The Brooklyn Papers / Tom Callan

Eyeing 'jack': Revelers enjoy the 40-foot by 5-foot red clay bocce court inside Floyd, NY on Atlantic Avenue. Bowlers attempt to roll their large balls closest to the small

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The weekly drink specials are not what’s enticing night crawlers to Floyd, NY, a new bar on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights. It isn’t the eclectic tunes on the jukebox or the hip crowd hanging around, either. Instead, revelers are drawn by a good, old-fashioned game of bocce.

Inspired by a bar with a couple of outdoor bocce ball courts and a Winnebago selling cans of Budweiser for a dollar in southern Florida, Floyd co-owners Andy Templar and Jim and Pam Carden picked up two truckloads of red clay from Staten Island and started building.

"What I loved about the place in Florida is that it was out in the middle of nowhere and still it attracted all sorts of people," Jim Carden, 36, told GO Brooklyn.

Floyd, named after Pam Carden’s hometown of Floyd, Iowa, opened on Aug. 30. It’s not in the middle of nowhere, but its bocce court is in a place where one would least expect to find it - inside. (To those who have never ventured into Carroll Gardens or Bensonhurst, bocce is an Italian game similar to lawn bowling that uses wooden balls on a long, narrow court covered in dirt or gravel.)

Past the dimly lit lounge and a lengthy, crowded bar, a faint glow shines from the 40-foot by 5-foot bocce court, fully equipped with wooden borders and clay dirt.

Here, unlike a traditional bocce court, you won’t find old Italian men decked out in white or cigar smoke lingering in the air; the only language spoken is an ongoing babble of drunken cheers and jeers for the players.

Curious onlookers, from teachers to law school students, sip pints of beer and watch each play while the likes of Luscious Jackson and The Clash emanate from the jukebox.

"Our overall [prerequisite] for music in the jukebox was that it had to have a raw quality, nothing overproduced - OK, except Prince because you can’t not include him," said Jim Carden.

Behind the court, one chalkboard lists the rules of the game while another, hanging loosely on a brick pillar, allows patrons to sign up for a match as they please.

In the midst of it all, friends and bocce ball teammates Erik Nadoban, 31, and Paul Glankler, 39, of Cobble Hill were heating things up on the court on a recent night.

"We’re on our third game," Nadoban said, "but that doesn’t mean that we’re the champions of the game. We’re only better than the two previous teams."

Nadoban and Glankler played in five matches before they were knocked out.

The rules of the game are relatively simple: a small plastic ball called the "pallino" or "jack," similar in size and style to a pingpong ball, is tossed onto the court. Opposing teams then toss larger, heavier balls in the direction of the pallino. Points are awarded to the team whose balls land closest to the pallino.

At Floyd, the first team to score seven points wins. Although seven points may sound like a few quick games, some matches can last more than 30 minutes as teams concentrate on displacing their opponent’s balls, scoring only one point per game. Sometimes the competition is so heated that measuring tape is required to detrmine the distance between each team’s balls.

The Cardens and Templar plan to start a bocce league on Sunday and Monday nights that will run similar to a bowling league with round robin play and tournaments. Anyone can play, and cash and other prizes will be awarded.

Around the court, players and observers become fast friends (some even become bocce ball partners), strategies are shared, and beers are passed around.

"We want to make friends with our neighborhood," said head bartender Colin Hodges, 29, of Carroll Gardens. "Our motto is to always keep an affordable, cheap option for people."

One of Floyd’s "cheap options" is the "Crap-a-copia." For $12, beer guzzlers will receive a bucket filled with a six-pack of cheap canned beers including Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, Miller High Life, Colt 45, Stroh’s and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

"For the working class," added Hodges with a chuckle.

Another equally unpretentious option is the "45 and a bullet," a can of Colt 45 malt liquor and a rail shot for $6.

In the front half of the room, large vintage couches and tables - some from the movie sets where Jim worked in production for 13 years - provide a sweet sense of home.

"We wanted to create two distinct areas, something comfy so that people feel like they’re hanging out in someone’s living room," said Jim.

The crowd, a mix of neighborhood folk, enjoys the chill atmosphere Floyd, NY provides. They lounge on the couches, chat with the bartenders or friends at the bar or nearby tables, and, of course, mill around the bocce court.

"I love it here," Nadoban said. "I love the bocce."

It even has a place for dogs - water bowls, toys, and all.

What more could anyone ask for?

Floyd, NY is located at 131 Atlantic Ave. between Henry and Clinton streets in Brooklyn Heights. The bar is open from 5 pm to 4 am Monday through Friday and from 1 pm to 4 am on Saturdays and Sundays. All canned beers are $3 each. Draft beers and domestic and import bottles are $3.50 to $4.50 each. Floyd, NY accepts American Express, Master Card, and Visa. For more information, call (718) 858-5810.

©2004 Community Newspaper Group