North valley bars cater to fans of faraway NFL teams
Until the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs this year, Sam DiBlasi of the northwest valley watched them miss the postseason for 18 consecutive years — the past two among fellow fans at Town Center Lounge.
“(I come here) because of the camaraderie and family feeling,” DiBlasi said of the bar, which caters to Buffalo sports fans. “It feels like Cheers. It’s open to everybody.”
DiBlasi, who moved to Las Vegas from Buffalo, New York, in 1982, joined a crowd of fans clad in red, white and blue Dec. 31 at Town Center Lounge to watch the Bills defeat the Miami Dolphins 22-16 to help secure a spot in the playoffs. (The Bills lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a first-round game the following weekend.)
The bar, which opened in 2001, became Bills-themed three years ago after owners and Buffalo natives Nick Montana and Angelo Cassaro realized there wasn’t a bar dedicated to Buffalo sports in the northwest valley, general manager Jason Bedard said.
There are four Bills-themed bars elsewhere in the Las Vegas Valley — Johnny Mac’s Bar and Restaurant, Moondoggie’s Bar & Grill, Stake Out Bar & Grill and Time-Out Sports Bar & Grill — according to Bills Backers. Town Center Lounge II in North Las Vegas doesn’t have a sponsored team.
Bedard, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, said many of the regulars at Town Center Lounge are Buffalo-area natives. Others are fans visiting Las Vegas.
“Certain people want to go somewhere where all the people watching the game are in the same boat as them,” he said.
Before the games start at Town Center Lounge, Bedard and a regular customer host the seven- to 10-minute Best Worst Pre-Game Show, in which they talk about the Bills’ record and the upcoming game. They post the videos on Facebook. The bar attracts 70-80 people for games, Bedard said.
The bar is decorated with Bills gear and photos. Patrons sing the Bills’ fight song and dine on meals such as wings with buffalo sauce, pizza, and beef on weck sandwiches, which is a rare find in the valley, Bedard said. The bar also sells Labatts beer, which is popular in Buffalo.
Same passion, different teams
As Bills fans were celebrating Dec. 31 after their team won and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens to secure Buffalo’s spot in the playoffs, Philadelphia Eagles fans at Torrey Pines Pub remained in high spirits despite a loss against the rival Dallas Cowboys. Owner Bob Bonner, a Philadelphia native and longtime Eagles fan, said he was pleasantly surprised that the bar was packed despite the New Year’s Eve holiday and early game time.
Torrey Pines Pub, which opened in 1991, started as a New York Giants backer bar after Bonner lost a coin toss to his former partner — a retired New York detective and Giants fan.
“We knew that we couldn’t have a Giants and Eagles bar at the same time,” Bonner said of the rival teams. “(So) we would play the Giants games on the TVs, but I always watched my Eagles game on another TV.”
Although Bonner bought out his partner in 1997, he stuck with the Giants theme for nearly 20 years because of their loyal following. When the number of Giants showing up dwindled, he remodeled the bar and converted it to an Eagles bar in 2016. Attendance has doubled since the first year, Bonner said.
He added that changing the theme has helped him and other Philadelphia-area natives connect.
“I know the Philadelphia area well, so when all the people who come in tell me where they grew up, I know all the neighborhoods. I met a lady the other day who it turns out went to my high school,” he said. “I’m making a lot of bonds with this place. When Philadelphians come in, I want to make their visit feel like home.”
Bonner has decked out the pub with Eagles memorabilia, plays the Eagles fight song during games and sells dishes including five types of Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, a Philly scrapple breakfast meal, large pretzels and Tastykakes.
Many regulars are are part of a fan club known as Bleeding Green Las Vegas.
“When I come in here, I know when I walk in every single person in this place is all for us,” said MJ Hotzendorf of the northwest valley. “We’re from all walks of life and (we’ve) bonded through football and the Eagles. There’s really a sense of family (at Torrey Pines Pub).”
Hotzendorf said non-Eagles fans often feel left out during games, but Bonner said anyone is welcome as long as they are not trying to annoy Eagles fans. Bedard said Bills fans are “very tolerant” of non-fans and don’t have animosity toward them.
Vinnie Cocozzo of the northwest valley goes to Timbers Bar & Grill, a San Francisco 49ers bar, to watch his favorite team: the Cowboys.
“I get along with all of the 49ers fans. (I like) the atmosphere here,” said Cocozzo, who is from New York. “Sometimes we get some really loud fans in here, but it’s all friendly.”
The bar has been dedicated to the team for about five years, an employee said.
Lisa Burgess, a San Francisco native, said watching games at 49ers bars is a family tradition.
“(Timbers) is very friendly, and it’s a little more quiet than some of the other bars, (which can be) real noisy,” the northwest valley resident said.“(The team) is something that we’ve bonded on. We always looked forward to going to the 49ers bar as a family.”
Other NFL bars
For a map of Las Vegas Valley NFL backer bars, visit reviewjournal.com/nflbars.
