March has passed with the NCAA Tournament that wasn’t still in our minds. Not to be extremely optimistic here, but April looks to be an even longer month as we remain in self-isolation.
At the same time, bars and restaurants in the D.C. metro area are feeling the financial pinch as the stay-at-home-order is in full force. Many places have resorted to takeout and curbside pickup, while others have shut down.
One of the best things I did after moving to D.C. was getting involved with my college’s alumni group. In an unfamiliar area where I was working multiple jobs, it gave me a great way to meet people with similar experiences. It gave me an opportunity to get involved in something outside of work; I even served one year as club President. It gave me a great opportunity to watch Syracuse basketball in the aftermath of the 2003 NCAA Championship.
When I started attending game-watches, our location was the Rhino Bar and Pumphouse in Georgetown; it was a Red Sox bar that our then-President hung out at, and they were more than happy to cater to the Syracuse alumni group of D.C.
Some of us appreciated the irony of rooting for the Orange on the doorstep of the Hoyas’ campus. It was a fun crew; we even had a guy who reminded us of “McLovin” from the movie “Superbad.”
We all enjoyed the camaraderie as well as the wings; one time I went there starving after a full day at WTOP and ordered 20 wings (12 to eight was the drumstick to flat ratio if memory serves). I tore through the first 10, staggered through the next six, and labored over the final four. They were delicious.
I’ll never forget the night the Orange lost to Vermont in the First Round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament; after the final buzzer, you could have heard a pin drop. And then a moment later everybody’s flip-phone tone firing up a call to our college roommates or best friends.
Eventually the management realized that having the rival of Georgetown holding game-watches at a Georgetown bar might not be the best thing for business, and we were moved to Sign of the Whale near Dupont Circle.
Due to its Metro accessibility, crowds were even better, to the point my friend’s girlfriend held our wing basket during the Syracuse-Butler game because there was no room (I think it was an even split of drummies to flats). Sadly, the Orange were bounced that night by the Bulldogs. The best game I saw there was the six-overtime marathon against UConn.
Naturally, McLovin was alongside.
Working at WTOP has allowed me to cover college basketball inside as well as all around the Beltway, and as my responsibilities here grew, attending Syracuse game-watches became sparse. And the location moved again, this time to Penn Quarter.
The Rhino is no more, shut down five years ago (it’s now an accessories store). Sign of the Whale has also closed; although I hear it may be coming back as a sushi restaurant.
The friends I watched the games with have scattered as well. The original club president now lives in New England (tough to keep a Sox fan away from the hub). Others have moved far enough out of the city to make a trip to D.C. not ideal.
McLovin does not even vaguely resemble the Superbad character anymore.
But when the games resume, the friendships will renew. The gear will be worn. Wings will be consumed. Here’s to next March.
