The Hot Club

The Wizard was correcting me about misquoting him on Tiger Woods. He said he never defended Tiger Woods, and never wanted him to surpass Jack Nicklaus for most majors won. Then I said, “Wiz wants Tiger to lose and never win another championship.” Said the Wiz, “I did not say I wanted him to lose.” But I rejoined, “You said ‘I don’t care if he ever wins another championship’.” Wiz argued that wasn’t the same as wanting Tiger to lose. To me it was the same in a manner of speaking. Wiz said I was editorializing.



“Would you like me to put that in your beer?” Who said that to me at the HC in reference to my digital recorder?



I was pointing out the colorful new menu board in the outside bar, but the Jack of Fire was not impressed. Said Jack “If it doesn’t make the beer colder, I don’t want to know about it.” Jack of Fire.



Earnest Ernie leaned over to tell me something so I took out my digital recorder. Said Ernie, “I’m drunk.” Foot Joy quickly added “You know what? He’ll still misquote you.” A little support I suggested to Foot Joy and I wasn’t talking about being a jock supporter.



Foot Joy and I were talking about the guy on crutches who was ‘saving’ the last parking spot for his friend whose car was behind me entering the HC parking lot. Foot Joy suggested a different approach. He said I didn’t have to run ‘Crutches’ over. All I had to do was park my car right there in front of him so his buddy would have been blocked out.



Last week someone found a Trinity keg pull marked ‘Strange Brew’. No evidence that Cream created the brew.



The Wizard chastised me for not putting anything in the Sportzine about Dennis Hopper. I agreed I was remiss because I had been talking a lot about Hopper and the passing of one of the cultural icons of our generation. The Henry Hathaway story (the director told Hopper he’d never work in Hollywood again). John Wayne chasing Hopper with a loaded gun while shooting True Grit (Director Henry Hathaway). That demented role in Blue Velvet. Wiz reminded me that Hopper had a memorable role in True Romance as he and Christopher Walken faced off.



High Wire Bill and I were exulting over the renaissance of David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz and our staying with him all this time. We didn’t want to waive Ortiz last year. We were True Blue fans. High Wire Bill used a boxing analogy: “Ortiz came off of the canvas.”



David said we need a “Where’s Chuck D. now?” He’s not at the Hot Club. He must be traveling. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? Where in the world is Chuck D.?

The Hot Club

THE HOT CLUB

WHERE HEARTS ARE ON FIRE
BUT IT’S NEVER TOO HOT

FOR THE DEVIL MAY CARE

575 South Water Street

Providence, RI


Tom Bates, co-owner of the Hot Club, was in attendance last week. It’s always good to see Tom out and about. Tom said that his daughter Brittan had a baby boy in April. The boy’s name is Haeden. Our congratulations to Brittan and her husband on their first child.



Congratulations also to Grillmeister Extraordinaire Mary who just graduated from URI. On a recent Sunday, a couple cakes were brought in. Turns out they were for Mary, who majored in Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Guess that’s some different ‘wild life’ than what we find at the Hot Club.



A guy on crutches was standing in the one last available parking lot space at the Hot Club. He was texting. I asked him to move but he said the spot was taken. I told him it wasn’t taken. He said he was saving it for a friend who honked at me as he pulled in behind me. I backed out and let his friend have the space, but I had never seen that done before. Eben and the doormen said that I should have taken the spot because you can’t save them like that. However I had a vision of a newspaper headline – ‘Car runs over

man on crutches for parking spot’.



The Wizard of the Web said, “This is a sad day in the history of man.” I asked him why. The Wiz said: “Willie Nelson cut his hair.” Stephanie then asked the Wiz: “Are you going to follow suit?” Wiz quickly replied “No.”



Charlie Clancy said he didn’t think that Paul Pierce is among the elite players, just a little lower than elite. I told Charlie that I consider Paul Pierce an elite player, and I want the ball in his hands at the end of the game or Ray Allen’s. I don’t think Charlie’s right about this one, but he was correct when he had misgivings about PC’s ‘Greedy’ Peterson way before all the shit went down.



Joe came in and said “Hello Gentlemen, and I use that term broadly.” And I said “Or loosely.” Foot Joy added, “A loose broad.”



Kelley the barkeep gave me some money to play the jukebox. One of the songs I selected was Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. At one point there was a seminal moment in Hot Club history as everyone in the first bar was singing Ring of Fire (except Contraire, of course). It was a sight to behold. Sight and sounds: The Wise Man, Jokin’ Joe, Foot Joy, Claudia and me all singing Ring of Fire. Contraire said, “I don’t know anyone in the room.”