A Few Good Beers

What a busy week this could be.

For those of you who aren’t in constant touch with me, here’s a brief explanation of where I happen to be in this wacky world of Fungus/Beerman/Davey.

I was blessed enough to get the opportunity once again to be the mobile beverage dispenser at Charlotte County Stadium, not just for the local minor league Charlotte Stone Crabs but also for the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. Some days I have help from the professional vendors from the Trop in Tampa, but most days it’s just me.

If you’ve been to a game this year, you’ve seen me. So far, I’ve missed only one game, and the day following that game I was bombarded with so many complaints about taking the day off, that I knew it would be my only one. No worries… because I am a trooper. Besides, on my off day, I missed the park as much as it missed me.

The weather has not proved as cooperative as it could be for this inaugural season. I’ve spent many days soaking wet yelling through the raindrops and I’ve been drenched most nights either from humidity or precipitation. I’ve spent every night following a game doing laundry, since I only have one shirt. We’ve seen some extremely hot days and have had our share of older fans overcome by heat, but that’s all part of the price to live in Paradise.

Sound like a fun job?

I love it.

I love everything about it. I love feeling tired at the end of the day. I love trying to make everyone happy and providing an atmosphere where the fans feel like they’ve gotten entertained and not cheated out of their hard earned dollars. I love the staff. I love the regulars. I love the ballpark.

Part of my duty (yes Box… I said duty) is to keep track of my sales. My paycheck is commission based and therefore calculated from the totals. In case you were wondering, YES… I DO ACCEPT TIPS! I know beers are pricey at $5 each but I do have a large dog to feed. Anyway, this means that from Day 1 of Spring Training I’ve had my beer total noted on my calendar. One day a while back I got curious and decided to add it all up.

I was amazed by the sum.

Some time in this upcoming homestand, barring a hurricane or plague, I will sell beer number 10,000.

Ten thousand bottles of beer…

Think about that for a while.

160,000 ounces… 413 cases… 1,250 gallons… 83 half barrels?… 10,000 bottle caps twisted off…

10,000 mostly happy people.

I remember some of the good ones and some of the bad ones too. Some have fallen to the ground and been replaced. Some have been to family and close friends. Some have been to weathered veterans and even a couple to a stripper on her 21st birthday (bought by her mother). Many have been to regulars who buy at almost every game and many were to people I met once and will probably never see again.

But EVERY one was a joy…

Even the difficult ones with no tip.

I’ll post the running total in the side bar so you can all follow along. I’m planning on taking a camera that day and writing a press release celebrating beer 10k so everyone will know when it is and who buys it.

Thanks to all involved.

Stay tuned for the next blog where I’ll be promoting the grand opening of the Broad Street Bar and Grill, a new deck bar in town that has decided it’s in their best interest to hire two fat guys to bartend.

Honestly… what could they have been thinking???

The grand opening party is all weekend August 28 to 30. Come on out!

FYI… the tagline at the bar says it all.



NOTE: I had to remove and reinstall the poll due to the fact that the moron who developed it could not spell. If you voted and it doesn't appear, please vote again.