Are Celebrations Up In Smoke?

This is the first year, in what seems like a long time, when baseball fever has swept across the Bay area and into wine country. Let’s be honest, in the past five years there has been nothing but disappointment from all sports around here aside from a San Jose Sharks playoff run that fell way short and the “underdog” defeat of Takeru Kobayashi at the International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest by the Bay area’s own Joey Chestnut. Well, this year we get to celebrate! Our beloved SF Giants have just won the N.L. West and they are headed for the playoffs! Whoohoo! Time to bust out the Champagne, crack open your favorite Single Malt Scotch and light up a big fat cigar…uh, wait just a moment.

It seems there is yet another movement to spoil our fun. Just over a week ago, the Cincinnati Reds clinched their division and as with baseball tradition, they broke out in a mildly debaucherous celebration including Champagne showers and a round of Cigars. Well since the boys we’re inside the clubhouse at the time, some folks at home got their panties in a bunch and actually filed a formal complaint with the heath department and now the incident is “under investigation.” At what point did we as a society decide that this was wrong? We’re talking about a group of men that work seven days or more consecutively in an extremely high pressure situations with an infinite amount of critics amplifying any wrong move they make for a six month stretch and when they finally make it to the postseason (something they’ve dreamed about since they were kids and the thing they work so hard for all year) they let loose for night, in their own clubhouse mind you, and are criticized for smoking in an enclosed work environment. Look, I am in no way a fan of lighting up indoors, especially in mixed company, but this is absolutely absurd. You can read more about the incident at yahoo sports.

Well all I can say is, I have several bottles of 2001 S. Anderson Blanc de Noir, a bottle of 1985 Glenrothes Single Malt and a box of Graycliff PG - Robusto cigars in the humidor for my own celebrations (with some luck, maybe even the World Series). Although, my wife might launch formal complaint and send me outside with the stogie…it just might be worth it. Go Giants!!!

--Stefan Matulich, Sales Director