HUNGRY GERALD

Yes, the Gods give and then take away. Okay, the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl. The Gods got even by walloping Boston (and most of New England) with a brutal series of blizzards and sub-freezing weather. And, now there’s more bad news coming from New England. The Pawtucket Red Sox (the PawSox) is the Triple-A farm team of the Boston Red Sox. They will open the season in their home stadium, McCoy Stadium, on April 16, against a traditional foe–the Rochester Red Wings. In April 1981 the two teams played organized baseball’s longest game–33 innings. The teams stopped playing at four AM. The score was tied 2-2 after 32 innings. The game was resumed in June with the PawSox scoring in the bottom of 33rd to win 3-2. McCoy Stadium was built in 1942 and refurbished many times. It now seats 10,000 and average daily attendance is 7,000. My Rhode Island family tells HG that McCoy is the ideal place to watch a baseball game. They mention that the scale of the stadium and a certain humanity to the design encourages a rapport with the players and reminds fans that baseball is a game and not a television-fueled industry. Now comes the sad news. Investors have bought the PawSox and have announced plans to move the team from McCoy and Pawtucket to a larger and more “modern” site in the neighboring city of Providence. Pawtucket is a gritty little city that has fought hard to replace the manufacturing jobs once housed in the many local loft buildings. The PawSox give Pawtucket an identity. The team’s move would be an urban tragedy.

The sixth game of this 2011 World Series was the most exciting baseball game HG ever watched. Brought HG back to his youth when the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers used to battle. HG’S capacity for diamond thrills may have been enhanced by the large amounts of La Pinta Pomegranatee infused tequila HG was downing. Just discovered this unusual tequila (a gift from a thoughtful friend) and it’s now a favorite after dinner drink. Don’t know how widely La Pinta is distributed (pretty well actually! check here.) Worth the effort to find it.

Baseball playoffs. World Series. Pro football. Sports and autumn colors are in the air. HG has heard rumors of much improved food at various stadiums. Upscale stuff. Old fogey HG is suspicious. Still believes the best stadium food is the traditional hot dog. A great one was served at the late, lamented Polo Grounds. The Polo Grounds was located in Manhattan’s upper Harlem neighborhood, West 155th Street (Coogan’s Bluff). It was a lovable, rickety place filled with history. It was the home of the New York Football Giants and Baseball Giants. It was where Bobby Thompson of the Giants hit his home run off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers — “The Shot Heard Round The World” — that put the Giants in the World Series. HG had many great Polo Grounds experiences watching Mel Ott, Emlen Tunnel and many other heroic figures.

The busy men’s bathroom had an attendant — Old Sam. HG never forgot his chant: “No matter how you shake and dance the last drop always falls in your
pants. After you’ve had your little pee, don’t forget to remember me — Old Sam.”