Unless something changes. Doubt RU would go to Mayo Bowl to play Va Tech again.
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Rate Bowl Against Kansas State Dec. 26 in Phoenix
- Thread starter Knight Shift
- Start date
Stop by on the way down, if you are driving! We will be in Sedona.
It's at Chase Field, a baseball stadium, and sideline tickets are over $150/each.
Airfare from Newark $700+… what a shame. Would have loved to go back there, but that is insane.
Love the location but hate the date. Looks like I won’t be able to relive the Insight bowl experience.
Thanks man, but will probably fly down Christmas Day.
Cannot imagine those prices will hold as we get closer to game day.
From what I understand, Arizona is warm. Can't say that I'm thrilled playing KSU again. But, playing at a baseball stadium?! Ugh. It's the Pinstripe Bowl of the West.
You can get cheap airfares to Las Vegas and drive from there… only 4 hour drive
and Greasy Tony's not there anymore
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT C The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/12/27 Tuesday Page: 045 Section: SPORTS Edition: FINAL Size:
1386 words
Series: THE ULTIMATE RUTGERS ROAD TRIP: DAY 10
A taste of home
Knights fans still an chew at Greasy Tony's
By KEVIN MANAHAN
STAR-LEDGER STAFF - TEMPE, Ariz.
They recalled him from a time when their cholesterol counts were higher
than their SAT scores. As Rutgers students, they would stagger into his
joint on the corner of Easton Avenue and Somerset Street, usually drunk
from a fraternity party, and order from a menu that should have
contained a warning from the surgeon general.
That was decades ago. These days, Tony Giorgianni, the 75-year-old owner
of Greasy Tony's Steak House, has relocated to the corner of East
University Drive and Rural Road, here on the edge of the Arizona State
University campus. And he has taken every single gram of fat with him.
Yesterday, more than a dozen Rutgers football fans, in town for
tonight's Insight Bowl, had lunch at the joint that got them through
college, and it was exactly how they remembered it: the elfin owner, the
hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, the drippy food and, of course, the motto:
"No charge for the extra grease."
In a strange coincidence, their favorite college hangout from yesteryear
is now in the West, just a long field goal from Chase Field, where
Rutgers will play its first bowl game in 27 years, against Arizona
State. For two hours yesterday, the Scarlet Appetites scarfed down
cheese steak and pizza, guzzled beer and relived old times.
"How good is this?" alumnus and Metuchen resident Erik Dienemann said.
"Greasy Tony's is here. Rutgers is in a bowl game here. You can't make
this up."
When The Star-Ledger had arrived at the next-to-last stop on its road
trip, Dienemann and Paul Piniero, Jersey guys and RU grads, were sitting
outside by the Greasy Tony's sign, waiting for their cab. They had come
straight from the airport, wolfed down a couple of soaked cheese steak
subs and were headed to the hotel. When they heard more RU fans were on
the way, they slipped the cabby a few bucks and stayed.
They pointed out the owner.
Giorgianni stands about 5-3, with wispy hair that's a mix of brown and
gray. In Rutgers history, he is an icon. His fast-food restaurant hopped
from one corner of the intersection to another during his 30 years in
New Brunswick until he was forced out in the early 1990s, when his lot
was claimed by eminent domain and a university complex was built.
Giorgianni moved his business to Tempe. Why Tempe? Well, one day as he
was driving through the college town, the engine on his new car seized.
During his weeklong wait for the repair, he craved a cheese steak, so he
went into a local joint and ordered one. He took a bite. Then spit it
out.
"You call this cheese steak?" he asked the owner. "I'll show you cheese
steak."
Greasy Tony's, the western bureau, was created. He also opened a place
in Tucson.
Local food critics have raved about the place in Tempe. Each year it is
listed among the top 10 late-night restaurants in the Phoenix area. But,
as the food critic from the Phoenix New Times found out, it's a place
for fearless eaters.
He tried to order pizza with pineapple.
"We don't serve girlie pizza," Giorgianni told him.
They don't serve girlie anything. Way back when, the Trash Can put
Greasy Tony's on the map - a laminated map, of course. It's an aptly
named sub of steak, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, hot peppers,
onions and mushrooms, all shoveled into a roll. You have to eat it fast,
because the grease dissolves the bread like acid on plastic.
"Mmmm," said Rob Ettenson, Class of '81, as he crammed one into his
face.
Then there's the weight lifter special: turkey, ham, pepperoni, salami,
bologna, roast beef, chicken and provolone.
"You might as well put a cow between two pieces of bread," RU alumnus
Joel Potter said.
The decor is "Sanford and Son." There are photos on the wall of Albert
Einstein, Bruce Willis, Laurel and Hardy, Humphrey Bogart and the Three
Stooges. Why? Because Tony likes 'em, that's why. Bulletin boards
scattered on the wall contain montages of cut-up photos, mostly smiling
customers. Neon beer signs hang here and there. The floor is red and
black tile. There are five booths, two tables. Not much of the furniture
matches.
There's a TV. It was showing "Springer." A small audience was huddled
around it.
Because there's a sign that says "Cash only," there's an ATM - right
next to the old-fashioned bubble gum machines that dispense 50-cent
tattoos. You can play Street Fighter, an arcade video game from, oh, the
Reagan administration.
Ettenson, editor of Inside Santa Fe magazine, stumbled onto the place
nine years ago when he was driving through the area on business. He saw
the sign and thought, "Nah, it couldn't be." He went inside and asked.
