Doyle Displaced

This man is my hero.

And the company he works for just laid him off.

I don't care how revered Cheers is, how long the bar (once the Bull and Finch) has been around in Boston. When you cut loose the iconic figurehead of your establishment, you thumb your nose at your history, your loyal patrons, your staff, and people who appreciate good men who work hard for themselves and for others.

This man is Eddie Doyle. Eddie is the founder and driving force behind Cheers for Children, which he created in 1980. Eddie has been behind the bar at Cheers for more than 30 years. He is in possession of the single biggest heart in recorded human history. The depth of this man's character is unprecedented. Few men have done more for the town of Boston -- for the children of Boston -- than Eddie.

Eddie is the heart and soul of Cheers. His absence will leave the once iconic beer-lover's destination nothing more than an empty husk haunted by memories of the people who made it the landmark that it is.

I never thought that I'd see the day when the characteristically warm and inviting pub scene in Boston would wield the headhunter's axe so brutally. It is a disgrace to beer-lovers everywhere that Eddie has been ousted. The world has changed, and Eddie -- one of the last vestiges of common decency and genuine unconditional affection left in the world -- has been claimed by the ugliest and most embarrassing display of corporate profiteering to which I have ever borne witness.

Maybe Cheers will survive this economic downturn, but if they do, the only reason I'll be going back is to piss on the stairs.

I encourage you all to voice your displeasure. Email Gail Richman at grichman@cheersboston.com and let her know exactly how upset you are that such an iconic figure in Boston's beer culture has been turned out like a stray dog.

I love you, Eddie. Things won't be the same without you.