DETROIT (WXYZ) — Around for more than half a century, Nemo’s Bar in Detroit has seen plenty of Opening Days.
And there are fond memories that live on, back when Tiger Stadium was just a short walk away.
“It was a different world then. It was great. It was being right there. Part way through the game, you could leave here, walk down, get a hot dog if someone to let you in, which they would, maybe watch an inning or so and then head on back. And it was simple,” said Patrick Osman, Nemo’s manager.
Osman has been the manager at Nemo’s for more than 20 years, and says while the pandemic has thrown the bar a curveball, they’re not down for the count.
“We are the baseball bar. That's what we are. We've been here a long time. We're the only ones that are still here,” he said. “People aren't traveling around anymore. There aren’t people downtown, but it's starting to pick up and it'll turn around … Downtown’s resilient. It’ll be good.”
This year, Osman says they’re looking forward to Opening Day, even if there is a level of uncertainty as to what it may bring.
“We're kind of questioning what's going to go on. There will be people around. It will be interesting. It'll be good to see. It'll be good because baseball's the start of spring — get into summer, something to look forward to,” said Osman.
With capacity limits and safety protocols in place, Osman said they are ready to celebrate baseball season, because that’s what they’ve always done, it’s in their DNA.
“We’re here to have a good time. We're here to make the customer happy. We're here to do everything safely the way we're supposed to,” he said.
And for the loyal customers Nemo’s hasn’t seen during the pandemic, a message from Manager Pat: “We miss you, we haven't seen all of you. I hope everyone's fine. I hope everyone's good. I hope everyone's positive about what's coming.”
