In Wall Street, Lou Mannheim addresses Bud Fox, who is on the brink of complete annihilation… “Man looks into the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him,” says Mannheim. “At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.”
Despite a 3-0 series deficit, the Blue Jackets’ support remained visible. From the Frog Bear and Wild Boar to R Bar, the bricks were crushed. The atmosphere was carnival. Alcohol and chants… Face painters and mimes… Hot dogs and scalpers… The menagerie equaled, potentially the only entity to ever equal, an Ohio State football contest…
The first period equaled it’s three predecessors… Despite an opening faceoff victory and an outstanding energy which permeated the telecast, the Red Wings, courtesy of Nicklas Lidstrom, recorded the opening salvo. Kristian Huselius countered ticks subsequent… However, Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary mirrored the manner with which the Red Wings won the opening three contests… After twenty minutes, the score was a familiar 3-1.
Although the Blue Jackets commencement was expected, the first period’s conversations were memorable… A Frog Bear and Wild Boar employee compared the Red Wings to a schoolyard bully, who took advantage of a weaker opponent (third graders and playoff squads… similarity anywhere?)…. DJ Nohbody and I discussed Cock Diesel, which it turns out, was his creation… And a Red Wings fan provided insight and intelligence on how this version compares with previous championship versions (at this point, I was assuming they compared well)…
Upon my arrival at R Bar, I encountered Frog Bear and Wild Boar Promotions Superstar Jeff, who was present in this venue (and not his own) for the purpose of coalition collaboration… We spoke for five minutes about the epic pre-game and this weekend… Then, Jeff returned to his collaboration (which he wouldn’t detail subsequently) and I returned, as the Blue Jackets returned, to the second period…
And said return was superb… One minute and forty-four seconds into the frame, Rick Nash, the captain and cornerstone of this stellar season, finally registered a goal to cut the score to 3-2. R.J. Umberger, the cornerstone of this series, then completed a gorgeous rush and knotted the contest. It was as if the Blue Jackets had, prior to the period, stared into the abyss and realized they still had character…
Unfortunately, the abyss returned fire… Marian Hossa, who finished last season losing to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals (you know what they say… if you can’t beat them…), reestablished the champion’s advantage at 4-3. Four and a half minutes later, he registered a second score to place the Red Wings ahead 5-3. It was if the Red Wings had realized that their opponents would have to be bludgeoned into submission…
Just as it appeared that the Red Wings would vanish, Kris Russell drew the home team to within 5-4. The implausible then occurred as Fredrik Modin capped the Blue Jackets third comeback with a backhand, which knotted the contest at 5-5. These were the Blue Jackets this city expected… Feisty and without fear…
The third period, which was split between the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar, was what one expects when they view a Stanley Cup playoff contest… The intensity was remarkable… Every shot snatched the viewer’s breath… Every save restored respiration… The period spent nineteen minutes and twelve seconds epitomizing why hockey fans rearrange commitments around this stretch of the season…
And then the seemingly inevitable occurred… The Blue Jackets were whistled for two many men on the ice… A correct call within the rules… An inconceivable call within the hearts and minds of a victory starved city… Johan Franzen snuck through, where a fifth player would have been, and within one second, concluded the contest (6-5) and the series (4-0).
The emotions ranged from acceptance to anger to sincerity to shock… R Bar Co-Owner Natalie Darr appeared heart broken… Several Blue Jacket fans cursed the penalty… Other fans congratulated Red Wings fans on an outstanding series… Still others waxed optimistic about next season and the potential to improve…
Ultimately, as fans and patrons and streamed into venues, consumed food and shots, there was an acceptance atmosphere… Acceptance not only of the sweep they had just endured… But, also an acceptance of what they had witnessed over the three prior hours… That hope, is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies…
Showing posts with label R Bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label R Bar. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Hope Freezes Over
Game four may be our final contest. With that said, what a season. The Blue Jackets recorded 92 points. They registered 41 victories. They made the playoffs.
This city and franchise merit one more celebration. Gossip CBUS will cover every moment, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar on Thursday. Get out tonight, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and savor this evening.
This city and franchise merit one more celebration. Gossip CBUS will cover every moment, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar on Thursday. Get out tonight, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and savor this evening.
Red Wings Obliterate Overconfident Blue Jackets
On January 3, 2003, Miami Hurricanes Quarterback Ken Dorsey endured a blind side hit… “He ain’t never been hit like that,” a Buckeyes’ fan said… As if they play flag football in Florida… On March 7, 2009, Rick Nash scored the Blue Jackets fifth of eight goals against the Red Wings… “Detroit’s never faced someone like Nash,” a Blue Jackets’ fan said… As if hockey were invented in Columbus…
Despite the arrogance of the previous statement (whose relevance will become apparent, I assure you), the anticipation and novelty of the Blue Jackets initial playoff contest was obvious… A Detroit pre-game playoff party would have drawn hundreds… The Blue Jackets brick bash drew thousands… From R Bar’s chaotic patio to the Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s plaza-palooza, the carnival atmosphere was epic. Game two had commenced with a nervous energy… Game three commenced with a frenetic certainty…
And then the Red Wings scored… No sooner had I commenced my initial conversation at Lodge Bar… No sooner had the vast majority of the fans completed “Let’s Go Jackets,” for the first time, Tomas Holmstrom found the puck at his feet and registered a gift goal… Despite multiple chances, the Blue Jackets never recorded an equalizer… The Red Wings, courtesy of Dan Cleary, recorded a second goal and concluded the period with a silencing advantage…
Amidst the Blue Jackets’ misery, I enjoyed that conversation I previously referenced with Lodge Bar Manager Mike… Now, I cannot state this with certainty, as I have not met every venue manager in this city, but from my experience, Lodge Bar’s management is the most intelligent… Mike and I’s conversation, which ranged from how deep a hot goalie can advance your franchise into the playoffs to the troubles of San Jose, was the random conversation one covets during a sporting event… It was the random conversation one craves to absolve the misery of your franchise collapsing before your very eyes…
Said collapse continued through the second period… Despite a still supportive Nationwide Arena crowd and a still energetic and hopeful Frog Bear and Wild Boar crowd, the Blue Jackets could not recover. They were outplayed, physically overmatched, and when Henrik Zetterberg walked alone toward the front of the net, the Blue Jackets were down 3-0. Anticipation… Hope… And a 3-0 second period deficit? It seemed unreasonable…
The Blue Jackets continued abysmal play afforded an opportunity to speak with Frog Bear and Wild Boar Promotions Superstar Jeff… We discussed the Gossip Awards, Mindy Hall’s appearance (which will be spectacular), and the superb performance of Fat Dog during the pre-game festivities… R Bar may have enjoyed the greatest crowd throughout this initial playoff incarnation… But, this city has never witnessed an event on the scale of Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s plaza-palooza (sorry I love the term)…
Speaking of R Bar, I ventured into the puck playground for the third period… The crowd was stellar… Throughout a period of near misses and despite an implausible scenario, the crowd continued hanging on every moment… They were finally rewarded when R.J. Umberger recovered from the huge hit he had sustained and scored the Blue Jackets first goal in more than 140 minutes… Alas, the Red Wings countered with an empty net salvo to win 4-1 and assume a 3-0 series stranglehold… Unfortunately, this is where my evening concludes…
Several of you have written, asking why my twitter updates stopped abruptly only minutes into postgame… The reason concludes this column where it commenced… As I stood alone, observing the Blue Jackets fans who were now entering the venue, I was accosted, harassed, and threatened by an individual… His statements were repugnant, untrue, and vile… But, he would not shut up…
In his warped and wretched mind, it didn’t matter his assertions were inaccurate, he was correct simply because he was speaking… He was the perfect epitome of this city and it’s franchise… Full of themselves, with very little reason to be…
Despite the arrogance of the previous statement (whose relevance will become apparent, I assure you), the anticipation and novelty of the Blue Jackets initial playoff contest was obvious… A Detroit pre-game playoff party would have drawn hundreds… The Blue Jackets brick bash drew thousands… From R Bar’s chaotic patio to the Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s plaza-palooza, the carnival atmosphere was epic. Game two had commenced with a nervous energy… Game three commenced with a frenetic certainty…
And then the Red Wings scored… No sooner had I commenced my initial conversation at Lodge Bar… No sooner had the vast majority of the fans completed “Let’s Go Jackets,” for the first time, Tomas Holmstrom found the puck at his feet and registered a gift goal… Despite multiple chances, the Blue Jackets never recorded an equalizer… The Red Wings, courtesy of Dan Cleary, recorded a second goal and concluded the period with a silencing advantage…
Amidst the Blue Jackets’ misery, I enjoyed that conversation I previously referenced with Lodge Bar Manager Mike… Now, I cannot state this with certainty, as I have not met every venue manager in this city, but from my experience, Lodge Bar’s management is the most intelligent… Mike and I’s conversation, which ranged from how deep a hot goalie can advance your franchise into the playoffs to the troubles of San Jose, was the random conversation one covets during a sporting event… It was the random conversation one craves to absolve the misery of your franchise collapsing before your very eyes…
