by Debbi | Dec 7, 2011 | Cool Stuff, Events, KU Basketball
The KU basketball team takes on Ohio State this Saturday in yet another huge game this season. We're excited for a unique opportunity at the bar before the game- a live radio broadcast!
Ryan Lencl is the host of the Angle of Pursuit, a sports talk radio show that airs on ESPN AM 970 WFUN from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays. The show is out of Ashtabula, Ohio, and is also streamed live online.
Ryan contacted us about doing a live broadcast at the bar before the game, and since we're generally up for just about anything, we said sure! It's their first time in Kansas and we're glad to welcome them.
The broadcast will start around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday (time has been changed from the previous announcement due to the time zone difference), and tip-off is at 2:15 p.m. You can see a short commercial for the show on our Facebook page. (I couldn't figure out how to pull it off and embed it here, sorry for my lack of technical skills.)
We'll have pizza available for fans who come by for the broadcast. And Dave might make an appearance on the show, so be sure to tune in!
Check out the Angle of Pursuit's Facebook page here.
by Debbi | Oct 24, 2011 | Famous Folk, KU Basketball
This is long overdue, but still very relevant.
We told you about the boxing skit at Late Night in the Phog already, and how one of our shirts made an appearance in the skit. Rob Riggle, famous comedian and KU alumnus, was the referee of the boxing skit.
Later that night, Rob made an appearance at the Sandbar.
Blair says that he was busy bartending when all of a sudden someone started shouting his name. You all know how much the bartenders hate it when customers shout their name (and if you don't know that already, consider this your lesson. Don't do it.) He ignored the person shouting at him, until he glanced down at the end of the bar and saw none other than… Rob Riggle.
And now for the really exciting news: we found out that night that Rob actually worked at the Sandbar while he was going to school at KU! (That's what we meant by "again" in the title of this post.) It was before Dave started working here, so he had no idea that a former bartender is now a famous celebrity…Peach is the only person who's been here longer than Dave, and she had lost track of Rob. Of course she remembers him and said "he was always a funny guy."
Thanks to Twitter follower and frequent customer Molly for posting the above picture on Twitter.
When Dave and Blair discovered that Rob used to tend bar here, they quickly offered to let him reprise his job from twenty years ago and he hopped behind the bar with them.
Another funny anecdote that Blair shared: Mr. Riggle has a scar underneath his chin that is usually covered up with makeup when he's on screen. Where'd it come from? Well, back when he worked here, he was drinking out of a big gusto mug (something we had back in the early 90's) and an AC/DC song came on the jukebox. He started headbanging, and banged his chin right onto the top of the mug. It required stitches, and now he has a scar from the Sandbar.
We've had a number of famous people wander through our doors, but Rob Riggle might be the most famous yet. And finding out that he used to work here was pretty cool!
by Debbi | Oct 18, 2011 | Around the World, Famous Folk, KU Basketball, Newsworthy
One of our Sandbar shirts made a surprise appearance at last Friday's Late Night in the Phog.
We printed a special white shirt with a red Sandbar logo for KU Athletics so they could use it in a skit. The skit featured boxer Victor Ortiz taking on Barry Hinson, the men's basketball team's director of operations. Barry wore the Sandbar shirt and was knocked out by Victor.
We weren't at Late Night to get a picture, but here's one from KUSports.com that photographer Nick Krug shot:
You can view the original picture (and the rest of the gallery) here. (Dear KUSports.com: if it's not okay that we used this picture here, please let us know and we'll take it down. We try to be very careful about proper online attribution.)
It's kind of hard to see his shirt, since he's lying on the ground, but it's definitely a Sandbar shirt. If anyone out there got a better picture, please let us know!
And yes, that's Rob Riggle serving as the referee. We've got a story about him, too, so come back for that one. It's good, we promise.
by Debbi | May 10, 2011 | Around the World, KU Basketball
Our friends Phil and Kristen live in Austin. If you've seen the hurricane, you've seen Phil- he's the random guy making a cameo appearance as the bouncer. The one who throws Brother Pants out of the bar.
A few months ago when March Madness was consuming all of Lawrence, and KU played in the Sweet Sixteen in San Antonio, Phil went to the KU game:
Phil said, "I tried to represent Kansas with my Sandbar shirt. David Johanning said it's my fault KU lost." (That's not true.) It's the same Sandbar shirt he's wearing in the hurricane video, and ironically it's Texas orange.
Apparently there were some Sandbar fans sitting near Phil at the game, and they were impressed that a guy from Austin who went to UT had a Sandbar shirt.
by Debbi | Mar 27, 2011 | Downtown, KU Basketball
The hometown Kansas Jayhawks played in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight today, and sadly lost a spot in next week's Final Four with a devastating loss to VCU.
Dave opened the bar early today; normally we don't open until 5 p.m. on Sundays, but this was a special occasion. Tip-off was at 1:20 p.m., and we were there at 12:30 to welcome friends and fans for the game.
The Sandbar isn't much of a sports bar; we don't serve food and our TV's aren't exactly of the ginormous variety, but we had a good crowd of staff, friends and regulars for the game.
Of course, we were counting on a Jayhawk win and a huge crowd of people descending on Mass Street, but that didn't happen. We were surprised, however, that after the game our business actually increased. Other businesses around town apparently reported a drop in business immediately following the game (see this article from the Kansan) but within an hour of the game's end, the Sandbar was full.
Our friend Caroline posted this on Twitter, and we think it represents the afternoon well:
It feels like a Saturday. @thesandbar is packed. Lots of KU fans nursing our sorrows.
Thanks to everyone who came by today, we appreciate your business!
by Debbi | Jan 29, 2011 | Birthday Party, KU Basketball
Today, January 29, 2011 is a BIG. DAY.
Our great state of Kansas turns 150 years old today.
The Sunflower Showdown between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats tips off at 6 p.m. tonight. This is the first installment of the Showdown during basketball season. We love that it falls on Kansas Day.
ESPN's College GameDay crew is in Lawrence this weekend for the big game, too. Yesterday they filmed the making of the Wang burger (Dave's favorite!) at The Wheel, and today they broadcast live from Allen Fieldhouse. Students (and old people, from what we've heard) crowded into the fieldhouse for their chance to be on TV.
They'll broadcast again from 5-6 p.m. right before the game starts.
And finally, the entire state is encouraged to raise a glass of Kansas beer, wine or cider at 6 p.m. to toast Kansas' birthday.
Happy Birthday, Kansas! And Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
