Monday, June 7, 2010

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN...

Last night we had a rare instance where not one, but TWO championship series aired at the same time: Game 5 of the Stanley Cup (Chicago vs Philadelphia) and Game 2 of the NBA Championship Series (L.A. Lakers vs Boston Celtics). I'm not sure who was in charge of scheduling to allow this to happen, especially since there was absolutely NOTHING on TV on Saturday night (I'd be interested to see the ratings for both games to see how this head-to-head experiment went).

This presented a bit of a quandary for me as we tend to get good crowds for both series. Who do I give the audio preference to? How do I split up the TV's? They may seem like little things to worry about but these are the type of things that I stress out over all day long. As it turned out, everything worked out fine as I was able to alternate sound between the games (Hockey, then basketball). The bar had a steady crowd there for both games and it ended up being a decent night (for a Sunday). Tuesday night, however, should prove to be interesting as we have yet another head-to-head matchup between the two games, along with Yankees and Mets playing all at the same time. Add to that mix the usual Dollar Draft special and it should be a crazy night.

The rest of the night went pretty well. I had a bit of a late night crowd for a Sunday, which was fine with me; many of them leftover from the games. Also had a lot of tourists in from England and Ireland, looking for something to do. Had some drunk flight attendants doing the bar crawl after landing here for a 24 hour layover. Line of the night goes to one of the female attendants who was overheard on her cell phone:

"Hello? This is a drunk dial taking place. Let's make this a memorable night! Are you home now? Hello? Hello? Fuck!"

Priceless.

Over the weekend, the Belmont Stakes took place here in NYC. Every year a couple of our regulars (SILENT BOB and DIRTY SANCHEZ) make the trek out to Belmont decked out in different costumes. One year they were dressed as Texas Oilmen; another year they were dressed (along with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and THE MAYOR OF MURRAY HILL) as the cast of "The Wizard of Oz".

This year, SILENT BOB and DIRTY SANCHEZ went dressed as Super Mario Brothers. And they were so "convincing" in their get up, they actually made the NY Daily News. We'll never hear the end of this now. Click on the link to see their photo.

TONIGHT: Join us for MUG NIGHT MAYHEM with $1 Bud/Bud Light mugs and all other domestic mugs going for $2, ALL NIGHT LONG! It's also "Beer Bingo" with JUNIOR hosting the festivities! It's also JUNIOR's birthday so swing by to wish him a happy birthday!

WORLD CUP FEVER is kicking into full gear this week with the kickoff game taking place this Friday! Don't forget, we'll be carrying EVERY MATCH of the Cup, even the 7:30am matches!


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

Saturday, June 5, 2010

LONG HOT SUMMER NIGHTS....

The predictions for a hot, sticky weekend seems to be spot on thus far as we found ourselves sweating our asses off last night. With no less than THREE separate functions taking place, on top of running all day long, the AC unit finally waved the white flag at about midnight. It didn't break down entirely, mind you; it basically went from pumping out nice comfortable cool air to teasing a bar full of sweaty patrons with just a hint of a breeze, every so often. It was brutal.

There was a fundraiser for ACHILLES INTERNATIONAL, an organization that brings hope, inspiration and the joys of achievement to people with disabilities. The girls who put on the event really did a bang up job with the event, with a strong turnout and support for the cause. They raised over $1200 through donations and raffle ticket sales (yours truly won a margarita basket, complete with glasses and Sauza tequila). Well done.


After the fundraiser ended, we got two birthday parties at once and between that and the folks in for the FLYERS/BLACKHAWKS game, it made for a very busy night.





However, the highlight of the night by far was the WWE rumble that took place up the block from the bar. It seems that these two groups of guys got into a beef at one of the other bars and decided to settle things on their own. Things got pretty crazy and one guy ended up getting knocked out. I mean, KNOCKED the f*** out! Of course, all parties scattered when the cops arrived (except the guy taking a concrete nap). The guy eventually came to and was carted off in an ambulance. Crazy stuff.