Said collapse continued through the second period… Despite a still supportive Nationwide Arena crowd and a still energetic and hopeful Frog Bear and Wild Boar crowd, the Blue Jackets could not recover. They were outplayed, physically overmatched, and when Henrik Zetterberg walked alone toward the front of the net, the Blue Jackets were down 3-0. Anticipation… Hope… And a 3-0 second period deficit? It seemed unreasonable…
The Blue Jackets continued abysmal play afforded an opportunity to speak with Frog Bear and Wild Boar Promotions Superstar Jeff… We discussed the Gossip Awards, Mindy Hall’s appearance (which will be spectacular), and the superb performance of Fat Dog during the pre-game festivities… R Bar may have enjoyed the greatest crowd throughout this initial playoff incarnation… But, this city has never witnessed an event on the scale of Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s plaza-palooza (sorry I love the term)…
Speaking of R Bar, I ventured into the puck playground for the third period… The crowd was stellar… Throughout a period of near misses and despite an implausible scenario, the crowd continued hanging on every moment… They were finally rewarded when R.J. Umberger recovered from the huge hit he had sustained and scored the Blue Jackets first goal in more than 140 minutes… Alas, the Red Wings countered with an empty net salvo to win 4-1 and assume a 3-0 series stranglehold… Unfortunately, this is where my evening concludes…
Several of you have written, asking why my twitter updates stopped abruptly only minutes into postgame… The reason concludes this column where it commenced… As I stood alone, observing the Blue Jackets fans who were now entering the venue, I was accosted, harassed, and threatened by an individual… His statements were repugnant, untrue, and vile… But, he would not shut up…
In his warped and wretched mind, it didn’t matter his assertions were inaccurate, he was correct simply because he was speaking… He was the perfect epitome of this city and it’s franchise… Full of themselves, with very little reason to be…
Monday, April 20, 2009
Three Venues, Zero Alternative
In Detroit, the Red Wings won both contests. Now, the momentum and series shift. Gossip CBUS will cover every moment, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, Lodge Bar, and R Bar on Tuesday.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, franchises are alive until a home contest is lost. Our Blue Jackets are not expired.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, franchises are alive until a home contest is lost. Our Blue Jackets are not expired.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Game Two Gives Fratricidal Fan Reason to Quit
Approximately 9:30 p.m., I stood parallel to the intersection of Armstrong and Vine Streets, across from the Garage Bar… As I awaited my chance to cross, I observed a white article of clothing flying over the white fence which surrounds the venue’s patio… After I moment, I observed the number sixty-one on the jersey, which landed on the sidewalk, steps short of traffic…
Three hours prior to this symbolic desertion, I arrived at R Bar, which once again provided an immaculate scene… The venue was crushed and the nervous energy was palpable… The Blue Jackets may be playoff inexperienced, but their fans were sports experienced enough to underline (twice, in red) the importance of this contest… Clearly, they understood 2-0 and 1-1 are two entirely different scenarios…
And for half of the first period, the Blue Jackets seemed to understand that also. For almost fourteen minutes, Rick Nash and crew attacked and Steve Mason matched Chris Osgood save for save… The Blue Jackets skated with the determination and resolve that made an even series, with a momentum contest three days away, seem absolutely certain…
Then, the Red Wings responded… With less than seven minutes remaining until intermission, Brian Rafalski scored and placed them ahead 1-0. The nervous energy quadrupled… As the Blue Jackets and Red Wings completed the first frame, one could envision a scenario where game two resembled game one… Theoretically, R Bar’s crowd was already envisioning this scenario…
I am certain the anxiety of the moment must have ceased other conversations throughout the venue… Thankfully, the conversation I was immersed within, involving R Bar Co-owners Mike and Natalie Darr (and yes, let me save you thinking, they are married) continued… You expect concept venue owners (and R Bar’s hockey theme lands within this realm) to know something about their concept… You don’t expect that they will be as smart as people who have been watching the sport for forty years… The conversation, which involved the Blue Jackets, the relocation of the Hartford Whalers, and the possibility of a contest advancing into overtime and the bar closing early, was one of the most engaging sport’s conversations I have ever had…
The Blue Jackets commenced the second period as unengaged as they had concluded the first… The Red Wings governed the pace for nine of the first ten minutes and twelve of the first fifteen… They racked their second goal seven minutes into the frame and their third fifteen and one half minutes into the frame… The nervous energy was gone… The realization that the Blue Jackets would come home trailing 2-0 was essentially guaranteed…
As the second period concluded and with the thought that the agony had to be excised in some manner, Mike and Natalie ordered five stinger shots for themselves, myself, and two others we were watching the contest with… This wasn’t my first stinger shot, but that doesn’t make it not worth recounting (I actually meant to discuss the drink on Thursday and forgot)… The concoction of Curacao, Smirnoff, and Rick Nash (kidding, they wouldn’t tell me what else is in the recipe) is exquisite… With one sip, one can imagine why the drink won best city shot…
Three minutes and a second stinger shot into the third period, the Red Wings completed the calamity… Jiri Hudler became the fourth different Detroit player to record a goal, as he placed the Red Wings ahead, by the eventual final score 4-0… What had seemed impossible only hours earlier, a second consecutive abysmal performance, was now more than reality… It was hockey history… The simple reality was that Tuesday now has only one acceptable outcome…
Maybe this was what led whomever to toss their jersey into the street… Maybe they were heckled or harassed and rather than take the embarrassment, they shed the jersey…. Or maybe they were intoxicated and the toss seemed a reasonable maneuver at the moment… Whatever the rationalization, that fan, whomever they were, gave up on the Blue Jackets… This, whether in Columbus or any city, is unforgivable…
Three hours prior to this symbolic desertion, I arrived at R Bar, which once again provided an immaculate scene… The venue was crushed and the nervous energy was palpable… The Blue Jackets may be playoff inexperienced, but their fans were sports experienced enough to underline (twice, in red) the importance of this contest… Clearly, they understood 2-0 and 1-1 are two entirely different scenarios…
And for half of the first period, the Blue Jackets seemed to understand that also. For almost fourteen minutes, Rick Nash and crew attacked and Steve Mason matched Chris Osgood save for save… The Blue Jackets skated with the determination and resolve that made an even series, with a momentum contest three days away, seem absolutely certain…
Then, the Red Wings responded… With less than seven minutes remaining until intermission, Brian Rafalski scored and placed them ahead 1-0. The nervous energy quadrupled… As the Blue Jackets and Red Wings completed the first frame, one could envision a scenario where game two resembled game one… Theoretically, R Bar’s crowd was already envisioning this scenario…
I am certain the anxiety of the moment must have ceased other conversations throughout the venue… Thankfully, the conversation I was immersed within, involving R Bar Co-owners Mike and Natalie Darr (and yes, let me save you thinking, they are married) continued… You expect concept venue owners (and R Bar’s hockey theme lands within this realm) to know something about their concept… You don’t expect that they will be as smart as people who have been watching the sport for forty years… The conversation, which involved the Blue Jackets, the relocation of the Hartford Whalers, and the possibility of a contest advancing into overtime and the bar closing early, was one of the most engaging sport’s conversations I have ever had…
The Blue Jackets commenced the second period as unengaged as they had concluded the first… The Red Wings governed the pace for nine of the first ten minutes and twelve of the first fifteen… They racked their second goal seven minutes into the frame and their third fifteen and one half minutes into the frame… The nervous energy was gone… The realization that the Blue Jackets would come home trailing 2-0 was essentially guaranteed…
As the second period concluded and with the thought that the agony had to be excised in some manner, Mike and Natalie ordered five stinger shots for themselves, myself, and two others we were watching the contest with… This wasn’t my first stinger shot, but that doesn’t make it not worth recounting (I actually meant to discuss the drink on Thursday and forgot)… The concoction of Curacao, Smirnoff, and Rick Nash (kidding, they wouldn’t tell me what else is in the recipe) is exquisite… With one sip, one can imagine why the drink won best city shot…
Three minutes and a second stinger shot into the third period, the Red Wings completed the calamity… Jiri Hudler became the fourth different Detroit player to record a goal, as he placed the Red Wings ahead, by the eventual final score 4-0… What had seemed impossible only hours earlier, a second consecutive abysmal performance, was now more than reality… It was hockey history… The simple reality was that Tuesday now has only one acceptable outcome…
Maybe this was what led whomever to toss their jersey into the street… Maybe they were heckled or harassed and rather than take the embarrassment, they shed the jersey…. Or maybe they were intoxicated and the toss seemed a reasonable maneuver at the moment… Whatever the rationalization, that fan, whomever they were, gave up on the Blue Jackets… This, whether in Columbus or any city, is unforgivable…
Friday, April 17, 2009
Cinderella Calamity: Red Wings Own Game One
In “Major League,” the New York Yankees hammer a home run and assume a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Indians in a playoff contest. Smugly, villainous owner Rachel Phelps remarks, “That ought to shut these people up.”
