WHIRLWIND WEEKEND...

I'm currently watching ENGLAND vs FRANCE (Euro 2012) at the bar as I update the blog, and I have to say, I've been impressed with the action of the tournament so far.  Most of the matches have been interesting and entertaining; I only expect things to get better as the tournament goes on.

The weekend itself was pleasantly busy, with birthday parties and a full weekend of riveting sporting events capturing everyone's attention.  It all started out with the surprising news about the Belmont Stakes favorite, "I'LL HAVE ANOTHER" and his abrupt scratch from the big race.  That threw everyone for a loop and fueled speculation that there was some shady dealings going on.  Fortunately that didn't dampen the spirits of the regulars at the bar, who still enjoyed what turned out to be a fantastic race.

Speaking of regulars, one of our own (LAW SCHOOL HOWIE), celebrated his 27th birthday on Friday and he had a large contingent of well-wishers stop by throughout out the course of the night.  They brought a cool vibe to the bar and it turned out to be fun night for all.

Saturday was a full, and I mean FULL day of sports with the EURO 2012 kicking things off for us.  From there, it was a steady stream of sports action and if you were a true sports fan, you were experiencing nirvana.  Between that, the Belmont Stakes, the Subway Series, Stanley Cup Game 5 (Devils vs Kings) and the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7 (Heat vs Celtics),  and the usual debauchery of a Saturday night, it was literally sensory overload.  Another good day.

During the Devils/Kings game, one of our regulars got a bit of camera time with this stunt:

courtesy of I4u.com

Ah, kids...

Sunday was more or less "Recovery Day" as the neighborhood was blissfully serene.  Aside from the folks in tow for the EURO 2012 matches earlier in the day, it was pretty sedate otherwise.  We did get a visit from NICOLE POWELL of the NY LIBERTY later in the evening.  She's a good friend of the bar and it was great to catch up with her.  It's been too long since her last visit.

TONIGHT: "MONDAY NIGHT UNWIND" featuring $2 Domestic Draft mugs and 2-for-1 Wine/Sangria by the Glass (5pm - close).  Catch Game 6 of the Stanley Cup (8pm, w/audio)!  Will the NJ Devils continue their improbable comeback or will the LA Kings finally lift the cup on home ice?  Join us and find out!


Cheers!

AN INTERESTING CHAIN OF EVENTS...

Just as the title of this post says, it has indeed been an interesting chain of events over the course of the weekend.  In the sports world, we find the NBA playoffs finally producing some interesting drama in the two Conference Championship Series.  What was expected to be a cake-walk for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat has all of a sudden, become a dogfight as both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics rediscovered their game.  Now both series are tied at 2-2 and and everyone's interested in what happens next.

Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup has produced two straight overtime games, with the L.A. Kings winning both games on the road.  Now they go back home with a 2-0 lead and have the NJ Devils on the ropes, needing only two more wins to hoist the Cup for the very first time.

Now, as expected, with the NY Rangers out of the mix, the crowds have been much lighter than normal.  Much of that had to do with the fact that many of our diehard NJ Devils fans went to the games in New Jersey.  In fact, it's safe to say there were probably more L.A. Kings fans in the bar than NJ Devils fans.  However, I expect things to change for Game 3, especially with the Devils being on the road.  The fans should band together as their team faces a very critical situation.  Should the Devils lose and fall behind 3-0 in the series, you can all but call it a wrap.  History dictates that it's almost impossible to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series, so it is imperative that New Jersey steal one, if not both games out West.  Tonight's game will be critical, to say the least.

The weekend itself was pretty tame.  The weather had much to do with it, with thunderstorms peppering the area off and on throughout, thus interfering with the flow of the nights.  Friday night actually turned out to be a pretty good night as many of our patrons chose to stay at the bar rather than try to deal with the pouring rain.  They also got to witness some history being made as JOHAN SANTANA pitched a no-hitter for the NY Mets, the first one in the team's 50 year history.

Saturday night, on the other hand, was pretty quiet, sans for the crowd we had for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup and Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.  We had a group of revelers show up at about midnight in one of those Mexican party buses, but they were in for a quick round of drinks, and made more of a mess than they were worth.  Nothing exciting other than that.  Neighborhood was that dead.

Sunday was a total waste of a day for me as I think I may have contracted food poisoning.  Woke up with aches, chills and the worst case of diarrhea known to man.  We are talking projectile proportions.  That bad.   I was scheduled to open that day; couldn't make it out of the apartment; then tried to shoot for a later opening, hoping that I would feel better by the afternoon, but no shot.  I spent pretty much the whole day either lying in bed or praying in the bathroom.  Simply brutal.  Still not 100% but I am hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is going to be a busy, BUSY week at the bar.  Between the hockey, the NBA playoff, we also have the start of the EURO 2012 soccer tournament from Poland/Ukraine.  16 of the best teams in Europe go at it and it always draws a crowd.  Matches run from Friday June 8th, through the end of the month.  Two matches each day (12 noon/2:30p) during the group stage, and we'll carry EVERY match of the tournament.

Then you still have PUB TRIVIA on Thursday; Interleague baseball kicks in again this weekend, with the Yankees/Mets Subway Series taking place; Then there's the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, with "I'LL HAVE ANOTHER" shooting for the elusive Triple Crown.  Oy.

After all of that, I'm going to need a vacation.  Catch you tonight for Stanley Cup/NBA Playoff action!  By the way, we're raffling off an autographed photo of LA Kings great, MARCEL DIONNE during tonight's game.  So catch the game with us!

Oh and sorry, no boob sightings in Murray Hill this weekend.



Cheers!

Brew Crew Boys Make Their Mark

Yesterday I wrote about my early-morning encounter with some of the SUNDAY BREW CREW boys, dressed as characters from the classic film, "The Wizard of Oz". Well, after the lads left our bar to make their way out to Queens for the Belmont Stakes, it looks as if they left quite an impression. Next thing you know, they are all over the newspapers and I even found a photo of them on Yahoo!. WTF???

What's next? The Larry King Show?


Nuff Said

Saturday, June 7, 2008

SUPER SPORTS SATURDAY

Today is a huge day of sports in NYC and I find myself up bright and early to take it all in. The early start was "forced upon me" when I was awakened from my slumber by a loud chant of rogue voices outside of my window......


Imagine looking out of your window first thing in the morning and seeing the likes of this lot hanging out and staring up at you. It kinda reminds me of the creepy Burger King guy that always pops up in someone's bed.

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, SILENT BOB, DIRTY SANCHEZ and THE MAYOR of MURRAY HILL showed up in front of the bar, dressed up like the characters of the WIZARD of OZ, ready for a day at the races. While it isn't the best feeling being awakened by a bunch of cartoon characters, I have to admit, it was a pretty funny sight.




Here's the combination that they are working with today: Hot sun+ 98 degrees+ sweaty costumes+ copious amounts of booze=

DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN.


Stay tuned.


In the meantime, I am content to chill out at the bar today and enjoy my fill of EURO 2008 matches, baseball and The Belmont Stakes in air conditioned comfort. As they say in Queens, Boo-yah.
So far, so good.....


Nuff Said