Great Bars in NYC part 2: Nevada Smiths, where futball is religion

Our next bar is the only other bar in NYC where I can be presently considered a regular. To tell the tale of Nevada Smiths is to explain a new obsession in my life. Around two and a half years ago, Arsenal brought me to the East Village bar one Wednesday afternoon to watch a soccer match, featuring Arsenal Football Club (or AFC, or the Gunners, as not to be confused with the person Arsenal). While I had watched soccer before, I had never watched it with people who cared about the outcome, or more importantly, drunk people who cared, or even more importantly, drunk English people who cared. The bar came alive with every goal attempt, every corner, every point. And then there was the singing. The fans would break out into various chants and songs about their team, laying insults on the other team or absent rival teams. I had never seem this in a sports bar (now I am sure down by Fenway or in Wrigleyville there is similar energy, but until I go to the Cask and Flagon and here a song about Manny Ramirez done to the tune of the proclaimer's "500 Miles", I still give it to our neighbors across the pond). This game also saw the first time I saw Thierry Henry score a goal. A Religious Experience.
This alone makes any bar fun, but a couple of weeks later, I came with Arsenal to another game. This game, however, was at 10 in the morning on a Saturday. The bar was packed near to capacity, and the singing and drinking was twice that of the earlier Wednesday afternoon. While the earliness of the morn was a shock, a couple of pre-noon Carlsbergs took that edge off real quick.
Over the last 2 years, I have spend many more weekend mornings and some weekend afternoon at Nevadas, cheering on the Gunners over a couple of pints. Hubris also came on board, as the football fandom played to many of his strengths (such as drinking heavily and being really loud), and eventually Brownsox signed up. Sasquach is also a fan, but his team is Newcastle, so we do not see him there that often. Teach and Uber260 make the rare appearance, but the early hours wear on all but the hardest fans. After a while, we made some friend with the other Gunner fans, with one recent transplant from England saying that we brought North London to the states. After that comment, Hubris, Arsenal, and myself declared that we were "Arsene Wenger's 3 Man Army" (Arsene Wenger, nicknamed 'the professor' is AFC's coach, the longest running one in the club's history). This season, I have been to so many games (yay not having a job and being able to be at a bar at 2:30 on a Tuesday), that the staff knows my name, which is no small feat considering the number of regulars this place pulls. I even go there at night when I need a chill bar in the East Village, (the place is surreal in that it does all its buisiness Saturday and Sunday day, and is deathly quiet most week nights)
Next up, more bars, or the epic tale of the all night drinking binge for the opening of this years Football season.