Upon my arrival at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the environment and excitement screamed playoffs. The Pepsi Power Patrol was present… Stinger was motivating fans… The voice announcing prize winners was the Nationwide Arena voice (nice touch) and as for the fans… Every eye was transfixed with the action… And the Blue Jackets were playing as those eyes expected…
The action was intense… Rick Nash had chances… Others had chances… Steve Mason played, as we now expect he will and despite skating an ice surface below thirty-four banners, the Blue Jackets played as if this was their eighteenth consecutive playoff appearance (when in actually, it was Detroit’s eighteenth consecutive and the Blue Jackets initial)… Amidst almost constant sound, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings contested a first period, which epitomized what this sport’s second season is…
Interspersed with the outstanding hockey and omnipresent crowd reaction was the adorable activity of Marchioness Stephanie… I know I’ve discussed her previously, but she honestly is atypical… Other bar bunnies have appearance… They have personality… But, Stephanie possesses an enthralling and infinite energy that simply resists explanation… She could, in five minutes, make coffee exhausted…
Speaking of exhausted, R Bar’s capacity was exactly this as I approached the venue for the start of the second twenty minutes… I don’t mean it was simply difficult to move inside the venue… I don’t mean there was standing room only in the venue… I mean there was a line out the door of people watching the contest through the glass, waiting to get into the venue… For the second consecutive week, R Bar was unmatched for atmosphere…
If only the Blue Jackets second could have matched their first… While they quickly countered the Red Wings first goal, registering a response within one minute… They were unable to counter salvos two and three… Despite continuous encouragement from fans both inside and outside R Bar, the Blue Jackets reminded everyone why this was their initial playoffs… They were sloppier… They were slower… And they concluded the second trailing 3-1…
Thankfully, as the Red Wings assumed command of the contest, I had R Bar Owner Natalie Darr to converse with… I know I’ve discussed several other owners in this city and each is passionate about their venue… But, Natalie is exemplary and unique… She is passionate about what her venue represents… Last night, three hundred plus packed themselves amongst alcohol and memorabilia and for the first moment since I started this website… the Buckeyes were on no one’s mind… This, thanks to Natalie and her patrons, was a professional sports city…
As the third period commenced, the Blue Jackets were attempting to return the Buckeyes to everyone’s foremost thoughts… Less than three minutes into the frame, the Red Wings might as well have sang good night sweet prince, as they scored a fourth goal and deadened any aspirations of a comeback… The hope that personified this night walked (metaphorically, if not literally) the bridge into the night with thoughts of game two… Game one was over…
As I split the post-game between R Bar and the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the crowd within both venues was subdued… However, I enjoyed several random conversations, each focused on the fact that this wasn’t the Blue Jackets night, but at least there would be another night… At least there would be a game two, which until this season was a practical impossibility, as there had never been a game one…
I walked the bricks toward the conclusion of my night and one thought superceded all others… Since the Blue Jackets clinched the playoffs, they have lost three consecutive contests… Making the playoffs was an ambition and it is an admirable first step… But, the Blue Jackets must realize, what the city and their opponents clearly already know… Making it isn’t enough…
Upon my arrival at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the environment and excitement screamed playoffs. The Pepsi Power Patrol was present… Stinger was motivating fans… The voice announcing prize winners was the Nationwide Arena voice (nice touch) and as for the fans… Every eye was transfixed with the action… And the Blue Jackets were playing as those eyes expected…
The action was intense… Rick Nash had chances… Others had chances… Steve Mason played, as we now expect he will and despite skating an ice surface below thirty-four banners, the Blue Jackets played as if this was their eighteenth consecutive playoff appearance (when in actually, it was Detroit’s eighteenth consecutive and the Blue Jackets initial)… Amidst almost constant sound, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings contested a first period, which epitomized what this sport’s second season is…
Interspersed with the outstanding hockey and omnipresent crowd reaction was the adorable activity of Marchioness Stephanie… I know I’ve discussed her previously, but she honestly is atypical… Other bar bunnies have appearance… They have personality… But, Stephanie possesses an enthralling and infinite energy that simply resists explanation… She could, in five minutes, make coffee exhausted…
Speaking of exhausted, R Bar’s capacity was exactly this as I approached the venue for the start of the second twenty minutes… I don’t mean it was simply difficult to move inside the venue… I don’t mean there was standing room only in the venue… I mean there was a line out the door of people watching the contest through the glass, waiting to get into the venue… For the second consecutive week, R Bar was unmatched for atmosphere…
If only the Blue Jackets second could have matched their first… While they quickly countered the Red Wings first goal, registering a response within one minute… They were unable to counter salvos two and three… Despite continuous encouragement from fans both inside and outside R Bar, the Blue Jackets reminded everyone why this was their initial playoffs… They were sloppier… They were slower… And they concluded the second trailing 3-1…
Thankfully, as the Red Wings assumed command of the contest, I had R Bar Owner Natalie Darr to converse with… I know I’ve discussed several other owners in this city and each is passionate about their venue… But, Natalie is exemplary and unique… She is passionate about what her venue represents… Last night, three hundred plus packed themselves amongst alcohol and memorabilia and for the first moment since I started this website… the Buckeyes were on no one’s mind… This, thanks to Natalie and her patrons, was a professional sports city…
As the third period commenced, the Blue Jackets were attempting to return the Buckeyes to everyone’s foremost thoughts… Less than three minutes into the frame, the Red Wings might as well have sang good night sweet prince, as they scored a fourth goal and deadened any aspirations of a comeback… The hope that personified this night walked (metaphorically, if not literally) the bridge into the night with thoughts of game two… Game one was over…
As I split the post-game between R Bar and the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the crowd within both venues was subdued… However, I enjoyed several random conversations, each focused on the fact that this wasn’t the Blue Jackets night, but at least there would be another night… At least there would be a game two, which until this season was a practical impossibility, as there had never been a game one…
I walked the bricks toward the conclusion of my night and one thought superceded all others… Since the Blue Jackets clinched the playoffs, they have lost three consecutive contests… Making the playoffs was an ambition and it is an admirable first step… But, the Blue Jackets must realize, what the city and their opponents clearly already know… Making it isn’t enough…
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Huntington Bank Park Premiere: R Bar
Commencement: 12:00Venue: R Bar (Arena District)
Drinks (Available All Day)
$2.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon (24 ounces)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Showcase Saturday
Columbus has enjoyed spectacular occasions… However, nothing compares with this… From the Blue Jackets to the Clippers to Fleetwood Mac… From Huntington Bank Park to Nationwide Arena to Front, Park, and Vine streets… Every entity and venue has superstars to showcase…
Gossip CBUS will cover them all… From 2 p.m. until midnight, our twitter will be live with the events, people, and sites, which will make the memories… Where will we be? Our partial schedule is below (watch our twitter for additional venues)…
2 – 4 p.m.: Clippers coverage includes Frog Bear & Wild Boar and Lodge Bar
6 – 9 p.m.: Blue Jackets coverage includes R Bar
9 – Midnight: Fleetwood Mac post concert includes Frog Bear & Wild Boar
Gossip CBUS will cover them all… From 2 p.m. until midnight, our twitter will be live with the events, people, and sites, which will make the memories… Where will we be? Our partial schedule is below (watch our twitter for additional venues)…
2 – 4 p.m.: Clippers coverage includes Frog Bear & Wild Boar and Lodge Bar
6 – 9 p.m.: Blue Jackets coverage includes R Bar
9 – Midnight: Fleetwood Mac post concert includes Frog Bear & Wild Boar
Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings: Game One (R Bar)
Commencement: 2:00Venue: R Bar (Arena District)
Playoff Tickets & Prizes
Drinks (Available All Night)
$2.50 Canadian Bottled Beers
Drinks (Available 2 – 9 p.m.)
$3.50 Seasonal & Stouts
$3 Premium Pints
$2.50 Domestic Pints
$2 Domestic Bottled Beers
Mixed Drink Specials
Monday, April 13, 2009
Mission Detroit
On April 8, history was made. On April 16, history is a memory and the playoffs are reality. The Blue Jackets will oppose the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in an opening round confrontation.
