Ivan then solidified commitments from some of the Chargers he had met at the birthday party, as well as Emilio Alvarez and a few of his friends from the Padres, to attend his “Monday Night Football Bash at Raymond’s Hot Spot Lounge.”

Ivan even invited Julio out, while his neighbor promised to spread the word to more of his Mexican friends.

Thomas Jones called him from the Urban League offices after he had heard the ads on the radio.

“So, I see you worked out another deal with Raymond,” he commented.

Ivan told him, “Hey, man, I had to learn to get back up and ride that horse. It’s too much money to be made over there to leave it alone, you know.”

Thomas said, “Brother, you ain’t said nothing but a word. Get back over there and make it happen.”

ON THE NIGHT of the first big event, Ivan left work at the accounting offices early to make sure the large projection television was set up right and connected to the stereo speaker system at the lounge. Before the game started, some of the crowd began to show up after work to catch the ESPN Countdown show.

“Make sure we block off that left corner area as a restricted section for the Chargers and Padres,” Ivan told Christina and Audrey. He wanted them both to work the VIP section, while the two other girls worked the general floor, closer to the Filipinos and Mexicans he hoped would show up to join the crowd. And each of the four girls would spend time at the door passing out I.D. Promotions flyers.

By game time, Ivan had his wish. Emilio Alvarez showed up with Butch Clayborne, Big Deke Walker, and two other Padres players. Perry Browning, Zee-Dog, and three other Chargers showed up, including Herman “The Big Bad Hitta” Seaford. They all took chairs on the left side of the room, with a few girls and other guys who accompanied them. The Filipino locals, Mexican locals, and local blacks showed up with their money, jewelry, and girls to claim their areas of the room to watch the game. And before the Pittsburgh Steelers had even kicked the ball off, premium bottles of expensive liquor were already being ordered and popped from the tables.

The lounge was filled to capacity by the end of the first quarter, with a line still waiting out front. A hired cameraman took shots of it all for the website, while Jeff and Paul had other work to do.

“What do we do when we run out of room?” Ida pulled Ivan aside to ask him near the door. She was pleased with the turnout, but also worried about the overflow.

Ivan shrugged and said, “They’re just too late. There’s no more room in here.”

He wore a gold knit tennis shirt under a dark gray sports jacket to keep his professional look, even among the jersey-wearing sports crowd.