{"id":7876,"date":"2023-07-17T12:46:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T12:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/07\/column-623-chicago-my-kinda-town\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T12:46:40","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T12:46:40","slug":"column-623-chicago-my-kinda-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/07\/column-623-chicago-my-kinda-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #623 Chicago – my kinda town!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday, July 17, 2023
\nColumn 624
\nChicago – my kinda town!<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I blew into the Windy City, I headed straight for what is arguably one of the best darts bars in the States and got blown right back out\u2026 by a computer!<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019ve probably whiled away more hours in more darts bars in more cities in more countries than most pros on the circuit. \u00a0If you doubt this just give my wife a call.<\/p>\n

From the Congo to Cleveland, I\u2019ve literally spent years in search of the elusive Holy Grail – the perfect game in the perfect darts bar. \u00a0And, of course, the perfect beer.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019ve got the credentials. \u00a0And I can assure you that when it comes to standing at the line there ain\u2019t many places better to do it than Di\u2019s Den (5100 West Irving Park Road) in Chicago. \u00a0It\u2019s without hesitation that I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for something better to do in Chicago than chomp a hotdog while the Cubs drop another game. \u00a0In business ten years, Di\u2019s is a veritable darts Mecca!<\/p>\n

The only thing more striking at Di\u2019s than its fifteen perfectly set up boards (apparently they didn\u2019t think they had enough so they bought the liquor store next door, smashed down the wall, and put up more) are the scores upon scores of plaques mounted all over the walls – testament to the fact that when it comes to darts in Chicago, Di\u2019s teams are more than a force to be reckoned with. \u00a0The place currently sponsors no less than thirty teams. \u00a0League play runs straight through the week.\u00a0 There\u2019s a blind draw on Friday nights so out-of-towners can test the competition.<\/p>\n

I dropped in on a Wednesday afternoon. \u00a0Except for the bartender and some old drunk with a spectacular scar and one of those fancy pool cue cases (which was odd, since there\u2019s absolutely nothing but darts played in this place) the joint was empty. \u00a0The smell of stale cigarette smoke still lingered from the night before. \u00a0Several tables and a couple dozen plastic chairs haphazardly occupied the center of the room, remnants also of a long night of play just ended. \u00a0It was quiet\u2026<\/p>\n

So, my options were limited. \u00a0I ordered a Budweiser and moved to one of the boards next to the bar. \u00a0My competition today was to be a DartMaster III. \u00a0Cricket. \u00a0Professional level.<\/p>\n

And what a mistake this was!<\/p>\n

I pounded the twenties with my first three darts and punched in sixty points and one mark on the nineteens. \u00a0DartMaster closed the twenties and the nineteens and chalked up fifty-seven. \u00a0The rest is almost too humiliating to write about. \u00a0DartMaster started hitting five and six marks a turn to my two or three. \u00a0I was in a rumble with a piece of machinery, and I was getting beaten up big time. \u00a0Even the old guy at the bar had a laugh\u2026<\/p>\n

So again, my options were limited. \u00a0I don\u2019t take crap from inanimate objects. \u00a0Once when I was eight years old, I kicked a Coke machine to death because the cardboard cup dropped down crooked. \u00a0Coke squirted, ricocheted off the cup and spattered onto my pants.<\/p>\n

So, really, what could I do? \u00a0After all, I was in Chicago. \u00a0If ever there was a town that ate creampuffs for lunch, this is it. \u00a0I just had no choice but to fight back\u2026<\/p>\n

I made an obscene gesture at the old man (kind of like the one Roseanne Barr made during the national anthem at Wrigley some years back) and started stabbing the DartMaster with my Hammerheads. \u00a0I was stabbin\u2019 and jabbin\u2019 like a junkyard dog – even Leroy Brown would have been proud.<\/p>\n

DartMaster started to spark…<\/p>\n

My beer tumbled on the floor. \u00a0The mug shattered. \u00a0Time slowed. \u00a0The old man stood up. \u00a0He unzipped his leather case. \u00a0He slipped out a machine gun. \u00a0CAPONE!<\/p>\n

Chicago. \u00a0My kinda town.<\/p>\n

Di\u2019s Den. \u00a0My kinda darts bar.<\/p>\n

From the Field,<\/p>\n

Dartoid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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His columns are celebrated for their wit and insight, often detailing his quest for a game in exotic locales worldwide. His writing offers vibrant commentary on the competitive darts landscape, including players, organizations, tournaments and the sport's unique culture. Dartoid's articles are highly regarded among darts enthusiasts, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in promoting and documenting darts as both a recreational pastime and professional sport."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7876"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}