Watching Baseball in Paris

October 18, 2004 3:50 AM

Given that game four of the ALCS starts at 5:10 PM EST this evening, it will finally played at a decent hour in Paris, France (11:10 PM). Does anyone know a club or bar in Paris that would possibly be showing the game?
posted by themadjuggler to sports, hobbies, & recreation (24 comments total)

I understand that I sound like the typical ugly American right now, but bear in mind that I'm a Red Sox fan. That negates any kind of logic.
posted by themadjuggler at 3:54 AM on October 18, 2004

Take it from another Red Sox fan-- there are better things you can do in Paris than watch this series. Like that tour of the Parisian sewers or go watch the muskrats near the river.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:26 AM on October 18, 2004

Seconded. Although I find it curious you wrote that right after or before Ortiz's homer. Where's the post-coital bliss?
posted by yerfatma at 4:29 AM on October 18, 2004

Where's the post-coital bliss?

It never materialized. I know that the Red Sox are just stringing me along and they can never really love me.

(I said a long string of expletives during the top of the first on Sunday night, marched upstairs and have not watched since. I will not watch this series again, even if it goes to game seven. I'm done with these fuckers until April. Right now, I would like to replace "until April" with "forever," but I know that I'm essentially a battered wife who will continue to give her abuser One More Chance infinitely.)
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:47 AM on October 18, 2004

The post-coital bliss is more of a sick feeling in the stomach fearing the biggest possible let-down (OK, maybe not as big as Aaron Boone). It's combined with a dizzying feeling of not being there at all, since I haven't been able to see even highlights of the first four games. Let's just say that Paris adds a bit of ennui to the traditional Red Sox fatalism.
posted by themadjuggler at 5:34 AM on October 18, 2004

Couldn't you watch online?

I don't know much about France - in the UK, there's a channel called NASN which shows lots of US sport. If you knew someone in the UK who would act as a front, you could get this channel in France - but that would take longer than a couple of days to sort out. I bet sports bars in Paris have it..
posted by ascullion at 5:47 AM on October 18, 2004

Can civilians get AFN Europe in Paris? Googling tells me there is a AFRTS service in France.

As for a club, I remember reading in the Canadian Globe and Mail an article about the overseas voting in the current election that there were several American expat clubs in Paris.
posted by sleslie at 5:48 AM on October 18, 2004

Try your luck at the Embassy. They might throw you a sympathetic bone if there are any Sox fans among them. Just tell them your situation -- they'll probably get a kick out of it and might just help.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:22 AM on October 18, 2004

As an ex-expat (in Paris), I haven't a clue, but you might try the ads in France-USA contacts (or whatever its morphed into since the 1980's.

Gee, I still have some big, 10 franc pieces...a sandwich grec must be up to 35 or 40 franc by now near St. Michel, no?
posted by ParisParamus at 7:11 AM on October 18, 2004

PP - the FUSAC is still here, but we do have one big change - it's called the Euro!

I'm an expat in Paris but have no clue when it comes to sports, so I emailed my roommate and got this response:

Does he really want to watch the Sox? They're going to
lose. They always do.

Since the game will be happening live overnight, I
doubt whether there's much of anyplace that will have
it. I've never heard of a bar here that shows
baseball, but he might give the Moosehead (Canadian
bar) a call. I've watched the Super Bowl and some
college football there before, so it's possible.

Please note that the opinions expressed here don't necessarily reflect my own.
posted by hazyjane at 9:32 AM on October 18, 2004

Not sure you need the info anymore but you may have some luck watching post season baseball at The Financier & Firkin pub across the street from Gare Montparnasse. They have satellite TV and we caught a few innings of basball on Fox Sports World a few years ago.

More info here (scroll down about half way): http://www.bugeurope.com/paris/eatdrink.html
posted by John at 10:28 AM on October 18, 2004

I found this list of places that might show non-French sports.. but I doubt it's much help.

