MEMO to the NFL: "WORK IT OUT!"

Last night felt like I was in a time warp back to the 1980's.  The crowd was decidedly older than normal for a Tuesday night; The jukebox belted out nothing but tunes from the "Brat Pack" era and if you looked closely enough, you could have sworn you saw some vintage fashions from back in the day.

In any case, the large group of nostalgia fans seemed to be having a great time and that's all that matters.  With the post-holiday hangover looming over 3rd Avenue, I was more than happy with the crowd we got, so if they wanted to blast "St. Elmo's Fire" all night long, god bless 'em.

As I try to enjoy life post-hockey season, a lot of the chatter at the bar of late revolves around the NFL and the current lockout.  With that being said, I find myself being asked more and more: "What are you going to do if there's no football?".  If you were to ask me that question months ago, I would have laughed it off.  The NFL and the players wouldn't be that stupid as to shut down the season and turn off a legion of fans as well as risk their standing as America's #1 sport.  Would they?

However, with training camps traditionally scheduled to open this weekend and no deal in sight, I am finding myself (along with countless others) worried.  What if these knuckleheads don't get a deal done?  What will we do on Sundays in the Fall?  Yeah, there are more pressing issues going on in the world when you look at the big picture, but in a traditional American sense, this is kind of a big deal.

Americans by and large, work hard all week and live for the weekend.  It's their chance to unwind, blow off steam and yes, watch football.  Let's face it, football is ingrained into our lives, a big part of our social fabric. Whether it be through the NFL, NCAA, fantasy football, or simply playing in the backyard with your mates or kids, it's something we look forward to and enjoy.  We equate the Fall with football and the thoughts of not having it around to be honest, is quite disturbing. And don't get me started on how not having the NFL around would affect business.  You talk to any bar manager and they will all tell you that not having the NFL on Sundays would be nothing short of devastating for their bottom line.

Let's examine for a moment, life at Third and Long (for example) without NFL football.  Sure, you can throw on some "alternate sports programming" to fill in the time.  But seriously speaking (and no offense to the other sports being mentioned), but are the DOLFANS NYC gang going to roll in to watch English Premier Soccer at 10am?  I don't think so.  Will the CORNER BOYS continue their streak of being the first ones at the bar to watch NASCAR?  (well, you never know with them, but I doubt it).  Will the likes of AFRIKA BAMBATTA or T-BILL, SILENT BOB or NAPOLEON DYNAMITE gather for a rescheduled NCAA game between Western Michigan and Ohio University?  Chile please.  It ain't happening.

This, my friends, is what we're facing if the NFL doesn't get their act together.  And quite frankly, it scares me. And if you're a football fan, it should scare you too.  So if there's anyone from the NFL reading this, spread the word to your brethren and WORK IT OUT!

TONIGHT: Pub Trivia (8pm).  Free to play and great prizes up for grabs such as bar tabs, cool bar swag and of course, buckets of beer!  Tonight's theme?  CONCERTS.   $4 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies), $4 pints, Greenport Harbor beers (3 to choose from) & $20 Full Sail Session Ale buckets ALL NIGHT!

See you tonight!


Cheers!