South Buffalo

[s dot carter]

I couldn't let a great idea like this thread (thanks bonabum06) not happen. I know for a fact this could be the longest thread ever if all of the great South Buff stories are told.

[bonabum06]

EXALTED!!! I'll kick'er off. Only been there once twice actually but have acquired a story. We were enjoying some beverages at a buddy's house and we decide to head to a bar. At the time i wasn't 21 so I was not up for the idea of walking half a mile or so to a bar that wouldn't let me in. My buddy assures me it won't be a probably ending his assurance with "It's Stanky's!!" With a name like Stanky's I knew i was in for a treat. Sure enough. . .walked in, everyone was smoking their grits and cigars (the ny state smoking ban had since been in effect), a group of red haired gingers who couldn't be over the age of 13 were pounding beers. I ordered a jack and coke and the guy (whose name I can't remember right now) gives me pretty much a solo cup filled with jameson. I wasn't one to complain. I don't even think the pool table had felt on it. All in all it was a good night.

[s dot carter]

EXALTED! to you because it was your idea.

[vinnypunditsheros]

If you guys haven't noticed yet, Stankeys has been this Bevelator's location for some time. There's a kitchen at the Stank Tank but the only thing that gets baked in it are the Stankeys patrons. Bonabum, the bartender you're speaking of is named Mike Louis, aka Louie. He's a great big guy who tests the heemeez and drunk while tending bar. You order your drink and sometimes he'll bring it to you right away. Most times he tries handing your drink and change to somebody else. Then he passes out standing up and my friends start bartending.

Indeed, I am from and live in South Buffalo. The bars are technically open until four, but they really close when the bartender feels like going home. There have been many a night when I've stumbled out the door well past five. For example, please see August 11 and 12, 2006.

Open container laws are nonexistent. I don't want to say I drink beer while walking down the street all the time, but on occasion it happens. No worries.

[s dot carter]

vinny, you must have a million great stories to share if you live in South Buffalo.

[The Dull House]

I was able to go to a party once at Vinny Pundits place and Rim Rocka decided to re arrange the letters on a billboard outside the bar that said

Vinny Pundits! NO OP! asdlkfjasldkfjas

it was pretty funny, especially cause a few other bevelheads passed out on the bar. I slept on the couch that night and Vinny's parents made a great breakfast.

Lance Diamond played at M&T Today.

[vinnypunditsheros]

To continue on Stankeys, it is called the Hate Bar. You hate being there, you hate being seen there, and you hate the other people inside. The bartender openly hates you. There are plenty of draft selections, but it's really all Genny. I've been in the basement. Each hose is attached to a keg of Genny or Genny Light.

I first went in there when I was 18. My friend Billy V graduated from high school and his father told the owner he was bringing us in. It was all downhill from there.
Billy's dad is a cop. One night he stopped in on the way home from work and drank a lot of beer. As usual, some ball busting happened. His friend told him he was shitfaced in his uniform; a no good drunk cop. He couldn't fire his gun straight if his life depended on it. Calling him out on this, Mr. V takes out his gun and shoots the clock hanging on the wall. The bullet went precisely through the hinge that the clock arms rotate on. They fall off but the clock is in one piece. So they wouldn't get in trouble, they drew two arms on the clock face. It was months before the owner (Ronnie Stankey) realized what happened.

[bonabum06]

Louie. . .there it is. Yeah. . .he mixes em big and strong.

[vinnypunditsheros]

I could fucking go on all day with this.

Another bartneder at Stanks is named Mike O. He's a big three ball fan. If you've ever played three ball, you know every time there's a tie everyone re-antes. With six guys playing at $20 a pop, the money gets up there. Well, one night Mike O missed a tying shot after a lot of re-anteing. Pissed, he picks up a pool ball and throws it across the room, shattering the Golden Tee screen next to the bar entrance.
When Ronnie arrived, Mike O told him he ID'd and kicked out some black kid who later returned and threw a brick through the door.

[vinnypunditsheros]

Molly McGuire's. The bartender has one arm and can drink a lot of whiskey. The men's room smells like pee. Sometimes I get to bartend when the usual guy has to run home to take a shit or pick up his pipe. I heard last night that it's getting a foosball table... I could be there every night.

Doc Sullivan's. A friendly tavern that's real classy. I helped throw rimrocka's stag there last October. Wu Tang won a basket of liquor and declared an open bar. This place is notorious for staying open til 6 am.

