It's 8:30 p.m. and "Hawk Talk" is well under way. The radio show - put on by members of the Knighthawks Krew, a local fan group centered around Rochester's two lacrosse teams, the Knighthawks and the Rattlers - is usually aired from a home-based studio, but tonight it's live from a remote location, the Stock Exchange (28 E Main St No. 120, 454-4120), a restaurant/bar located in the First Federal Building (you know, the one that kind of looks like a UFO landed on top). The Stock Exchange - known to downtown workers and attorney types as a lunch hot spot - becomes party headquarters for lacrosse fans on game nights.
This is due in part to Krew members Tim "Knabber" Knabb and Eric "Gonzo" Driscoll, two of the hosts of the radio show, who have organized Knighthawks and Rattlers pre- and post-game parties since 1997. This is their first year partying at what Knabb calls a "hidden gem" in Rochester, and Rochester sports fans are invited to come along.
Knabb's not kidding about the hidden part. Since the bar is in a secure building, and the parties are held after normal business hours, you have to go on a small adventure to get in. It'd probably be shortened if you traveled on foot, but by car it goes like this: park in the garage beneath the building. Get security to call an elevator. Look for the deli that seems closed. Go through the door. You're in! The bar's lit up, the party's in full swing, the game's on in back and 25 to 30 fans occasionally shout and cheer, making you feel like you're hanging out at a friend's house. Then you see the Genesee River rushing past you outside. It's not a bad view - pretty, even - on this near-spring night. Smokers take it in under twinkling lights.
Knabb is easy to spot; he's the one wearing Mardi Gras beads, and a jersey with "KNABBER" printed across the back. Other friends and fans are in jerseys and caps, someone has a lacrosse stick (I assume that's the right term for it) and everyone's jovial, shouting names across the room, greeting friends, and talking about the game.
This game was out of town (Knighthawks vs. Colorado Mammoths), but when the Hawks are home, Knabb says, the party gets really rowdy. Usually 125 or so people come out for the home events, and those parties often last until the wee hours of the morning, becoming what Driscoll calls post-post parties at the Clarion across the river.
All of the parties, Driscoll says, are a chance for fans to get together, have a beer, and talk about games past and present. "It's a family," he says, one that spans seven countries and numbers 250 people total. And the events are all organized by fans, for fans.
Driscoll notes that even fans that fight in the stands get together after the game; he's seen it happen. As he says this, my companion notes someone on screen fighting with a neighbor; soon after, someone in the jersey-clad audience throws a stuffed toy across the room. It's all in good fun. More pitchers are ordered, wings are served, and conversation rises as the game heats up and the party goes on.
Though these events are open to the public, they've been kept under wraps by default since the fan club doesn't really have a website or hub. The next one happens when the Knighthawks play the Buffalo Bandits Saturday, April 12. E-mail krew@rochester.rr.com for more information.