One of the last places you would probably look for art is the supermarket. But as you can see from the picture above, there are stores out there that feature some of the most original creativity around via soda displays.

I’m not sure if these displays are made by store employees or the folks from the soda companies, but they are cool. The primary driver of these displays seems to be sports, especially football, and really seems to bring out the best in these artists.

I can’t imagine the precision is takes to pull this off, or how many people have been injured by a tumbling mountain of 12-packs, but I like it. I also don’t know if this has anything to do with selling soda, but I do know that you don’t want any part of the disassembly.

Have you seen any of these displays in your local store? Anything nearly as elaborate? Would this influence your soda-purchasing decisions?

H/t to Darren Rovell for the top photo, then to Last Angry Fan and @TheMostRealKung.

Those of us follow the Nats closely have been going crazy watching Jayson the last month or two. His performance has been beyond a traditional slump, and has been downright painful and miserable to watch. Even more annoying for me? The worst of his slump seems to have kicked in right after I bought his jersey, which I rocked at a few Nats games but now am almost embarrassed to wear. (Note: ALMOST. I will still wear it).

So when a certain player is getting attention for a particularly good or bad performance, what better way for a business to attract attention from the hometown fans than a promotion about how good/bad they have been? That’s what Duffy’s was thinking, and they succeeded in an idea that will get them lots of free press. The deal? On Sunday, July 24th, come into Duffy’s to watch the Nats-Dodgers game at 4 pm and you can get a 16 oz PBR, Bud or High Life for the cost of Werth’s batting average (currently .212, but could get as low as .201 by then). Not to offend any fans, Duffy’s also points out on their Faceboook invite that they are “very happy to have Werth on our team and know he’ll turn it around very soon, we’re just having a little fun.”

I’ve always known Duffy’s for cheap beer and crispy, spicy wings (they fry them in peanut oil for extra crispiness and also make their own homemade hot sauce that is VERY peppery), so I was wondering how much of a savings this actually was for the consumer. Turns out, it will be. These beers go for $3 a pop during M-F happy hour, so they are probably slightly more on weekends. So whether Jayson Werth raises his batting average in the next couple days or not, you’re still saving around a buck a beer from normal prices. But the even better part of the promotion? If you are wearing Nats gear and he gets a hit, you get a free whiskey shot. Is it a free shot for each hit? I hope so. Because if I wear my Werth jersey to Duffy’s and he goes 4-for-5, I’ll be expecting 4 shots up in this piece. This isn’t a deal that’s going to save you an earth shattering amount of money, maybe a few bucks over the course of the game, but it is a fun way for a business to tie prices to a hometown team/players performance.

Well So Good readers, not all of us are DC based. What are your favorite performance/sports related promotions of this nature you’ve seen elsewhere in the country? Was it at a bar, restaurant, pub or other food/beverage establishment? Were all of them based on a teams success? Or have you seen interesting one’s based on a teams struggles?

After the Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, making Boston the definitive titletown of the country (on the heels of the Sox, Pats and Celtics) you knew there was going to be a party. What you didn’t know was that there was going to be a receipt.

On the 18th of the month, right after the duck boat parade through the streets of beantown, the team hit Connecticut’s own Foxwoods Casino for a night of debauchery. The result? How about a bar tab of $156,679 (tip included, to the tune of $25k)?

The highlights:
$100,000: 30 liter, yes 30 liter, bottle of Ace of Spades Brut “Midas” champagne – enough said
$4,000: 4 bottles Moet champagne – pricey, but not as ridiculous
$680: 136 Bud Lights – must have been the Canadians
$525: 36 Jager Bombs – must have been the Euros
$300: 1 bottle Bacardi – there is price gouging, and then there is price gouging
$6: 1 bottle Corona – just so that every bottle of booze in the joint was accounted for

One thing to realize here is that they didn’t throw a party for all of downtown – this was just for the team. With 26 guys on the roster, that comes to about $6k a head… but after 39 years, well worth it.

Do you see anything on the receipt worth calling out?

H/t to The Tony Kornheiser Show for the tip and Busted Coverage for the pic.

So which time-honored finger foods will you place upon that coffee table altar this Sunday? Wings? Pizza? Chips and dip? Let us know, and post your recipes in the comments. You never know when someone may be searching for snack inspiration!

Note that you can select multiple answers. Being a Wisconsinite (Go, Pack, Go!), these choices are taken from the basic repertoire of game day foods around my home turf. I’m sure they vary by region, so if I’m missing a big staple in your area, represent. Your football brethren need you.

A friend recently directed me to an article in the New York Post, which describes a dinner celebration in Las Vegas, where arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was enjoying his victory over “Sugar” Shane Mosley on May 1.  Here’s where the story gets interesting:

“When they were served their well-done steaks, Mayweather’s brother asked if the restaurant had any A.1. The server said no, but a bottle of A.1. was instantly produced from Floyd’s ‘cash bag,’ a tote the boxer uses to carry US currency that he ‘rains’ on crowds at nightclubs.”

