Baseball and Ballantine and who will be Miss Rheingold

Yep I knew a lot about beer growing up, my dad sold it. He would make the food really hot that he served so people would drink more and give them lots of salt to make them thirsty. The real money is in the beer he would say to me. I learned of beveled glasses as well, a shot of alcohol is not really a full shot with a beveled glass you are just paying for one. Yes my dad could be slick, he was also a pool shark, played a mean game, but suckered men by saying he was not really good at the game. And let me not get into my dad's ability to play cards and his willingness to do so into the early morning of the next day.

Yes I was like Shirley Temple this little blond haired girl with her curls and Mary Jane shoes with a pinafore dress, knowing way to much about beer and drunken men at a very young age. Learning about her daddy the pool hustler, (remember he would say, always one foot needs to be on the ground when you shoot the balls)... rack them up, don't hit the 8 ball clear the table, then go for the 8 ball...playing cards do not show your hand to anyone, nor let it show on your face the cards that you are holding... Never let anyone know in life the cards you are holding ... he taught me, do not brag about anything, you have a full deck, fold and leave the table... Yet that was not my father he always stayed for just one more hand in everything he did...

I also knew that most beer drinkers like Baseball and a clever beer company had a Sloan for this.. it being Baseball and Ballantine (the name of the beer)... not to be out done a rival beer company took another advertising angle, men loved baseball, but they also love a good looking woman so this beer company started the Miss Rheingold... Yes there in ever bar room of the day were photos of woman all vivaing for the Title Miss Rheingold... it was not always the best looking woman that won this title for as my father taught me, every woman is a beauty when a man has several beers and once the lights go down in the bar they are all stunning beautiful... so the men who did the voting were not always the best judge of beauty... but it was interesting, the "winner of the contest" had her picture displayed on all the beer trucks that sold Rheingold. They also had their faces plastered on buses and subways it was a big deal to be Miss Rheingold. I remember telling my day once I want to be one, and he said, NO YOU DON'T.... So from my dad I learned about pool, cards, some baseball, only about the big players like Micky Mantel and such... I also learned that after a few beers and when the lights are low many men fall in love... So to my grandsons I say, keep the lights on when you drink... and make no decision about any woman until day break, when you can see her in the sun with your eyes wide open... and your mind is clear... To my granddaughters I say, stay out of these creepy bars... or bet yet open your own... keep the lights on high and show yourselves to be the beauties you really are... Hey dad this is for you.... "My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer, think of Rheingold, whenever you buy beer... "I raise my glass" to all of those drunken cuties... hey, dad rack them up in heaven and invite Jesus to a game, I heard he likes to drink as well,mostly wine, he even likes to hang out with drunks and those cuties they fall for... geeze dad he is really your kind of guy....