A steady stream of customers entered the D-Line Pub in Ballston Spa last Friday.
Some came to eat dinner or sit at the bar. But others came to get an autograph from one of the co-owners of the Prospect Street establishment Houston Texans defensive lineman and Saratoga Springs High School graduate Anthony Weaver.
It’s very touching to me because I’m home,` said Weaver during a small break in the action. `I know that upstate New York will always be my home.`
The three-hour autograph session was not about an ego stroke. Weaver was raising money for June’s Walk for Life in Saratoga Springs, an annual fund-raiser for cancer research. The pub sold T-shirts, baseball caps and mugs for anywhere from $5 to $20, and Weaver signed each one.
`We’re doing a lot of things throughout the year through my foundation,` said Weaver. `The weekend of the Walk for Life, we’re hosting an event here where we’re raffling off several things, including a 32-inch TV set and a barbecue grill.`
Weaver and his parents, Ralph and Melanie, opened the modest-sized pub last September, just as he began his first season with the Texans.
`I went to school in Ballston Spa,` said Ralph. `I wanted to bring something down to Ballston Spa for people to enjoy with reasonable prices (for food).`
`It sounds lame, but it’s pretty cool (having my own restaurant),` said Weaver. `My parents are having a great time running it.`
The D-Line Pub’s primary theme centers on the Houston Texans. The official colors (dark blue, red and white) and logo (a bull’s head with a star for an eye) are lifted from the NFL team.
The theme would have been different had Weaver stayed with his original NFL team, the Baltimore Ravens. But after four years with the Ravens, Ralph said, his son received an offer from Houston that he couldn’t refuse.
`It’s a short career, and basically you have to go where the money is,` said Ralph. `It’s not a 15-year career. I heard somewhere that the average NFL career is five years.`
Changing teams also meant a changing roll for Weaver. Instead of being the young one on Baltimore’s defensive line, he was now the seasoned veteran on a young Houston line.
`I was the old guy, which startled me because when I was with the Ravens, I was with a lot of veterans,` said Weaver.
Weaver performed well for Houston in his first season. He had 26 solo tackles and 35 total tackles, and he had his longest interception return of his career, a 21-yard return against Jacksonville in week 10.
More importantly, Weaver said the whole Houston defensive unit improved from the 2005 season.
`I think we made a lot of strides,` he said. `We started a lot of young guys, especially on the defensive line.`
Weaver’s parents saw him play every game last year, even though his home games were nearly 1,800 miles away. And they plan on doing so again this year.
`My wife and I manage it,` said Ralph. `If there’s two home games back to back, I’ll stay down there.`
The Weavers might have another local family going with them to Houston this year ` the Davis family of Niskayuna. That’s because their son AndrE, a wide receiver, signed a one-year contract with the Texans last week. It will be the first time the two former Section II all-stars will play for the same team.
`I’m excited about AndrE being in Houston not only because he’s a great player, but also because he’s a great person,` said Weaver.
Weaver’s high school coach, Blase Iuliano, might also be able to catch his games this year. The longtime Saratoga football coach recently retired, which frees up his weekends for the first time in more than three decades.
`I’m not sure what I’m doing,` said Iuliano, who stopped by the D-Line Pub to visit the Weavers and eat dinner. `Right now, I’m doing as little as possible and adding on from there.`
`I need to get him back on the golf course because the last time we were on a golf course, he (defeated) me,` Weaver said.
Weaver will have plenty of opportunities to play Iuliano on the golf course and hang out at the D-Line Pub. He’ll make sure of it.
`If they put a team in Hawaii, I’d still try to find a way to get back here,` he said.“