UPDATED WEEKLY SPECIALS!

The seasons change, and so do our weekly specials!  Check them out:

Enjoy!


Cheers!

OH NO, NOT AGAIN...

It's Friday and the Big Apple is awash in disappointment as their beloved NY Yankees crushed their collective spirits by losing to the Detroit Tigers 3-2 and getting eliminated from the MLB playoffs.  Timely pitching by the Tigers staff and too many blown on-base opportunities by the Yankees led to this stunning result.

(credit: Associated Press)

Yankee fans went into the playoffs feeling confident at making a run to the World Series, especially since their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox didn't make it in.  Maybe they were looking past the Tigers, who floated quietly under the radar over the last month of the regular season, led by their probable Cy Young Award winning pitcher, Justin Verlander.  No one really noticed how good of a team the Tigers really were.  Well, if they didn't know it then, they certainly know it now.  The Detroit Tigers are for real and they put the big money Yankees away, at the hostile confines of Yankee Stadium. You can't blow that off.

Now the A.L.Championship Series pits Detroit vs Texas.  An intriguing matchup on paper, but probably not the one the Networks were hoping for.  But hey, you never know.  You might just get one hell of a series.  As for the NY Yankees?  It's back to the drawing board (yet again) for the deep-pocketed Yankees.  There will be a lot of soul-searching taking place this off season.  Who will stay?  Who will go?  Who will they bring in?  The plotlines will certainly keep folks glued to the papers this off-season.

In the meantime, while all of this was taking place, we also ushered in the start of the NHL season with two marquee matchups: The Boston Bruins vs the Philadelphia Flyers and my Montreal Canadiens vs their heated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

(credit: Associated Press)

The majority of hockey fans in the bar were of course, Habs fans and we took our place in the back area of the bar to take advantage of the large TV's.  While most of the folks were concentrated on the Yankees/Tigers game, the hockey purists were more than content to be among their own, catching up with fellow fans from last season while keeping an eye on the game.  There were also a few new faces in the house and I hope we get to see more of them throughout the regular season.

Unfortunately for Montreal fans, the first game of the season wasn't one to write home about as the Habs seemed to have left their offense in Montreal.  The Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Habs, 2-0.  Painful to watch- and even though it was only the first game of the season, if you are a Habs fan (like myself), you can't help but to be a bit worried.  Stay tuned.

I can't really tell you what happened in the other early game (Boston/Philadelphia), as I kept my concentration on the two games mentioned above.  Boston lost, which leaves me smiling.  Hmmm...

So a night that started out with so much promise, ends up deflating like a balloon.  Oy.

Let's see what the NY Rangers can do this afternoon (1pm).


Cheers...

DO of DIE...

The NY Yankees face a now-or-never situation tonight as they face off against the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series.  It's pretty simple tonight.  Win and live to see another day, or lose and clean out the lockers.  Don't know what else to say about that.  Will the Pinstripes pull out a victory and move on to the next round in a rematch vs Texas?  Stay tuned.

First pitch is at 8:07pm.   Join us (w/audio)!

The NHL kicks off their season tonight with three great games:  BOSTON BRUINS unveil their championship banner before facing off against Philadelphia (7pm), while the Montreal Canadiens (#GOHABSGO) face their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs (7pm), followed by a West Coast game featuring Vancouver and Pittsburgh.

Third and Long should be in full-tilt sports mode tonight!

While you're here, make sure to take advantage of a special DUVEL promo:  Purchase a bottle of DUVEL and get a great limited-edition artist glass, yours to keep!

Not too shabby, eh?

GREAT TIMES LAST NIGHT: We had another rousing edition of Pub Trivia last night as 11 teams battled one another for the chance to make it to the finals of the upcoming Tournament of Champions.

There's still time for you and your teammates to make it to our Tournament of Champions final in November.  Just stop by next Wednesday night and bring your "A-Game"!

Join us for an epic night in sports tonight!  And don't forget to catch the NY RANGERS opener in Europe tomorrow afternoon (1pm)!

AND FINALLY:  In about 24 hours, my good friend and co-mgr. FIREMARSHALL ED will finally take the plunge!  He's gettin' hitched to his lovely bride to be, Katie on Friday and I couldn't be more happier for the both of them.  It should be a great wedding!   Congrats to the both of them!

Cheers!

LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY....

The NY Yankees came into last night with their backs squarely against the wall.  Playing on the road, with quite possibly their WORST case pitcher on the mound in an elimination game certainly doesn't bode well for your confidence or the confidence of the fans.  Seriously speaking, if you were to say to me the Yankees were going to win this game with A.J. Burnett on the mound, I would have told you to put down the crack.  The big-ticket bust who's well documented fall swoon was now going to rest the weight of the NY Yankees season on his shoulders.  Oy vey.  Not very inspiring, that's for sure.

