Where Everyone Really Did Know Our Name

John Sullivan, cofounder of Charley’s Eating and Drinking Saloon in the Back Bay, died this past week. The corporation Sullivan founded (with Charlie Sarkis) grew, and now includes Abe and Louie’s, one of the top restaurants in Boston.

Charley’s was a special place for the Ten Angry Men. We had many a great time there back in the day. It’s where we went after work for more than 4 years, where we spent the 2003 NY blackout, where we gave up on the 2004 Sox during Game 3 of the ALCS, and, most recently, stood at the bar and heckled a Speed Dating session.

That reminds us, we ever tell you about the time we got kicked out of Charley’s? The year was 2000, and it was after a Saturday afternoon Red Sox game. The umpires who worked that game, including the villainous Tim Tschida, were sitting in the corner of the bar when one of the Ten walked up to the bar and ordered a round ….