Now I don’t have to tell the well-educated readers of So Good that anyone who orders a well-done steak at a nice restaurant should really not be allowed out in public; that’s obvious.  What’s equally curious, but far more compelling, is that Mayweather carries around a bag-o-cash to throw out onto the “little people” that he comes across at nightclubs.  Reminds me of Brewster’s Millions… incredible. 

However, the craziest part of this whole description is that the clearly eccentric boxer (think Howard Hughes with abs and fewer bottles of urine) apparently cannot live without his A.1.  For goodness sake, he carries it with him wherever he goes, along with his rain-making kit.  I have heard of some wackos bringing hot sauce with them to restaurants, but steak sauce?  How much meat are you planning on eating?  And it’s not like this condiment works with a wide range of food.  But then again, maybe I am missing out – A.1. on salad, A.1. on shrimp cocktail, heck, A.1. on my chocolate volcano.  Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it, and certainly don’t knock it around Mayweather – that is, until after the rain blows through.

So now that we are one-game into his career it’s time to reflect on what this young man means to the game of…uh no it’s not.  It’s time to name a burger after this dude!  You know attention-hungry restaurant owners just looooove naming burgers after celebrities. Heck, Spike of Top Chef fame and owner of Good Stuff Eatery was just on The View promoting his Obama burger.  So when your last name is “Strasburg” you are just a tiny little “ER” away from creating – dun, dun, dun, dun! The Strasburger!

DC Sports Bog counts 4 different iterations of the Strasburger so far in DC, but the one that seems to be getting the most attention is the version from BGR The Burger Joint:

Photo via DCist

So what is a Strasburger from BGR?

A hot dog atop a burger smothered in aged Vermont cheddar…the hot dog, symbolizing his professional debut on the Phoenix Desert Dogs in 2009, will be topped with “Syracuse Orange” aged Vermont cheddar, representing his promotion to the Triple A- Syracuse Chiefs in May 2010, and placed on top of the iconic BGR burger patty, signifying his current home on the Nationals.

Additionally, BGR announced they would add one pickle to the burger for each strikeout Strasburg got in his debut, which means this bad boy is now being topped with FOURTEEN pickles.  If you are a pickle hater you probably just threw up a little in your mouth, but for pickle lovers this is a triumph of monumental proportions, as no regular burger place is ever going to serve you a burger with that many pickles on it.

DCist reviewed the burger today, and comments on the hot dog/extreme number of pickles combo:

The burger patty itself was juicy and cooked to a nice medium pink, but between the insane number of pickles and the hot dog, I could barely taste the beef. The Strasburger also suffers from structural integrity issues thanks to that tall stack of toppings

I’ve never been to BGR, and I’m  not inclined to try this burger since I don’t want it to be the sole arbiter of whether or not I love or hate BGR. I mean I like pickles, but I generally dislike hot dogs.  Plus at $10.99, I’m not a fan of the price (for those pointing out that $1 of each Strasburger sale goes to charity – that’s swell.  But it still costs me $10.99 right? It does? Great).

If any So Good readers get to try a Strasburger, head on back to this post and let us know how it is.

In a new marketing campaign recently seen in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and Us Weekly, Gatorade (from the PepsiCo family of products) has begun to take on what it deems as a prime competitor: tap water.  Gatorade’s slogan? “Water has no carbs. Water has no electrolytes. Water has no game.”  Now water may have no game, but unfortunately for Gatorade, is also has no cost. 

Where Gatorade has been brilliant in the past is selling sports drinks to people who start sweating when they walk from their barcalounger to the fridge for the other half of the 6-foot-sub.  Do these people really need electrolyte replacement?  But to now try to convince people that paying for slightly salty favored water for a few bucks a pop is better than what is coming out of the tap for free?  In this economy?*  Come on.  Now I am a fan of Gatorade, as mentioned previously here, but once or twice I have actually ridden a bike or run around town.  And for those pursuits, Gatorade is worthwhile.  The same does not apply to soccer moms, or teens combing the local malls.  The problem is that these consumers spend the real moolah in this country, which is why Gatorade is after them.  However, for them, tap water is not only a sound financial choice, but all their bodies need.  Spewing out scientific mumbo-jumbo will not refute this point.  Good luck taking on tap water Gatorade, you’re going to need it. 

H/T to SBD and Jeremiah McWilliams c/o AJC for the scoop. 
*Sorry I had to drop this one.

Banned Bud Light ad:

Banned Rolling Rock ad:

Here’s one that should have been banned, for totally seperate reasons:

Wavy Lay’s:

Finally, here is a list of advertisers who are approved heading into Sunday’s big game.  Hopefully there are some good ones in there.