My arrival at Sonny McLean’s is around 9:30 a.m., an hour and a half after the bar opened for Super Bowl Sunday. My favorite booth is occupied, however the booth nearest the front entrance is free and I swoop in to claim it. Looking around I see Rich and I go over where he is at the bar – the surprise on his face and the ensuing hug are unexpected (though this is the first time I’ve been in my favorite New England sports living bar in over a year). Give Rich the store’s business card and he takes down my number. He is still not online, so no Red Sox Box for him. Rich tells me that he’s no longer a health and safety trainer with the Post Office, but is now a postal carrier in the Valley. He asks if I’m still in the area and I tell him no – I have to travel further to get to Sonny’s now. Andrew comes to Rich’s end of the bar (Rich now sits closer to the entrance) and he looks the same despite being a new father – great to see him. As I go back to the booth, Jen passes by and says she’s left a diet coke on the table for me and states “some things never change.”
As I look around at all the unfamiliar faces, I still feel the connection this bar gives me as the Bruins and Celtics play on screens throughout Sonny’s. Taking advantage of my temporary solitude, I read The Expats (no, it’s not about former New England football players) until someone asks to sit at the table. Well, that someone turns out to be Kevin, the Operations Manager at the condominium complex where Joanie and Grant (the new owners of Sonny’s) live in Pacific Palisades. He’s expecting his boss and a friend to come as well. This is Kevin’s third time in Sonny’s, though he has been in Southern California for years and his roots are in Maine. Steve B. passes by the booth and we chat for a few minutes – really good to see him. During the hours before kickoff, the Bruins and Celtics both win their games, I check out the Beer Garden in the bar’s parking lot (great idea – allows tens of people to be someplace other than the bar, which allows it to remain “walkable”), and I order the Steak Tip Dinner and though broccoli no longer comes with the meal, it is so much more flavorful than the previous version. Eventually, Kevin’s boss, Rita, makes it to the table and a couple, Shaun and Chandra round out the table guests.
Guess it’s time to go into a description of the game, though I do so without any joy. The New York Giants lead at the end of the first quarter on a safety and touchdown and point after and the New England Patriots keep the Giants from scoring in the second quarter, while managing to get a field goal and touchdown and point after to end the half in the lead by 10 to 9. In the third quarter the Pats score first with a touchdown and point after to increase their lead to 17 to 9, though the Giants come back in that quarter and score two field goals to come within two points of the Pats who lead 17 to 15 at the end of the third quarter. How I wish the Super Bowl ends now! Unhappily, there is one more quarter to play and the Patriots score no points and the Giants score six in the fourth quarter. The Giants win Super Bowl XLVI by a score of 21 to 17. To sum it up: the Giants lead first, the Patriots lead in the middle, and the Giants lead last. Another somber Super Bowl Sunday at Sonny’s.
I leave after the failed Hail Mary – no reason to hang around. Say good-bye to Kevin and Rita (the others had already departed). See Rich and say I’d come to Sonny’s during the baseball season this year. So, I’ll return in April and hope that the Red Sox can bring some happiness to the bar.
New England Patriots logo from the website wikipedia.org
As I look around at all the unfamiliar faces, I still feel the connection this bar gives me as the Bruins and Celtics play on screens throughout Sonny’s. Taking advantage of my temporary solitude, I read The Expats (no, it’s not about former New England football players) until someone asks to sit at the table. Well, that someone turns out to be Kevin, the Operations Manager at the condominium complex where Joanie and Grant (the new owners of Sonny’s) live in Pacific Palisades. He’s expecting his boss and a friend to come as well. This is Kevin’s third time in Sonny’s, though he has been in Southern California for years and his roots are in Maine. Steve B. passes by the booth and we chat for a few minutes – really good to see him. During the hours before kickoff, the Bruins and Celtics both win their games, I check out the Beer Garden in the bar’s parking lot (great idea – allows tens of people to be someplace other than the bar, which allows it to remain “walkable”), and I order the Steak Tip Dinner and though broccoli no longer comes with the meal, it is so much more flavorful than the previous version. Eventually, Kevin’s boss, Rita, makes it to the table and a couple, Shaun and Chandra round out the table guests.
Guess it’s time to go into a description of the game, though I do so without any joy. The New York Giants lead at the end of the first quarter on a safety and touchdown and point after and the New England Patriots keep the Giants from scoring in the second quarter, while managing to get a field goal and touchdown and point after to end the half in the lead by 10 to 9. In the third quarter the Pats score first with a touchdown and point after to increase their lead to 17 to 9, though the Giants come back in that quarter and score two field goals to come within two points of the Pats who lead 17 to 15 at the end of the third quarter. How I wish the Super Bowl ends now! Unhappily, there is one more quarter to play and the Patriots score no points and the Giants score six in the fourth quarter. The Giants win Super Bowl XLVI by a score of 21 to 17. To sum it up: the Giants lead first, the Patriots lead in the middle, and the Giants lead last. Another somber Super Bowl Sunday at Sonny’s.
I leave after the failed Hail Mary – no reason to hang around. Say good-bye to Kevin and Rita (the others had already departed). See Rich and say I’d come to Sonny’s during the baseball season this year. So, I’ll return in April and hope that the Red Sox can bring some happiness to the bar.
| Teams | 1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 4th Quarter | TOTAL |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
New England Patriots logo from the website wikipedia.org
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