Archiches - September 2003

Archiched News - (September 2003 - December 2003) In the Spirit of Xmas, I Give This Song Not for everyone - PG rating (Paul Goyetche says it's funny) I Have Finally Made Up My Mind About the City Merger 07-12-2003 Click here to find out what it is . Wyder Cup 2004 - Roger Finally Reaches Magic Number- 29-11-2003 Richard (Roger) Hoger has finally fully qualified for next year's competition. The Wyder Cup page is also featuring player profiles. On the American front, many players have already committed and Captain Wobbit was seen practicing as late as last week. Wyder Cup 2004 - Another Player Gets the Nod- 20-11-2003 Finally another player is selected for the Wider Cup team. Mike McKeown, one of the stars of the 2003 WC finally reached the magic number. The Team Canada Captain was unaware of the reached milestone since it was reached late on a Friday evening. There is some fuzzy recollection of the achievement a few days later but it was only confirmed this week. Also another player has almost reached the numbers to make the team. Click on the Wyder Cup link to see the new member. Finally News About Two Mountains. 19-11-2003 This homepage was originally intended to give news about our lovely town. It has since evolved, or should I say deteriorated, into a home page about me and the groups I associate with. Well last night, I was personally invited by the mayor (Benoit Forget) to a small meeting (focus group as they called it) to discuss the upcoming referendum on the merger of Deux-Montagnes and Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. Click here for the rest of this story. We're BACK!!! 18-11-2003 After spending a great week in Cancun Mexico, I am back. We got back Saturday just in time for Brian Rose's surprise 50th birthday party. Happy birthday Brian and sorry we couldn't stay too long as we were tired from the trip back. One more surprise was the news that the Grey Cup was today. After 7 days of an all-inclusive vacation, I was hoping to take a couple of weeks or days off of partying. I will see how I feel later on today to see if I can muster up the courage and energy to go to the Tartan for the big show. Check out my golf page for updates and a picture of my best accomplishment for the week. Also the Hockey pool is really close to being won. To anyone that e-mailed me last week and got a message that I was coming back December 1st. I typed that auto response at 2:58 in the morning. I guess it was wishful thinking although I doubt if I could survive 3 weeks in an all-inclusive resort, especially the Moon-Palace resort as the food there is really good. SOMD - Grey Cup News Coming Soon 02-11-2003 The SOMD Grey Cup was yesterday, The white team won 6-0 and I am too hung-over to write about it. Enjoy the cat below until I feel better. SOMD - Young/Old Game Almost an Upset 25-10-2003 The annual young/old game was almost the SOMD biggest upset as the old came back from trailing 18-0 to being within 6 yards of tying the game only to get intercepted for a touchdown on the last play of the game. Final score 24-12. Details on the right as usual. Tartan Girl Night Out Draws Out Crowd 25-10-2003 Last Friday's second 'Girl's Night Out' had a Western Theme and drew girls from as far out as Calgary. This is the second of these affairs organized by Dianne. The food was put on by Irene and everyone had a good time. There was even a surprise visit from Shania Twain look alike Shania Twin Twain. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the event. Instead, I will include a picture of what was going on in the 'front' while the girls were in the back. Kelly T. who had left the Tartan is now back behind the bar for special occasions. This night was even more special, since she turned 24 at midnight. Happy Birthday Kelly! SOMD Touch Football Major Upset on Gumbo Day 19-10-2003 Read all about it Week 7 at the soon to be renamed SOMD league. Link on the right. Rock & Country Round the Clock a Success 12-10-2003 Chapeau, Quebec. The concert, in the memory of Rollie Meilleur, raising funds for the U. of Ottawa Heart Institute was a complete success. Over 1000 people danced the night away to bands that had at one time played in Fred's hotel. Gail Gavan, Louis Schryer and many more took the stage. I will try to find out how much money was raised for this good cause. Gail Gavan and Me. Click on the picture for a small slide show. The 2003-2004 NHL Hockey Pool Starts on Wednesday 06-10-2003 For the third year, the NHL 31 Pool will be on again, with double pots. Click on the link on the right if you want to see it. After 3 Years, Threesome Finally in the Money at the Happy Gang Tournament 06-10-2003 After three years playing together at the Ron Kessler-Happy Gang, the threesome of Paul, Bernie and Serge Larin, finally breaks into the money. Click on my golf page for the full story. SOMD - Four New Inductees into FWF.05-10-2003 On Saturday, October 