Edward Cooper yelled at the TV in the White Star Bar at Monmouth Street and Pavonia Avenue Sunday night while ESPN’s Game of the Week played out. The bar has 10 TV screens, most of which were tuned to the matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox. Along with fellow patron Jay Henao, Cooper watched the Yanks come up short.
“Hey Swish … Come on Tex!” Copper exhorted.
An Eighth Street resident for the past four years, Cooper grew up in Summit, N.J. loving the Yankees, and remembered seeing favorites like Don Mattingly during the 1980s.
“They have all the resources, they’re arrogant, and they think they own the game.” – Donovan Bezer, on the Yankees
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But in downtown Jersey City, neither local team has a monopoly. In fact, some newcomers have brought a devotion to other teams, like the Philadelphia Phillies.
Around town
Last weekend, two major series had fans glued to TVs in local bars and restaurants. The Yanks played the Boston Red Sox in a four-game set at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, while the Mets played the Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love for three games.
In downtown drinking establishments, many diehards shared their affection for America’s national pastime.
Henao, a longtime Mets fan, doesn’t expect his team to reach the playoffs this year. But he will remain a Mets fan, having loved the team since he was 10 years old.
“I grew up in Flushing before my family moved to Jersey City,” said Henao, who lives down the block from the bar. “I always appreciated them for being a blue-collar team.”
Meanwhile, Cooper thinks the Yankees will make it to the World Series for the second straight year, after winning it last year over the Phillies.
“It can be done. They have a solid team with some of the best talent in the game,” said Cooper, referring to players like Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.
We welcome all fans
On Friday night, the Light Horse Tavern at the corner of Washington and Morris streets was buzzing with business.
Customers sitting in the elegant restaurant enjoyed dishes like Long Island Duck Breast “Peking Style” and Warm Summer Peach Tart. Most were oblivious to the Yankees-Red Sox game showing on the large-screen TV – but the guys at the bar were another story.
Former downtown resident Bill Gray, owner of the restaurant, caught glimpses while reading the newspaper. The Yanks were losing and eventually dropped the game that night by a 6-3 score.
Gray thinks the Light Horse is mostly a Yankee place, although Mets, Phillies, and even some Red Sox fans come in. But the Bronx Bombers hold a special place in the Long Island native’s heart.
“I always been a fan because the Yankees have such a great history,” Gray said. “I grew up reading about guys like Lou Gehrig, who is my all-time favorite player because of his dedication to the game.”
Gray said it is “fun” to watch games in the tavern during baseball season, particularly when one of his bartenders, “Phillie Lou” Marandino, changes the channel on the TV whenever his beloved Phillies are playing.
“I grew up in South Jersey, close to Philadelphia, so I would always go to Phillies games,” said Marandino. He broke into a huge smile as his team mounted a comeback and went on to win.
Anyone but the Yanks
LITM on Newark Avenue in downtown Jersey City is an artists’ hangout, a casual lounge located near the Grove Street PATH station.
It is anything but a sports bar. But during the season, patrons there have a strong affinity for baseball.
Customer Donovan Bezer, who has lived on Fourth Street for over seven years and is the product of a New York Yankees family in Monmouth County, became a converted Mets fan about 20 years ago.
“I am a Mets fan because I am a non-Yankees fan,” Bezer said. “The reason people hate the New York Yankees is that they have all the resources, they’re arrogant, and they think they own the game, and I don’t think that is fair to all the other teams.”
Bezer said he couldn’t “choose” his favorite Mets player and likes the team as a whole, even though he is not happy to see them struggle.
Joan Marie Palmer, a Third Street resident, grew up outside Philadelphia among extremely loyal Phillies fans who have season tickets.
“I am not as fanatic a fan as my family, but there’s no way I could ever be a fan of another team,” Palmer said. “They would disown me.”
Palmer remembers liking Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt as a child, a “redhead” just like her. Among her current favorite players are outfielder Jayson Werth and first baseman Ryan Howard, whom she called the “best player” on the Phillies.
She said she sometimes sees games locally at places such as Skinner’s Loft, another downtown restaurant/bar located on Newark, a few blocks away from LITM.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.