CHASING THE PROVERBIAL TAIL...

There seems to be a lot going on around here these days.  Between the copious number of sporting events, birthday parties, maintenance issues and personal stuff,  I literally feel like...



The NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup has been great for us as both series have been very competitive and enjoyable to watch. What's been great about both series is that practically every game in both series have been close up to the very end and drawing emotions from fans of all of the teams as well as sucking in the casual observers.  What more could you want from a championship series?

Miami took a two games to one lead over the Dallas Mavericks after a great road win in last night's game.  Once again it came down to the last possession to determine the winner of this game.  The way this series has been going,  I can easily see it going the full seven games.  Not bad for business, that's for sure!

As for the Stanley Cup, Vancouver has a two games to none lead over Boston, holding serve in both home games.  While the 2-0 lead may sound dominant, it is highly misleading as both games have been tighter than a fat lady's girdle.  Vancouver won Game 1, 1-0 winning on a goal with 18 seconds left in the game.  They won the second game 11 seconds into OT, so as you can see, this series is way closer than it looks as it could just as easily be an even series or Boston could be up 2-0.  The series now shifts to Boston for Game 3 tonight (8pm w/Audio), so let's see if Boston can counter with a win.

This past weekend also saw us celebrating birthdays for a couple of our regulars (Happy Birthday by the way to BRUNO and HOWIE); Both celebrating their birthdays with parties on the same night; two totally distinct crowds: One party geared towards late 20's & early 30's French-Canadians who enjoyed listening to Journey, watching the Stanley Cup and had their party catered by Mile End Brooklyn Deli.  The second party was a bit younger, consisting of Ivy-league law and med students who were content with just the flowing beverages and great music.  So while it was an interesting overlap of people, it made for a great vibe and a fun night.  The only fly in the ointment was my fridge breaking down at the end of the night, which gave me added stress I did not need.  As always, we survived the bump in the road and moved on.
 
All told, it was a very long weekend but a relatively good one.  That being said, I never thought I'd be happy to see Monday.  In the meantime, I'll keep chasing my tail and eventually I'll catch up (hopefully).

TONIGHT: Games n Mugs Night featuring $1 Bud/Bud Light mugs, or $2 mugs, all other domestic drafts and TWO for ONE Wine or Sangria by the glass (ALL NIGHT)! Stanley Cup Final,  Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins, Game 3 (8pm w/Audio)!

P.S.: Please circle Thursday night on your calendar and join us for the World Police and Fire Games fundraiser taking place at the bar!  You'll be partying with members of Team NYC and supporting a great cause as we prepare for the 2011 Games taking place in NYC this August.  It will be a great night for a great cause.

Cheers!

WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES BAR TOUR @ THIRD & LONG!

The "Bar Tour" stops here this Thursday, June 9th! Show your support for the 2011 World Police and Fire Games by swinging by and partying with us for a great cause!  A $20 donation gets you access to discounted drinks, a free T-Shirt, live music and partying with members of Team NYC!  Spread the word and join us for what should be a great time at Third and Long!

*All proceeds go towards support of the upcoming 2011 World Police and Fire Games being held here in New York City this August!

I HATE SURPRISES...

Sorry for the late short post; It seems that the Board of Health decided to make YET another visit to our establishment today.  Of course that threw my day out of wack because this was an unexpected visit,  and I was keen to see why there were there. Especially in light of the fact that we've been visited TWICE already and passed our inspection (with an "A" grade, mind you).

Long story short, we passed our inspection AGAIN, with our best score yet!  So while that's cool and all, I don't understand why we keep getting visits.  While we don't have anything to hide and it's obvious that we're up to code (thanks to the staff for staying on top of things), it's still annoying.  I lost a whole afternoon thanks to today's visit, an afternoon that I could have devoted to doing other things related to the bar.  Yes I understand it's the nature of the business, but it's still a frustration I rather not have to deal with.

LAST NIGHT was Pub Trivia Night, which brought out a spirited crowd ready to escape the heat and to have some fun.  Ten teams participated in last night's festivities, and with the Stanley Cup Final playing in the background, there was a definite buzz in the air.  The focus kept switching back and forth from Trivia to Game 1 and it was definitely a fun night for all involved.

Special mention goes out to the nitwit who pulled out the stool holding up our P.A. system and causing it to fall to the floor.  She said that she didn't see the P.A. system and needed something to write on.  Folks, mind you, this thing is a HUGE black box that could probably hold a dwarf comfortably.  You cannot miss this thing.  Twit.

Catch the HEAT vs MAVS tonight as they face off for Game 2 of the NBA Finals (8:30pm)!  We'll be serving up Molson Canadian bottles (2/$7, 5-10pm) and $5 Sangria by the Glass during the game.  Make sure to check out June's Beer of the Month (Wolavers Organic IPA, $5/pint) while you're at it.

Enjoy the game!

THE MARCH OF THE "BIG THREE"

Last night was the start of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.  An important series, not so much because it's the championship series of the NBA, but a possible culmination of a year long journey for "The Big Three": Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

It all started around this time last year, when "The Big Three", on the cusp of free agency, hatched a master plan to ultimately play with each other on the same team in the quest of a championship ring.  While there were some controversy that came with this plan ("The Decision" most notable), they were able to pull it off, to the benefit of the Miami Heat and to the disdain of the rest of the league.  This immediately put a bullseye on their backs and they now had the pressure of living up to the task of being the best team of the league.

After a bumpy start, "The Big Three" finally found their grove and more or less became the team that everyone expected them to be.  Now that they are in the NBA Finals, this is their opportunity to seize the ring that they set out to get when they hatched their master plan last summer.

Game 1 started out as a chess match between the two teams (who ironically enough, met for the championship in 2006), with Dallas actually leading at the half.  However, the Heat were able to connect on their shots and smother Dallas with a stepped-up defense in the second half, and were able to pull away in the 4th quarter in route to a 92-84 win much to the delight of the bandwagon Heat fans in attendance at the bar.

Game 2 takes place on Thursday.  Will the Heat hold serve?  Stay tuned.

The long-awaited Stanley Cup Final begins tonight as the Vancouver Canucks hosts the Boston Bruins (8pm). This is a much-anticipated series as neither team has been to the Cup Final in over 15 years.  The Canucks are favored to win the series but I suspect that the Bruins will make this a tough series that should go 6-7 games. I am going to give the edge to the Canucks simply based on home ice advantage.  But once again, the way I've been predicting games lately, you may as well take your life savings and put it on the Bruins.

You can catch every game of the Stanley Cup here!

PUB TRIVIA TONIGHT (8pm)!  Enjoy a fun night of Pub Trivia with great drink specials on tap and cool prizes up for grabs. It's free to play and open to everyone (team size 1-6 players)!  Get there early and snag a good spot.  It will be a fun time.  Tonight's theme:  SUMMER


JUNE BEER of the MONTH: Wolavers Organic IPA ($5/pint)

AND FINALLY: If you haven't done so yet, you can follow me (@swandad) or the bar (@thirdandlongnyc) on Twitter!  Catch instant updates and secret deals and witty banter/observations via cyberspace!


Stay cool!  It's a hot one out there!


Cheers!