The line snaked around the charcoal Hugo Boss mannequins, extended past the neatly-arranged display of striped Lacoste polo shirts and tucked between the Calvin Klein and Michael Kors autumn apparel collections.

As cardboard posters bearing Dan Marino’s likeness and career accomplishments padded a makeshift stage on the second floor of Macy’s in the Dadeland Mall, one night before Halloween, hundreds of shoppers dressed in their favorite Miami Dolphins throwbacks and dug out beloved No. 13 memorabilia in hopes of snagging a priceless memory with the greatest player in team history.

Nearly an hour before the meet-and-greet was scheduled to start, a DJ began blasting remixed versions of familiar ‘Jock Jams’ through the department store speakers – Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” was a particular crowd-pleaser – while a fellow employee in an eggplant suit jacket tried to hype anxious fans by rattling off Marino’s impressive highlights.

None of the excitement appeared to faze our 20-month-old toddler, Charlie, who – with his bedtime on the horizon – began acting like a cranky, restless 20-month-old toddler, sprinting in the opposite direction, intentionally grounding crackers and spiking cubes of cheese in protest rather than celebration.

Considering we’d already waited in one line to make a qualifying purchase, followed by another to secure a color-coded wristband that corresponded with our place in the autograph queue, it was hard to blame him. Luckily, with most Macy’s clerks focused on instructing customers and curious onlookers, an unmanned cash register served as a welcome distraction, as Charlie pushed buttons, giggled at the cacophonous beeps and error messages, and quickly discovered how to print blank paper receipts.

Although Marino arrived a half-hour late, to his credit, the Hall of Famer – decked in a slim-fitting black suit and matching tie – made sure to shake each fan’s hand and personalize autographs, listening intently to variations of similar anecdotes he’d undoubtedly heard for decades.

Charlie could barely keep his head up and eyes open by the time it was our turn to meet his our Dolphins hero, gazing silently as an event staffer handed us a trio of black, Hugo Boss embossed footballs and borrowed my iPhone to snap nearly two dozen photos.

After we shared a few kind words with the former NFL MVP – informing him of DolfansNYC’s growth and proud commitment to charitable endeavors – a smiling, nodding Marino high-fived Charlie and gently patted him on the head, penning ‘Go Deep’ above his signature with a silver sharpie.

Charlie may be too young to realize the significance of that moment, but one day, he’ll understand not only the meaning of the inscription, but the sentimental value of joining his parents and grandfather in a snapshot of three generations of Dolphins fans alongside their football idol.

And Dan, when that time comes, he’ll be sure to take you up on your offer.

Last weekend we headed down for Miami for a convergence of two events. First we had the annual Web Weekend which is a conference of people who run Miami Dolphins web sites that has been hosted by the Dolphins for the last 12 years. Michelle and I became friends there so the birth of Dolfans NYC came out of that event. The second event is the Dolphins Fan Club Weekend which is a gathering of fan clubs from around the country
for a home game. Unfortunately since we are part of both weekends we can’t go to all the events but we had a great time anyway. Oh and the game was pretty good too…

Let’s see if I can give you guys a quick rundown of the event.

FRIDAY:

On Friday we went to the team training facility and got to listen to a bunch of people talk and we did a little Q&A with everyone. The highlight was of course Coach Campbell but we also got to talk to Matt Darr, Rishard Matthews and Mike Tannenbaum which was pretty awesome. Darr might have been the most interesting speaker actually because he talked a lot about what it’s like being an undrafted free agent with almost no hope of making the team, but it was all pretty great. Fortunately our resident journalist, Alex Kramers, wrote up the Campbell talk and he got a few moments to himself with Rishard Matthews!

SATURDAY:

Web Weekend on Saturday always starts with a community service event with the Dolphins “Special Teams”. This particular Saturday we helped Feeding South Florida pack up expired but still good food to give to families in need. And by “we” I mean everyone else because I slept 90 minutes the night before and was dead to the world. Luckily we made a $250 donation Feeding SF so I feel a bit less guilty.

Saturday afternoon was our chance to tour the practice faculties, check out the Nick Saban Memorial Bubble, and eat in the team cafeteria. After that we had the Miami Dolphins Webbie Awards that are given out by the team and voted on by other Miami Dolphins sites. For the third or fourth year in a row we won the Eddie Jones award for community service which is what we strive for. So I want to thank everyone who has helped us raise money for charity ever year. Speaking of which we donated $5000 to the Miami Dolphins Foundation which was a great thing to be able to do. Thanks again! (Oh we also won the Webbie for best use of social networking which I got to keep cause I run all that stuff! Woo!)