Gossip CBUS will cover every moment, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar on Thursday (6:30) and exclusively from R Bar on Saturday (5:40)… Get out on both nights, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and remember…
This season, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings split six contests… But, the next seven will determine who plays in May…
Gossip CBUS will cover every moment, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar on Thursday (6:30) and exclusively from R Bar on Saturday (5:40)… Get out on both nights, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and remember…
This season, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings split six contests… But, the next seven will determine who plays in May…
Thursday, April 9, 2009
From Mason to McConnell: Jackets Make History
For seven seasons, this city has craved this evening. 654 contests had been played… 132 players had skated Nationwide Arena’s ice… 91 draft selections had been made… Nine were top ten selections… Five players had served as captain… Three logos had been utilized… And an owner and chairman had passed away…
With one point separating the Blue Jackets from their initial playoff experience, I anticipated an electric evening… As I walked the bricks, over the bridge, down the stairs, and toward the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, I was stunned… The bricks were silent… Granted, the temperature was imperfect and the Blue Jackets were in Chicago… Still, I expected activity… I expected recognition for the importance of this evening (I would locate that recognition later)…
When I arrived at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, I recognized a cache of empty chairs… The Arena District’s premiere pre-game venue was vacant, only a scattered array of fans were enjoying dinner with friends, entertaining the bartenders, or watching the contest… And the contest, for the first period, was not worth watching… Fourteen minutes into the contest, the Blackhawks inked the initial salvo… Five minutes later, they registered a 2-0 lead (Apparently, the Blue Jackets didn’t recognize the importance of this evening either)…
Amidst this frustration, I was thankful for two conversations… The first with Frog Bear and Wild Boar Owner Tom Selvaggio… The second with Grace, who is a server… The round robin of our comments, mostly centering on the Blue Jackets and how, given the present circumstances, playing their way into another premature vacation was entirely possible, was completely enjoyable…
The second period’s commencement mirrored the conversation… After twenty-five minutes, the Blue Jackets closed within 2-1… They evened the contest three minutes later and as I walked the still silent bricks to R Bar, the obvious thought in my head, must have been obvious in everyone else’s as well… We are thirty minutes away… Don’t mess this up…
As I walked across the bridge and toward R Bar, the scene was what I had expected… The venue was crushed… The crowd was chanting, they were groaning, they were exalting and exhaling with every second… Yes, ABC6 and a Dispatch photographer were present, but the media wasn’t the patrons’ inspiration… Erasing their past was…
That past reappeared again, as five minutes after my arrival, the Blackhawks reassumed command 3-2. Was this scenery a titanic tease? Would this energy, which finally rivaled a football Saturday, be wasted? Would the Blue Jackets and their partisans have to count on the Detroit Red Wings to engrave their postseason invitation?
For almost fifteen minutes, those questions remained unanswered… Not for lack of inspiration from those watching… The chants, which included “Let’s Go Jackets” on numerous occasions, were exhilarating… This was the crowd I had anticipated… This was the crowd this franchise merited… An educated, exuberant mass crammed into a venue, which on this evening, was the ultimate hockey bar…
With ticks over five minutes remaining, the educated, exuberant mass finally received reason to explode… A trickling puck, which seemed unsalvageable, found the stick of Rick Nash… Who better to clinch the playoffs? Who better to score the goal? And he did… 3-3… The venue erupted…
That eruption would be trumped only minutes later when history was made… Within a glance, I couldn’t surmise if this was New Year’s Eve or simply a new hockey era… Fans cheered and hugged… I saw multiple couples kiss… The chant progressed from “Let’s Go Jackets” to “Lets Go Playoffs.” This crowd was delirious…
But, they were not satisfied… Amidst a chant of “Let’s Get Two,” the verdict was clear… They wanted a win… Overtime elapsed… The first shootout participants elapsed… Then, Fedor Tyutin scored… Steve Mason registered a final save… And the perfect conclusion was authored… As the crowd celebrated and cheered, the most poignant chant, one I had not considered, but savored hearing occurred… “J.H.M.”
In the post triumph pandemonium, it’s easy to forget that the person most responsible for hockey in Columbus wont witness the initial playoff contest… As many fans dedicate this penultimate accomplishment to Mason or Nash or Ken Hitchcock, they should remember John McConnell as well…
With one point separating the Blue Jackets from their initial playoff experience, I anticipated an electric evening… As I walked the bricks, over the bridge, down the stairs, and toward the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, I was stunned… The bricks were silent… Granted, the temperature was imperfect and the Blue Jackets were in Chicago… Still, I expected activity… I expected recognition for the importance of this evening (I would locate that recognition later)…
When I arrived at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, I recognized a cache of empty chairs… The Arena District’s premiere pre-game venue was vacant, only a scattered array of fans were enjoying dinner with friends, entertaining the bartenders, or watching the contest… And the contest, for the first period, was not worth watching… Fourteen minutes into the contest, the Blackhawks inked the initial salvo… Five minutes later, they registered a 2-0 lead (Apparently, the Blue Jackets didn’t recognize the importance of this evening either)…
Amidst this frustration, I was thankful for two conversations… The first with Frog Bear and Wild Boar Owner Tom Selvaggio… The second with Grace, who is a server… The round robin of our comments, mostly centering on the Blue Jackets and how, given the present circumstances, playing their way into another premature vacation was entirely possible, was completely enjoyable…
The second period’s commencement mirrored the conversation… After twenty-five minutes, the Blue Jackets closed within 2-1… They evened the contest three minutes later and as I walked the still silent bricks to R Bar, the obvious thought in my head, must have been obvious in everyone else’s as well… We are thirty minutes away… Don’t mess this up…
As I walked across the bridge and toward R Bar, the scene was what I had expected… The venue was crushed… The crowd was chanting, they were groaning, they were exalting and exhaling with every second… Yes, ABC6 and a Dispatch photographer were present, but the media wasn’t the patrons’ inspiration… Erasing their past was…
That past reappeared again, as five minutes after my arrival, the Blackhawks reassumed command 3-2. Was this scenery a titanic tease? Would this energy, which finally rivaled a football Saturday, be wasted? Would the Blue Jackets and their partisans have to count on the Detroit Red Wings to engrave their postseason invitation?
For almost fifteen minutes, those questions remained unanswered… Not for lack of inspiration from those watching… The chants, which included “Let’s Go Jackets” on numerous occasions, were exhilarating… This was the crowd I had anticipated… This was the crowd this franchise merited… An educated, exuberant mass crammed into a venue, which on this evening, was the ultimate hockey bar…
With ticks over five minutes remaining, the educated, exuberant mass finally received reason to explode… A trickling puck, which seemed unsalvageable, found the stick of Rick Nash… Who better to clinch the playoffs? Who better to score the goal? And he did… 3-3… The venue erupted…
That eruption would be trumped only minutes later when history was made… Within a glance, I couldn’t surmise if this was New Year’s Eve or simply a new hockey era… Fans cheered and hugged… I saw multiple couples kiss… The chant progressed from “Let’s Go Jackets” to “Lets Go Playoffs.” This crowd was delirious…
But, they were not satisfied… Amidst a chant of “Let’s Get Two,” the verdict was clear… They wanted a win… Overtime elapsed… The first shootout participants elapsed… Then, Fedor Tyutin scored… Steve Mason registered a final save… And the perfect conclusion was authored… As the crowd celebrated and cheered, the most poignant chant, one I had not considered, but savored hearing occurred… “J.H.M.”
In the post triumph pandemonium, it’s easy to forget that the person most responsible for hockey in Columbus wont witness the initial playoff contest… As many fans dedicate this penultimate accomplishment to Mason or Nash or Ken Hitchcock, they should remember John McConnell as well…
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Seven Seasons to Now
On April 8, 2009, history will be made. With only one point, the Blue Jackets will clinch their initial playoff opportunity. Gossip CBUS will completely cover this milestone, as we twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar.
Get out tomorrow night, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and realize that with your hope and support, the postseason awaits...
Get out tomorrow night, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and realize that with your hope and support, the postseason awaits...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Red Wings Own Lame, Bland Jackets
Walk Lane Avenue on any fall Saturday and the activity is amazing. Thousands of people patronize the businesses, occupy the sidewalks, and populate the parking lots. It doesn’t matter that the vast majority may not have tickets. This is their city, their event, and their team and in the thousand’s minds, the moment isn’t as sweet without them.
Sixty minutes prior to faceoff, the bricks were a sight to see… The importance of the contest, both for this season and the franchise overall, was reflected in the swarm which awaited their entrance into Nationwide Arena and inhabited every seat either obvious or invented. As I walked the bricks, interspersed with evenly split collage of Detroit Red Wings and Blue Jackets jerseys, the playoff atmosphere perfectly articulated the afternoon’s motivation… The Red Wings wanted revenge… The blue Jackets wanted validation…
The crush inside the Frog Bear and Wild Boar mirrored the mass assembled outside… The patio was crushed, the tables were occupied, and while a noticeable collection of eyes were affixed on the Ohio State-Purdue Big Ten Championship contest, the crowd’s energy was palpable.
