I read Baker's article in my morning Hamilton Spectator today, I was quite impressed. It's nice to see that people see the value in Cat. Baker even tried to get the concept of OPS across, which was kinda neat.

It looks like the pay-per-view is on cable, but not satellite.

Just as well, I don't want to encourage them.

Craig B - I'd like to say thanks. My friends and I finally got our act together, and we got 4 tickets for the July 24th Expos game against the Marlins. Section 101, row P, seats 3,4,5, and 6.

Anyone have any guesses what happens at Expos Hall of Fame night?
Some pre game festivities?

Also, how much is beer in Montreal?

Also, how much is beer in Montreal?

About the same as it is in Toronto, $5 a thimble full. Also I was disappointed that despite all the advertising you can't get Labatt 50. When your out on the town, look out for Labatt 50 Cream Ale, le gout d'Europe, or so I'm told.

http://www.tomatonation.com/9reasons.shtml
Baseball article by one of my favourite writers; COMN to read it.

Wow. I thought I was the only one who remembered Eddie and the Hot Rods. (Do Anything You Wanna Do) Saw them once at the El Mocambo. Some comic named Jim Carrey was the opening act.

Teenage Depression is one of the best teen anger songs ever.

http://economics.about.com
Baseball article by one of my favourite writers; COMN to read it.

Wow! Thanks for the link. This is a great article.. I loved this part:

It's not that baseball is inherently boring, necessarily, but it's like overhearing a gossipy conversation in Russian -- it could be the juiciest dish in the world, but if you don't speak Russian, it's meaningless to you.

I swear I'm the only guy at Ivey who likes baseball.. my coworkers think that my love of baseball is even stranger than my love of hair dye and obscure early 80s arcade games. I ought to use that line next time someone tells me that baseball is boring (which happens about twice a day).

The other thing I hear way too much of is "I haven't watched baseball since the strike in 1994, and I haven't missed it at all".

Cheers,

Mike

The Jays played well in Boston - losing two games that Pedro and schilling start is no disgrace. I think they'll be up for the Tigers, though I don't expect any easy victories, as the Tigers are playing well.

What I want, in exchange for my $5.99, is a COMPLETE absence of commercials. Unless I know what I'm getting is commercial-free,
I'm tuning in Tom and Jerry. $6 is more than I would pay for a pay-per-view movie, and those don't have commercials.

The other thing I hear way too much of is "I haven't watched baseball since the strike in 1994, and I haven't missed it at all".

Tim Marchman has a look at baseball's image and current popularity in a piece called "Baseball's Hangover Blues".
The stars are old, the fans have seen everything, and the game seems exhausted and maybe even a bit unnecessary.

Baseball article by one of my favourite writers; COMN to read it.

The funny names were great. Especially "poo holes." I can't believe my twisted mind hasn't thought of it like that. I'll never look at Albert the same...

$5.99 per game is not bad at all for Pay-Per-View. However, I am surprised Detroit and Tampa Bay were selected before the season as Pay-Per View games. They look smart now, by selecting Detroit (laughing). They played well against the Jays last week.

Since I live in the States, and CBC no longer does games, I was up a creek. However, the MLB Extra Innings Package gives me about 70-80 Jays games a year--always using the opponents broadcasts.

The other thing I hear way too much of is "I haven't watched baseball since the strike in 1994, and I haven't missed it at all".

I actually think there is something to this. I was in Europe during the 2002 NCAA tournament, and I didn't get to watch a single game. I know the tourney still rocks and I would enjoy watching it, but for whatever reason I haven't seen a game of it since. And, no, I haven't missed it.

The comparison with baseball is slightly different, obviously, in that I wasn't turned off by greedy owners and players, but sometimes absence makes the heart grows fonder (ick), and sometimes absence makes you realize that you didn't need, or want, something quite as much -- or at all -- as you did before. Mix in the bitterness some fans rightly felt, and I can't blame people for staying away.

Also I was disappointed that despite all the advertising you can't get Labatt 50.

Wait... Labatt 50 is supposed to be a good beer?
I'm from a hick town, and my friends and I used to drink 50 when we were young. We sometimes still do as sort of a joke. I always associated it with poor small town alcoholics.

Speaking of beer... I think my favourite is Sleeman's Honey Brown. However, now that a case of Sleeman's is almost 38 bucks, and a case of Lucky Lager or Lakeport Honey is only 24 bucks, it's hard to justify buying Sleemans.

"my favourite is Sleeman's Honey Brown"

Two words:

Unibroue. McAuslan.

Sleeman's. Hmph.

Let's not be beer snobs, OK? Everyone likes something different.

McAuslan.

Ohhh yeah. Another round of Oatmeal Stout please! Best. Beer. EVAR.

I find the $6 per game to be a pretty steep asking price, at least for a game that could be followed for free on the radio or online. I'm a diehard, but I doubt I'd pay to see those games. I've got the Extra Innings package, and I use Gameday Audio for those times the Jays aren't on and/or when I'm at work. I don't know - I guess $6 isn't really much, but the idea of charging for individual games seems like a slippery slope. Actually, to me it just feels wrong.

BTW, how much is the Extra Innings package through Rogers?

Let's not be beer snobs, OK? Everyone likes something different.

