It Turns out Watching the Game From Your Coach isn't too Bad

The least of my worries last night occurred not because my alma matter lost in the 2009 Big East Championship game to Louisville 76-66, but the lengths I attempted to go in order to watch it in relative peace.

The story is that, I was invited to attend a birthday party at Koji’s on Aslyum Street in Hartford. Concerned because it was some sort of Japanese Restaurant/Bar ,I contacted them in advance to see if they would have the game on.

So I arrived in Hartford around 8:45 PM and I parked in the Pro Park lot across from Koji’s. Initially I was surprised because it was full, usually the parking lots in downtown Hartford do not fill until after 11 PM on a Saturday night. My first thought was that maybe there was a Hartford Wolfpack game going on. I quickly realized this could not be the case because who really cares about the Harford Wolfpack?

It turns out there was a Wolf Pack game, but this was not the reason why the lots were full.
After ten seconds of walking through the Pro Park lot, I realized that there had been some sort of St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parking lot and sidewalks were littered with empty beer bottles, it was a pretty disgusting site.

Well, it was not as disgusting as what was in store for me next – A Japanese restaurant/bar decorated in green, blaring techno music. Not only was the bar blaring techno, but the floor was littered with napkins and other trash -making a relatively nice establishment look trashy.

Luckily for me, the television above the bar was tuned to ESPN.

When I ordered my beer, out of the corner of my eye I observed two drunks making out. Immediately I came to a conclusion, down my beer as fast as I can and head to Coach’s.

Coach’s is located on Ann Street next to the XL Center (the former Hartford Civic Center), it is a sports bar that UConn coach Jim Calhoun used to have some sort of stake in. It is known as a place to watch the game, an enclave for those who are not up for bar hopping, grinding and binge drinking.

The walk to Coach’s took less than five minutes, but it seemed like an eternity because the game had probably already started and I had to navigate through streets mobbed with drunks.

I entered Coach’s and I was immediately confused, it turns out that they had changed locations and I was in the new, much smaller one.

Like Koji’s, Coach’s was also taking part in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but minus the techno music, which at first made the experience seem not too bad.

When I ordered my Coor’s Light draft I asked the bartender if they were going to put the volume of the game on and turn down the music. He came back to me a minute later and said, “Maybe a little bit later.”

Lucky for me it turns out that Coach’s now serves beer in plastic cups, reminiscent of the house party days on Euclid Avenue in Syracuse. It was also surefire sign that Coach’s had regressed.

When I observed the bartender grabbing me a plastic cup, I said to him “are you kidding me, can I please get that in a pint glass.”

He responded, “We have been serving drinks in plastic cups all day because of the parade.”

I grabbed my beer in anger and my next move was to find the quietest place in the bar. So I chose the back corner area near the pool table, which at the time was vacant and also because the music was barely audible.
Well ten minutes later, it was apparent that I was never going to hear Dan Schulman and Jay Bilas’ play-by-play of the game, as Coach’s began blaring loud 80’s music throughout the bar.

I decided to give the bar another chance, as I really wanted to watch the game. Focused intently on the game, I did not notice the group of four guys in their mid-thirties show up near me and start playing pool.

As Syracuse stormed back to take the lead near the end of the half, my head was nearly dislodged by a pool cue. Apparently these guys tried to shoot around me or through me, they did not even bother to say excuse me.

As the buzzer sounded and halftime began, I paid my tab and headed for the next location which happened to be Mayor Mike’s. My spirits were somewhat better as Syracuse held a 38-30 halftime lead, but I was still pretty irritated that I was not home watching the game on my couch.

It turns out that Mayor Mike’s was nearly a pit stop, a place to use the bathroom, as it was also filled with St. Patty’s day revelers.

As I turned right I noticed a Tapa’s bar less than a block away, surely a Tapa’s bar would not be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? Then again, a Japanese bar had been, so I should not have been surprised to see the temporary green décor.

The décor did not matter because I had reached my spot. There were only a handful of patrons in the bar and there was no music blaring. The one television in the bar was roughly 17 inches at most, but it was tuned to ESPN.

It turns out that the most exciting part about the second half of the game, was not the game itself, but the two fights that broke out on the street. I am not sure who won, as the one fight that I saw turned into a wrestling match, basically in the middle of the street.

So, with less than four minutes to go and Cuse’s trailing by double-digits, I finally decided to cut my losses short and head back to Pro Park to get my car and drive back home.