A Bar for Red Sox Fans Even a Yank Would Like

"We can wear our hats here, and not worry about obnoxious Yankee fans," one Red Sox–lovin' barfly confided to me at Professor Thom's. The Yanks battled the Sox on the bar's six screens, and the regulars—many whooping like Kennedys on election night—clearly appreciated their freedom to love Big Papi in peace. Professor Thom's is the newest addition to a growing roster of drinking dugouts dedicated to keeping NYC's Sox fans in the pink. Still, it had plenty to offer this reporter, a diehard obnoxious Yankee fan since birth. The palm-sized fried-onion cheeseburger ($10.95) may have been the best we'd ever had, and the $3 Harpoon Ale special—one of 14 beers on tap, and 35 over all—reminded us why early Bostonians were willing to drown their tea, but never their beer. Though the liquor we had—amaretto sour ($4.92)—was as sweet as a ninth-inning rally, beer rules this roost, with signature brews like Stone Arrogant Bastard ($6), underscoring the importance of being earnest about one's team. From BoSoxers lolling on a leather couch to fans planning cookouts at the long wooden bar, barkeep-proprietor Jim Mcguire keeps his well-lit play area so comfy and convivial, even this Bomber fan felt at home.