Said energy expanded as I arrived at R Bar… From the patio to the popcorn pouch (which was refilled every five minutes during pre-game), the Blue Jackets jerseys and shirts were omnipresent and the crowd’s energy was stellar… The Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s population may have, in heart, been a split contingent… However, R Bar’s allegiance was unquestionable… With thirty minutes remaining until face-off, every R Bar television was affixed on the Blue Jackets pre-skate…
My eyes, meanwhile, were darting between the pre-skate and the random collection of fans which assumed residence within feet of R Bar’s door… The congregating ran the gambit from those sporting random attire to those sporting random Blue Jackets attire… However, the random who required the most attention, stood within five steps of the entrance… His ensemble included a mask and sign which read “Hey, Detroit, I’ve got my mask back… Jason lives at Mason-wide Arena.” Are Blue Jackets fans that uncreative that they have to parody horrid eighties movies for their goaltender’s nickname?
I cannot answer that question until all examples are exhausted… I can restate my answer as to why Ohio State afternoons supersede any Blue Jackets contest, not withstanding that contest’s historical significance… As I entered Gordon Biersch for my final moments prior to faceoff, the inside and outside crowd resembled what you would observe at this venue on a typical late spring afternoon…
This was not a typical late spring afternoon…. This was a chance to score a season series from a team that has owned you for seven seasons… The main dining area and the bar were busy, the patio was slightly less busy, and the Red Wings-Blue Jackets contest was relegated to a side monitor, barely visible around an Ohio State banner… The Ohio State-Purdue contest remained on four of the five bar screens (and in case you are wondering, the other screen featured golf)…
As reprehensible as you may feel that treatment of a potential playoff squad was, that insult pails in comparison to the cluster of Ohio State fans, who were four of only ten fans remaining in the venue when faceoff occurred… (we will return to the insult in a moment)… From the outset, you could sense the Red Wings attitude… While a goal was disallowed thirty seconds into the contest, the scored twice more to assume, what would ultimately conclude, as a 2-0 first period advantage…
With the Red Wings ahead 2-0 and the Big Ten title tilt concluded with Purdue as victors, the previously mentioned cluster of Buckeyes fans approached the exit… They were asked if they were leaving (reasonable question right?)… They informed their questioner that they possessed tickets to the contest and would be walking the bricks to the Arena… These four possessed tickets and they blew off the start to watch what amounted to a meaningless contest for both team’s tournament aspirations… I can’t imagine why I have stated my opposition to Columbus as a professional sports city…
That reinforcement of my opposition was not tempered during the second period, as the Frog Bear and Wild Boar sat equally vacant… One table occupied… Four bored bartenders starting toward the unwatched televisions as the brackets were revealed… It’s not as if the masses not inside Nationwide Arena were missing a grand exhibition… the Red Wings concluded the second with a 3-0 edge… Still, this was a historical opportunity (wasn’t it?)…
The energy was slightly elevated at R Bar, but it could not approach the spectacle of pregame. Moments after the Red Wings scored their final goal (4-0), I glanced toward the glass, which faces onto the bricks and the scene was mystifying… Streaming across the bridge, first in pairs, then in collections, and finally en masse, were Blue Jackets fans, wearing the green hats they were afforded as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion… I cannot state this with certainty… However, I believe every one of the 19,000 hats that were handed out walked the bridge as I watched…
As I transitioned from watching the bricks walked to walking them myself, first into our three postgame locations and eventually toward Front Street, I carried one obvious thought… The bricks and the venues they surround are the Blue Jackets Lane Avenue… Can anyone imagine a fall Saturday, in-game or post game with only twenty people on Lane Avenue?
Sixty minutes prior to faceoff, the bricks were a sight to see… The importance of the contest, both for this season and the franchise overall, was reflected in the swarm which awaited their entrance into Nationwide Arena and inhabited every seat either obvious or invented. As I walked the bricks, interspersed with evenly split collage of Detroit Red Wings and Blue Jackets jerseys, the playoff atmosphere perfectly articulated the afternoon’s motivation… The Red Wings wanted revenge… The blue Jackets wanted validation…
The crush inside the Frog Bear and Wild Boar mirrored the mass assembled outside… The patio was crushed, the tables were occupied, and while a noticeable collection of eyes were affixed on the Ohio State-Purdue Big Ten Championship contest, the crowd’s energy was palpable.
Said energy expanded as I arrived at R Bar… From the patio to the popcorn pouch (which was refilled every five minutes during pre-game), the Blue Jackets jerseys and shirts were omnipresent and the crowd’s energy was stellar… The Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s population may have, in heart, been a split contingent… However, R Bar’s allegiance was unquestionable… With thirty minutes remaining until face-off, every R Bar television was affixed on the Blue Jackets pre-skate…
My eyes, meanwhile, were darting between the pre-skate and the random collection of fans which assumed residence within feet of R Bar’s door… The congregating ran the gambit from those sporting random attire to those sporting random Blue Jackets attire… However, the random who required the most attention, stood within five steps of the entrance… His ensemble included a mask and sign which read “Hey, Detroit, I’ve got my mask back… Jason lives at Mason-wide Arena.” Are Blue Jackets fans that uncreative that they have to parody horrid eighties movies for their goaltender’s nickname?
I cannot answer that question until all examples are exhausted… I can restate my answer as to why Ohio State afternoons supersede any Blue Jackets contest, not withstanding that contest’s historical significance… As I entered Gordon Biersch for my final moments prior to faceoff, the inside and outside crowd resembled what you would observe at this venue on a typical late spring afternoon…
This was not a typical late spring afternoon…. This was a chance to score a season series from a team that has owned you for seven seasons… The main dining area and the bar were busy, the patio was slightly less busy, and the Red Wings-Blue Jackets contest was relegated to a side monitor, barely visible around an Ohio State banner… The Ohio State-Purdue contest remained on four of the five bar screens (and in case you are wondering, the other screen featured golf)…
As reprehensible as you may feel that treatment of a potential playoff squad was, that insult pails in comparison to the cluster of Ohio State fans, who were four of only ten fans remaining in the venue when faceoff occurred… (we will return to the insult in a moment)… From the outset, you could sense the Red Wings attitude… While a goal was disallowed thirty seconds into the contest, the scored twice more to assume, what would ultimately conclude, as a 2-0 first period advantage…
With the Red Wings ahead 2-0 and the Big Ten title tilt concluded with Purdue as victors, the previously mentioned cluster of Buckeyes fans approached the exit… They were asked if they were leaving (reasonable question right?)… They informed their questioner that they possessed tickets to the contest and would be walking the bricks to the Arena… These four possessed tickets and they blew off the start to watch what amounted to a meaningless contest for both team’s tournament aspirations… I can’t imagine why I have stated my opposition to Columbus as a professional sports city…
That reinforcement of my opposition was not tempered during the second period, as the Frog Bear and Wild Boar sat equally vacant… One table occupied… Four bored bartenders starting toward the unwatched televisions as the brackets were revealed… It’s not as if the masses not inside Nationwide Arena were missing a grand exhibition… the Red Wings concluded the second with a 3-0 edge… Still, this was a historical opportunity (wasn’t it?)…
The energy was slightly elevated at R Bar, but it could not approach the spectacle of pregame. Moments after the Red Wings scored their final goal (4-0), I glanced toward the glass, which faces onto the bricks and the scene was mystifying… Streaming across the bridge, first in pairs, then in collections, and finally en masse, were Blue Jackets fans, wearing the green hats they were afforded as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion… I cannot state this with certainty… However, I believe every one of the 19,000 hats that were handed out walked the bridge as I watched…
As I transitioned from watching the bricks walked to walking them myself, first into our three postgame locations and eventually toward Front Street, I carried one obvious thought… The bricks and the venues they surround are the Blue Jackets Lane Avenue… Can anyone imagine a fall Saturday, in-game or post game with only twenty people on Lane Avenue?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Three Venues, Two Teams, One Mission – The Rematch
In their franchise history, the Blue Jackets have never taken a season series from the Detroit Red Wings… until Sunday. To commemorate this milestone, Gossip CBUS will revisit recent history, as we twitter pre-game, in-game, and post-game from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, Gordon Biersch, and R Bar.
Get out on Sunday afternoon, cheer, drink, and read our tweets… Until the final goal, you know you love me…
Order of Appearance
Pre-Game: Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar, Gordon Biersch
In-Game: Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar
Post Game: R Bar, Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar
Get out on Sunday afternoon, cheer, drink, and read our tweets… Until the final goal, you know you love me…
Order of Appearance
Pre-Game: Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar, Gordon Biersch
In-Game: Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar
Post Game: R Bar, Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar
Growing Up Jackets
A professional franchise’s maturation is interconnected with the maturation of their fans. The city is irrelevant. For any metropolis, their new team’s sport is something they’ve watched on television. It’s something they might have seen once in person. It’s something they analyze or discuss. But, they have never experienced an entire season. They have never endured with a squad as they struggle. They have never cheered and cringed, soared and survived, as their team, commences their first significant march toward the postseason.
