RIP: Sports Corner
December 29, 2008 13 Comments
They all fall down eventually.
Vehere sent me a text this morning that informed me that the Sports Corner over at the corner of Addison and Sheffield has been tore down. Maybe they are making way for another ‘Mega-bar’ in the neighborhood. (I can’t imagine that corner without some sort of tavern).
So I found this writeup on a blog called A Beef Sandwich w/ Sweet and Hot Peppers. (Mmmmmm, a beef sandwich that just made my lunch choice easy.)
If you never had been, The Sports Corner was just a small joint compared to the mega bars that now surround Wrigley (Cubby Bear, Moran’s, Harry Caray’s). There is only one way to describe the Sports Corner, when you wanted a drink, a bartender would walk by, if you made eye contact, they would stop and take your order. That’s a rare thing these days.
I found out today that the little tavern that could was demolished on December 24th. Another piece of the neighborhood taken to make way for progress and better monetary use for the land.
As one who was kicked out of the Sports Corner at least twice (both times stone sober btw). I have to say that a part of me will miss that bar. That was the bar where the famous PITP story was first told to me just hours after Sammy Sosa had been told the tale of woe. The place also had Special Export, which always made for a fun time out. I wasn’t a regular by any stretch, but it will be missed. Long live the mega bar!
Many a memory of the Sports Corner 2nd floor, where booze and babes seemed as endless as the Cubs ineptitude at winning it all.
Sad to hear about the demise of my favorite hang out. Won’t quite be the same jumping off the EL, grabbing a brew and bite, coping a couple of tickets and laying back after the game.
I’m a little mystified by the timing of the teardown. Sports Corner is owned by the Cubby Bear people, and the bar’s website makes no mention of it closing, renovating, etc. Tearing it down on Christmas Eve as opposed to early November, when you might have a chance to have a new building ready to go sometime next season, or tearing it down in 2 weeks after enjoying the holidays’ bar receipts (not to mention a “bonus date” Thursday).
Only been in there a couple times, but I don’t look forward to another ugly building making the neighborhood uglier.
The timing is real curious TJ. Throw in the fact that they’d have a full house on New Years Eve and New Years Day, it makes very little sense.
It won’t be the same Klute, but I am confident that a new mega bar similar to the Cubby Bear or many of the ones on Clark Street will rise up and be there for you when you hop off the el. The prices, well don’t worry…a $7.50 can of Old Style will taste good on a hot summers day…
sports corner was where we mourned the passing of the Chairman of the Board, iirc ccd. absolutely blasted on vodka martinis with crooning monopolizing the jukebox. that was a sad day and an even sorrier morning after.
Hiya
Thanks for sending folks to the ol’ and newly re-opened Beef Stand, a bit sad it had to be about the Sports Corner. I still find it hard to believe that no sports writer has investigated to why it got demolished. And still feel I deserve a farewell shot, perhaps a silent toast on Opening Day
My chats with some Sheffield cronies informed me the bar closed Nov 1st for Renovations, then demo work began on Christmas Eve. Just be thankful Mark Cuban is in trouble with the SEC which will keep him from owning the ballclub.
Marc, the Christmas Eve demo is really interesting isn’t it…
Good memory gm! I forgot about that nite. That was also the bar where we would get shit faced before jumping in the line for single game tickets when they actually had a line that mattered. None of these fucking wristbands and lotteries. First come, first served…or in our case ‘over served’. That was bad…
Marc, the Christmas Eve demo is really interesting isn’t it…
Just avoiding the union pickets.
It’s been my unfortunate experience that when a neigborhood starts to go yuppie, it don’t matter whether you go through the trouble of remodeling or not — those cats will show up anyway and shit on your favorite dives. It’s just the natural order of things. I guess Elgin is the new Wicker Park, huh…
And, uh, Special Export? Jeebus. One of the beers I grew up on, sadly enough. I didn’t know Wisconsin was a country, tho.
It’s top of the barrel Old Style Uncle Dave! I always laughed at the name, you think Heileman’s was selling Special Ex in Europe? LOL.
Sad day. Outside of Murphy’s, this was the last place to catch a glimpse of douchebags in their natural habitat. I’ll pour out a over-priced can for this old school pregame watering hole.
Dont worry yuppies, itll be back up before the cubs season begins, same name and all
hey, anyone know the status of the “new” Sports Corner, if that’s what’s going on there? what IS going on there, anything built up? that place was a classic! thanks