Pauli’s, a midtown landmark and an iconic College World Series hangout, is no more.

On Monday, longtime owner Paul Griego did the equivalent of retiring his jersey. He sold the business to regular customers John Steichen and Dave Eckley. Griego leased the space, so no building sale was involved.

The new owners plan to rename and renovate the bar, Griego said. The new owners were unavailable for comment.

In its mid-1990s heyday, the bar’s CWS beer garden drew about 3,000 people a night. If you arrived after 8 p.m., you’d have to stand in a two-block line outside the bar. In the years that followed, that line might include former University of Nebraska football stars Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch. And if you were lucky, you might see ESPN reporter Erin Andrews having a drink.

Though the Pauli’s-CWS connection remained, regulars would tell you that postgame crowds tapered off in recent years. And business further eroded when the series moved this year to TD Ameritrade Park downtown.

That, along with some other factors, compelled Griego to make a tough decision.

Monday night was the bar’s last night as Pauli’s. It is closed Tuesday, but a party room will reopen Wednesday while the rest of the bar is renovated.

After 30 years of operating the establishment, said Griego, who is widely known as a sports fanatic, "I kind of look at it as an all-time great manager or player who just didn’t want to let go."

He didn’t want to be the guy who didn’t know when to say when. The CWS move and drop in business contributed to his decision, but it wasn’t the sole reason he sold. He had been contemplating a change.

"I had a good run," said Griego, 60. "I don’t have the energy anymore."

Pauli’s was the hub of College World Series activity for decades. Nearby bars McFly’s and Castle Barrett were popular local baseball stops as well.

Griego feared that the new stadium’s location would hurt. But he said he was surprised how quickly business declined. He was proactive, teaming up with O Casual Dining & Lounge to host a downtown tent party outside the restaurant at 1015 Farnam St. in the Old Market, several blocks from the stadium. Poor attendance there, however, forced him to shut down after the second night.

Griego thought his Leavenworth spot would still be good. But most partygoers chose to stay in north downtown just a block from the ballpark, near the ball-cap vendors, food, beer-garden tents, tailgaters and thunderous roar from cheering fans inside the stadium.

"The paradigm has switched to downtown," Griego said over the summer.

Griego said walking away from Pauli’s is bittersweet.

"A lot of bars are sold and closed every day in this town, and no one notices," he said. "But people actually cared enough to call about Pauli’s, and that makes me feel good."

He hs received several inquiries from well-wishers who have either stopped in or called to share memories.

If people want to get their Pauli’s fix, Griego said, the Pauli’s bar inside Eppley Airfield will still be open.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1075, j.loza@owh.com, twitter.com/LozaFina

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