All told, it was a pretty good night, sweatiness notwithstanding.

Another highlight of the evening was the return of one of the Brew Crew members; SUPERFLY SHAFT had been out of commission for awhile due to illness but it's safe to say that he's back and looking well! I hadn't see him in about a year and was really worried about how he was doing. It's great to have him back in the fold!

(The MAYOR of MURRAY HILL, MR. LOW-KEY and SUPERFLY SHAFT)

Let's see what Saturday brings for us. Don't forget about the BELMONT STAKES viewing party this afternoon @ 4pm! $2 mugs, all beers on tap (except premium brands). 12-7pm.


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

Friday, June 4, 2010

WEEKEND'S HERE!

After what turned out to be a long and somewhat draining week for various reasons, the weekend has finally arrived and not a moment too soon. There's a lot going on and the weather forecast is slated to be hot, sticky and wet (hmmm...), and as long as the AC's working, then that's fine with me. Some things to look forward to include:

STANLEY CUP FINALS: Philadelphia came back to win Game 3 of the series and now trail Chicago 2 games to 1. The fans for both teams have been pretty vocal supporters and it's been a fun watch thus far. Game 4 tonight (8pm)!

NBA FINALS: L.A. Lakers won Game 1 last night in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the bar and judging from what I saw last night, the crowds will be vocal and intense. I may have to call extra security for this one (just kidding). Game 2 this Sunday night (8pm).

BELMONT STAKES VIEWING PARTY: The final leg of the Triple Crown takes place Saturday afternoon here in NYC. While there will be no Triple Crown winner again this year, this is still a fun event to watch and we'll be carrying the race live (5pm), with THE RUNNING MAN serving up $2 mugs throughout the afternoon!

And of course, there's America's pastime, baseball on tap with the Yankees in Toronto to face off against the Blue Jays and the Mets hosting the Florida Marlins. And for you NASCAR fans, we're in Pocono this week and that's always a fun race to watch. So as you can see, there's plenty going on and we'll do our best to bring the fun to you!

CONGRATS to our dear friend REDSKINS GIRL, who recently got engaged while on vacation in Paris, France, breaking hearts of single guys everywhere! I've met the bloke and he's a great guy and he's getting a great girl. I'm happy for the both of them and wish them the best!




NEW TO THE BEER ROTATION: After years of requests from you, we finally got RED STRIPE, the lager famously known by its obvious red striped bottle (4.7% ABV) into the beer rotation. Let the summer kick into high gear!


Enjoy the weekend!


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

Information on CLAIRE's Funeral Services

A number of you reached out to me requesting information on the funeral services for Claire Galeazzi. Here it is:

Wake –

Thursday 2-4 and 6-9

Krtil Funeral Home

1^st Ave b/w 69^th/70^th

Funeral Mass

Friday 10:00 AM

St. John the Evangelist Church

1^st Ave/55^th Street

Burial

St. Andrew’s Cemetary

Stony Hill Road, Sag Harbor, NY

Reception to follow at 77 Harbor Drive, Sag Harbor, NY 11963

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

HOLIDAY HANGOVER..

With Memorial Day Weekend come and gone, this is the downside of having a holiday weekend. The "Hangover" as I like to call it. I've written about this phenomenon time and time again on how the entertainment business experiences a drop after a long, holiday weekend. That's usually due to the fact that most folks are either physically wiped out from partying hard all weekend or broke from doing said thing. And on top of that, it's the beginning of June, which means rent's due; folks are moving in/out of new apartments, so funds are a bit tight. So if the foot traffic is a bit light on the 3rd Avenue strip this week, that's probably the reason why. It's the nature of
things in this business; it is what it is.

By the end of the week, things will be back to normal. It always does. In the meantime, we still continue to bring the fun to the people, starting with PUB TRIVIA tonight, where you and your friends compete against other teams for cool prizes such as bar tabs, drinks and cool bar swag! It's free to play and always a great time.

