Out of the appletini-infused rubble of Lime shall sprout the life of a glorious new bar in the Castro. A gay sports bar, at that. It shall be christened Hi Tops. And it could be the best thing to hit the neighborhood since the top-shelf food scene arrived a couple of years ago. The brainchild of Dana Gleim, Matt Kajiwara, and Jesse Woodward, Hi Tops will focus on a friendly sports atmosphere, one that will cater to fans, teams, and leagues. (But all are welcome!) The venue will, hopefully, also be ground zero for local gay teams and leagues to gather and high-five. (Woodward himself is an active player with the SF Gay Basketball Association and the SF Gay Softball League.)

"There are many places to go out with friends in the Castro" says Woodward. "But there are fewer places that have a friendly, neighborhood feeling, where you can get good food, drinks and watch games happening all around the world. We wanted to create a space that would be equally comfortable for the gay sports leagues in the city to go and hang out with their teammates, someone who wants to watch a Giants game, and someone who just likes the atmosphere of a sports bar."

This isn't to say that the Castro, our city's noted queer district, isn't sports friendly. Quite the contrary. (Pilsner Inn has a big sports crowd and following.) However, as Grub Street points out, "Unlike other bars in the neighborhood which may be baseball-friendly (Moby Dick and The Pilsner, for instance), Hi Tops will be playing a variety of games on multiple TVs throughout the year, and be a dedicated sports bar in the vein of Gym in New York or Nellie's in D.C."

Hi Tops will also boast one of the best beer-on-tap selections in the neighborhood, if not the city. This will go swimmingly with a full bar and food menu available of lunch, dinner, and late-night snackage. All three owners call it their "dream bar" and hope that the new digs will bring back local LGBT folks to the neighborhood on weekends.

Hi Tops will undergo renovation starting this month with the hope of being open by October 2012.

[via Grub]