On Sports-Bar Wallflowering
Sunday I was in NYC so I got to watch the Steelers/Bills game at Scruffy Duffy’s, the excellent Steelers bar on 8th Ave. and 47th. (I keep thinking this is on 9th Ave for some reason. I always end up with a bit of a walk around the block before I get there.) It’s a funny feeling being a quiet person alone in a sports bar, and I’ve found the experience to go different ways on different occasions. This was a fun time, though. On the best days, sports-bar wallflowering lets a crowd of people do all the hooting and cheering for you. Also you’re just supposed to be staring at a screen while holding a beer the whole time, so it’s not like you’re acting out of place. And there’s enough noise that if you want to just sort of shout “Heath Millerrrr” after a reception, it doesn’t seem like anyone notices you, which to me is a good thing.
I do need to get a Steelers t-shirt of some kind. This was noted by a couple of people in the bar during the third quarter, though I don’t really care about their feelings on the matter. So what if I’m wearing a plain beige shirt? If the Bills line up to attempt a 4th and 2, do I not shout “deeeeee”? And if rookie tight end Matt Spaeth makes a nifty diving grab of a short pass to the end zone, do I not put down my beer and clap?
Scruffy Duffy’s is great for your run-of-the-mill Steelers game; in the playoffs (or presumably on Monday nights, etc.) it’s completely nuts. I was there (wallflowering) for the AFC Championship game against the Broncos in January ’06, and I was literally the last person who fit into the place. I don’t think I even managed to get up to the bar. That of course was a good game anyway.
I do need to get a Steelers t-shirt of some kind. This was noted by a couple of people in the bar during the third quarter, though I don’t really care about their feelings on the matter. So what if I’m wearing a plain beige shirt? If the Bills line up to attempt a 4th and 2, do I not shout “deeeeee”? And if rookie tight end Matt Spaeth makes a nifty diving grab of a short pass to the end zone, do I not put down my beer and clap?
Scruffy Duffy’s is great for your run-of-the-mill Steelers game; in the playoffs (or presumably on Monday nights, etc.) it’s completely nuts. I was there (wallflowering) for the AFC Championship game against the Broncos in January ’06, and I was literally the last person who fit into the place. I don’t think I even managed to get up to the bar. That of course was a good game anyway.
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1 Comments:
If I go to a Steelers bar I tend to wear a solid yellow pocket tee, which at least identifies me with the team colors. On the one hand it's a pretty poor substitute for genuine fan wear but on the other hand it was like three dollars at Sears.
My only wish for a piece of Steelers merchandise would be a replica jersey for accomplished (and perhaps underappreciated) blocking fullback Dan Kreider. Punter Chris Gardocki was an earlier idea but he punted poorly last year and is no longer on the team, and the new punter is too flashy.
Replica jerseys in general are too flashy, by which I mean expensive.
I think the verb is too active a grammatical entity for "wallflower" to be.
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