Following consecutive impressive victories over the Detroit Red Wings (8-2 on Saturday) and the Boston Bruins (2-0), the Blue Jackets opposed the Pittsburgh Penguins with a supreme confidence, that has resonated into their followers… Throughout the city on Tuesday, the discussion was not on Ohio State’s professional football day, which is Friday… They discussion was not the Buckeyes hoops, which is Friday… The discussion was the Blue Jackets vs. the Penguins…
As I walked the bricks, over the bridge, down the stairs, and toward Frog Bear, two observations were inescapable… How are the patios this active? It’s freezing cold out… (Alright, maybe not freezing, but it was seventy like three days ago)… And the other observation… Did the entire population of Pittsburgh relocate for this contest? Seriously… there were Penguins jerseys inside, Penguins jerseys outside, Penguins jerseys buying our tickets and drinking our beer… (They are three hours away… What does the state have no cable)…
Within five minutes of my arrival at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, one could sense the same crackle of electricity I discussed earlier… The venue was crammed… The entire bar was taken, every table was taken, and even their patio was crushed… The scene was both glorious and ridiculous… It was as if the people of Columbus (and apparently Pittsburgh), discovered the Blue Jackets have a playoff worthy franchise and they discovered it all at once…
The Blue Jackets seized upon this energy as they ultimately garnered a 1-0, first period advantage… Obviously, as the contest commenced, the crowd thinned and within minutes of the face-off, there were only two dozen people at the venue… Still, the excitement was palpable… A steady buzz of conversation wafted through the air and onto the bricks as the Blue Jackets concluded the initial period ahead and I headed for R Bar…
Now, if you have read previously, you will note people who have commented, billing R Bar as the ultimate hockey bar… If this were the case (and as I said on Saturday, I disagree), is it really necessary to keep the place as cold as the arena itself… I stood, watching the second period, speaking with Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s Jeff (who apparently followed me) and shivered virtually the entire time… Seriously, I have expected to see ice crystals on their plasma screens…
On those plasma screens, the Blue Jackets’ brilliance continued… Pittsburgh racked a few scoring chances… However, the Jackets capitalized on theirs, ascending to a 2-0 lead at the end of the second period… You would have assumed that R Bar would have been as deserted as the Frog Bear and Wild Boar… Yet, it was not… The collection of fans, numbering about a hundred, in intriguingly enough, business casual, cheered and remained attentive throughout… Obviously, R Bar is the official “If you cant get tickets like those at Frog Bear and Wild Boar, you may as well show up here” destination…
Four minutes into the third period, with myself returned to the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the Blue Jackets secured a 3-0 lead (for those of you assuming game over, we will return to you in a moment)… The Blue Jackets were sixteen minutes from another victory, a second consecutive shutout, and super supreme confidence ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Red Wings… Then, something happened…
If you asked a hundred fans, they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the proximate cause… It could have been arrogance… It could have been something simpler… Perhaps, as Stephanie (who we mentioned previously and we’ll mention again momentarily), cupped both hands to her mouth and chanted “Lets Go Jackets” to three jersey wearing Penguins fans, the hockey gods scoffed at the overconfidence and would have no more… The Penguins scored… One minute and twenty seconds later, they scored again… Just like that… 3-0 to 3-2…
Now, save your e-mails… I am by no means blaming Stephanie for the Blue Jackets stumble (which would get worse)… Stephanie is delightful… It’s not like Frog Bear and Wild Boar doesn’t have a collection of bunnies for bartenders (I’m thinking of one in particular), but Stephanie is unique… The physique and voice of Shawn Johnson, with a precocious personality… Stephanie, at different times, patted two male customers on the butt, messed up Dave Allsbrooks hair, danced with Abbi, danced alone, and threw ice… The Marchioness (it’s a step below duchess, but still in the royal family) is a treat…
Not such a treat when I returned to R Bar for the final ten minutes was the Blue Jackets play… They completed their collapse, allowing a third goal in four minutes, squandering their advantage, and placing themselves in danger of the type of epic collapse that one revisits if and when one doesn’t make the playoffs… Thankfully, the Blue Jackets and their fans, who were at this moment nauseous with the thought they could lose, held it together and the third period concluded, knotted 3-3.
As overtime evaporated, the contest still tied, something stirred inside the fans of R Bar… They realized victory, two points, and solid playoff position we still possible… The shootout commenced and the cheers were louder, the chanters were louder… The Blue Jackets and Penguins swapped a pair of missed chances… Then, the Blue Jackets scored, the venue erupted in “Pittsburgh Sucks” chants… The Penguins did not score and victory, two points, and solid playoff position were reclaimed…
In the immediate aftermath of the contest, the conversation remained hockey… This was a great game, Pittsburgh deserved credit, bring on Detroit… R Bar was crammed, with a line out the door, as I returned to Frog Bear and Wild Boar, to discover that they were similarly crunched with fans, talking about what they had just witnessed… As I relocated to my position, on the back wall, I marveled at what I was witnessing…
In ten years, this will be remembered as just another, regular season, shootout scare, with the Blue Jackets defeating the Penguins 4-3. But, if you were there, as I was there, and this playoff pursuit concludes with a playoff position… You will forever remember this evening, as the night this franchise’s fans came of age.
Following consecutive impressive victories over the Detroit Red Wings (8-2 on Saturday) and the Boston Bruins (2-0), the Blue Jackets opposed the Pittsburgh Penguins with a supreme confidence, that has resonated into their followers… Throughout the city on Tuesday, the discussion was not on Ohio State’s professional football day, which is Friday… They discussion was not the Buckeyes hoops, which is Friday… The discussion was the Blue Jackets vs. the Penguins…
As I walked the bricks, over the bridge, down the stairs, and toward Frog Bear, two observations were inescapable… How are the patios this active? It’s freezing cold out… (Alright, maybe not freezing, but it was seventy like three days ago)… And the other observation… Did the entire population of Pittsburgh relocate for this contest? Seriously… there were Penguins jerseys inside, Penguins jerseys outside, Penguins jerseys buying our tickets and drinking our beer… (They are three hours away… What does the state have no cable)…
Within five minutes of my arrival at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, one could sense the same crackle of electricity I discussed earlier… The venue was crammed… The entire bar was taken, every table was taken, and even their patio was crushed… The scene was both glorious and ridiculous… It was as if the people of Columbus (and apparently Pittsburgh), discovered the Blue Jackets have a playoff worthy franchise and they discovered it all at once…
The Blue Jackets seized upon this energy as they ultimately garnered a 1-0, first period advantage… Obviously, as the contest commenced, the crowd thinned and within minutes of the face-off, there were only two dozen people at the venue… Still, the excitement was palpable… A steady buzz of conversation wafted through the air and onto the bricks as the Blue Jackets concluded the initial period ahead and I headed for R Bar…
Now, if you have read previously, you will note people who have commented, billing R Bar as the ultimate hockey bar… If this were the case (and as I said on Saturday, I disagree), is it really necessary to keep the place as cold as the arena itself… I stood, watching the second period, speaking with Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s Jeff (who apparently followed me) and shivered virtually the entire time… Seriously, I have expected to see ice crystals on their plasma screens…
On those plasma screens, the Blue Jackets’ brilliance continued… Pittsburgh racked a few scoring chances… However, the Jackets capitalized on theirs, ascending to a 2-0 lead at the end of the second period… You would have assumed that R Bar would have been as deserted as the Frog Bear and Wild Boar… Yet, it was not… The collection of fans, numbering about a hundred, in intriguingly enough, business casual, cheered and remained attentive throughout… Obviously, R Bar is the official “If you cant get tickets like those at Frog Bear and Wild Boar, you may as well show up here” destination…
Four minutes into the third period, with myself returned to the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the Blue Jackets secured a 3-0 lead (for those of you assuming game over, we will return to you in a moment)… The Blue Jackets were sixteen minutes from another victory, a second consecutive shutout, and super supreme confidence ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Red Wings… Then, something happened…
If you asked a hundred fans, they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the proximate cause… It could have been arrogance… It could have been something simpler… Perhaps, as Stephanie (who we mentioned previously and we’ll mention again momentarily), cupped both hands to her mouth and chanted “Lets Go Jackets” to three jersey wearing Penguins fans, the hockey gods scoffed at the overconfidence and would have no more… The Penguins scored… One minute and twenty seconds later, they scored again… Just like that… 3-0 to 3-2…
Now, save your e-mails… I am by no means blaming Stephanie for the Blue Jackets stumble (which would get worse)… Stephanie is delightful… It’s not like Frog Bear and Wild Boar doesn’t have a collection of bunnies for bartenders (I’m thinking of one in particular), but Stephanie is unique… The physique and voice of Shawn Johnson, with a precocious personality… Stephanie, at different times, patted two male customers on the butt, messed up Dave Allsbrooks hair, danced with Abbi, danced alone, and threw ice… The Marchioness (it’s a step below duchess, but still in the royal family) is a treat…
Not such a treat when I returned to R Bar for the final ten minutes was the Blue Jackets play… They completed their collapse, allowing a third goal in four minutes, squandering their advantage, and placing themselves in danger of the type of epic collapse that one revisits if and when one doesn’t make the playoffs… Thankfully, the Blue Jackets and their fans, who were at this moment nauseous with the thought they could lose, held it together and the third period concluded, knotted 3-3.
