OTTAWA -- NEEDS PRACTICE?

Stephen Harper is known as an abstemious type when it comes to alcohol.

But if he's not much for drinking, he's also not much into pouring.

He dropped in at Yukon Brewing this week, during a campaign stop.

He stepped behind the bar to fill a pint for the cameras, chuckling that it was an academic exercise because the accompanying journalists would never take a drink.

After a brewery employee poured a demonstration pint, Harper stepped to the tap and promptly overflowed the glass.

"I guess I'll have to work on that," he said, eyeing the spill.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON?

The original burst of "Trudeaumania" came almost 50 years ago, but hasn't died for some, as Justin Trudeau discovered this week when he popped into a Montreal burger joint.

He was greeted by eager supporters, including members of a local Italian seniors group.

Four female members of the group climbed on to a bench outside the restaurant to catch Trudeau's eye.

Ernestina Scocco said she and her friends "love the Trudeaumania."

Maria Falbo said she was thrilled to meet the Liberal leader.

"I got to kiss Trudeau," she said. "When do you ever get to kiss a Trudeau?"

When Trudeau's father Pierre first ran as prime minister in 1968, he was often met by crowds of star-struck teens and a lot of women were eager to plant a kiss on his cheek.

WHO'S ON FIRST?

The Liberal party campaign emailed out a photo release on Friday, entitled: Justin Trudeau attends batting practice with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Unfortunately, the accompanying photo showed Trudeau chatting with Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.

The only connection to baseball is that Coderre is hoping to lure major league ball back to Montreal.

NAME THAT PLANE

There was an Internet flurry earlier this week suggesting names for Stephen Harper's campaign plane -- ideas included RecessionAIR and Air Farce One.

Now, the journalists travelling with the Conservative leader have made their choice: "Economic Action Plane."

The runner up was Balanced Budjet.

POLITICAL JINX?

It seems Canada's political leaders and the Toronto Blue Jays don't mix.

All three leaders have either done campaign events using the team as a backdrop or have taken in a Jays game this election campaign.

And each time one of the party leaders has turned up, the red-hot team has lost, the latest being Friday night's 10-2 debacle against Baltimore on the same day that Justin Trudeau dropped by a Jays' batting practice.

It moved NDP leader Tom Mulcair to send out a reassuring message to any superstitious Blue Jay fans who might be worried about any future campaign visits.

"Don't worry fellow Blue Jays fans," Mulcair tweeted. "Justin Trudeau, pmharper and I have a busy September and October lined up."