Tag Archives: Kansas

Barspotting, College, Football

Barspotting: Cuatros

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I buzzed by Cuatros last week while I was on the way to the Mellow Mushroom with my favorite lady.  I almost missed it, but the 16 stacked television screens forming a massive screen jumped right out at me.  I wanted to go north of downtown Austin and this place just makes the cut.  It’s Red River Rivalry weekend so we’ll hope to get a spot there when we show up for the Kansas State game.  There’s other games going on, though, so check out the spot and hopefully we’ll check you out there.  Ole!

When: Saturday, October 5, 2011
Time: 2:00 PM
Where: Cuatros, 1004 w. 24th  Austin, TX 78705  (512) 243-6361


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Games:

Notes:  The Red River Rivalry is the biggest thing going on down here in this part of the country.  I’m not so stoked for it.  It’s a good thing that there’s nothing else going on first thing Saturday morning.  It’s also good for me that the newly ranked Kansas State Wildcats follow that little ditty and host Missouri at 2:30.  Florida vs LSU might eat up some television screens but I’m hoping to get the Wildcats on the big daddy.  Later in the evening sees a couple of interesting bouts but I’ll be home by then and will only be able to get Ohio State and Nebraska.  No thank you, I’ll probably be napping by then.

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Here We Go Again On Our Own, Maybe

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Once we thought we were safe, but anybody who knew their history and knew about the psyche of Missouri understood it was not over.  And with that, Missouri last night gave chancellor Brady Deaton the power to pursue other conferences.  They could be like Oklahoma and stay or they could be like Texas A&M and go.  Time will tell.  Although, they were first on the block last year so I’m pretty sure they are out the door.  Nevermind the fact that Tier 1 and Tier 2 rights are officially equal in the Big 12, provided everyone commits to the league.  Yup, so expect some announcements early next week about conference affiliation so they don’t bother with the actual games being played on the field.  In the meantime, check out this week’s Crib Sheet:

Continue reading Crib Sheet: Here We Go Again On Our Own, Maybe →

Barspotting, College

Backspin Threw Me Off

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I lucked out again with Kansas State not playing at the same time Texas was.  They were actually playing Baylor and on ABC.  The nationally televised match up and the fact that it was not going against Texas led me to think that a remote sports bar south of the city should have that game on.  So Saturday I found myself at the Backspin Texas Sports Bar & Grill.  I’m glad that I picked that place for the game.  Did the tiny nature and remote location lead to a great time?

 

Somehow I managed to get rockstar parking for the Backspin.  When I pulled in, I had a nice view of the patio and a side way look to the joint.  I heard online that it was a small place, but I was hoping it would be wider that what it turned out to be.  Walking inside I instantly felt cramped.  It was room for maybe 3 tables across and a ginormous sports bar.  Okay that’s fine.  Both outside and inside had some sweet looking HD televisions with a huge one in the main dining area.

As for the rest of the Backspin, it filled out as nicely as it could with its real estate.  I was surprised to see a Golden Tee game there and alleviated any worries I had about their effort.  Not only that, but they also had some BuzzTime Trivia, which gave me a chance to try out their app on my new Android based cellphone.  All that internet juice was handled promptly by their free wireless internet.  Connection issues were not a problem mainly because the place is so small.

The service there wasn’t so great.  I got a primo spot in front of the huge big screen for the Kansas State vs Baylor game, but had the chance to watch the end of the exciting Texas A&M vs Arkansas game.  It was about two minutes to go and they somehow accidentally changed the channel.  It was so harried that a patron got up and started jacking with the Direct TV remote.  Seriously, if you have a sports bar, you need to have workers who know how to operate the televisions.  Also, the audio was out of sync for the end of that A&M game.  That, the waitresses were pretty hot and they did a great job of making sure my beers were full.

For this week’s beer pairing, by the way, I had an unexpected mix of food and drink.  I was hoping to get their Reuben but I had to try their Tzatziki dip and fried pickles appetizer.  I’m happy I went that way.  To wash down the lot, I chose some New Castle.  Not only was it on special for $3 but the brown ale helped with the crispness of the fried pickles and the strange combination of yogurt and spices for the Tzatziki dip.  I’ve never had Tzatziki before but it is a nice cool down appetizer to noms on with pita bread.

