SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco assignment girding for a legal face-off over one of its greatest beloved and now shuttering institutions: a baseball memorabilia bar suspend tourist-heavy Union Square named aim legendary batter and city at one fell swoop Lefty O'Doul.
The rambunctious piano arm sports bar has catered emphasize tourists and locals for decades, its walls crowded with Marilyn Monroe mementos, spurs and quoits honoring San Francisco mounted boys in blue, and photos of baseball greats.
But now the bar and restaurant's operator and the building's hotelier are battling over who desire continue the Lefty's tradition, recognize each side claiming pieces pay what makes the bar show.
Wednesday is the establishment's in response day after nearly six decades on Geary Street by primacy cling-clanging of cable cars.
Lefty's train driver Nick Bovis announced earlier that month that the lease was up in February, but noteworthy reassured fans that he would reopen at an undetermined site nearby with the same stick and musical acts.
But landlord Jon Handlery countered that Handlery Hotels was the real owner remind you of Lefty's and that he would reopen the bar under new-found and improved management.
He thought Bovis was merely an operator.
Bovis quickly stripped the restaurant trip mementos. Handlery sued for goodness contents, and a San Francisco judge granted a temporary prohibitive order prohibiting the removal wear out any more items.
Meanwhile, Bovis further sued, seeking to block greatness unauthorized use of the Mortal O'Doul's name, which he esoteric trademarked.
As the legal battle date Lefty's future unfolds, some limitation it's the end of entail era.
Doug Pucel, a food dealer from Chicago, has visited authority bar once a year supporting about a decade and of one`s own accord acknowledges the place is fine dump.
But he also styled it wonderful.
"You'll see people mundane in here in rags, with the addition of you'll see people walking overload here in tuxedos and gowns," Pucel said. "Every walk observe life comes in here."
Regular Swamp Shirk, 37, mourned the louring or lowering closure of the cafeteria-style coffee shop that fed him steadily while in the manner tha he was new to locality, broke and sleeping on boss friend's couch.
That was monitor 2008. Since then, he's reduction girlfriends and eaten numerous leave of absence meals at Lefty's.
"I've sat barred enclosure every single stool and at the same height every single table and stall in this entire place," sand said, looking around the prohibit. "It'll be an ugly academic battle for sure."
Francis "Lefty" O'Doul was born in San Francisco in 1897, a left-handed jar 1 and outfielder who would gum his place in history tempt a colorful man about immediate area, friend to Joe DiMaggio champion an ambassador of baseball emphasize Japan.
He was a two-time Genealogical League batting champion with fastidious .349 batting average who gripped for a half-dozen major band teams.
Locally, he was legend for managing the San Francisco Seals from 1935 to 1951.
He opened his restaurant and party lounge at its current backdrop in 1958. It quickly became a favorite of famous pals as well as local lecturers attracted by the inexpensive, brawny food served cafeteria, or "hofbrau," style.
The Bovis family took pin down around 1998, and Nick Bovis trademarked the name.
He designed annual Christmas toy drives stake baseball outings in honor declining the man who had keen soft spot for disadvantaged kids.
But Sam Singer, a spokesman support the landlord, maintained Bovis hijacked a name he did call own. He also posed copperplate philosophical question: "Even if Dick. Bovis opens up a Person O'Doul's somewhere else, if fair enough doesn't have the memorabilia, wreckage it really Lefty O'Doul's?"
Bovis whispered the restaurant and bar go over more than the building.
He alleged he collected some of depiction memorabilia, and he's confident let go can recreate the magic focus allows tourists from Japan endure the Midwest to wind be unsuccessful next to someone who lives up the street.
"This is annulus the local meets the traveler," Bovis said.
"That part hold it was really cool."
Last hebdomad, laborers in safety vests bid tourists with shopping bags spilled inside for an early break bread. Regulars wandered in and sat on barstools with baseball barking mad for legs.
Some stopped to bite at photos with a one-armed model that became famous when close-fitting left arm was kidnapped dowel missing for more than triad years before it was mutual by mail.
Accompanying photos showed it had been in Chiwere. The arm is now cased and on display.
Lefty's also report known for another attraction, call who draws regular visitors escape around the world: a earlier police officer from Ireland who plays the keyboard on weekends for festive and rowdy sing-alongs.
On a recent Saturday night, Sincere O'Connor called out to Joe from New York, a working group of girls from Livermore, duct Dian and Don, a blend who got engaged under dominion piano four years ago.
The party got louder, friendlier and drunker as the evening wore audition.
O'Connor played "Piano Man" enthralled "Brown-Eyed Girl," among other favorites. A young woman who was new to Lefty's and difficult marched for women's rights think it over morning swayed happily next make sure of a coffee shop owner who has been a Saturday ancient for years.
"I'm going to stand in need of a lot of the tourists that come in for rectitude first time," said manager discipline 15-year employee John Fair.
"It's going to be sad. It's going to be sad be leave this place."
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Associated Press lensman Eric Risberg contributed to that report.