Holy hoagie, Batman! He had rediscovered a piece of his youth, even if
his recollections were blurred.
"I spent a lot of time at Greasy Tony's," he said. "But most of it was
at 2 a.m. when I was drunk. I don't remember."
He remembered this, however: A Theta Chi frat brother once tried to
bring home a Trash Can at 2 a.m. one weekend night, but by the time he
reached the frat house, the grease had soaked through the wrapper. The
sandwich tumbled to the floor.
"But he scooped up the scraps and ate it anyway," Ettenson said.
Potter, who spent two years at graduate school at the Livingston campus,
lives in San Diego. He drove through the night for the Greasy Tony's
reunion. He almost didn't make it. A flat tire left him stranded. With
the coyotes howling, he called the road service.
"What town are you in, sir?" the woman asked.
"I'm not in a town," he said. "I'm in the desert. Hurry!"
Turns out, he was 80 miles from Buckeye, Ariz. - site of the nearest
service station. But the tow-truck driver arrived in 45 minutes. Last
time someone moved that fast, he was on his way to the bathroom after
one of Tony's Jackpots - steak, sausage, pepperoni, onions, salami,
Cotto salami (because one kind of salami isn't enough), spiced ham, bell
peppers, mushrooms and provolone.
Steve Tracey, a Bridgewater resident and '78 graduate, told a story
about a stabbing at Greasy Tony's in 1975. But he made it clear: If the
food couldn't scare him away, an assault with a deadly weapon certainly
wouldn't.
Suddenly, the room went dark. Carl Schwartz, a walking eclipse at 6-6
and 250 pounds, was in the doorway. The man from Marlboro gave Tony a
bearhug.
"You're the reason I'm this big," Schwartz said.
Somebody asked: This big (with a hand indicating height) or this big
(with a hand estimating girth)? The place broke up.
"Both," Schwartz said.
Actually, Schwartz is an amazing specimen. He is 50 but looks 40, thanks
to clean living and about 40 vitamins a day for 40 years. Vitamin C.
Vitamin D. Vitamin E. You name it. He can have the cheese steak. It's
okay. He has built up enough immunity.
Most of these guys - members of the Scarlet National Internet message
board - had never met each other. So, one by one, as they arrived, it
was like an AOL chat room party. They introduced themselves by their
message-board names: "Hi, I'm FanDiego," or Madhat, or Santa Fe Scarlet,
or RC78Fan.
Before long, Giorgianni broke out the black-and-white photos from the
old days. There was a lot of howling as everyone looked at the crazy
clothing and the long hair and identified some of the faces. When they
were stuffed and their faces hurt from all of the chewing and laughing,
it was time to go. Little by little, the party dissolved.
Schwartz and his son were the last to leave. That's because 19-year-old
Neil, with the metabolism of a jackhammer, was working on his second
Trash Can. As the kid stuffed the sandwich into his pie hole, the old
man smiled.
"It's the passing of the baton," he said.
________________________________
If we win this game, I would imagine Greg has a good record in baseball stadiums. His agent can use that stat to get another extension out of rutgers
The Yankees might be looking at Greg because he is a proven winner
( when the game is in a baseball stadium)
I love Phoenix and Scottsdale, but December 26 is a tough sell.
Played baseball in several MSBL World Series over the years. Great place for a vacation...plenty of resorts, great food, golf, tennis, horseback riding, museums, and a day trip to see Sedona colors is a must.
Spent a week in Carefree when Rutgers played in the Insight bowl and stayed at the same resort with Charlie Weis family.
ND was playing in the Phoenix Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. Weis's mother told us about the mistakes made by her son during the season...she was correct - ND lost to Ohio State.
Played baseball in several MSBL World Series over the years. Great place for a vacation...plenty of resorts, great food, golf, tennis, horseback riding, museums, and a day trip to see Sedona colors is a must.
Spent a week in Carefree when Rutgers played in the Insight bowl and stayed at the same resort with Charlie Weis family.
ND was playing in the Phoenix Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. Weis's mother told us about the mistakes made by her son during the season...she was correct - ND lost to Ohio State.
It's been 18 years. I imagine she's in a retirement home by now and/or her assets are dragging just a little too much for rock n roll these days!
It's a shame Santa Claus, Arizona Ghost Town has been demolished. Great stop along the way!
Here's how an Arizona town went from Christmas Wonderland to holiday horror
Deep in Mohave County sat Santa Claus, Arizona: A holiday-themed wonderland that crumbled away. It was torn down this year. Here's its story.
www.12news.com
What normally happens at a game like this? Do ticket prices fall dramatically (or rise) ? If you don't care where you sit, is it the type of game where you can just walk up and get a ticket on game day and does that cost more/less?
Any bowl game that I’ve been to other than the Rose Bowl has been very easy to use the “personal upgrade” of seating choice. I don’t expect this to be much different
Could you explain that a little more in detail. Are you saying an advanced ticket purchase is necessary?
I mean you can pretty much sit wherever you want. I’d wait until the day or two before the game, there will be ample cheap tickets available.
Thank you Rutgers Chris, appreciate the information.
Such great memories from that trip and season. I’ll never forget all of the Rutgers fans staying after we had lost to continue the “Let’s Go Rutgers!” chant to show our appreciation for that team.
? Check Orbitz. See $383 RT.
