Stan's Sports Bar

The game is baseball. And the hot spot to talk about is Stan's Sports Bar and Restaurant. A fixture on River Avenue, the bar huddles behind the bleachers of Yankee Stadium and underneath the rumblings of the 4 train. Flanked by 158th Street and "Stan the Man's Baseball Land," a sports memorabilia shop. Outside, a World Series 2000 poster adorns the front window alongside a series of neon beer signs, and the front entrance had a Bud Light sign reading "Welcome Back Yankee Fans 2000!" Inside, the bar is chock full of Yankee posters, pictures and baseball cards featuring the likes of Joe Dimaggio. Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. The smell of beer and the haze of cigarettes hang in the air around the five televisions mounted on the walls. Each shows the Yankee game to the patrons, who sit in old-style wood bleacher seats, painted Yankee blue and white. The bar has achieved its immense popularity without any advertising, relying on word of mouth and media exposure. It's a landmark.