March Madness 2010 is Upon Us!

Originally Uploaded to flickr by Chuck Diesel

I can’t wait for today to be over!  Of course I love St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s nothing like my love for March Madness!  Obviously I enjoy it more when I actually have a dog in the fight (GO TERPS!) but even in the cold, dark, NIT years, you could find me “working remotely” for the first two days of the tournament from a bar somewhere, settled in for no fewer than 12 hours a day of the best college basketball has to offer.

Luckily, the Hill has one of the best bars in the city for watching the first two days of the tournament. I don’t like to play favorites, and usually I don’t, but the Pour House has always been one of my favorite spots in the DC area (not just the Hill) to watch the first round.  I like to get there early, get a table (it’s important to be able to spread out so that one may look at all of their brackets simultaneously), get a basket of pretzels (the nachos will come later) and settle in for the day. This year, they’ll be open early for all games with $3 pints & $10 pitchers of Bud Light and Miller Light, and are inviting you to try their new specialty beers while you pace nervously hoping that Texas can pull it out over Wake and not blow your East bracket so early on.

Molly Malone’s is another great option for those of you that require enough TVs to not miss a minute of any game.  They’ll be showing all games, with specials throughout the day. Next door at Lola’s they’ve “only” got 6 TVs, but will be showing all games. Lola’s also has the best chicken fingers on the Hill – if not all of DC – so I encourage you to stop in if only for that!  Many more spots to catch all the action after the jump…

Also on Barracks Row, the Ugly Mug has $3 Miller Lites, $4 Yuenglings and $6 Captain Morgan drinks for all games.

The 18th Amendment will be open early for all games and offering $3 pints and $10 pitchers of Bud Light, $3 pints and $12 pitchers of Purple Haze and $5 shots of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. (Because THAT’s a good idea at Noon on a weekday.  However, by 9:40pm on Friday when Maryland finally plays, I’m thinking it will be just what the doctor ordered.)

As much as I love the Pour House, I’m actually thinking of switching things up this year, and spending at least part of my time down at Trusty’s.  They’ll have $10 pitchers of Bud Light, and they’ve got plenty of TVs and are usually a little less crowded than some of the other bars on the Hill.

Capitol Lounge will be open early and showing all games on Thursday and Friday as well. On Thursday, they’ll be offering $12 domestic pitchers, and Friday they’ll have $2 off all Belgian beers and in the evening, $10 bowls of mussels. Of course, they’ll also be playing the Name Game, so if your name is Charity or Owen on Thursday or Michelle, Nickolas or Nathan on Friday, you’re drinking for free (well drinks and drafts) anyway!

Want to cheer for Arkansas-Pine Bluff to upset Duke in the first round on H Street? (Can I get a resounding, “HELL YES!” for that please?) Argonaut will be pouring $10 pitchers of their Booty Beer, $15 Red Seal and Allagash pitchers, and $15 Chocolate Stout pitchers.  Can I offer a word of warning from someone who’s been there, though?  The Chocolate Stout is seriously delicious, but also 10.3% ABV. Keep that in mind or you’ll be passed out on the Starburst before you ever get a chance to see New Mexico and Montana in San Jose tomorrow night.

So, there you have it. Check this space for updates as I get them and/or follow me on Twitter, where I’ll do my best to keep you updated on specials throughout the day. (Though, I make no guarantees that there won’t be lots of profanity, Duke-hate, or 140 characters of incomprehensible gibberish by the time the late games get underway!)