4, the SOMD took to the field in one of the most miserable days in the last 5 years. It was cold windy and raining hard. There were 4 no-shows, who shall now be known as the Fair Weather Four. They are; Mike Benk, Brendan Brooks and rookies Glen Morris and Steve Deschamps. Finally removed from the list was the last of the original Fair Weather Five, Mark Thivierge. Click on the SOMD link for more details. This update will be available later on Monday. Karen Gets Punched Out for Her Surprise 40th. 29-09-2003 Karen Geary was surprised at the YMCA in Pointe Ste-Charles when her brothers and sisters organized a surprise birthday party. The biggest surprise for Karen was the beating she got from Tartan Pub owner Garold. Click here for the shot and here for the result. Happy Birthday K. Hockey Pool Starts Soon 29-09-2003 The NHL season starts on Wednesday October 8. The 31 pool starts on that day. The standings will be posted almost everyday especially when teams are close to 31. Click on the link to the right to see if you are in or e-mail me to join. The first payment is due at the season start while the second is due at Christmas. Again, you may join as a full owner or a partner. SOMD FW (fair weather) Test This Saturday 25-09-03 This Saturday will be the fair weather test. Some weather reports were predicting 'Pounding Rain' for Saturday although there are now more optimistic. Anyone who doesn't show up for the game will be awarded a FW star on the MVP ballot. This scar can take years to be removed as can attest Mark T. For the latest weather forecast click here. Exempt from this test are the golfers who have to play the MO tournament. Wyder Cup - Team USA 2004 May Have More Than 14 Players 22-09-03 Team captain Wobbit has informed me that he has had many confirmations for next year's edition and may even have more players. This would be good news for some Canadians who had to put aside their patriotism and play for the USA. On the Canadian side, Don White has recently qualified for Team Canada as the fourth player. Stay tuned to the Wyder Cup page for Team Canada player profiles coming soon. This is the Week When All the Sports Line Up. 22-09-2003 Yes, this the week when my car trunk seems extra small. All summer my trunk was filled with my golf clubs, only, almost. They are always there in case I get to escape from work and play a late afternoon game. With the sun setting at around 7pm those days are over. I still have 3 Fridays off until the winter kick in so it looks like I might get 4 or 5 golf games in before packing the clubs up for Mexico. What do I mean by all the sports lining up? As an old fart, I keep my svelte 215 lbs frame in shape by playing 4 sports. Actually 3 sports and an activity. Last week I started hockey on Mondays and Fridays. This week, darts starts on Wednesday nights. With touch football on Saturdays and still a few days of golf in the air my car trunk is seeing a lot action. Of course, the darts don't take that much room in the car, plus I never take the car to the Tartan for darts for obvious reasons. So until the end of golf season, I am 'stuck' playing four different sports a week. 7th Annual Thanksgiving Skins Game Skips a Year 22-09-2003 As mentioned earlier, my 7th annual Thanksgiving golf tournament could not be held on Thanksgiving day because of prior commitments. I have decided to skip this year altogether because of other tournaments and other dates. Also there is now a 90% probability of hangover on Sunday September 28th. Therefore we will see how things go this week. Mike O'Neil is Now 50. 20-09-2003 On Saturday, September 20 there was a surprise birthday party for Mike O'Neil. Yes little Mikey from Laval West is now 50. Jan managed to organize it without Mike finding out. The hard part was getting Mike into the back of the Tartan to be surprised. A good time was had by all. Somewhere on this page is a link to some pictures that were used to embarrass him. They are worth the hunt. Italian Beerheads Put On a Feast at the Alouettes Tailgate Party 14-09-2003 The pre-Alouettes game tailgate ritual in Fletcher's Field took a different spin as we we were treated a special Italian buffet put on by the B1-Beerheads. The feast featured a roasted pig and many Italian delicacies and beverages. The weather could not have been better. The only problem with the was that the wasps (not wops) were as attracted to the food as we were. Thanks guys for a fantastic day! As Glenn said, You win! Click here for pictures. SOMD - Week 2, Already the Mercy Rule 13-09-2003 The Red team romped to victory against Rollie's white team. Click on the right for pictures and details. 