Curtis Granderson's spectacular catch (courtesy of AP)

And true to form, he started the game by loading up the bases. It looked as if the Pinstripers were doomed to fail before they even got up to bat.  However, thanks to some timely fielding by the Yankees, most specifically Curtis Granderson, they escaped the first inning without any damage.  They were very lucky and as a result, that seemed to spark the NY Yankees as their bats finally woke up (more like erupted), and they ended up steamrolling over the Detroit Tigers, 10-1.  This victory tied up the series at 2-2 and forced a 5th and deciding game (slated for Thursday night).  This should make for an epic evening of baseball.

While all of this is taking place, we find ourselves finally dropping the puck to start the NHL season.  There will be a slew of games on tap, including  Boston vs Philadelphia, Montreal vs Toronto & Pittsburgh vs Vancouver.  The New York Rangers start their season in Europe on Friday afternoon vs LA Kings and that's a highly anticipated matchup as well.  The NJ Devils and NY Islanders kick off their respective seasons on Saturday.  Of course, we're more than eager to see the return of hockey, especially now that we've upgraded our TV's to HD.  Nothing like watching the beautiful sport on high-def.  Seriously.

So call me crazy, but if I'm wearing a rather loud colored fedora, profess my love for a certain Midwest sports city and reek of foul smelling cigars, and I enter into the bar and notice that everyone that used to sit around me is now sitting at the other end of the bar, I might just want to check myself. I'm just sayin.

Our Pub Trivia road to the Tournament of Champions Finale continues tonight!  Each week for the next seven weeks we will be crowning a weekly Trivia champion and that team will gain a berth into our Tournament of Champions final in mid-November.  How do you get in?  Simply round up a team of 1-6 members (friends, co-workers, enemies, relatives, etc) and show up each Wednesday night.  You'll match wits against other Pub Trivia teams with a chance to win the weekly prize (top prize: $45 bar tab) and a berth in the Finals.  It's that simple.  There are great drink specials throughout the night ($4 well drinks for ladies, $20 Hometown NY Lager buckets) and most of all: it's FREE TO PLAY!

AND FINALLY:  We at Third and Long want to wish ALEXANDER KEITH a very Happy 216th birthday!


Wish him a happy birthday with us by raising a cold one tonight during Trivia!


Cheers!

WEEKEND RECAP

It's Monday afternoon and I'm finally taking a brief moment to catch up on the blog. The busy weekend has come and gone and it's a total blur. From the monsoon rainstorm canceling the NY Yankees/Detroit game on Friday night, to the bizarre impromptu bar crawls we encountered during the day on Saturday, and the even more strange events taking place during BREW CREW SUNDAY, it was simply ONE OF THOSE weekends.

 That being said, I can't really complain about it as it was generally a good time for most folks.... except for the father/son hardcore Buffalo Bills fans who ended up getting into a fight with each other in the middle of 3rd Ave after pops dragged his son out of the bar. Yes, you can't make this up.

 Apparently the two were watching the Bills game at the Buffalo Bills hangout, McFadden's and must have stopped in for a quick one after their game ended. Pops wanted to leave after one beer, while his son wanted to stick around (Pops was probably in his mid-40's, while his son was maybe 22-23). They found themselves arguing to the point where I actually stepped in to make sure everything was ok. Pops said everything was cool, that he was conversing with his son. A few minutes later, you hear the sounds of a bottle crashing to the floor and next thing you know, Pops was shoving his son out of the door. They made their way up 3rd Avenue, arguing the whole time when the son shoves Pops. Pops gets enraged and shoves his son back, who goes flying into the street. They are arguing and shoving for a few minutes before finally making their way up 3rd Avenue. Strange dealings for sure.

 The rest of Brew Crew Sunday went as expected; The early games were pretty laid back and then at around 3:30p the bar filled up with Miami Dolphins fans (DOLFANS NYC) and tourists, ready to watch their games.

There's Pops (blue cap backwards) and son (Yankees cap) "discussing" whether or not to leave the bar...

Unfortunately for most of those in attendance, they went home with sad faces as the NY Yankees, NY Jets and Miami Dolphins all lost.  A bit of bright news: The NY Giants won their game.  So some sense of Brew Crew was salvaged.

NY YANKEES try to rebound tonight in Game 3 vs Detroit.  (8:30p).  Also check out Monday Night Football (Indianapolis vs Tampa Bay, 8:30p).  $2 domestic draft mugs & 2 for 1 wine or sangria by the glass ALL NIGHT LONG.


Cheers!