La Familia Big Blue Nation: Jack Demsey’s

Where: In Manhattan along 33rd Street between 5th and 6th avenues, a stones throw from Madison Square Gardens – the mecca of indoor sports, sandwiched in between two cabarets, you’ll find another bar that requires clothing – Jack Dempsey’s.

Dempsey’s, a traditional Irish Sports Pub, flying the green, orange, and white proudly behind the downstairs bar with walls  taped with soccer photos, and memorabilia has the reputation of being a Kentucky Wildcat safe haven in the Big Apple.

When: Dempsey’s downstairs bar is exactly where I sat for the first 10 minutes of the Kentucky vs Mississippi State game Tuesday night. Bobby, the bar tender brings me my cheap (for midtown Manhattan) $5.50 Bud Light and I grimaced in fear of the inevitable loss to the Bulldogs in Starkville.

Why: Upon ordering adult beverage number 2, a friend of adult beverage #1 and a sports fan’s equivalent to heart burn pills, Bobby noticed my Kentucky tee. He joked in his thick accent that the upstairs must have been too loud for me.

“Upstairs?” I politely replied and Bobby then informed me that the other Kentucky fans, the reason I chose this bar, they were upstairs.

After I settled the score with Bobby, a feat that Kentucky had still not managed to accomplish trailing 13 at halftime, I ventured towards the promised land and friendly sight of fellow ‘cat fans.

When you hit the corner of Dempseys stairwell, the Irish bar transforms faster than Madonna at the Super Bowl. Your vision becomes flooded with Wildcat flags, Kentucky banners, slogans, and blue Maker Mark wax covered basketballs, and more hang or are posted between every flat screen TV tuned in to hear Brad Nessler announce the ongoing travesty.

How: After Kentucky roared back to life in the 2nd half, hearing C-A-T-S chants among a group of people a thousand miles away from anywhere close to Kentucky, becomes just as heart warming as the comeback the cats were making.

At the 2 minute mark, the GM Vinny announced that for this particular game, every UK fan in attendance would receive a free beer (which were amazingly priced at $10 for a bucket, the cheapest beer I’d found all weekend in midtown) if Kentucky pulled off the W; sparking an already ruckus crowd to cheer even louder – an action that I had doubted could be accomplished by the 20-30 people in attendance.

Kentucky won, all was right in the world, at least my small version of the world surrounded by 8 million people in a small circumference.

And then: I was then surprised by the following events: being greeted by Vinny personally with a firm handshake, the Demsey’s celebratory “Kentucky winning shot” shot, the story of how it all started in that bar, and an introduction to Heather, the president of the NYC Kentucky Alumni Association, and hearing the closeness between people united by a cause Kentucky Athletics.

After speaking with Heather and Vinny, having them introduce me to others that had recently moved to NYC, like Justine and Aaron, the impression was made that this huge city has small, close knit communities. Demsey’s treats everyone as as family; rather that’s the Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear – who had visited had visited the bar the weekend prior and since his arrival was after the bar was packed, he had his beer against the upstairs wall – or you’rs truely who was welcomed with a handshake and a smile.

Having someone know your name in a big city might seem easy enough in a huge city like New York, but despite constantly being surrounded by people, people often complain of feeling alone. Thus, Demsey’s where they know their regular patrons by their first name, knowing what they are into and many of their careers (or aspirations), those Kentucky natives have found a home away from home – and most definitely a bar to call a big part of Big Blue Nation.

Recommendation: If ever you find yourself in Manhattan during a Kentucky game, head on over. Between guest bartenders, celebrity fans, warm welcoming atmosphere, and the awesome music selection coming from Heather’s Ipod between commercials, Demsey’s should get your business – it has mine.