I am pleased to announce that the Hanlan's Point Chapter has found a new home for meetings. Effective this afternoon, Wednesday, February 12, 2003, all future official meetings will be scheduled at the Duke of Richmond Bar and Restaurant.

The "new Duke" is located at 20 Queen Street West on the corner of James Street. It is next door to the Eaton's Centre.

The menu and beer list is almost identical to the Duke of York, although the Duke of Richmond also offers of East Indian and West Indian dishes. Having sampled the food in both restaurants, I can affirm that the portions are larger and tastier at the Duke of Richmond. Prices are similar.

We are being offered a larger section of the restaurant than we ever received at the Duke of York.

The manager has agreed to extinguish the music and the televisions while our meetings are in progress.

The Duke of Richmond offers both smoking and non-smoking sections. I should mention that the restaurant is shaped like the state of California; SABR meetings will take place in the area "north" of San Francisco, while the smoking section is "located" between Los Angeles and San Diego. In other words, children and allergy sufferers will not be bothered by second hand smoke.

The Duke of Richmond is clean. The waitresses at the Duke of Richmond are friendly, cordial, and professional.

The Duke of Richmond is easily accessible by TTC via the Queen Street subway station. There is ample parking located nearby, at New City Hall and in the Eaton's Centre.

Some of you know John Carriere from the Spring Training for Fans course. He gives the Duke of Richmond his endorsement, saying "The food here is excellent!" I concur, adding that the service and atmosphere would be ideal for social gatherings such as our SABR meetings.

While I do apologize to those who liked the Duke of York, sometimes changes need to be made due to circumstances beyond our control. I guarantee you'll like the Duke of Richmond just as well, if not better.

In the meantime, our next gathering will be an informal one sometime in the spring. No other details are official at this time. Here are some of the suggestions we are working on for future meetings:

Jane Dorward, "Early Toronto Ballparks"
Rose Marie Branson, "Blue Jays Fanclub"
Anthony Kalamut, "Southside Anthony's Hall of Fame"
Lewis Chaitov, Washington Senators Memorabilia Display

I thank each of you for your continued interest in SABR and in baseball, and I hope stay in touch with you in the near future.

MAXWELL KATES

maxwell1311@hotmail.com