Tuesday, October 11, 2005

DON'T DREAM, IT'S OVER......

That's the phrase of the day as our beloved Yankees lost the final game of the A.L. Division Series to the Anaheim Angels, 5-3. This means that the World Series will not be going through the Big Apple. This also means that business will not be booming for the bars/restaurants over the next couple of weeks. Quite frankly, Mr. Shankley, this hurts me more than the Yankees losing. While most of you know, I am not a Yankee fan; however, it would have been nice to see the boys in pinstripes move on to the next round at least, from a business point of view. (oh, and by the way, NAPOLEON owes me ten bucks for saying that Anaheim would sweep the Yankees)

While I was relaxing in the Swan Cave, alternating between the Yankee/Angels, Steelers/Chargers, and any bit of free NHL hockey I could muster up on the TV, I could hear the Yankee hopefuls cheers and groans loud and clear from my apt. And when the Angels recorded the final out, I immediately went to my window to see the exodus of disgruntled Yankee fans pour out of the bar. Here's the most interesting part: Most of the frustrated fans were women. I couldn't help but to notice the number of women, draped in JETER/SHEFFIELD/WILLIAMS/A-ROD jerseys, letting out their frustrations in various forms: from letting out blood-curdling screams, to crying as if they were at a funeral. I actually witnessed one rather cute young lady throw a haymaker punch at the side of the telephone booth, only to crumple up in pain afterwards, while cursing out the Angels the whole time. What's up with that? Are women more passionate about the Yankees than their male counterparts? This reminds me of last year during the Red Sox series. Every potential fight that took place during that series involved women. I mean over some "serious" stuff. For instance, If a girl was wearing a Red Sox jersey, a Yankee girl would get pissed and tell her to take it off and then a shoving match would occur. Crazy stuff. In any case, it's all moot now. Time to cheer for the Giants or Jets...

Sunday afternoon was a rebound for the bar as far as fun/hijinx goes. Most of the regulars were back and primed for some hardcore drinking and fun times. GOLDIE made it back from his west-coast trip with a gift in tow for yours truly: A rather nifty JACK TATUM Oakland Raiders throwback jersey, from MITCHELL & NESS. And if you aren't familiar with MITCHELL & NESS, do a google on it. It ain't your run-of-the-mill jersey. I was flattered by the gift and of course, very appreciative.

GOLDIE was joined by T-BILL and AFRIKA BAMBATTA for the afternoon's social commentary and leaders of the practical jokes. NAPOLEON also made an appearance with SUSHI SAM-BA(the new name for the man who had none); HASH BROWNIE showed up, ready to cheer her DOLPHINS on to victory-to be joined later on by her..ahem..."recycled boy-toy". ANGEL joined the party later on and slid right into the rotation of hijinx and laughs. MR. LOW-KEY stopped by after the Jets/Bucs game for his usual Appletini and recap of his day. And then there's the three guys whom I will dub THE PEANUT GALLERY. They have been here every Sunday since week one. They sit together opposite the bar and scream and yell at all of the TV's (and each other) all afternoon. One of the guys in particular makes it a point to drive us all nuts with his eerie rendition of the Miami Dolphin battle cry (of which I couldn't even begin to describe). They are pretty cool guys and aren't afraid to mix up the banter with the regulars. So for that, they are now offically regulars.

Towards the end of the afternoon, SUSHI SAM-BA and HASH BROWNIE left us to go to the Yankees/Angels game; but not before she gave us the requisite boob flash that she's become well known for. So as they staggered off into the night, I found myself left with her "recycled boy-toy", who of course, was shit-faced. I asked him if he was going to be able to cover his tab (he'd run out of cash early on), he said "of course I can", sounding offended that I had the nerve to ask that question. He continued to drink and lament over the fact that she was going to the game without him...blah blah blah. Finally I had to cut him off because he was speaking gibberish and when it came time to close his tab.....BUZZZZZZZZ...card declined. I rolled my eyes and tried to get him to pony up and that was pointless. I happened to catch ANGEL to see if she could catch him b/c he wandered out the door but he was long gone. So I ended up having to cover his tab while he disappeared into the night. Not a happy camper. While it rarely happens, it sucks getting stiffed on a tab. No problem, I'll deal with him when I see him.

In the meantime, the Yankee/Angels game started up and while I was expecting a busy crowd, it turned out to be a rather mellow affair. Not many people at all. Not sure if it had to do with folks going home after a long day of football; or if the holiday weekend had anything to do with it; of if the Yankee faithful had dwindled to a precious few. In any case, it wasn't the rockin' affair I expected. Overall it was a pretty good day otherwise. I can't really complain.

DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS continues tonite, with White Sox/Angels and some NHL Hockey on tap on TV. Don't let the rains scare you off- stop by after work. See you soon!

NUFF SAID