The last regular season barspot brought us to the Granfalloon.  The Big 12 Championship game pitted Missouri versus Oklahoma and we wanted to celebrate the pagentry with the lights of the Plaza.  It was a cold evening and traffic was a holiday shopping nightmare, but we braved the conditions and made our way in.  It would take a Christmas miracle for Missouri to win and we felt the mojo would be had at the Granfalloon.

Okay.  No mojo.  We walked in and it was super packed, as expected.  But when we talked to the waitress about finding a seat and she said that half the place had reserved tables.  When I then asked if there is a waiting list for tables, she said that it was first come first served and it was all taken.  Now my logic turned upside down as reserved to me meant waiting list and apparently they dipped on both sides.  After shuffling around a bit like a mom looking for her kid at Toys ‘R Us, we decided to bail and head to Lew’s.  Maybe we’ll do another barspot there.  Maybe not.

So it was off to Lew’s and it ended up being the right choice.  Krizzou and I got our seats at the bar and we just got there in time for kickoff and the crowding of the joint.  We’ve been here before and we were glad we were there again as the mojo can come from a Missouri Alum watch spot.  The TV’s there were crisp as always and I think they replaced Buck Hunter Pro with Buck Hunter Safari.  The smoking patio they built since the last time we were there was kinda weak, but it’s better than nothing.  Thank you non smoking laws.

I didn’t have much of drink special wise that night.  Lew’s had the seasonal Boulevard in Nut Cracker Ale, which whetted my whistle nicely.  The bartender guy dared me to take on the Big Bubba Lew (an 18 oz, 3 patty, monster of a burger) as well as the fries with the prize being a bought shot.  So I switched to Purple Yeti mode and took him on.  Five minutes after the delivery, the Bubba Lew in my belly rested nicely.  Another beer and the Jagermeister shot was all my belly could take and I sleepily watched the rest of the game.

The food wasn’t only part of what made me sleepy for the Big 12 Championship game.   The game was pretty much over after kickoff as the shoulder chip fuel went to the max for the Oklahoma Sooners.  The Missouri Tigers is not in the championship class this year and oh boy did it show.  Turnovers, poor tackling, and poor play calling reared its ugly head on the Tigers side.  Why wait to throw the Chase Kauffman until the 4th quarter?  On the Sooners side, Sam Bradford made a big play for the Heisman as he led the Sooners to a NCAA record 5th straight game scoring 60 points or more.

So the Sooners boomed the Tigers and it looks like they will take on the Florida Gators in the BCS title game.  We’ll talk about the bowl selection later on, but congrats to Bob Stoops on making a name again for the Big 12.  The Sooners have won the title before but recent history shows that they have been choking in the bowl games.  Hopefully they’ll take the “they don’t belong”  motivation to the next level and prove it on the field come January 8th.

While the Plaza lights were pretty to look at, we don’t recommend going to the Granfalloon during the holiday season.  Maybe once it dies down you can get a table there.  In the meantime, Lew’s will always have a seat ready and if you try the Big Bubba Lew Challenge, make sure you get your picture taken as it was a pretty daunting task to accomplish.  I’m regretting the fact I didn’t nab one there while we were watching the slaughter.  At any rate, it’s time to gear up for bowl season.  Happy bowl holidays!