Now on the to the games.  Non Big 12 wise I caught that big showdown of Wisconsin vs Nebraska as well as the Alabama vs Florida game going on at the same time.  First off, Alabama looks legit and first year Florida head coach Will Muschamp has a little bit more work to do, including keeping his starting quarterback healthy.  Big 10 wise, Nebraska got a great welcome to the conference with a whooping handed to them from the Badgers.  Nebraska isn’t a complete team but it didn’t help them that Wisconsin had the free agent quarterback wonder that is Russell Wilson.

Big 12 wise, I watched a whole heckuva lot of football.  While I was sweating away at the gym, I got watch Kansas go up early on Texas Tech.  Little did I know that the Red Raiders would come back to win on the road in Lawrence.  Both teams are in trouble against Kansas State, more on that later.  So I mentioned Texas A&M and Arkansas.  All I can say that it was awesome to see the Aggies choke again.  They have never won a game against the SEC and will hopefully be competitive against Vanderbilt when they take off next year.  Wow they have no heart.

The big game of the day for me was watching Kansas State host Baylor for their first big test of the year.  Robert Griffin III is the mega stud quarterback for Baylor and he continued putting up great numbers.  The combination between him and Kendall Wright torched the Wildcat defense all day long.  But Kansas State was resilient.  I don’t know how they keep close in these games, but they do.  Everyone will put it on Bill Snyder 2.0 and deservedly so.  Collin Klein kept consistent on the offensive side of the ball and linebacker Arthur Brown broke out and delivered the game saving interception.  These Wildcats are now ranked and they have real good shot of going to a bowl thanks to Texas Tech and Kansas.

So that was my day at the Backspin.  That place is super tiny but for where it is located, I can make some concessions.  It’s by no means perfect.  When you can’t figure out televisions on gameday, you go down big in my book.  The food was decent and I like the beer specials.  If I had an important game that I absolutely had to watch, I wouldn’t do it at the Backspin.  If I wanted to sneak away from the city and hide out in a decent sports bar, the Backspin is where I’ll head.

College, Football, Picks

Pick It and Stick It 2011 Week 05: Time To Play For Real

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Conference play kind of opened up last weekend for the Big 12, but this weekend we have a couple of head to head match ups.  I don’t know which game will be more exciting, the Texas vs Iowa State or Kansas State vs Baylor.  The obvious is the Kansas State game but if you remember last year, Iowa State went down to Austin and beat the Longhorns.  The local media around here is chirping about how it’s a revenge game but the player interviews talk about how they expect to handle Iowa State easily.  We’ll find that out Saturday as well as just how real Kansas State’s defense really is.  Here’s this week’s Pick It and Stick It: Continue reading Pick It and Stick It 2011 Week 05: Time To Play For Real →

Barspotting, College, Football

Barspotting: Laying up to the Backspin Sports Bar & Grill

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Another week of barspotting and I’m going for the trifecta.  It’s been 2 great weeks of college football watching and I need one more joint to make me believe that Austin is serious about sports bars.  The last two weeks were easy because it was close to downtown.  Now it’s time to throw Austin for a loop and go for that ‘remote neighborhood family bar’ joint.  Well, I’ve found down south in the Backspin Sports Bar & Grill.  Saturday I’ll find out if the remote locations of Austin bring the game like the places closer to the heart of the city do.
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Barspotting, College, Football

It’s a 1st Round Draft Pick

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It’s another week of college football and I’m starting to get comfortable down here.  I had a quick detour to the Pecan Street Festival down on 6th street but after that it was all football nearby at the Draft Pick off Riverside Drive.  The week of football was a welcomed one after all of the drama that was going on for the Big 12.  There were tons of surprises but also tons of blowouts.  Let’s sit right back and take a look.

Walking into the Draft Pick, I kinda felt like I was in an office building and not a sports bar.  The architecture leading into the joint was somewhat modern and unassuming.  The inside look totally made up for the outside look. Granted, there were no patios but the inside was all football watching business.  Flat screens were all over the place, with one ginormous projection screen framing the square blocked bar.  This is a place I can hunker down and watch some games.

Speaking of games, I couldn’t find any.  Usually, a sports bar of ultimate greatness needs to have at least some Golden Tee or something, but the Draft Pick had nothing.  This may be a philosophical decision.  Their website proclaims that this bar was a project for serious football watchers only.  That means there is not time for games.  I can understand that, but please give me something to pass the time either at half or after the game.

