Best Western Red Sox Bars: Connecticut Yankee, San Francisco

Opening Day will soon be here my baseball friends, and for Red Sox fans on the West Coast, that means finding a watering hole nearby with a big screen. Or any screen, for that matter. We get scraps from ESPN and Fox, but who can stand Tim McCarver?! Joe Morgan is a nice guy, is truly knowledgeable about the game, and has a smooth ‘sounding’ voice, but I frequently find myself tuning him out.

So where to go on the West Coast to catch Sox games with other Sox fans? Let’s start in Fenway West’s back yard.

While I’ve never watched a Sox game at the Connecticut Yankee in San Francisco, I have had the pleasure of enjoying some prime live music and their tasty comestibles as well. Local and upcoming bands such as Five Eyed Hand and Izabella are regulars here. National acts such as New Monsoon, Drive-By Truckers, and Yonder Mountain String Band have graced the stage here, too. I discovered The Connecticut Yankee through a large and active, local music discussion group on yahoo. I’ve met a lot of great folks through this board, but let’s get back to the Red Sox.

I’ll let Fritz, the owner of this fine establishment tell you about it in his own words:

My name is Fritz Frisbie and I own 'Connecticut Yankee' bar and restaurant in S.F. Our web site is http://www.theyankee.com/ We've been at it here since 4/1/89 and are ardent Sox fans. We were featured in the 2007 'Red Sox Nation Annual', one of 3 Northern California establishments mentioned. We've got tons of Sox/New England sports memorabilia hanging and feature 4 t.v.'s in our main dining/bar area with 2 big screens in our back dining area. We were the 'go to' bar for the TV news crews when the Sox did the deed in 2004. The first game that I went to in Fenway was game 6 of the 1967 Series, making a lasting impression on a then 9 yr. old. I moved from Portsmouth N.H. to S.F. in 1980, and although I've been a Giants season ticket holder for 15 years, the Sox are still my first love. We're also a MAJOR Pat's bar.

Check us out,

Fritz

Owner Fritz with Grace Potter

OK, so how does a Red Sox fan end up owning a bar with the word 'Yankee' in it? Fritz again:

Hey Dave. We are on Connecticut Street. I'm from NH, thus a 'Yankee' [as in Yankees and Rebels.] Mark Twain wrote 'A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court.' Mark Twain has a history in S.F. and [allegedly] once wrote "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".

There is also an associated social networking group at tribe.net: http://tribes.tribe.net/theyankee (You have to join tribe to post, but not to read, and it’s free.)

I’ll be spending more time in San Francisco this summer, so I will be checking out an occasional game here this season and am looking forward to watching the Red Sox play at one of my favorite watering holes.

I like the font on the awning!

As we get closer to the start of the season, we’ll be highlighting other western bars that feature Red Sox games. If you have a favorite of your own that you would like to see in the spotlight, send as much info and photos as possible about the place in an e-mail to: redsoxsonoma (at) yahoo (dot) com, and we’ll write it up!