that night as I kept dozing. I finally pulled over and walked around a bit. Unforgettable.

Mr. Contraire spotted me and asked, "Where's your propaganda? Where's it been?" I told him that there was no Sportzine while I was in Maine. He said, "It's underground."

There were renovations at the Hot Club while I was away. There is a door now in the corner wall where Mr. D. and I usually reside. And the area heading out to the small far deck has been opened up by taking out the inside doors and creating a golden arch. Gone is the sign on the doorway to the deck revered by the regulars - The Office.

We were talking about fried foods and I remembered Satchel Paige saying to avoid fried foods because they 'roil the stomach'. FootJoy and I recalled Satchel pitching for the KC Athletics (FJ thinks 1965) against the Red Sox. Satchel pitched one inning and shut down the Sox except for Carl Yaz who got a hit. Satchel had to be at least in his fifties.

Erin returned to the Hot Club - as a redhead.

Someone was clearing away the empty beer bottles. I called them 'dead soldiers', an old
military term not used much any more.

Contraire changed the Hot Club TV from the Red Sox game to the Yankees-Indians tilt. When caught, Contraire said, "That's the Cleveland game." Someone asked why Contraire switched the game. I replied, "That's why he's Contraire."

Windex returned - with a cleaner.

We were talking about what happens to people who become celebrities and find everyone in their face. Buff Steve said, "How do I get that to happen?"

Hooks' car was reportedly hit by some old guy in a truck. There was damage to the front end of Hook's new Infiniti C-35. When Hooks went to talk to the guy, the old man was crying. Hooks didn't have the heart (or lack thereof) to get on the guy.

Rumor has it that a HC employee was moving someone's car when he backed into Eric's Porsche. Maybe that explains why no one wanted to move my car Thursday.

Wild Bill works for a car dealership. I asked him how the change in RI law to open on Sundays is affecting him. He said that he already works Sunday. Said Bill, "I'm in Mass." Contraire piped up, "I'm in Mass too at Mt. Carmel's." "You go to Mass", I asked? Contraire replied, "Yeah, every Sunday before the poker game."

Mr. D. was reminiscing about an art class he took at RI College. He did a painting with 100 blue dots surrounded by 1000 red dots. He called it, "Custer's Last Stand".

Foot Joy and I were talking about Peter Gammons' recent entry into the Hall of Fame. FJ recalled that Will McDonough didn't like Gammons because they came from different backgrounds and upbringings. I said that I loved McDonough's football columns but that he crossed the line in 1997 in the days before the Patriots-Green Bay Super Bowl. McDonough backed his friend Bill Parcells in print. McDonough stopped being a journalist. He lost my trust after that.

Our prayers are with Mikey K. who's having surgery on Tuesday. We wish him a full recovery.

Two guys walked by and checked the scores on TV. One guy said, "The Yankees are down 2-3."

Rob was telling us that his parents scored two tickets to Paul McCartney's concert in Boston. Their 3rd row tickets cost $800 each. E-Bay is offering $2000 per. Rob says he told his folks that if the price goes to $2400, they should sell them and go on a trip instead.

Polly Pure Pants and her husband The Postman visited with Mr. D. It was revealed that Pure Pants might have suggested that Mr. D. get her name tattooed on his butt. There were also discussions of 'drunk-dialing', and showing Mr. D. how to bait a hook. Ms. Cuyahoga Falls.

Mr. D. told me that Providence's Fleet Building (once the Industrial National Building) was not the model for the Daily Planet in Superman. However it does have a trolley car atop it. "Look up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a trolley car."

The Hot Club

Mr. D. is a professor of T & T - Tourism and Travel.

The Bad One was telling us about playing golf at River's Edge, a course designed by Arnie Palmer, one of the country's best per Golf magazine. I asked Bad Boy how his round went, and he said he played well. Then he told us he lost 12 balls.

Bad One said he went to Gulfsteam and put all his $ on a horse to show. It led all the way until the last turn, when the horse's front legs collapsed. Bad One said they came out, put a cover over the horse and shot him right there. Took him away with a steam shovel.

It was a Friday late afternoon on the deck. Mr. D and I were avoiding the sun. I said we were two gay blades in the shade. They don't use the expression 'gay blades' anymore.

That caused us to remember George Hamilton in Love At First Bite. Mr. D. said that George Hamilton was one of the first persons to be famous for being famous. Like Zsa Zsa Gabor. A celebrity for being a celebrity. "Like Paris Hilton today", Mr. D. said.

Left the Zine copies on our table under an empty bottle. A regular asked for one, showed it to a friend and said "A periodical with sports. It's cool." He then returned the Zine and said, "We just took a breeze through it."

'Little Audrey' was waitressing on the deck. She's too young to know about the comic strip by that name from my time.

Bags advised another regular to "Check the expiration date on your Viagra."

A woman with a German Shepherd tied in the lot came by to check on him. Around the waist of her dress she had a 25' retractable measuring tape clipped on. The Consigliere said she made sure her men measured up.

Brock walked by. Did he tell us he was a 'bruiser'? A 'cruiser'? No, it was 'boozer'.

St. Claire's girl Louise introduced us to her friend Mojo, who offered to buy us drinks. Mojo said to Sandy, "But no mixed drinks. Well, OK, if they're $2." Mr. D. drinks tequila - Silver Petrone. Sandy told Mo, "Oh no, Mr. D. is not a cheap date."

Mojo said intelligent women scare some guys. Mr. D. then introduced us to Mojo: "I'm Socrates and he's Einstein."