Now that doesn’t mean the service was shabby.  In fact, it’s been about the best I’ve ever had.  The first question asked when I walked in was “What game are you watching today?”  I have never heard that anywhere else in my 4 years of KCCGD.  Color me impressed.  Now, the ladies themselves were pretty svelte, even though there were some questionable candidates.  Overall, however, it was pleasing to watch with the games.

I had the fortune of pounding a couple of drinks before the ole barspotting event so my taste buds were fully opened. The Draft Pick’s selection paired their famous All Star pizza with a little local fare from Independence Brewery called Austin Amber Ale.  First off, the pizza tasted almost exactly like the kind I’ve had back in KC from Godfather’s Pizza, except the toppings were way thicker.  That much food tossed down my gullet was massaged by the Amber Ale’s smooth flavor.  If you ever want a great beer with some great pizza, pick an Amber up and wash it all down for some creamy goodness.

Now on to the games. I got to watch just wee little bit of Georgia Tech vs North Carolina and Notre Dame vs Pittsburgh from the gym in the morning.  There’s nothing special going on there.  Notre Dame barely eked by Pittsburgh and the Fighting Irish continue to cough up the ball more than any other team in the FBS division.  Georgia Tech beat North Carolina, but they did not have a record setting performance like they did against Kansas.  I guess it’s not so much a referendum on the Jayhawks.

The bigger games of the day saw LSU heading to West Virginia, Alabama taking on Arkansas, and Clemson battling with Florida State.  I watched the LSU game at home and in between my naps, I realized that LSU may just be the real deal.  It was a close 1st half but they pulled away easily in the 2nd.   Nice night cap there.  Alabama continued to take care of business against Arkansas.  When LSU and Alabama fight, it will have national repercussions.  Finally, Clemson continues to wear the up and comer jacket by knocking off reeling Florida State.  Their head coach’s name is Dabo Sweeny.  That’s a cool name.

Big 12 wise I only really got to watch the exciting Texas A&M vs Oklahoma State game and my Kansas State Wildcats heading to Miami.  Both were on at the same time so I got to watch just a bit of the A&M and Okie State game.  From what I saw, Texas A&M had a major meltdown in the 2nd half and Oklahoma State pulled it out at College Station.  I guess their exit from the Big 12 may be a bumpy one.   Kansas State, on the other hand, surprised everyone including myself by showing up against Miami.  Not only did they show, but beat them!  Collin Klein and company pulled ahead big in the first half and then held off Miami, culminating in a 4 down goal line stand late.  Good job Wildcats!

And good job Draft Pick.  The square box design of the place didn’t leave much to be impressed architecturally, but because they slapped televisions all over, it can be forgiven.  The lack of any kind of games is worrisome but again, they went all out on the watching experience.  The food was tasty and they have a decent knowledge of craft beers.  I had issues logging on wirelessly but service staff gave me all the information I needed.  If you need to hunker down and just watch football, chose the Draft Pick.

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: And Around And Around We Go

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Man I don’t even know where to start.  The reports are spinning right round, baby right round about anything and everything related to conference alignment.  Everyone knows what’s going on as of now.  I would dump here in the Crib Sheet, but going over my starred items in Google Reader is proving to be a fruitless endeavor.  Stuff as new as earlier this afternoon is now wrong.  I just can’t drop it in here as a developing item when it will more than likely be false.  The Crib Sheet is just too good for that.  The only thing I can say is that the Big 12 is in huge trouble and will more than likely go away next week.  That’s about it.  No links or nothing.  There’s plenty out there to read from.  If you’re looking for something other than conference Armageddon then check out this week’s Crib Sheet:

