Parkside Sports Bar chose the Ravens-Jets game for their grand opening Monday night.
The new Canton bar takes over the spot on Fleet Street once occupied by Bleachers, which was sold in May. For an opening day, it was surprisingly full by kickoff, which could say something about its future, or just the city's obsession with the Ravens.
Eric Mathias, one of the owners, says they envision "a good, old-fashioned neighborhood bar." He's something of an expert on the subject. Mathias is also part owner of the storied The Horse You Came in On Saloon.
Before the owners settled on the name, Parkside went through several iterations. First, it was Goodfellas, which was discarded in favor of The Irish Horse, an awkward name since Mathias has little Irish in him.
His father is Israeli.
The bar hopes to attract the athletes and runners who practice at nearby Patterson Park, and also the pool league that used to reside at Bleachers. For now, they'll have ping pong tournaments and the Ravens.
The 1,500-or-so-square-foot space has eight TV screens and one mean-looking bouncer, a big-ol grizzly bear sweetly named Ian. PBR drafts are $1.75 every day, and pitchers go for $5.
As the Jets' offense nosedived, Mark Sanchez can at least be happy he gave a new Baltimore bar a good note to open with.
Parkside is at 2501 Fleet Street. They are currently without a Web site.
Caption: Ian the Bouncer. Photo: Erik Maza