[vinnypunditsheros]

Hoppers. A fantastic haunt and the location of Ryan Enright's stag two weekends ago. This joint closes at six in the morning and opens at 7. It opens that early so the guys working third shift have someplace to stop for a beer on their way home. Every year it hosts a trip to Vegas. One guy named Mouse Talty (more on his bar later) tells the story of last year's trip. He approached the craps table in some casino Sunday night because the South Buffalo group was at it. Yelling, screaming, being the loud obnoxious drunken gamblers you'd expect. Mouse is having such a good time watching and listening he didn't even gamble at the table. Finally, he calls decides to call it a night and go to bed. But it turns out it's Tuesday already. They'd been at the table for two days.

Taltys. Located on luxurious South Park Avenue, Talty's hosts this Bevelator's annual golf tournament post-party (new thread on that later). Great, great guys are the Talty family. The beer fridge is covered with old bumper stickers supporting unions and the value of alcohol/ alcoholism. There's a pool table and my favorite: shuffleboard. Every Wednesday there's a shuffleboard tournament. Thursday through Tuesday there's poker to be played. It's usually the same group of guys passing their paychecks back and forth. I never get into these games because the pots get way to rich for me. $20 for the first card, then $40, $60, $80, $100. $300 per guy just to see the five cards on the table... then there's the round of betting after that. They don't play with chips either, it's all cash. So on any given hand there's an enormous pile of twenties in the middle of the table. There's been many a fistfight over cards there. The last one I saw was three weeks ago, but it wasn't about money. They fought about the rules to one of the games.

[rimrocka44]

The place up the street from the Old First Ward Center, post Shamrock run. Most times its too packed to file in so we just all throw down on a case and drink outside. It is there that I met Jesus and CrazyPissPants was named.

-CrazyPissPants was this early 20 something drunk we came across in the beer tent at the race. He was stumbling all over the place rocking these daisy dukes that he had pissed. He was trying to use the "look I really pissed myself but didn't bit" but it was way too obvious. He was all over the place, Cosmo found him passed out on the street sitting in a pile of snow/mud so it kind of made it look like he also shat in his pants.

-Jesus was this 40 something older gentleman walking around rocking the 1st edition Jacksonville Jaguars jacket. He was classic, I'm not really sure why his nickname was Jesus but the guy was definitely a classic, I guess you just had to talk to him.

[vinnypunditsheros]

Charlie O'Briens. Charlie O'Briens is one of Tom Bevel's myspace friends. I'll try to find the link. Charlies debatedly has the best fish fries in Buffalo; no doubt the best macaroni salad. There's no pool table but there are a couple of dart boards, both electric and cork, and Golden Tee. There's an awesome deck out back and geese live around it. Sometimes I feed them bread. The deck overlooks Caz Crick, which really isn't picturesque. But it is at Charlie's for some reason.
And yes, it's Crick. Every other creek on the planet is 'creek' except for the one through Cazenovia Park. It's Caz Crick.

Charlies has the best draft selection, Smithwicks, Guinness, Yuengling, Sam Adams, Anchor beers. Then the usuals, Genny, LaBatt, Budweiser. The pints are 20 ounces. One game I like to play is to Do The Line. Start with the delicious heavy beers and work your way down the line. I've never been able to finish. I'm usually drunk and we leave and go to Stanks.

There's a bar on almost every corner. If there's not, it's a pizza place. I'm not exagerating, it's really like that.

[vinnypunditsheros]

Rimrocka, the bar you're talking about is McCarthy's. Their roast beef sandwiches are fantastic.

My favorite part of the Shamrock Run is after the beer tent when we hang outside of McCarthy's. Everyone just standing around in the middle of the street, drinking beer. I remember taking some pictures with Jesus down there. I ended up seeing him two weeks later after the Patty's Day Parade.

Didn't Crazy Piss Pants go to Bonaventure? If he's a Bevelator I will EXALT him.

Edited to add: Look at my post number. 69! YES!!!

[333]

Are all the bars you guys like South Park/Abbott? Back in my day, there was a lot of action over on Seneca. Is there anything going on over there anymore (I haven't been there in 20 years)? There used to be at least a half dozen between Caz and St. Teresa's, with a Mighty Taco and your pick of pizza places.