Monday, April 12, 2010

WHIRLWIND WEEKEND...

The past weekend felt like a blur, with so much going on in a small window of time. Plenty of ups and downs to go around and by the time all was said and done, I found myself wiped out.

FRIDAY night was a busy night at the bar, highlighted by the NY Rangers pivotal victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. This was a MUST WIN for the Blueshirts if they wanted any chance to make it into the playoffs. Going into the weekend, they had two games left, both against the Flyers and they had to win BOTH in order to gain a spot into the playoffs.

There was a spirited crowd at the bar, dominated by Rangers fans, watching the game with guarded optimism for a Blueshirt victory; We also got a visit from the Coors Light girls, who hosted a promo, highlighted by a Sean Avery jersey giveaway, much to the delight of NY Ranger fans in the house. And when the Rangers held on for a 4-3 victory, everyone in the bar (sans the few disgruntled Flyer fans), celebrated with confidence that the playoffs were within their grasp (more on that later).





That was followed by a birthday party for a guy named PJ; not sure if it was a surprise party or not but they had a pretty good group that showed up to celebrate and celebrate they did, all the way until last call. We ended up getting out at around 5am.. which sucked ass for me because....


SATURDAY was going to be a busy day for yours truly. Between running errands and prepping for UFC 112 (a rare early showing at 1pm) and then the ENERGIZER BUNNY'S wedding in L.I. later in the evening, I was running on fumes.

UFC 112 took place in Dubai, which explained the early start time and the bar was filled with hardcore UFC fans who were aware of the time change (we replayed it again at 10 pm for the casual fans). I find myself more and more intrigued by the phenomenon called the UFC. The popularity of it, the fans who flock to it, etc. It has definitely supplanted boxing as the popular pugilistic sport. They know how to market its stars and the sport itself. It's crazy but intoxicating at the same time.

The highlight of the day/night for me, however, was attending the wedding of Elizabeth Cippoletti (a.k.a. THE ENERGIZER BUNNY) and Ed Frankel. I met Liz a few years back when she stumbled into our bar with a couple of girlfriends one night. We struck up a conversation and over time, she went from being a good patron to becoming one of my very good friends. During that time, she went through her trials and tribulations of life as a city girl until meeting some guy name Ed. Well who knew that "some guy named Ed" would turn out to be a gem of a guy himself and the perfect match for her. I watch their relationship bloom to the point where it became obvious that marriage would be next step for them. And on Saturday night, they officially became Mr. and Mrs. Ed Frankel. It was a fun wedding (not surprised by that) and she looked adorable! I was honored to have been invited and wish them well. They are leaving for New Orleans today to do a couple of days of volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, then on to Mexico for their honeymoon. Cool stuff!

SUNDAY I found myself spending most of the day recovering from Fri/Sat. before heading into work later in the evening. By the time I arrived for the evening shift, the bad news had already come: The NY Rangers lost a heartbreaker to Philadelphia (in a shootout, no less) to be denied the last playoff spot in the NHL Playoffs. So their season came down to three players, three shots; a shootout. As a Montreal Canadiens fan, it was hard for me to feel bad for them as we barely made it in ourselves; as a businessman, however, that loss hurts a little as it would have been nice to have a New York team in the playoffs. (I guess you could count NJ Devils, but a Victoria's Secret bra gets more support than they do). That's the way the puck drops I reckon.

Overall, it was a great weekend; between all of the fun taking place at the bar, the great sporting events of the weekend (The Masters, NHL & NBA hoops and MLB baseball) and yours truly having his own fun for a change, it was good times all weekend long.

This week should be another busy one, with the Yanks home opener taking place tomorrow; NHL Playoffs kicking off on Wednesday, a couple of private parties sprinkled in here , so as long as the weather holds up, it should be a good one.


TONIGHT: BEER BINGO MONDAYS return to Third and Long, with OPIE CUNNINGHAM running the show, featuring $1 Bud/Bud Light, and Coors Light mugs, or $2 mugs, all other domestic drafts (Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55, Killian's Red, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sam Adams Noble Pils, Abita Purple Haze, Yungling Lager, and Magic Hat #9). Not a bad way to start the week!


That's It. That's All I Got.