March 2009 Archives

Just as in any other sport, a well-balanced fantasy baseball team is key to winning a fantasy league. As far as draft order goes, a fantasy draft usually runs in a "snake" order, meaning that the team that picked last in the first round goes first in the second round. With that in mind, I present the 2nd round of the Fantasy Allston Draft:

1. Sheesha Lounge: New-to-the-area hookah bar on Cambridge St.
• They have chess!
  
• Huge big screen that plays everything from live concerts to Planet Earth to hockey games
2. Chuck Taylor's: Low cut.
   
• On more than one occasion, I have been ready to leave my apartment when I thought to myself, "Wait, I'm not leaving Allston...Time for the Chucks." Wearing Chuck Taylors in Allston gives me at least limited access to most places in Allston without feeling out of place. Thus, Fantasy Allston Value.
  
3. Harper's Ferry: A little more grungy than the Paradise...all the more reason to drink.
• Refers to Allston as "Allston Rock City" on its website.
  
• Large hipster crowd tends to congregrate in the area on Fri/Sat nights.

4. White Horse Tavern: Sunday - Wednesday.

• Fri/Sat, the White Horse gets pretty bizarro-Allston. I think BC runs a shuttle there, and the popped-collars-per-square-block ratio goes through the roof.
  
• Sun-Wed the White Horse runs a $6 special for a lb. of steak tips. Wash that down with a $2.50 draft and call it a meal.

ROUND 3 - FINAL ROUND

1. Pratt Street: B.U. undergrad hotspot
• A snapshot of the college population of Allston if there could ever be one, Pratt St. is where all the freshman B.U. floozies go with their water bottles concoctions. These water bottles can usually be found in or around, but never in, a nearby trash can.
2. 115                   St.: Site of the basement party.
• In order to keep the site sacred for those who normally attend, the street name has been withheld.
  
• During the concert, a "115! 115! 115!" chant started. I had no clue what that meant until it was explained later on the night - the address! Any group of people who chant their location deserve to be on someobody's Fantasy Allston team.
  
3. Offbeat Accessories: Scarves, Fedora hats, European bags, instrument cases, wool hats tilted to the side, huge sunglasses, etc.
   
• Not only are people's clothing part of what makes Allston unique...what goes with the clothing is probably just as important
• With the second-to-last pick, this could be the sleeper pick of the draft.
4. The New Liquor Store Inside Shaw's:
• Single stop for pasta, water, and Miller High Life provide more time to revel in the village of Allston. What else could you ask for in a Fantasy Allston pick?
  

This is the time of year for me when a lot of quality reading that I usually get done - news, leisure reading, school reading - gets replaced with an obscene amount of statistical numbers and random names that results in something a lot of people can't quite understand: Fantasy Baseball.

For those unaware, fantasy baseball is a game - usually played amongst a number of friends in groups of 8-12 - where real players are "drafted" by single teams. They pick an entire roster and whoever drafts the best team (the team whose players have the best statistics) and keeps it up throughout the year wins the league, and usually a decent pot of cash that each team wagers at the beginning of the year.

So in the midst of the fantasy baseball season, I decided to throw myself a simulated Allston Fantasy Draft. I guess the only statistic the league would have would be "Allstonness," though the ambiguity of that term is scary. Define it at your own risk. 

Based on the few months I've lived there, here's the first round of a mini 4-team draft. Subjects available to draft include people, places, and objects. (Almost included ideas, but then the concept of "Allstonness" gets really heady):

1. The Linden Superette: The place I get my paper every morning.
   
• Guy behind the counter (during the day) never takes his right hand out of his jacket pocket, creating the illusion of holding a pocket pistol.
• Guy behind the counter (at night) will jokingly try to sell your girlfriend a $16 porn that comes with 2 DVD's. But he isn't joking.
  
• Woman who works afternoons chases the cat around the store with a roll of paper towels when it misbehaves.
• Children of the owners can sometimes be found sleeping on the floor behind the counter.
  
2. The Paradise: Music club on Comm. Ave; threateningly close to B.U.
   
• Great place to see a show. The Brew is coming around 4/18. Be there if you like good live music!
  
• If you're really feeling "Allston" 16 oz. Pabst Blue Ribbons are $3.50 I believe.
  
3. Stickers: Trite ways of expressing ones' self.
   
• Cars, street signs, electrical boxes, telephone poles, traffic lights, midgets...if it's under 6'4" and it's public property, someone in Allston has tagged it with a sticker.
  
• I guess Shepherd Fairey is onto something...
• With the #3 pick, "bumper stickers" could be an early candidate for pick of the draft.
  
4. Marty's Liquors: 
• Well with the recent accusations coming against Blanchard's, Marty's could be well prepared to have a huge Allston fantasy year in 2009. 
• More often than not there's someone hanging around the entrance asking for change. This is usually annoying, but I saw one guy throw his plastic cup at someone for ignoring him when I was there last week. Not your average bums outside Marty's.
• Employees are knowledgable and friendly.