The Day of Games – Leagues, Gear, Awesome times.

It’s been a long wait to get more gear in this summer!

The games are finally on the way and we should be shipping our Out of Stock games soon~!

Stay Tuned!!

PART X of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

Here are the Category Suggestions that were suggested:

1. I. Bar Games
   1. Darts
      1. i.      Basic Rules
      2. ii.      Technique
      3. iii.      Popular games
      4. iv.      Strategy
      5. v.      Equipment
      6. vi.      Etiquette
      7. vii.      League play
   2. Foosball
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   3. Beer Pong
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   4. Air Hockey
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   5. Shuffleboard
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   6. Arcade Games
      1. i.      Big Buck Hunter
      2. ii.      Golden Tee
      3. iii.      Pac-Man
      4. iv.      Photo Hunt
      5. v.      Basketball Shootout
      6. vi.      Skeeball
      7. vii.      Pinball games
         1. (various pinball games)
   7. Bar Sport Culture
   8. Bar Sport Locations
   9. Other Drinking Games
      1. i.      Flip Cup
      2. ii.      Sink the Bismarck
      3. iii.      Quarters
      4. iv.      Card Games
         1. (list of all)
      5. v.      Dice Games
         1. (list of all)

1. II. Leisure Sports
   1. Bocce
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   2. Cornhole
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   3. Horseshoes
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   4. Polish Horseshoes
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   5. Ladder Toss
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   6. Washers
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   7. Croquet
      1. i.      (same list as above)
   8. Other tossing games
      1. i.      Lawn Darts
      2. ii.      Quoits
      3. iii.      Etc. etc.
   9. How to create your own?
   10. Where to play?
       1. i.      Tailgating
       2. ii.      Backyard sports
       3. iii.      Beach games

Leisure Sport Culture

PART IX of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

Here was my original writing sample that was submitted for the gig:

I own a leisure sports company, The Day of Games, LLC.  I eat, drink, and breathe this stuff! We sell bar games, outdoor games, and beer pong items.  We are expanding our SKU’s to incorporate additional bar games (darts, washers, shuffleboard, etc.)   www.thedayofgames.com

I currently run the San Francisco “bar games” division of the DogDaze Sports Leagues here in San Francisco.  The last league we ran took place at Ireland’s 32 and we played Indoor Bocce and Cornhole. The league was featured in Urban Daddy and Thrillist.

I’m also the most competitive person to have ever applied for this gig and I would happily wager my acceptance over any bar game of your choosing.  I have spent WAAAAAAY too much time playing pool, darts, beer pong, and a zillion other games that my friends have encountered or invented on our own.

Random fact:
This past weekend, my girlfriend and I shattered our previous Photo Hunt score.
The days of mindless chit chat with the bartender and hours of texting random friends on my cell phone are thankfully over.  I’ve spent too many hours, at too many bars, simply wasting the evening away while enjoying some of San Francisco’s finest local offerings.  The beers are always spectacular, but the company is occasionally lacking. Enter ‘The Wreck Room’ in Nob Hill.  Boredom be gone!  This place is my dream bar.  They have embraced the bar sports mentality to the extreme.  Offering shuffleboard, a pool table, darts, basketball shootout, arcade games, and a variety of old-fashioned games as well (dominoes, cards, etc.).

The Wreck Room… what a clever name!  How could they possibly have known that I indeed wanted to spend my evening both getting wrecked, and playing as many recreational games as possible?

My first visit to the bar was fantastic.   The bar is located at California St. and Hyde, so it’s convenient to reach from the Marina, the Financial District, or pretty much any neighborhood whose inhabitants spend time at some of the shadier establishments along Polk St.  I strolled in around 5:15pm in an effort to spend some time with the after work crowd.  The bar had a dozen or so people hanging around tables and the bar itself, and there were three times that many toward the back of the bar.  That’s where all the fun is.

Grabbed a delicious porter and headed straight for the pool table.  This is definitely a casual bar game joint.  You shouldn’t be expecting any serious gambling action or arguments over the rules.  Everyone is here to have a good time, meet people, throw back cocktails with friends, and discuss the latest catchphrase from Charlie Sheen.  The pool table is pretty much your standard bar quality table. Although the bar is fairly new so the felt is still soft and the cues are all intact.  This probably won’t be the case in another six months, but maybe the owners will keep the gamers satisfied since it is truly the niche they are targeting.  I was able to squeeze in a quick game since one of the guys about to start needed a partner.  There was plenty of room to get off shots from all the corners, but I can’t say the same thing about playing after midnight.  The crowds pour in and the pool table becomes surrounded by the drunken sort who have taken a taxi all the way from Pac Heights in order to check out the new trendy spot in town.  Luckily we had tons of space so I rather enjoyed the pool play.

Over to the shuffleboard table where there was already a sizeable waitlist on the chalkboard.  This was a little troublesome for me.  Everyone in town has been ranting and raving about this shuffleboard table, but there is only one of them, and it appears to be too crowded to even play!  My frustration subsided as I downed my beer and moved from one Porter to another, and the dart board was open.  The darts area was very well done.  Excellent bristle board, there is a little quarantined area so nobody will accidentally stumble their face in front of your hand, and the darts were all brand new.  I ended up playing darts for over an hour with some friendly guys who lived down the street.   Good company.  Good times.

My name had come and gone on the shuffleboard waitlist so I instead moved over the basketball shootout game that I had been itching to tackle since I walked in. I’ll have to be honest here…   the “wreck” aspect of the Wreck Room was starting to take hold, so the rest of the night was ridiculously entertaining but I don’t exactly remember all the specifics.  I’ll have to go back again for a more thorough review!