Between Webbies we got to talk to some more people including CEO Tom Garfinkel (who is always incredibly interesting to talk to) and Dolphins legend Tony Nathan who has a movie in theaters now about his life! I cannot wait to see Woodlawn now that I know it’s about him. Tony was wearing an Alabama hat so we had to give him a Dolphins NYC hat and he actually wore it to the Dolphins game the next day when has an honorary captain! Amazing! The webbies ended with a media roundtable where we got to ask  of Dolphins journalists a bunch of questions. The roundtable featured Adam Beasley, Andrew Abramson, Andy Cohen, Alain Poupart and Dolphins great Kim Bokamper. Afterwards we gave Kim a Dolfans NYC shirt which makes up for the time that he let me take home a menu from his restaurant… speaking of…

After the webbies we went over to Bokamper’s to meet up with the Fan Club Weekend crew. We had about 25 people in Miami for the game so it was good to see Crazy Uncle Billy and the crew. We just missed Solo D’s performance but I think he is gonna play both the #MetLifeTakeover AND the Takeover preparty so I wasn’t too upset about it.

SUNDAY:

What can I even say about Sunday? It was the best first half I have ever seen in my life. There was even an insane storm during part of it but I just stayed in my seat and got wet. What a blast that was. The second half wasn’t quite as exciting but it was still a great time and honestly I thought I was going to pass out if I had to sing our fight song again!

So yeah, amazing weekend and it was awesome to see everyone and be in Miami. Big extra thanks to Scott Stone and Sergio Xiques for throwing the Web Weekend and Fan Club Weekend for us.

Oh and see you guys tonight at Slattery’s for Thursday night football!!!

Last weekend I headed down to DC with a van full of Dolfans NYC members to support our brothers to the south. NOVA Dolfans and The Valley Finatics were doing their best #MetLifeTakeover impression in Washington called the DC Shutdown. After the NOVA Dolfans came to our takeover a few years ago they were really inspired and spent nearly two years planning this thing. Dolfans NYC did all we could to help them with this thing but they really killed it last weekend and I am glad we had a bunch of our crew there to support them.

Saturday night there was a party at the Mellow Mushroom in Herndon, VA. It’s the NOVA Dolfans home base and although a hippie pizza place is an odd choice for a sports bar, it was a blast. Solo D did his thing and our buddies Paul Picken and Stephen Daniels hosted the event all night. Even OJ McDuffie showed up! It was great.

The next day there was a huge tailgate but Dolfans were EVERYWHERE. DC only gets a Dolphins game every 8 years and it’s an easy drive from NYC all the way down to North Carolina. Ever Phins fan on the east coast seemed to be there and we actually ended up tailgating with a totally different crew because they let us use their grill (the NOVA guys had a catering company). Of course we still made our appearances and partied with those guys for a while.

The game itself left a lot to be desired but in the end we got a win and Dolfans totally took over the game. The DC Shutdown crew was in one end and then all the Dolfans that bought tickets on their own seemed to be on the visitors sideline lower level. The combination of these to huge packs of Phins fans with the hundreds of other Dolfans there created a lot of noise and you could hear us clearly on TV. The whole thing was a blast.

I thought I was going to take a ton of photos during the party and the tailgate but I ended up doing none of that. I did get a big group portrait at the Mellow Mushroom and a nice shot of my friend Kathleen doing a selfie with OJ McDuffie so I figured I would post those two shots but that’s really all I got.

Anyway, see you guys on Sunday at 4pm at Slattery’s Midtown Pub! I can’t wait to get back to our bar! Phins up!

Miami Dolphins own Branden Albert has partnered with St. Louis Ram’s DE Chris Long to raise money for Chris’ charity Waterboys.org. The charity raises money to build wells for clean drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Aside from being an amazing cause, Chris Long came up with a great idea: If building a well costs $45,000 he could challenge one player from every NFL team to raise $45,000 and by seasons end they should hopefully have enough to build 32 wells.

Branden Albert is in 7th place right now but I know Dolfans can do better than that! Let’s show everyone that Dolphins fans are the best fans in the NFL. Dolfans NYC started things off with a $571 dollar donation but there is a long way to go!

