Super Stoked

The football gods are a fickle bunch. Despite the wishes of everyone not living within driving distance of a Revolutionary War battlefield, a championship-game showdown between Brett Favre — the most mythical Midwestern folk hero since Paul Bunyan — and the undefeated New England Patriots will remain a fantasy played in the frozen tundra of our imaginations. Instead, we get Boston vs. New York, the most exhausted sports story line since, well, Boston vs. New York.

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• AL East
• American League (MLB)
• Chris Fuselier
• Food and Cooking
• Eating Out

Don't tell that to Chris Fuselier, owner of the Blake Street Tavern, 2401 Blake Street. A longtime haven for transplanted Boston fans, Fuselier's tavern will play host to Denver's largest contingency of New England expatriates today when Super Bowl XLII kicks off around 4:30 p.m.

Ironically, Fuselier doesn't like Tom Brady any more than you do. "I'm a lifelong Broncos fan," he explains. It was his New England-bred wife and several East Coast employees working at the Flying Dog brewery — whose beer is served at the tavern — who initially suggested making it a Boston sports bar. "I married into Red Sox nation," he says, laughing — presumably, all the way to the bank. "I didn't really have a choice." Since Fuselier bought the bar in 2003, Boston has won a pair of Super Bowls and two World Series.

Amazingly, the Tavern's good sporting fortunes don't end in Beantown. Fuselier was born in Louisiana, and his bar has also become a favorite of Louisiana State boosters living in Denver. Make that 2008 College Football National Champions Louisiana State. The adage "To the victor go the spoils" never seemed so appropriate.

With the Tavern expected to reach capacity, Patriots fans will want to arrive plenty early. As for New Yorkers, whose substantially more mercurial relationship with their football team has left them without an established Giants bar in Denver, their best bet might be to visit the Tavern as well. "We'll have TVs for them in our restroom," promises Fuselier. For information, call 303-675-0505 or go to www.blakestreettavern.com.
Sun., Feb. 3, 2008