We received lots of E-mail this month and we want to thank everyone for writing. Complimentary E-mail feeds our egos and pisses off our wives. They still insist that nobody reads our column.

One fellow inquired about lighters. Purists insist that a wooden match is the only proper way to light a cigar. but we find it nearly impossible to light a cigar with a match on a windy golf course or cruise ship. We think a good butane lighter is essential.

Joe owns a Quantum flameless lighter by Colibri. It goes for about $65 and normally does a decent job. Its biggest drawback is that it gets very hot after about 10 seconds which sometimes isn't long enough to evenly char the end of a big cigar all the way around.

Bill owns a lighter by Prometheus (the Greek god of fire). It is shaped like a small pistol and shoots a hot flame about 3" long. Bill can light cigars and solder copper pipe with it. It's a real conversation piece at bars. Its only drawback is that if you're not careful, you can burn the wrapper clean off a good cigar. You can avoid this problem by tilting the head of the cigar downward from the flame. The lighter goes for about $80.

One reader sent us two samples of "Fore Cigars", a plastic cigar holder for golf. It is shaped like a golf ball. The ball is surrounded by four brackets of assorted sizes which are used to hold your cigar. A tee that slides into a slot at the bottom of the ball holds the ball and your cigar off the ground. You can also insert the tee into a tee holder on your bag or cart. The whole contraption can be clipped to your bag when not in use so you don't lose it.

It's a neat gadget. Its $9.95 MSRP may be a bit pricey for some, but we'll let you decide what it's worth to keep your premium cigar out of the goose poop. If you want more information, call Fore-Sum Products at 1-800-818-8012 or E-mail GarmanJr@aol.com or http://www.foresum.com

We've been told that we come off in the columns as a couple of Ralph Kramdens but we actually treat the wives with an almost saintly degree of consideration. For example, Bill's wife had a birthday this month, so we headed off to New York City to celebrate. After an enjoyable Italian dinner at Carmine's on West 44th, we went to see the hit musical, Jekyll & Hyde.

The musical is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 story about a doctor who discovers a means of separating the good and evil that simultaneously reside in every human being. Robert Cuccioli is absolutely brilliant in a dual role as the well-intentioned Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde.

As the musical approaches its climax, the two halves of Dr. Jekyll's fractured soul confront each other. In a memorable scene, Cuccioli alters his singing voice and uses his considerable acting skills to seamlessly and convincingly transform himself back and forth between Jekyll and Hyde in a series of rapid exchanges at center stage.

"All that you are is a face in the mirror! I close my eyes and you'll disappear!" sings Cuccioli as Jekyll.

"I'm what you face when you face in the mirror! Long as you live, I will still be here." answers Cuccioli in a sinister voice as he assumes Hyde's evil persona.

The audience was electrified....all except Bill. He fidgeted in his seat, stared at his watch and used a ballpoint pen to cross off each musical number as it was completed. He napped briefly and made faces. He snacked on Skittles. We were waiting for him to fart.

The audience gave the cast a standing ovation. Bill was the first one to stand but that was only so he could beat the crowd to the exit. By the time we caught up to him, he was leaning against a wall on Shubert Alley happily puffing away on a Flor de Veracruz Carinas. The musical was already out of his mind.

"I needed this." he said as he contemplated the firm, white ash on the small panatela.

Bill's attitude did not surprise us. This was the same guy who panned "Titanic". ("I thought it would be funnier.") We were simply curious as to why he didn't like the show. The answer surprised even us. "For what they charged, they could have at least put some scary make-up on Hyde's face." Bill explained. "I couldn't tell the difference between Jekyll and Hyde."

I pondered Bill's critique. He was right, of course. Hyde would have definitely been more believable with a putty nose. I replayed the final confrontation in my mind incorporating Bill's suggestion.

"God damn you, Hyde! Take all your evil deeds, and rot in Hell!" sings Cuccioli as Jekyll.

He then pops on the putty nose and maybe shoves a cheap stogie into his mouth . "I'll see you there, Jekyll!" responds Cuccioli portraying the bulbousnosed Hyde. He blows smoke into Jekyll's face to drive home the point.

It works. It works well. In fact, it just doesn't get any better.

The Cigar Guys

P. S . we looked like a couple of hooples with that Duke pick in the NCAA's. Joe liked Kentucky early on but let Bill tout him off of the Wildcats and onto the Blue Devils. The Cigar guys salute Coach Tubby Smith and his team for a gutsy performance in the final.

By the way, Coach Majerus looks like our kind of guy.

Also we want to hear from anyone who will be cruising on Celebrity Cruise lines "Century" on May 16th. Lets get together for a few smokes !!!.

You can The Cigar Guys at: tbill@enter.net for any comments or questions.

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