As overtime evaporated, the contest still tied, something stirred inside the fans of R Bar… They realized victory, two points, and solid playoff position we still possible… The shootout commenced and the cheers were louder, the chanters were louder… The Blue Jackets and Penguins swapped a pair of missed chances… Then, the Blue Jackets scored, the venue erupted in “Pittsburgh Sucks” chants… The Penguins did not score and victory, two points, and solid playoff position were reclaimed…
In the immediate aftermath of the contest, the conversation remained hockey… This was a great game, Pittsburgh deserved credit, bring on Detroit… R Bar was crammed, with a line out the door, as I returned to Frog Bear and Wild Boar, to discover that they were similarly crunched with fans, talking about what they had just witnessed… As I relocated to my position, on the back wall, I marveled at what I was witnessing…
In ten years, this will be remembered as just another, regular season, shootout scare, with the Blue Jackets defeating the Penguins 4-3. But, if you were there, as I was there, and this playoff pursuit concludes with a playoff position… You will forever remember this evening, as the night this franchise’s fans came of age.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Playoff Pursuit
In seven seasons, our Blue Jackets have never made the playoffs. Now, as the franchise marches toward this important milestone, Gossip CBUS will cover their quest. Tomorrow night, we will twitter live from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar, as the Blue Jackets oppose the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Get out tomorrow night, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and realize that with your hope and support, history can be made.
Get out tomorrow night, cheer, drink, read our tweets, and realize that with your hope and support, history can be made.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
From Significance to History
This was a significant weekend… Between the Arnold Classic, UFC 96, and the various other activities and festivities that were occurring, the average resident likely did not note that the Blue Jackets opposed the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday… But, for people who followed the organization since it’s inception, the numbers were inescapable… 49 contests vs. the Red Wings… Only 13 victories… Never three consecutive…
As I walked the Arena District corridor, the crush was incredible. Seventy-degree weather, a soft wind, every patio open, every table packed, every venue either equaling or exceeding visible capacity… Now, you would expect all of this for a weekend on this scale (alright, you wouldn’t expect seventy plus weather, shorts, and short sleeves, but I’m not arguing)… But, this wasn’t what made it special…
As I walked the Arena District, there was a vibrant beat to the early evening… From the people engulfing the grand weather and the discounted drinks to the couples holding hands and snapping pictures to the throng (and I am talking lines that would have made Ohio Stadium proud) gathered outside Nationwide Arena, it was a carnival of sights to see… All the cheap thrill-seekers, the spectators, and the splendor… They crowded around me… (And yes, those are modified lyrics from something)…
I will say from the outset, no crowd at any venue… Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, or R Bar disappointed for size… Pre-game, In-game, and Post-game, they were superb… The content of each crowd, that was another story… And that story takes me to Gordon Biersch, where I was scheduled to observe the first period (which would ultimately tell the story for the remainder of the evening, both for the Blue Jackets and the Arena District)…
Apparently, the manager was one of those unaware people I addressed in the lead… Five minutes to face-off and he finally turns on the game… I can’t entirely fault him, the restaurant was crowded and as I said this was a significant weekend… Still, they are located near the Arena… you would assume they have a team schedule lying around… Speaking of assumptions, I assumed that this contest between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings would be another close encounter… I was wrong… After shutting down an early power play, the Jackets scored two goals inside ninety seconds to score a 2-0 lead.
You would think given the magnitude of this night and the sizzle with which the Jackets were playing that the crowd would have been overjoyed… But, this crowd’s mind was clearly somewhere else… As I circled the venue (twice, in fact), the UFC insignias were everywhere… Hats, t-shirts, coats… This wasn’t a crowd who had ever heard of hockey, much less one which would hang on every shift… This was a crowd ready to see a “sport” where physical maiming were a possibility…
This “sport” apparently attracted some of Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s massive patronage as well… When I arrived for the second period, the venue, which had been difficult to walk through in the pre-game, could have allowed me to lay down in the middle of the floor and take a nap… Yes, there were people; there was actually a stellar patio crowd and a teeming inside population… But, they were not on the level of the crowd that had inhaled Bud Light Aluminum buckets prior to Nationwide Arena opening their doors…
Also not on the level of another time was the Red Wings play (and that other time, would of course be, two weeks ago, when the Blue Jackets edged them 3-2)… As I stood speaking with Owners David Allsbrooks and Tom Selvaggio and Promotions superstar Jeff, the Blue Jackets assumed a 3-0 lead. Then, they assumed a 4-0 lead. And for as thinned as the crowd was at Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the recognition of the Blue Jackets impending history was immediate… Every great shift or goal drew a cheer…
Now, I can’t conclude the second period without returning for a moment to my previously mentioned conversation… I know I discussed David and Tom’s enjoyment of their job and the appreciation for everyone who walks into their venue… But, the more I speak with them, the more moments I spend around them, the more I am impressed with their character… There are not two classier owners of anything (business, restaurant, venue) in this city… I cannot (even if I dedicated an entire column to the subject) begin to tell you how much I respect them…
My respect for R Bar was an unknown quantity… I had never been there before… I had heard that it was the venue for Blue Jackets contests… I had heard that it was the old time hockey bar that I should visit… Aesthetically, I can’t argue with that… The penalty box tables, the memorabilia lining the walls, the game on every screen… R Bar certainly cavorted itself as a great game venue…
And the fans were outstanding also… As I arrived for the third period, the Blue Jackets scored again to assume a 5-1 edge and the crowd was crazy… The Blue Jackets assumed a 6-1 edge and the crowd was delirious… They scored again to garner a 7-1 edge and the crowd was ready to skate the Stanley Cup… The level of energy and enthusiasm in the eyes and voices was impressive… Also, there were not a lot of random conversations… The fans treated this evening like an OSU football Saturday… The attraction was the game…
I wish the management would have treated this win with the magnitude it deserved… Seconds after the Blue Jackets concluded their 8-2, historic third straight win over the Red Wings, the management turned on the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat contest… Granted, it was a single digit game and they had turned off the sound, but as a Red Wings fan rightly pointed out to me, if this were Detroit, the game would have remained on with voice, win or lose… (And I believe the same is true for the Buckeyes in most venues)… I guess it is simple… When I last visited Frog Bear and Wild Boar for the Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings, I was told that I should attend a real hockey bar (R Bar), instead of a nightclub pretending to be one (Frog Bear and Wild Boar)… Maybe R Bar should stop pretending to be the Hockeytown Bar and instead settle for being another bar that caters to fans who could care less…
As much as this win was significant, as much as it was historic, as much as it screamed the Blue Jackets are a franchise determined to make the playoffs this season, the mentality of the fans when the contest concluded, even at R Bar, was, hey we won, great, wonder when the Seinfeld rerun starts… In the twenty minutes I spent talking to fans after the game, I had one solid hockey conversation… The rest was unintelligent, bordering on hockey illiterate… Columbus knows they have a team… Ask them anything about that team or the team’s season and they shut up faster than small children in front of vegetables…
Speaking of shutting up fast… The post-game at Gordon Biersch was more like an elegant cocktail reception… When I entered the venue, several tables were empty, and the tables that were occupied were couples, families, people discussing their financial situation and what they were planning as activities on Sunday… The Blue Jackets conversation, the fact that they had just made history… nowhere…
The same true at Frog Bear and Wild Boar… A few stragglers were talking hockey as I arrived for the post-game session, but the vast majority of the crowd (and unlike Gordon Biersch, there was a crowd) was soaking up the scrumptious weather on the patio or enjoying Introspect in the stage room… (I’ll return to the band in a moment)… I know I alluded to the anonymous comment someone left about Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s pretensions earlier… The fact is, they are not a nightclub pretending to be anything… Why I enjoy them (aside from David, Tom, and Jeff), is that they have something for everyone… If you want drinks and conversation, they have it… A Dance beat, they have it… Live music, they have that too… They let you choose…
And on this evening, they chose an excellent band… Introspect featured a unique sound, one I had not even heard attempted in this city… Several bands cover classic rock anthems… Several bands have diverse set lists… No band opens with “Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” The willingness to take a risk and the stage presence of the band was simply amazing…
Since we’ve mentioned amazing, I have to spend my next to last paragraph (I know you’re sad this is ending) complimenting Frog Bear and Wild Bar’s immaculate staff… It’s not that they are efficient or look great… Several venues in this city can claim both of those attributes for their staff… It’s that, from Abbi and Athena to the other inside bartenders to the patio bartenders to the servers, they dance, they strut, and they have more fun with their job than is humanly possible (although, I will question some of their dance moves)…
With the crush reconvening at Frog Bear and Wild Boar and the fact that the Blue Jackets made history as far from anyone’s intoxicated minds as conceivable, I walked the Arena District Bridge, still teeming with masses and exited… This was a significant weekend and tonight, the Blue Jackets recorded a significant milestone…
And tomorrow, Gossip CBUS will have a significant announcement concerning this summer… (That, is what we call in the business, a tease)…
As I walked the Arena District corridor, the crush was incredible. Seventy-degree weather, a soft wind, every patio open, every table packed, every venue either equaling or exceeding visible capacity… Now, you would expect all of this for a weekend on this scale (alright, you wouldn’t expect seventy plus weather, shorts, and short sleeves, but I’m not arguing)… But, this wasn’t what made it special…
As I walked the Arena District, there was a vibrant beat to the early evening… From the people engulfing the grand weather and the discounted drinks to the couples holding hands and snapping pictures to the throng (and I am talking lines that would have made Ohio Stadium proud) gathered outside Nationwide Arena, it was a carnival of sights to see… All the cheap thrill-seekers, the spectators, and the splendor… They crowded around me… (And yes, those are modified lyrics from something)…
I will say from the outset, no crowd at any venue… Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, or R Bar disappointed for size… Pre-game, In-game, and Post-game, they were superb… The content of each crowd, that was another story… And that story takes me to Gordon Biersch, where I was scheduled to observe the first period (which would ultimately tell the story for the remainder of the evening, both for the Blue Jackets and the Arena District)…
Apparently, the manager was one of those unaware people I addressed in the lead… Five minutes to face-off and he finally turns on the game… I can’t entirely fault him, the restaurant was crowded and as I said this was a significant weekend… Still, they are located near the Arena… you would assume they have a team schedule lying around… Speaking of assumptions, I assumed that this contest between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings would be another close encounter… I was wrong… After shutting down an early power play, the Jackets scored two goals inside ninety seconds to score a 2-0 lead.