7th Annual Thanksgiving Skins Game in Jeopardy 11-09-2003 One thing's for sure, my annual golf tournament will not be held on Monday October 13. I will be in Chapeau for the Rollie Meilleur Memorial Concert. The only open day in my busy schedule looks like Sunday September 28. Since we usually play the Monday of the long weekend this should not be a problem. This tournament has been fairly calm (in drinking terms). I am currently in negotiation with a golf course. It is not Oka or St-Andrews. It could be something new for most people. Stay posted and I will let you know how it is going. My all sports week is coming up. Stay tuned for more info. SOMD Touch Football Kicks Off Its 36th Season 08-09-2003 On Saturday, September 6th, the players of the SOMD touch football took to the field to start the 36th season. Once everyone finally found the field, the game started. This year, we have seen the addition of a few new faces and the return of a veteran. Yes, Mike Canuel, is returning after a 20 year absence. Take that, Mario Lemieux. The new faces include Glenn Morris (Friday hockey goaltender), Steve Deschamps (St-Paddy's King 2002), Fernando Guerero (our new friend from south of the border) and we are still waiting for the debut of two new Tartanites. We have officially retired the following people from the All-Star Ballot. Mike McKeown, after playing one game last year he decided that golf was easier on the body. (Mike does not get any pension benefits from his one game appearance). Maurice Beaudin, who unfortunately had to go back to Calgary to unretire for a little while. Kenny Callahan, who is not allowed to play with us after hurting himself the last time he came out of retirement. Last week's game was 7-7 after the Hammer intercepted a lateral intended for Earl and ran it back for the TD. We won't mention who gave him the ball. Next week, the league returns to its home field for the rest of the season. Click here for more SOMD news and the 2003 schedule. 2003 NHL 31 Hockey Pool Doubles the Payouts. 08-09-2003 This year, the NHL 31 hockey pool will see the pots double. Last year, the pots went from a low of $100 to a high of $151. That means this year, we could see a pot reach $300. How will I be able to payout double?. Easy, the entry fee this year is $82 instead of $41. Why? There was a waiting list to get into this pool, so I decided to double the entry fee to create some openings. Not by people dropping out because of the higher price but by people forming co-owner ship. In other words if you don't want to 'invest' $82 you give 41 and find another guy who wants to do the same. Please send me an e-mail to let me know if you want full ownership or just a 50% share. Payment for a single owner team are $41 now and $41 around Christmas. For co-owned teams, payment is in full on Oct 1st. Priority is obviously given to last year's participants. Click here to send me an e-mail. First 3 Golfers Make the 2004 Canadian Wyder Cup Team 09-09-2003 After the success of the Canadian team at the 2003 edition of the Wyder Cup, Paul Goyetche was re-elected team captain for 2004. The event, which will tentatively take place on August 13 and 14, 2004, will once again feature at least 14 players from the Massachusetts area and the same amount to represent Team Canada. The captain has already officially named three players to his 2004 roster. This selection was based on a complex formula that made these 3 players clinch a spot on next year's team. These players are: Stan Rose, Paddy Dore and Ron Fitzmorris. This leaves 10 spots open that could be filled at anytime. Again, priority goes to this year's team unless they do not meet the criteria determined by the formula. Click on the Wyder Cup link for more info. Sean MaGill Remembered 06-09-2003 On Friday, September 5th, funeral services were held in Two Mountains for Sean MaGill. The current and past parade marshals of the Two Mountains Irish Society lined the way for the casket. Sean had been the parade marshal in 1983 and had never missed a St. Patrick's Day Parade in Montreal. An estimated 300 people attended the very emotional service. After the service, everyone was invited to a 'short' celebration of his life at the Tartan Pub, one of Sean's favourite places to meet his friends. Many toasts were raised to Sean. The highlight of the day was the arrival of the Scottish pipes, played by Matthew Curiale of Two Mountains, around 5:30pm. His haunting music filled the Tartan. During his finale, Amazing Grace, everyone was drawn into an impromptu circle holding hands as the last 'official' tribute of the day to Sean. Since many of his friends remained at the Tartan for a 'few' more hours after that, the toasts continued for Sean. I have put together a page in Sean's memory where you can view and download some pictures. Click here for Sean's page. More
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SOMD - Young/Old Game Almost an Upset 25-10-2003
The annual young/old game was almost the SOMD biggest upset as the old came back from trailing 18-0 to being within 6 yards of tying the game only to get intercepted for a touchdown on the last play of the game. Final score 24-12. Details on the right as usual.