I understand that I sound like the typical ugly American right now

Hey, there's nothing wrong with wanting to watch your team wherever you are. I went to Berlin for a holiday a couple of years ago, and the first thing I did on the second day was go to a rubbish bar to watch Ireland v France in the rugby Six Nations. Pathetic, I know, but these things have to be done.
posted by ascullion at 11:04 AM on October 18, 2004

Think about how sad you'll be if they win the next 3 in a row. It would be the first time in Baseball history that a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit.

It could happen...

You can't take away my dreams!

Seriously, try the American Embassy. I'm sure they get cable.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:15 AM on October 18, 2004

The sucky part about being in Paris these days (apart from the Kerrylove aspect) is that it probably doesn't feel like the pre-Internet, pre-EU, pre-cable, pre-globalized place it felt like circa 1984, or even 1990 (my two stints). Sigh...

PS: if desperate, you can probably find the game on some Shortwave radio frequency--how deliciously retro!
posted by ParisParamus at 2:11 PM on October 18, 2004

So, how many Euros coute one of those yummy, greasy sandwiches with the frites?
posted by ParisParamus at 2:41 PM on October 18, 2004

you can probably find the game on some Shortwave radio frequency

Good suggestion. I still love listening to games on the radio; the commentary is usually better, and if you know the teams at all well you can picture what's going on. (And my sympathies for your Sox-fan suffering.)
posted by languagehat at 2:50 PM on October 18, 2004

Thank you all for the advice-- it wasn't too late. However, I wasn't able to find the Moosehead (a friend had told me it was near Metro Mabillon but I couldn't find it after a half hour of walking) and I walked all around gare montparnasse (or the three of them) to no avail. Also, having limited internet access, I couldn't find where to go for the embassy. Rargh!

Thank you for your advice though, I will keep searching if the Sox stay in the playoffs :)

Oh and Paris, one of those sandwiches will probably run you 4€.
posted by themadjuggler at 3:39 PM on October 18, 2004

OK, maybe not as big as Aaron Boone

Ha! Last year sucked, but it was no 1986. On a seismic level, 2003 was a 0.1 if 1986 was a 10. Then again, I was 27 last year and 10 in '86.
posted by yerfatma at 5:16 PM on October 18, 2004

Just in case you don't already know, the Sox won in the bottom of the 14th inning (longest post-season game, ever). Ortiz got a hit to score the second base runner (Damon). To quote whasisname - HO. LEE. COW.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:12 PM on October 18, 2004

Harry Carey. And "Ho. Lee. Cow," indeed.
posted by zpousman at 8:25 PM on October 18, 2004

Oh no, themadjuggler, you should have mentioned the lack of good internet access! I found the moosehead's website here , and their address is 16 Rue des Quatres Vents
75006. Their site says they have ESPN, but they don't mention baseball specifically. If you want to go to future games, your best bet is to give them a call, I would think: 01.46.33.77.00.
posted by hazyjane at 8:07 AM on October 19, 2004

The place you want to go is La Pomme d'Eve, a South African bar that oddly enough has NASN and is showing the ALCS and NLCS games live. The games generally start at around 2 a.m. Paris time.

The bar is located on Rue de la Montagne Ste Geneviere near the Latin Quarter and the Pantheon/Sorbonne. I'm not sure what the closest Métro stop is, because I used to walk there from Montparnasse.

Phone #: [phone]
(Horrible) Web site: http://mapage.noos.fr/southafrica/

Enjoy, and Go Sox.
posted by jed at 4:30 PM on October 19, 2004

Thanks jed, I've passed this along to my sportsfan friend who will be really pleased.
posted by hazyjane at 1:03 AM on October 20, 2004

You guys are awesome! I called the Pomme d'Eve to confirm and am heading there tonight for game seven (10:00 am class be damned!).
posted by themadjuggler at 9:36 AM on October 20, 2004