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Lansdowne and Brookline Avenue, Game On occupies the space where there was once—and not long ago—a fully functional bowling alley beneath Fenway Park. As much as we used to enjoy rolling grapefruit-sized balls at the candlepins at Ryan Family Amusement, we have to admit Game On is a better use of the space. Its menu features wood-fired pizzas and steaks, and its festive atmosphere offers a window through which patrons may watch visiting players hit in the batting cages. On off-days and during the off-season, fans may even take a few hacks in these cages (for a price).
THE LANSDOWNE
    9 Lansdowne St.
    www.lansdownepubboston.com/flash/
    This is one of Kevin’s favorite spots in the Fenway neighborhood. It melds a classic, more upscale Irish Pub experience with the local sports-crazed ethos.
THE BASEBAL TAVERN
    1270 Boylston St.
    www.thebaseballtavern.com/
    The highlight of this three-story establishment is its roof deck, which looks a lot like the upper right-field concession deck at Fenway. If the game’s sold out, this is a solid place to enjoy the night air, the sparkle of the nearby ballpark lights, and the roar of the crowd.
MCGREEVY’S PUB
    911 Boylston St.
    www.mcgreevysboston.com/
    Since its opening as the brainchild of Dropkick Murphys lead vocalist Ken Casey, McGreevy’s has become a staple of the Red Sox fan experience. It’s the pregame haunt of choice for fans like Kevin who can’t get enough bangers and mash or Guinness, and also for fans like Josh who can’t get enough local sports history. And it’s
the
place for anyone who likes the Dropkicks, who got their start as a basement band in Quincy in the 1990s before rising to prominence within Red Sox Nation with their 2004 remake of “Tessie,” and then gaining further street cred when Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon adopted “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” as the blaring anthem to which he would burst from the Fenway bullpen.
    To what does the name “McGreevy’s” refer, you ask? And what’s the significance of this “Tessie” song?
    Well, we’re going to tell you.
    Back in 1903, when the Pilgrims faced the Pittsburgh (spelled “Pittsburg” at the time) Pirates in the first World Series, the Red Sox “Royal Rooters” traveled by rail to the Steel City for the games at Exposition Park. The Rooters were led by Boston Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald—the maternal grandfather of future US President John F. Kennedy—and legendary Boston barkeep Mike “Nuf Ced” McGreevy—who’d earned his nickname by ending turn-of-the-century baseball debates with an authoritative “enough said.”
    After Boston fell behind three games to one, the tide turned in Pittsburgh when, according to Boston lore, the Rooters arrived at Exposition Park with a band they had commissioned just for the occasion. Throughout the fifth game, they played and sang “Tessie,” which was a number from a contemporary theatrical production called
The Silver Slipper
. The Rooters cleverly changed the lyrics to mock Honus Wagner and Pirates pitcher Brickyard Kennedy. Thus harangued, and in their home park no less, the Pirates folded. They lost 11-2 that day and lost the next three games as well.
    More than a century later, the Dropkicks released their Irish-punk version of “Tessie” and the 2004 Red Sox promptly proceeded to win the franchise’s first World Series in eighty-six years. Coincidence? We think not.
    Josh:
The ballpark gates open in fifteen minutes. We should get moving.
    Kevin:
It’s still two hours till first pitch.
    Josh:
Yeah, but you want to catch BP, don’t you? Well, don’t you???
    Kevin:
Not as much as I want to have another Guinness.
    Josh:
They sell Guinness on Fenway’s first base concourse now.
    Kevin:
I am
not
drinking Guinness out of a plastic cup.
JERRY REMY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILLE
    1265 Boylston St.
    www.jerryremys.com/
    This family-friendly restaurant is a must-visit for anyone who remembers Jerry Remy as the home team’s