Donating should be it’s own reward (and it’s tax deductible!) but I figured we could sweeten the pot. Anyone who makes a $25 donation we will give a shout out and follow on Twitter or send some Dolfans NYC stickers in the mail or something. First person to donate $100 can have our 300 level season tickets to the home opener vs the Buffalo bills. Anyone else who donates $100 will get a $20 credit for Dolfans NYC merch to be used at Slattery’s Midtown Pub or the #MetLifeTakeover.

Update: If you donate forward the confirmation to dolfansnyc@gmail.com. Thanks!

Let’s help our Pro Bowl  LT build a well! 

In unrelated news the fourth preseason game is no longer on national TV so we will NOT be doing an event at Slattery’s this Thursday but we will be ready to go for week one! See you at the bar!

Okay Dolfans, you might have noticed that we didn’t update this site much during the off season but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working on a bunch of stuff in the mean time. There are enough Dolphins blogs out there that you don’t need our take on what’s going on, but as we get closer to week one I think it’s time for an update. We have a bunch of stuff going on this season so let’s go week by week.

• September 3rd – Preseason Game 4 against Tampa Bay:
  • Our bar Slattery’s Midtown Pub IS showing the game. It’s the only nationally televised game and Dolfans NYC will be in the building, BUT there are events booked upstairs so it’s going to be more of a low key thing. Will be a fun time hanging out but not a real Dolfans NYC event. Game 4 of the preseason is always awful anyway.
• September 13th – Week 1 against Washington:
  • Dolfans NYC is supporting our Dolfan brothers to the south NOVA Dolfans who are throwing the “DC Shutdown” a similar event to our #MetLifeTakeover. They are doing a party the night before as well with our buddy Solo D performing. You can get tickets and find out more info here.
  • Because of our support for the DC Shutdown event we are not going to be throwing a huge party at Slattery’s like we normally do on week one. That’s not to say Slattery’s won’t be packed but we won’t be doing any raffles or anything like that. And don’t worry DJ Tropic will still be DJing.
• September 20th – Week 2 against Jacksonville:
  • THIS is the big Slattery’s kick off party! We are going to be doing a bunch of raffles all game and will have brand new Dolfans NYC merch for sale and maybe a few surprises. You should be at Slattery’s every week, but Week 2 is going to be a big one!
• October 4th – Week 4 against the Jets in London:
  • This game starts at 9:30am! Slattery’s will be open at 8am and we will be doing breakfast. We will have bagels and coffee and I am sure some drink specials like Bloody Mary’s. Should be a really fun event.
• October 25th – Week 7 against Houston:
  • This is the second annual Fan Club Weekend in Miami. A huge crew of Dolfans NYC members are traveling to Miami for the game to meet up with fan clubs across the country (and world)! You can still get tickets to sit with us if you guys want to go. Just email dolfansnyc@gmail.com with the subject “Fan Club Weekend” for details!
• November 29th – 2015 #MetLifeTakeover
  • This is the big one! Our infamous #MetLifeTakeover! Last year we had 1200 Dolfans sitting together and I would love to see us beat that this year. We are doing a big catered tailgate with entertainment and food and it should be an amazing time. We are really blowing it up this year! Plus there will be a party at Slattery’s the night before. So get ready for a hell of a weekend!
  • SIGN UP FOR THE TAKEOVER HERE!!

In January 1973 Garo Yepremian lined up for a field goal kick that would have put the Dolphins up 17 to nothing against the Redskins in Super Bowl VII. The kick was blocked but bounced right back into Yepremian’s hands. He saw an open receiver and tried to throw him the ball. The ball slipped out of his tiny Armenian hands and was returned for a touchdown by Mike Bass. Fortunately the Dolphins would win 14-7 but Garo spent the rest of his life hearing about that throw. Garo died on Friday at the age of 70 and that one play should not be the last thing we think of when we think of the Dolphins place kicker.

I was born nearly a decade after the Dolphins 1972 undefeated season and obviously never watched Garo play, but that team is part of every Dolfans consciousness and for me Garo was my favorite player. I once bought a signed Garo jersey just so I would have a jersey of his to wear. And why did I love this player I had never seen play so much?

Well to begin with he was a good football player. He was instrumental in introducing soccer style kickers into the NFL and won many a game for the Dolphins. Although I couldn’t find the story anywhere online, I heard that Garo used to kick the ball into the stands so often that the notoriously cheap Joe Robbie put up the now standard nets behind the goal posts so that he wouldn’t have to buy new balls every week.

