The Captain's Corner: Taking the cage
We've heard about the bullet holes in the ceiling and Joe the parrot.
In this week's column, Capt. Larry Gross, the former owner and namesake of Captain Larry's, dishes about the ultimate drunk tank. The helm is yours, Captain:
We had a cage near the pole in the center of the bar, made out of stainless steel. It was about three foot by three foot by about eight foot tall. It was made out of stainless steel. It was a rectifier cage.
Now, a rectifier cage in the Navy is something they would have in a radio room where they would put equipment in they didn't want anybody to touch, and lock it up. ...
I get a knock on the door one day, and it's three or four SEALs. They said, 'We got something for ya, Captain.' They had a pickup truck. They said, 'We got a new bird cage for Joe.'
I said, 'Jesus, Christ, look at the size of that. Where did you get it?'
They said, 'We can't tell you.'
I said, 'Where'd you get the cage?'
Well, they had stolen it off a Navy destroyer down in Norfolk, Va. and brought it up to me.
We didn't use it for the bird, but if we got a customer that got a little unruly, either he got barred from the bar, or he would have to take the cage.
If he took the cage, what would happen was, we would lock him in the cage, and get bottles of beer -- preferably Guinness or Beck's or Harp -- and we would shake 'em up and spray beer all over him, in his face, all over his body, laugh at him, totally insult him to death.
If he survived and didn't get mad, he could come back and drink at the bar.
All fun stuff. Nothing where anybody got hurt. It was quite a time.
(Baltimore Sun archive photo)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Love it. I can think of a few people who would benefit from some cage time.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gaol | February 4, 2010 10:58 AM
bar penalty box. GENIUS!
"2 minutes on mr. mock turtleneck for knocking over a beer"
Posted by: ryan97ou | February 4, 2010 12:26 PM
I LOVE THIS MAN
Posted by: Evan | February 4, 2010 12:51 PM