Of course, in Greenwich Village, there's
the world famous Rivieria Cafe, located at 225 W. 4th St. We understand Jim McGuire -a bartender who many felt was responsible for the Riviera's reputation for Soxaphilia- left that establishment after having been treated shabbily, the ultimate insult being the manager's trashing of a 2004 Sox world championship banner. While this would certainly lead one to question the friendliness of that establishment, no less an authority than our own Joe Cosgriff, having recently visited it, pronounces the Riveria every bit as appealing to Sox fans as it ever was. If Joe says so, then so.
In an interim move, McGuire evidently set up shop at
Phebe's Tavern, 359 Bowery. The bar's
website, still makes a point of saying that Phebe's will be showing Sox games, along with the games of two lesser teams; the "Mets" and the "Yankees", whoever they are. If you've got an opinion on the place,
let us know, willya?
McGuire's final resting place was
Professor Thom's Bar and Restaurant at 219 Second Ave. between 13th and 14th streets. As is evident in
this review from the Village Voice, Thom's is unequivocally a place where a Red Sox fan will be among friends. Chris Wertz, the Professor's email
listmeister sends out some
pretty funny stuff. If you send him an
email he'll put you on the list. As described in our
March 2007 newsletter, there's even some talk of setting up an official BLOHARD nook at Thom's.
A little farther uptown, at 337 3rd Ave. (at 25th St.), you'll find the legendary
Hairy Monk;
Evidently, former Sox hurler Jerry Casale's gig at Notaro's Restaurant has ended. Jerry is looking for a new situation, and we'll let you know as soon as he alights somewhere.
Our pal Vern Trotter informs us that Ivan Spence longtime bartender at the Hairy Monk now has his own establishment, the
Sin Bin, on First Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets. Sox fans are encouraged to drop by.
Harrison's Tavern, 355 Amsterdam (at 77th) is also reputed to
be quite congenial.
Pat O'Brien's, 1701 Second Ave. (at 88th) is evidently run by a BC alumnus and describes itself as "NYC's Sox Headquarters"
Finally, the
Lion's Head Tavern, 995 Amsterdam Ave. (@ 109th St) has been described to us as "Riviera Cafe north, with cheaper beer", but, in light of the Riviera contretemps described above, maybe that just means you're giving your dough to a serreptitious Yankee supporter. It's all too confusing - we need a drink.
North of the city, your can usually get pretty good radio reception on either of
Hartford's WTIC(1080 AM) or WGCH (1490AM).
Any fan worth his salt knows that you can listen to WEEI over the internet if you're willing to sign up, but it takes an intrepid spirit, like that of BLOHARD David Evans to find the
backdoor that doesn't require signup.
Actual games are blacked out on WEEI's internet broadcast, but, for something like $12 a season, you can
subscribe to
MLB radio and listen to all the Sox games over the internet.
Starting in 2005,
XM Satellite Radio will carry every game of every team in MLB.
As far as TV goes, if you've got a dish, or digital cable, the
the Extra
Innings package will get you virtually
every Sox game.
MLB TV isn't a bad option either.
