Did I really just start a post about Baseball Tavern? Hear me out - B had an important football game to watch this past Saturday (the Ohio St University vs. “the team up north”). We attempted to go to the official game watching party at Tony C’s in Fenway without reservations and got turned away at the door (this was a classic “I told you so” moment…I had asked B about it a couple of days prior and he said, "nah’). With 30 minutes to kickoff and a hungry spring onion in tow with wind whipping in our faces, we hightailed it to the Baseball Tavern across the street. We found one other table of Ohio State fans who told us that Baseball Tavern has become their tradition after getting shut out at Tony C’s for previous years. I associate “BT” with meeting up with anything but the food. But I’m here to say that we had very decent pub food. B got the chili nachos - not crazy good, but good enough, and not just to soak up beer. When I see bar pizza on a menu, you know I gotta order it. And this was a competent rendition. Sausage and banana peppers, nice fluffy crust (but with some bite and heft). Spring onion loved his hot dog on a perfectly griddled bun. The hard-working bartender worked the whole room, which started to fill up. And we found out that it’s a Wisconsin bar, so it really started filling up with Badgers towards the end of the Ohio State game.
During the 4th quarter, spring onion started getting antsy, so we walked down to Target down the street. Lots of “fancy” development on that stretch of Boylston. I hardly recognize it from my “yoot.” There’s something that tugged at my heartstrings when we walked back into Baseball Tavern. Truly a hold-out from the “old days” that I used to pshaw or just run into to throw back a beer or two. I just wonder how long they will/can hold out. If they do, it will become our tradition as well.
LOL - the “the” is a long source of controversy with regards to The OSU (way too much to get into here) . . . but for the team up north I think it is typically included - the kids use TTUN now . . . .
I had no idea there was an official game watching party here in Boston. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. (I’m a graduate of the grad school so my involvement in the hoopla is different, but I know the alumni association is huge)
Ohio State alum here - undergrad & grad. No “THE” when I was there in the 70’s. I live on Cape Cod now, but family is still in Columbus near the University. I saw a great tshirt when I was home in October with a Nike swish and all it said was “THE”. What I learned from the younger generation when I was there is they call The Team Up North “ichigan”, especially the week before the game. All of the street signs with names beginning with “M” have the “M” taped over, and businesses, as well. Haven’t been there to see it.
Going back home tomorrow for a few weeks. My mother told me the University drains Mirror Lake the week before the game with TTUM, even when it’s an away game. Too many shenanigans! I remember the street riots after the meet-ups back in the 70’s. Burned cars, broken street front windows and teargas. Geeze…
haha, I haven’t been to the Baseball Tavern in a looooong time. Back when I used to go to baseball games (late 80’s-early 90’s) that was where I always used to go before games. Glad it’s still holding on!
Interesting development which I just informed B about. The Big Ten championship game is this coming Saturday at 8 pm. I wonder what venue will accommodate all of those Buckeyes at the last minute.
Oh man, we jinxed it! I have many fond (fuzzy) memories of pre/post gaming on the Baseball Tavern’s roof deck. Between the loss of this and the HoJo’s lounge it’s no wonder I don’t get to many Sox games these days.
I never went on the deck! When I used to go (mostly in the 80s) what I remember is they used to just stack up the cases of empty bottles in whatever available space they could find. Sometimes it served as extra seating.
I also just realized that I only went to the original location of this place, and never to their bigger incarnation. I guess it’s been awhile since I saw a Sox game…
i hope you’re sitting down. would you be shocked to find out there’s likely gonna be a fifteen story building filled with “market rate” apartments built on the site???
LOL - really enjoyed your post!
I knew it wouldn’t be long. What friggin fancy development will take over that block? I can’t wait (full-on sarcasm/irony).