For those of you who like to be beer snobs (like me), I highly recommend a new restaurant that just opened downtown called Beerbistro. It's the old Zoom restaurant at King & Yonge. Their beer list is extensive, and the food is great.
In my mind, nothing beats a good Fuller's London Porter.

Wait... Labatt 50 is supposed to be a good beer?

I have a certain nostalgia for it. It’s been awhile since I saw an Expos game on TV but the back stop used to be covered in Labatt 50 adverts. Furthermore, in Quebec they make 50 Lite and 50 Cream Ale. It’s very popular and I was disappointed to find that I could only get Blue at the game.

For some reason 50 and Molson Stock Ale are making a come back, quite likely as an anti-brand.

I’m a big fan of Pale Ales and St. Amboise Pale Ale is one of the finest.

Molson Stock Ale

Which in no way deserves to be lumped in with other Labatt/Molson products. I think Stock Ale ("Molson Blue") is a very good beer of its type... I've been driniking it off and on for about ten years now. It's very popular in Hamilton for some reason.

http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/cablecontent/cable_nhlnfl.asp
Craig S: it's regularly $25 a month as a part of the Rogers Super Sports Pak. In other words, $150 for the six months of the season. Or, you can get order MLB Extra Innings alone and pay $160 (???). I think all the playoff games are on regular TV in October, anyway, and by ordering the Pak then you also get NFL Sunday ticket in September & a small handful of extra hockey in April. If you're already a Rogers VIP customer, as I am, you get 10% off that, i.e. $22.50 a month. Plus tax for everything, of course. COMN for info.

http://economics.about.com
Completely OT, but 50 is a really popular beer in Rochester for some reason. The weird thing is, in the States it's called "Labatt Canadian". So you can't just go to a bar an order a pint of Canadian. You have to specify whether you want Molson or Labatt.

Labatt Canadian even has a green label that looks like the 50 label, and has "50" written in the lower right corner of the label.

Cheers,

Mike

50 was definitely a "working class" brew when my cousin was a sailor, but Labatt has at least tried to change its image recently. It made an unexpected comeback in my circle of friends the last couple of years, not because of the marketing or the taste -- many of us received a case of 50 to mark that milestone birthday. The thought was appreciated, but the beer isn't very good.

The Mill Street Brewery in the Distillery district is a nice addition to the local scene. They offer samples of their organic lager, pale ale or coffee porter, which I'm starting to notice around town. All are tasty, depending on your preference.

Mark - Thanks for the link. That Sports Pak is a pretty great deal, even at $25 a month. With DirecTv, the cost of the NHL, MLB and NFL packages is about $500 U.S. - and you can't get Sunday Ticket without satellite here, either.

For those of you in Mississauga/Oakville I highly recommend the Old Credit Brewery on Mississauga Road just north of Lakeshore. They carry a lager and a dark ale and at Christmas a honey lager also. All at the same price as your Blue/Canadian. If you buy the large bottles it's actually cheaper (you just have to drink more or share it). I prefer to support the reasonably priced local guy than the multi-national monoliths.

http://www.bellsbeer.com/beerfinder.asp
For those that live withing driving distance of Michigan or Minnesota (COMN for area map), the Kalamazoo Brewing COmpany has released Bell's Oberon - a sure sign of April if there ever was one.

(http://www.bellsbeer.com/branddetail.asp?BrandID=28)

In the U.S., the MLB Extra Innings Package is $169. However, an early bird special is available for $149. I have done the early bird special for the past 3 years--well worth it!!!

In the U.S., the MLB Extra Innings Package is $169. However, an early bird special is available for $149. I have done the early bird special for the past 3 years--well worth it!!!

In the U.S., the MLB Extra Innings Package is $169. However, an early bird special is available for $149. I have done the early bird special for the past 3 years--well worth it!!!

The snow didn't scare me, but the lack of snow is getting scary. I can see grass! It's wild. I had gotten used to a base of 7 feet or so over the last couple of months.

Ah, Coliver, as an Extra Innings vet, perhaps you can help me. Last night, for some reason the Rangers/Angels game was "no longer available," even though there was no weather-related cancellation and the game proceeded as normal. Any idea why Extra Innings dropped the contest?

McAuslan.

Ohhh yeah. Another round of Oatmeal Stout please! Best. Beer. EVAR.

I've never heard of it and I love Oatmeal Stout. Is it an import that the BCLDB doesn't bring in?

"my favourite is Sleeman's Honey Brown"

Two words:

Unibroue. McAuslan.

Sleeman's. Hmph.

I love dark beer and drink stout and the heartier ales almost exclusivley BUT the only lager I really enjoy is Sleeman's Honey Brown. It takes all kinds. BTW the best beer I ever had was a draft Porter at the Big Horn Brewery in Tacoma, WA.

http://www.theram.com/pages/brewing/total_disorder_porter.asp

Gitz, sometimes a game is "no longer available" when neither the home team or the visiting team decides to show the game for some reason. Or, the channel was needed for other purposes (NHL Centre Ice)

Two things may have happened:
1. The Angels or the Rangers decided not to broadcast the game.
2. The channel was needed for the NHL Centre Ice package.

Hmm, I saw parts of that game on Extra-Innings. Perhaps they moved it to another channel or blacked it out for some reason in your area.