You would think given the magnitude of this night and the sizzle with which the Jackets were playing that the crowd would have been overjoyed… But, this crowd’s mind was clearly somewhere else… As I circled the venue (twice, in fact), the UFC insignias were everywhere… Hats, t-shirts, coats… This wasn’t a crowd who had ever heard of hockey, much less one which would hang on every shift… This was a crowd ready to see a “sport” where physical maiming were a possibility…
This “sport” apparently attracted some of Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s massive patronage as well… When I arrived for the second period, the venue, which had been difficult to walk through in the pre-game, could have allowed me to lay down in the middle of the floor and take a nap… Yes, there were people; there was actually a stellar patio crowd and a teeming inside population… But, they were not on the level of the crowd that had inhaled Bud Light Aluminum buckets prior to Nationwide Arena opening their doors…
Also not on the level of another time was the Red Wings play (and that other time, would of course be, two weeks ago, when the Blue Jackets edged them 3-2)… As I stood speaking with Owners David Allsbrooks and Tom Selvaggio and Promotions superstar Jeff, the Blue Jackets assumed a 3-0 lead. Then, they assumed a 4-0 lead. And for as thinned as the crowd was at Frog Bear and Wild Boar, the recognition of the Blue Jackets impending history was immediate… Every great shift or goal drew a cheer…
Now, I can’t conclude the second period without returning for a moment to my previously mentioned conversation… I know I discussed David and Tom’s enjoyment of their job and the appreciation for everyone who walks into their venue… But, the more I speak with them, the more moments I spend around them, the more I am impressed with their character… There are not two classier owners of anything (business, restaurant, venue) in this city… I cannot (even if I dedicated an entire column to the subject) begin to tell you how much I respect them…
My respect for R Bar was an unknown quantity… I had never been there before… I had heard that it was the venue for Blue Jackets contests… I had heard that it was the old time hockey bar that I should visit… Aesthetically, I can’t argue with that… The penalty box tables, the memorabilia lining the walls, the game on every screen… R Bar certainly cavorted itself as a great game venue…
And the fans were outstanding also… As I arrived for the third period, the Blue Jackets scored again to assume a 5-1 edge and the crowd was crazy… The Blue Jackets assumed a 6-1 edge and the crowd was delirious… They scored again to garner a 7-1 edge and the crowd was ready to skate the Stanley Cup… The level of energy and enthusiasm in the eyes and voices was impressive… Also, there were not a lot of random conversations… The fans treated this evening like an OSU football Saturday… The attraction was the game…
I wish the management would have treated this win with the magnitude it deserved… Seconds after the Blue Jackets concluded their 8-2, historic third straight win over the Red Wings, the management turned on the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat contest… Granted, it was a single digit game and they had turned off the sound, but as a Red Wings fan rightly pointed out to me, if this were Detroit, the game would have remained on with voice, win or lose… (And I believe the same is true for the Buckeyes in most venues)… I guess it is simple… When I last visited Frog Bear and Wild Boar for the Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings, I was told that I should attend a real hockey bar (R Bar), instead of a nightclub pretending to be one (Frog Bear and Wild Boar)… Maybe R Bar should stop pretending to be the Hockeytown Bar and instead settle for being another bar that caters to fans who could care less…
As much as this win was significant, as much as it was historic, as much as it screamed the Blue Jackets are a franchise determined to make the playoffs this season, the mentality of the fans when the contest concluded, even at R Bar, was, hey we won, great, wonder when the Seinfeld rerun starts… In the twenty minutes I spent talking to fans after the game, I had one solid hockey conversation… The rest was unintelligent, bordering on hockey illiterate… Columbus knows they have a team… Ask them anything about that team or the team’s season and they shut up faster than small children in front of vegetables…
Speaking of shutting up fast… The post-game at Gordon Biersch was more like an elegant cocktail reception… When I entered the venue, several tables were empty, and the tables that were occupied were couples, families, people discussing their financial situation and what they were planning as activities on Sunday… The Blue Jackets conversation, the fact that they had just made history… nowhere…
The same true at Frog Bear and Wild Boar… A few stragglers were talking hockey as I arrived for the post-game session, but the vast majority of the crowd (and unlike Gordon Biersch, there was a crowd) was soaking up the scrumptious weather on the patio or enjoying Introspect in the stage room… (I’ll return to the band in a moment)… I know I alluded to the anonymous comment someone left about Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s pretensions earlier… The fact is, they are not a nightclub pretending to be anything… Why I enjoy them (aside from David, Tom, and Jeff), is that they have something for everyone… If you want drinks and conversation, they have it… A Dance beat, they have it… Live music, they have that too… They let you choose…
And on this evening, they chose an excellent band… Introspect featured a unique sound, one I had not even heard attempted in this city… Several bands cover classic rock anthems… Several bands have diverse set lists… No band opens with “Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” The willingness to take a risk and the stage presence of the band was simply amazing…
Since we’ve mentioned amazing, I have to spend my next to last paragraph (I know you’re sad this is ending) complimenting Frog Bear and Wild Bar’s immaculate staff… It’s not that they are efficient or look great… Several venues in this city can claim both of those attributes for their staff… It’s that, from Abbi and Athena to the other inside bartenders to the patio bartenders to the servers, they dance, they strut, and they have more fun with their job than is humanly possible (although, I will question some of their dance moves)…
With the crush reconvening at Frog Bear and Wild Boar and the fact that the Blue Jackets made history as far from anyone’s intoxicated minds as conceivable, I walked the Arena District Bridge, still teeming with masses and exited… This was a significant weekend and tonight, the Blue Jackets recorded a significant milestone…
And tomorrow, Gossip CBUS will have a significant announcement concerning this summer… (That, is what we call in the business, a tease)…
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Three Venues, Two Teams, One Mission
In their franchise history, the Blue Jackets have never defeated the Detroit Red Wings in three consecutive contests… until Saturday. On this historic evening, Gossip CBUS will twitter pre-game, in-game, and post-game from the Frog Bear and Wild Boar, Gordon Biersch, and R Bar.
Get out on Saturday night, cheer, drink, and read our tweets… Until the final goal, you know you love me…
Order of Appearance
Pre-Game: Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar, Gordon Biersch
In-Game: Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar
Post Game: R Bar, Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar
Get out on Saturday night, cheer, drink, and read our tweets… Until the final goal, you know you love me…
Order of Appearance
Pre-Game: Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar, Gordon Biersch
In-Game: Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar, R Bar
Post Game: R Bar, Gordon Biersch, Frog Bear and Wild Boar
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