Aside from being a great football player he was someone any American should look up to. His story of coming to America from Cypress to try to get an education has been told in every obituary of the kicker. He spoke four languages and made ends meet selling his own brand of ties during the off season. He spent his life after football as a motivational speaker and started the Garo Yepremian Foundation to raise money for brain cancer research after his daughter in low was lost to the disease… the same disease that later took his life.

But the reason I loved Garo was because he was hilarious. From his famous “I keek a touchdown!” to his diminutive stature and bald head to the throw that made him the laughing stock of the NFL, Garo always had a sense of humor. He starred in a fantastic Right Guard commercial back in the 70’s and once again made fun of his throw in the Reebok “Perfectville” commercials back in 2008. He threw Obama a pass at the white house and he made Dolfans laugh at every signing and public appearance. The guy was just happy to be alive and it kills me that he’s gone.

As an adult I have stepped back from hoarding the Dolphins memorabilia that I collected as a kid but one of the things I still collect is Miami Dolphins vinyl records. I was a big music collector and the cross over between music and Dolphins was too hard to pass up. It started out with a 45RPM copy of the Dolphins fight song and continued with dozens of records including a copy of the record that Garo recorded in 1973.

In honor of Garo Yepremian I wanted to share with you the two songs Garo recorded with the help of a man named Ted Lampidis. The A side to the record is called Yepremian’s Lament and it tells the story of that fateful throw and how sad he was after he threw that pass. It’s kind of amazing and features an unnecessary amount of castanets. The B side is a love story in both English and what I assume is Armenian (maybe Greek?). It’s pretty adorable.

Lastly, and most importantly Dolfans NYC made a $500 donation to the Garo Yepremian Foundation. One of my friends died of brain cancer at 25 and it’s extra horrifying because not only is it killing you but it can do terrible and unpredictable things to you along the way. My friend woke up one day and couldn’t feel one half of his body it was awful. The disease took the lives of both Garo and his daughter in law and in his memory not only are we donating the $500 but we are asking you to donate as well. We will match any donation you guys make up to another $500. It would be really amazing as a group if we could raise $1500. So if you make a donation (tax deductible!) send us an email (dolfansNYC@gmail.com), or let us know over on our Facebook page and we will match your donation.

Thanks for reading this, and let’s try and remember Garo for all the amazing things and not the one bad play. We will miss you Garo, the original Miami Dolphins #1!

I admit I have done a terrible job updating this website. We had a draft party at Slattery’s and I promoted it via Facebook and Twitter but I totally forgot to do an update on the website. The party was a great success and it seems like our draft could be something pretty special as well. Just getting Mike Hull as an UDFA seems like a huge steal not to mention Jay Ajayi in the fifth round and having Parker on the board in the first without having to trade up to get him. All good things.

It might be years before we figure out how this draft really looks, but we don’t have to wait long to get tickets for the next #MetLifeTakeover!

The game is November 29th which happens to be Thanksgiving weekend for the third year in a row. That’s obviously a pain for some people traveling for the holiday but at least it’s a day game this year!

We have created a sign up page to RSVP for tickets. We are essentially using this sign up as a way to explain the process and create a mailing list so as soon as we have tickets in our hands we can start selling them to you guys.

This year we are going to be giving out the best seats first so the sooner you get your money in the better your seats. Usually Michelle agonizes on the seating charts but this year it’s just first come first serve so sign up and then as soon as you get an email from us get us money!

This year the seats are slightly more expensive because the game is a Sunday. Apparently Monday Night Football is a little less attractive since people have jobs and stuff. So tickets are $65. Sunday game also means we are going to do a proper tailgate but that info will come later. You’ll be able to spend like $10-20 and not have to worry about anything. We just need to figure out the logistics and that probably won’t happen until the season actually starts.

There is also an option to get a seat on our charter bus that will leave from Slattery’s before the game and come back after. That’s always a fun experience if you have done it with us in the past. Nothing like sitting on a bus packed with Phins fans after a win. The seat on the bus is $25 which is only about $10 than the buses from Penn Station and you don’t have to wait in a line with Jets fans.

So anyway, sign up now and as soon as we buy the tickets we will send you an email. Phins up!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2015 #METLIFETAKEOVER! 

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