PART VIII of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

Recently I was in the city of Texarkana, which gets name from three states: Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. The city is split on the Texas-Arkansas border, but is a good 45 minutes from Louisiana, so I’m not sure why it isn’t called Texark, but I digress. We visited a bar on the Texas side that had shuffleboard, darts, a pool table and a game called Washer. The object of Washer was to throw a washer that was tied to a string dangling from the roof and have it land on a hook that was on the wall. Some noteworthy things about this game:

• The string attached to the roof should be halfway between where the hook is on the wall and where the throwing line is.

• The string can be any length, but if you have the room, the longer the string the better. It makes for an interesting contest the further back you have to stand from the hook.

• Throwing the washer directly at the hook is the mistake people often make when starting out. There needs to be a little bit of right-to-left or vice versa for the washer to stay on the hook.

• No matter how good you get at the game, there is always fun to be had engaging in a Washer match with someone. (The bar owner had hit 23 in a row at one point…my record was 2)

It’s one of those games that you can play with friends for hours and not realize that 10 minutes have gone by. Plus it goes to show you that people can make a game out of anything.

PART V of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Big Sky, Montana for some much needed R&R.  In between animal sightings, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting, I was on the lookout for the best bars in town.  During our last dinner together, my family and I stumbled into a bar/restaurant called Bucks T4.  The food and ambiance were exceptional, but I particularly enjoyed their Game Room, which could be a considered a perfect example of how to lay out your own game room for your house.  They offered pool, foosball, air-hockey, darts, and a wide variety of old and new school arcade games including NBA Jam, Off Road, NFL Blitz, and Big Buck Hunter.  This got me thinking on the drive back to our lodge that I would love to have a game room like that.  What really makes a game room fun, functional, and enjoyable to hang out in for hours on end?

My perfect game room is probably a long way away, but I can think of the items that I would love to have in it.  The centerpiece would definitely be a pool table and then as many other games as I can fit around the walls.  The Ms. Pac-Man arcade game would get slapped in the corner, and a shuffleboard table would have to make an appearance as well. One of the games that I would include in my game room that most people wouldn’t think of is a backgammon table. My folks used to have a backgammon table but I never played on it while growing up. It was much later while in college that I actually learned how to play the game while relaxing on the beach.  With those few items, my game room would be all set!

Jump to about 4 minutes in. (video below)

Our Portable and Foldable Cornhole was featured on the TODAY show, on the right.  It’s listed as the value item!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Show up at the city council meeting in Manhattan Beach on July 5th. Save the 6-Man! Help get this years event back on track, and come up with a solution for the future!

The city council just posted the agenda for the meeting on July 5th. Check out OPTION B!?!?

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Which Bocce Ball is Bigger??

So anyone happen to know the best baseball stadiums for tailgating?  We’ve never really gotten into the baseball tailgating scene and unfortunately the only relevant news that I recall is that Dodger Stadium has a tailgating ban.  Over the past few years the cops have arrested a bunch of people, cracked down on people drinking beers in the parking lot, and there aren’t many tailgate games being played out there in Chavez Ravine.  Meanwhile down in Orange County they have embraced tailgating a little bit more… although there are some pretty strict rules that need to be followed.  Here are the 2011 tailgating rules per the Los Angeles Angels website:

The following is prohibited in the Angel Stadium Parking Lot:

• Alcohol consumption in the parking lot is illegal. AMC 7.16.010.010;
• Selling food or beverages of any kind;
• Preparing food or beverages of any kind where such preparation necessitates the use of an object or practice that is deemed by Angels Baseball to be unsafe, hazardous, or posing a threat of injury to guests, participants, officials, or individuals employed at Angel Stadium.

Tailgating Policies:

• Alcohol consumption in the parking lot is illegal. AMC 7.16.010.010.
• Tailgating is only permitted in general parking (non-preferred) areas (near the Big A, Orangewood, State College and Douglass general parking areas.)
• On-site catering is prohibited. No catering trucks allowed!
• Early entry into the parking lot for tailgating is not permitted. The parking lot opens two-and-one-half (2-1/2) hours prior to the start of the game.

Parking Lot Regulations:

• Parking lot opens two-and-one-half (2-1/2) hours prior to game time
• Angel Stadium opens two (2) hours prior to game time at the Home Plate gate
• No vehicle may occupy more than one parking space. AMC 14.32.140.
• There is no in/out parking.
• General parking is $8/car.
• Vehicles in excess of 20 feet in length will be charged $16.00.
• Park only in a marked stall. Vehicles parked in unauthorized areas will be cited and towed away. AMC 14.32.330.
• Barbecues: Only approved gas/propane units with fuel-valve turn offs. No charcoal allowed. AMC 11.04.095.
• No early entry into the parking lot.
• Alcohol consumption in the parking lot is illegal. AMC 7.16.010.010
• Parking lot closes one (1) hour after the conclusion of the event.
• Overnight parking is prohibited. AMC 14.32.160.
• No selling or soliciting on Angel Stadium of Anaheim property. AMC 4.52.090.
• Unlicensed motorized vehicles are prohibited.
• On-site catering is prohibited.

Is your local stadium Tailgate-Friendly?? Let us know if your favorite team has an awesome tailgating scene.  Email us your story or some pictures!  Or any news about Dodger Stadium tailgating or Anaheim Angels tailgating?

We all know that Chad Ochocinco can kick the hell out of a Football (see video below), but what about a Soccer ball?

Mr. 85 has decided to tryout for the MLS!  Specifically, the Kansas City Sporting.  I know he might be bored during the lockout, but shouldn’t he be working on his hands instead of perfecting his kicking skills?  Good luck with your 4-day tryout.