Second Fri update: Max’s to open early for women’s World Cup, Beetle blog, majority of Americans want public smoking banned, V3 Fights to honor officer

Good news for soccer fans Downtown: Max’s Sports Bar has announced that they will open at (Edit: I had 12 noon here, but now Max has posted an opening time of 12:30) on Sunday. The Women’s World Cup soccer final is at 12:45, and Max’s will be open with the sound on and the PBR flowing. If you’re a serious sports fan, there is no better watch spot in Downtown Memphis.

The Green Beetle has its own blog now at greenbeetleblog.blogspot.com. It’s maintained by the great-granddaughter of Frank who founded the Beetle in 1939. Very cool! Many bars have a Facebook and Twitter presence, but I think a blog is a great way to get news out, and also to get people more familiar with the owners, management and staff.

By the way… one thing I’ve been forgetting to mention about the Beetle is that they have a kids’ menu. That means they’re SMOKE FREE! Good for them. A new poll out reveals that for the first time, a majority of Americans support a ban on public smoking. Hopefully in a few years, public smoking will be as completely extinct as the woolly mammoth. I guess smokers will complain about their “rights” (such as the right to kill fellow bar patrons with secondhand smoke, and the right to stink up everyone’s hair and clothes), but public opinion is turning against them.

The upcoming V3 Fight night at the FedExForum, on July 23, will honor fallen MPD officer Timothy Warren. A portion of each ticket sale will go toward the fund for his family. Before the main event, featuring MPD officer and two-time defending champion Brian “The Law” Hall, a group of officers invited by V3 Fights will be honored in the octagon.

The work week is over, and Harp is the Fire Sale tonight at the Flying Saucer. Of all the Saucer’s beers, it’s closest in taste to PBR, so I’m quite happy to enjoy some $3 Harp pints. May swing by Bardog later, where their “Dog of the Day” is a Volcano Dog with cheddar, onions, and sriracha. Any hot dog with sriracha is sure to be a winner!