Tartan Girl Night Out Draws Out Crowd 25-10-2003

Last Friday's second 'Girl's Night Out' had a Western Theme and drew girls from as far out as Calgary. This is the second of these affairs organized by Dianne. The food was put on by Irene and everyone had a good time. There was even a surprise visit from Shania Twain look alike Shania Twin Twain.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the event. Instead, I will include a picture of what was going on in the 'front' while the girls were in the back. Kelly T. who had left the Tartan is now back behind the bar for special occasions. This night was even more special, since she turned 24 at midnight. Happy Birthday Kelly!

SOMD Touch Football Major Upset on Gumbo Day 19-10-2003
Read all about it Week 7 at the soon to be renamed SOMD league. Link on the right.

Rock & Country Round the Clock a Success 12-10-2003
Chapeau, Quebec. The concert, in the memory of Rollie Meilleur, raising funds for the U. of Ottawa Heart Institute was a complete success. Over 1000 people danced the night away to bands that had at one time played in Fred's hotel. Gail Gavan, Louis Schryer and many more took the stage. I will try to find out how much money was raised for this good cause.

Gail Gavan and Me.
Click on the picture for a small slide show.

The 2003-2004 NHL Hockey Pool Starts on Wednesday 06-10-2003
For the third year, the NHL 31 Pool will be on again, with double pots. Click on the link on the right if you want to see it.

After 3 Years, Threesome Finally in the Money at the Happy Gang Tournament 06-10-2003
After three years playing together at the Ron Kessler-Happy Gang, the threesome of Paul, Bernie and Serge Larin, finally breaks into the money. Click on my golf page for the full story.

SOMD - Four New Inductees into FWF.05-10-2003
On Saturday, October 4, the SOMD took to the field in one of the most miserable days in the last 5 years. It was cold windy and raining hard. There were 4 no-shows, who shall now be known as the Fair Weather Four. They are; Mike Benk, Brendan Brooks and rookies Glen Morris and Steve Deschamps. Finally removed from the list was the last of the original Fair Weather Five, Mark Thivierge. Click on the SOMD link for more details. This update will be available later on Monday.

Karen Gets Punched Out for Her Surprise 40th. 29-09-2003
Karen Geary was surprised at the YMCA in Pointe Ste-Charles when her brothers and sisters organized a surprise birthday party. The biggest surprise for Karen was the beating she got from Tartan Pub owner Garold. Click here for the shot and here for the result.
Happy Birthday K.

Hockey Pool Starts Soon 29-09-2003
The NHL season starts on Wednesday October 8. The 31 pool starts on that day. The standings will be posted almost everyday especially when teams are close to 31. Click on the link to the right to see if you are in or e-mail me to join. The first payment is due at the season start while the second is due at Christmas. Again, you may join as a full owner or a partner.

SOMD FW (fair weather) Test This Saturday 25-09-03
This Saturday will be the fair weather test. Some weather reports were predicting 'Pounding Rain' for Saturday although there are now more optimistic. Anyone who doesn't show up for the game will be awarded a FW star on the MVP ballot. This scar can take years to be removed as can attest Mark T. For the latest weather forecast click here.
Exempt from this test are the golfers who have to play the MO tournament.

Wyder Cup - Team USA 2004 May Have More Than 14 Players 22-09-03
Team captain Wobbit has informed me that he has had many confirmations for next year's edition and may even have more players. This would be good news for some Canadians who had to put aside their patriotism and play for the USA.
On the Canadian side, Don White has recently qualified for Team Canada as the fourth player. Stay tuned to the Wyder Cup page for Team Canada player profiles coming soon.

This is the Week When All the Sports Line Up. 22-09-2003
Yes, this the week when my car trunk seems extra small. All summer my trunk was filled with my golf clubs, only, almost. They are always there in case I get to escape from work and play a late afternoon game. With the sun setting at around 7pm those days are over. I still have 3 Fridays off until the winter kick in so it looks like I might get 4 or 5 golf games in before packing the clubs up for Mexico.
What do I mean by all the sports lining up? As an old fart, I keep my svelte 215 lbs frame in shape by playing 4 sports. Actually 3 sports and an activity. Last week I started hockey on Mondays and Fridays. This week, darts starts on Wednesday nights. With touch football on Saturdays and still a few days of golf in the air my car trunk is seeing a lot action. Of course, the darts don't take that much room in the car, plus I never take the car to the Tartan for darts for obvious reasons. So until the end of golf season, I am 'stuck' playing four different sports a week.

7th Annual Thanksgiving Skins Game Skips a Year 22-09-2003
As mentioned earlier, my 7th annual Thanksgiving golf tournament could not be held on Thanksgiving day because of prior commitments. I have decided to skip this year altogether because of other tournaments and other dates. Also there is now a 90% probability of hangover on Sunday September 28th. Therefore we will see how things go this week.

