Executive Reflections

By Mr. M. Walker, President
Pipe-Up, Fourth & Fifth Congress, October 2012

As our legions of devoted readers know most of our Pipe Club members are avid baseball fans. Of course we love our Reds. In fact we spend many an evening and weekend at our favorite outdoor watering hole Neon's watching Reds games, pipes ablaze. Of the 162 regular season games this year I'd say we watched 2/3 of them at Neon's, that's around 108 games. If you figure an average game is three hours we spent 324 hours or 14 days -  two solid weeks  - of our lives on bar stools watching the drama unfold. And what time well spent! First of all you're outside at Neon's, only a mile or two from the stadium. So during home games you're experiencing the same weather as the team and the fans. They're hot we're hot. Windy there we're also dealing with the wind; amazing how a steady wind will sustain the burn in your pipe. Rain delay we huddle under the bar overhang and ride it out like the fans who take shelter. Sun comes out fans happy we're happy.

But besides beer 1/2 the ball park price, here's the biggest advantage we have over the fans: we're enjoying the game the way it was meant to be enjoyed, with fine tobacco. Take a look at classic baseball footage. As the camera pans into the stands pipes and cigars abound. Those ball park days have disappeared of course, gone to baseball heaven. Some might say they've given way to America's true deadly addiction: food. But they're alive and well at Neon's! Plus I've always maintained you pay more attention to and learn more about the game with the TV volume off. Just like at the ball park you have to keep your eyes peeled, no platitude happy commentator rehashing each and every play. And at Neon's we listen to good music during the game, not that jangling nonsense they spew over the stadium loud speakers. So with fall in the air here we are in the post season. There's nothing like pipe smoking in sweater weather, crisp, clear, the nostalgic aroma of the blends. So though we'll share the chilly weather with the fans, the Pipe Club will cheer the Reds on with smoke rising and baseball tradition smiling down.