Guinness WAS good!!!

Ok. So I didn't drink any Guinness at the 12th annual Guinness Party. But I did get a t-shirt. And I did drink. And I did sing. All night long.

The 12th Annual Guinness Party held at the home of what must be the most understanding mother in the universe - Mrs. Patty Nee - was again a success, and of course, not without some excitement and strangeness.

I arrived at about 4:30 p.m. equipted with my own chair, and my laptop carrier sans laptop. The host, Shawn Nee, asked if I were going to blog. Looking back it would have been a great idea to blog, but unfortunately the laptop carrier was filled with sunglasses, cigars, and gave me a place to put my keys.

So I paid my money, set up my chair and had the bartender pour me a drink. Pat McLane handed me a tshirt with the party logo on it. Pat is an amazing logoist (is that a word?) and later told me he actually ironed on the logos to the approximate dozen shirts he handed out. I guess Leo is a great ironer as well.

So after few beers, a hot dog, and a cigar with Pat Revello and Bobby "Bocce" Pezzuti, it was time for the annual $10 Bocce tournament that Bob Mulkerin runs so poorly. I was paired up with Bocce Bobby - a true Bocce legend.

We won our first game easily, then sat around for about three hours until we were called again to play. During this time, we took down a few more beers and two or tree cigars, and of course the fine music of TJ Cusumano and Anthony Parise - the acoustic version of the band Spillway.

A second victory in the dusk by Bocce Bobby and myself got us to the semifinals, but the beer and cigars were starting to affect my play.

Bocce Bobby and myself were eliminated in the next round of the now. A loss in the Back in Blackness Guinness Bocce Tournament that was literally played in the Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Dino was now playing, and after we were eliminated I was brought to the mic to sing a few tunes. Thankfully it was only a few.

Dino continued and Matt Kuckla finally joined in with his famous rendition of House of the Rising Sun. Bocce Bobby kept yelling for me to sing Shout. But Bocce Bobby didn't realize you need a horn section for Shout.

What he did realize however was that I was drinking and with enough coaxing he would hear Shout. And he did later when I went back up and sang a verse or two without any music or accapella for you music afecianatos.

Let me back up. While Matt was on stage, he also told some jokes. He then sang his own rendition of some Hank Williams song... Something about Rowdy Friends. I don't know. I'm not much for Country Music.

But Matt's homemade version mentioned everyone in the old gang, from Scott to Rich to Shawn to Mitch to Vinnie to Joe to himself and to of course me! It wasn't the caliber of his brother Joe's "Mucciolo's Song" from Babe2K. But it was close.

More singing from Me, Matt and Dino went decent I think. There were only a few people listening anyway. Most of the people were there for Guinness. We may have actually chased people home.

Then a break in the action so Dino could chow, and the rains and lightning came. So Dino packed up, Matt snuck out, and we were down to playing some cards.

As cards dragged on, we saw a half naked black man walk down Foley Street about 1:30 a.m. Except he wasn't black, and he wasn't necessarily half naked.

Twenty minutes later, Phil Rossi - YES PHIL ROSSI - came into the yard, no shirt, pair of shorts and high-top white sneaks. Now if you don't know Phil Rossi he is a famous park basketball player from the late 80s. Was about 6'3, a pony tail and long.

Anyway, Phil lives on Main Street about two or three blocks below where the Guinness Party is held. He comes up to us and says, "You guys know is 2 a.m.?" And keeps saying it. (His pony tail is gone by the way.)

Then he says, "You know any noise after 10 p.m. is a noise violation. I can call the cops. I can't sleep. I got to work. I need to go to bed."

And then with the opine of a wordsmith, and the eliquincy of a diplomat, a voice from the dark proclaims, "Then go to bed!"

Needless to say, Phil flips out, and when things get to calm down a little, the Wizard mumbles something and Phil goes over a table.

This is where Moz steps in. And while I would have liked to see Moz go all Fight Club at the moment, he simply seperated the action.

Bob "I ran the worse Guinness Party Bocce Tournament in history" Mulkerin now plays peacemaker and brings Phil away from the action. Ten minutes later, The Peacemaker returns and Phil is gone.

Another 15 minutes go by and Phil returns to apologize - even to the extent of hugging Moz.

Only in Old Forge.

Only at the Guinness Party!!!

See you next year.