It's also Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Will Philadelphia answer the bell after falling behind 2-0 in the series? Stay tuned. Game starts at 8pm.

$15 Miller High Life buckets and $4 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies) should help quench the thirst while competing for top honors in Trivia! Hope to see everyone there!

AND FINALLY: A quick story from the weekend. After Game 2 on Monday night, the bar cleared out, sans a group of Canadians playing beer games in the back of the bar, a group of drinkers in the front end of the bar, and our resident visitor from Wales hanging out by himself in the middle of the bar.

This short blonde female strolled in and I stop her just as she's about to sit at the bar. She was cute, put together very well in the right places, but had an attitude that would make milk curdle. I asked for her ID and you would have thought I'd asked her to leave the country. She wasn't very happy about me doing my job but gave me her ID anyway. After proofing her (she was from South Africa, from all places), she sat down at the bar and placed her bag between herself and our friend from Wales; clearly giving the signal that she wanted no part of him (or anyone for that matter).

Within minutes however, these two went from not having anything to do with one another, to slowly breaking the ice, to full-blown making out at the bar. It was surreal to say the least and when she jumped in our friend's lap and began whispering/chewing his ear, we were in shock. We've never seen our friend from Wales hook up with anything but beer; and now he was about to slay some serious dragons! Sure enough, within minutes, she was dragging him out of the bar and began to make out with him outside before dragging him into a cab and driving off. We all were dumbfounded at the strange turn of events. The whole sequence lasted all of about fifteen minutes. I shit you not.

You can't make this stuff up, I tell ya. You simply can't.


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

WIN YANKEES/ORIOLES TICKETS!

FOR THIRD and LONG FACEBOOK FANS:

I have a pair of REALLY GREAT tickets for NY Yankees/Baltimore Orioles this Wednesday night (we're talkin' section 100's); POST on our FACEBOOK PAGE what you love most about Third and Long and MAYBE you'll get them for free! You must be a FAN of Third and Long on Facebook to qualify. Deadline for submissions on our comments page is 6PM TONIGHT!

Again, tickets are for tomorrow night's game, and again, these are AWESOME seats (between third and home plate, field level ducats)!

So get your asses over to Facebook, become a fan of Third and Long and share your story!


DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS TONIGHT! The summer intern invasion begins tonight with $1 Bud/Bud Light mugs on tap, ALL NIGHT LONG! Fun starts after work!



Good luck!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

SAD NEWS...

It breaks my heart to have to bring bad news to the blog. On Memorial Day, we lost a dear friend to the bar, one of our original Sunday Brew Crew members, CLAIRE.

For those of you who didn't know her, CLAIRE was a wonderful young lady with a bubbly personality, a quick wit and what you would call a "guy's girl". An original member of the "Sunday Brew Crew", CLAIRE knew as much about football as any guy I knew; she could talk about fantasy football just as well as she could about the stock market. She fit right in with the gang and could give and take with the best of them. That's what you liked about her initially; However, as you got to know her, you found that she was much more than just a girl who knew her football. She was a young lady who wasn't afraid to stick up for her beliefs, and more importantly, she wasn't afraid to live her life.

CLAIRE was diagnosed with cancer almost three years ago. Initially given only a few months to live, our friend faced her diagnosis head on and ended up fighting the courageous fight, outlasting the prognosis of her doctors by a couple of years. Even up to her last few days, she was fighting the brave fight, even while suffering unbearable pain and discomfort. All the while she had the love and support of her husband and best friend, JOE, who was there for her every step of the way.

The Third and Long family send their thoughts and prayers to the families of CLAIRE and JOE during this difficult time. For those of you wishing for information on the upcoming services for CLAIRE, reach out to me and I will get the information to you as soon as it becomes available to me.

CLAIRE, you were a gem and you will be missed. Cheers.