Mike O'Neil is Now 50. 20-09-2003
On Saturday, September 20 there was a surprise birthday party for Mike O'Neil. Yes little Mikey from Laval West is now 50. Jan managed to organize it without Mike finding out. The hard part was getting Mike into the back of the Tartan to be surprised. A good time was had by all. Somewhere on this page is a link to some pictures that were used to embarrass him. They are worth the hunt.

Italian Beerheads Put On a Feast at the Alouettes Tailgate Party 14-09-2003 Italy

The pre-Alouettes game tailgate ritual in Fletcher's Field took a different spin as we we were treated a special Italian

buffet put on by the B1-Beerheads. The feast featured a roasted pig and many Italian delicacies and beverages. The weather could not have been better. The only problem with the was that the wasps (not wops) were as attracted to the food as we were. Thanks guys for a fantastic day! As Glenn said, You win! Click here for pictures.

SOMD - Week 2, Already the Mercy Rule 13-09-2003

The Red team romped to victory against Rollie's white team. Click on the right for pictures and details.

7th Annual Thanksgiving Skins Game in Jeopardy 11-09-2003

One thing's for sure, my annual golf tournament will not be held on Monday October 13. I will be in Chapeau for the Rollie Meilleur Memorial Concert. The only open day in my busy schedule looks like Sunday September 28. Since we usually play the Monday of the long weekend this should not be a problem. This tournament has been fairly calm (in drinking terms). I am currently in negotiation with a golf course. It is not Oka or St-Andrews. It could be something new for most people. Stay posted and I will let you know how it is going. My all sports week is coming up. Stay tuned for more info.

SOMD Touch Football Kicks Off Its 36th Season 08-09-2003

On Saturday, September 6th, the players of the SOMD touch football took to the field to start the 36th season. Once everyone finally found the field, the game started. This year, we have seen the addition of a few new faces and the return of a veteran. Yes, Mike Canuel, is returning after a 20 year absence. Take that, Mario Lemieux. The new faces include Glenn Morris (Friday hockey goaltender), Steve Deschamps (St-Paddy's King 2002), Fernando Guerero (our new friend from south of the border) and we are still waiting for the debut of two new Tartanites.
We have officially retired the following people from the All-Star Ballot. Mike McKeown, after playing one game last year he decided that golf was easier on the body. (Mike does not get any pension benefits from his one game appearance). Maurice Beaudin, who unfortunately had to go back to Calgary to unretire for a little while. Kenny Callahan, who is not allowed to play with us after hurting himself the last time he came out of retirement.
Last week's game was 7-7 after the Hammer intercepted a lateral intended for Earl and ran it back for the TD. We won't mention who gave him the ball. Next week, the league returns to its home field for the rest of the season. Click here for more SOMD news and the 2003 schedule.

2003 NHL 31 Hockey Pool Doubles the Payouts. 08-09-2003
This year, the NHL 31 hockey pool will see the pots double. Last year, the pots went from a low of $100 to a high of $151. That means this year, we could see a pot reach $300. How will I be able to payout double?. Easy, the entry fee this year is $82 instead of $41. Why? There was a waiting list to get into this pool, so I decided to double the entry fee to create some openings. Not by people dropping out because of the higher price but by people forming co-owner ship. In other words if you don't want to 'invest' $82 you give 41 and find another guy who wants to do the same. Please send me an e-mail to let me know if you want full ownership or just a 50% share. Payment for a single owner team are $41 now and $41 around Christmas. For co-owned teams, payment is in full on Oct 1st. Priority is obviously given to last year's participants. Click here to send me an e-mail.

First 3 Golfers Make the 2004 Canadian Wyder Cup Team 09-09-2003
After the success of the Canadian team at the 2003 edition of the Wyder Cup, Paul Goyetche was re-elected team captain for 2004. The event, which will tentatively take place on August 13 and 14, 2004, will once again feature at least 14 players from the Massachusetts area and the same amount to represent Team Canada.
The captain has already officially named three players to his 2004 roster. This selection was based on a complex formula that made these 3 players clinch a spot on next year's team. These players are: Stan Rose, Paddy Dore and Ron Fitzmorris. This leaves 10 spots open that could be filled at anytime. Again, priority goes to this year's team unless they do not meet the criteria determined by the formula. Click on the Wyder Cup link for more info.