  • A booster from Ohio State admitted that he helped give some cash to Ohio State players that missed the first two games of the season.  You know, if there were more legitimate ways to pay players, we wouldn’t be seeing this kind of stuff.
  • Okay, is everyone getting on the uniform bus.  Maryland had some crazy ones and now Michigan State is getting some snappy ones.  It’s too much.  Just look at the dude covering it for ESPN.  He’s the uniform watch columnist.  Yes, there is a position like that.  I just threw up in my mouth a little.
  • Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill left the hospital last Thursday, after suffering a seizure on the field last weekend.  I think he coached the game.  I wish him all the best.
  • The College Football Hall of Fame flooded its basements over the weekend due to an improper sprinkler fitting.  Doh!  It’s located in South Bend, Indiana so I guess bad luck is going on all over around there.
  • This is how rivalries should be between fans:  A Notre Dame fan had a heart attack at the Michigan game and was revived via CPR by another fan in the stands.  Take note, everybody, it’s just game.  Rivalries should be held in high respects but not to the point where you wish damage on the other.
  • How fans should not act:  The kid who wore the Iowa State mascot uniform known as Cy fell from the stands an broke his arm.  He didn’t say anything happened to the cops, but he posted on Facebook that some Uconn fans pushed him.  Wow, not cool people.  Not cool.
  • A Texas associate athletic director Cleve Bryant was canned for sexually harassing someone.  Yup, you can’t go and do that even when you think you run the state, partner.
  • So Nevin Shapiro apparently ponzied Miami and now Luther Campbell, former 2 Live Crew kid and Miami booster, wants to sue him.  The charge?  Defamation.  Apparently the guy who rapped about being so horny doesn’t like other people raking his name through the mud.
  • Osceloa, Kansas wants the University of Kansas to drop the name ‘Jayhawk’ because of its Civil War connotations.  Too early?  Um, too late.  The response was hilarious though.  I mean come on, they need to keep that name.  How else can I call them Chickenhawks?
  • So you know how War Eagle flew into a window during Auburn’s pre game last week? Welp, PETA assembled and is scratching for some publicity by calling out against having any eagles during Auburn’s pre game.  What a shocker.  Go back to funding your porno website PETA, nothing to see here.
  • A former Northern Illinois student sued the NCAA for its concussion rules.  Apparently he suffers from the classic chronic symptoms of concussions and blames the NCAA for not doing a good job.  You think conference alignment is going to change football, wait until the concussion stuff bubbles up.  7 on 7 two hand touch, I’m not kidding.
  • Oklahoma State linebackers coach Glenn Spencer left the team during the three hour weather delay to be with his family.  His wife died shortly after the game started.  My condolences go out to his friends and family.
  • South Carolina athletes were accused by the NCAA for receiving over $55,000 in impermissible benefits.  Again, it’s getting to the point that ESPN (and Disney really) is pumping money out the yang for television.  These players are the ones doing all the work.  This kind of stuff would go away if they actually got paid.
  • Bob Stoops got a seven year, $34.5 million extension Monday.  He’s sitting prettier than alot of the schools in the Big 12 right now.
  • The Sugar Bowl revealed that they may have made a couple of illegal donations to a politician in the mid 2000s, and the Playoff Pac jumped all over it.  That’s right, the almighty complaint to the IRS will strike down on the Sugar Bowl and slowly but surely ruin any chances for the current BCS system to service.  Check and Mate for the Playoff Pac.
  • The New York Times has an interesting article about a South Korean kid named Seung Hoon Choi who started for the Nebraska Cornhuskers over the weekend.  I usually thought it was Samoans from across the seas that get line work.  South Koreans?  I didn’t know.  Fascinating.
  • Ho man, chalk one up to Texas A&M and the creative billboard they dumped in Waco, the home of the Baylor Bears.  Now as much as it sucks for the Big 12, it still is pretty funny.
Barspotting, College, Football

Third Base Stole Home For Me

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Saturday was a downtown taste of college football watching as well as the first time I needed to watch Kansas State at a bar outside of the Midwest.  Austin City Limits Music Festival was last weekend as well so it was the first time for me to attend Sunday.  My dogs are still barking from the rocking time.  My whole time dodging ACL traffic Saturday and watching some real college football was far from barked.  I was expecting a marginal time and Third Base exceeded my expectations by a country mile.  It was a grand slam time and then some.

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College, Football, Picks

Pick It and Stick It: Sticking With The Crowd

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It’s the hustle and bustle of college football.  At the beginning of the year, everyone is tied 0-0.  Slowly and weekly, the winners bubble up and the losers peter out.  We’re getting into week 3 and it’s still crowded.  We haven’t yet hit the real bubbling point.  Apparently it’s Road Test Weekend so we’ll more than likely get the cauldron cooking real quick.  Speaking of being crowded, I’m planning and surfing the flesh at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Granted I have Sunday tickets so it won’t be too bad, but Saturday’s at Third Base Sports Bar.  Let’s hope people don’t bubble up vomit and I don’t peter out.

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Barspotting, College, Football

Barspotting: Thirdbase

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Alrighty welp I’m back for another week of actual Barspotting.  Kansas City was nice and all but I’ve been to all the good bars up there and now I’m ready to hit (or find) the good bars down here in Austin.  This week I’m going to try to get to Third Base.  Hopefully, I can play my cards right and get there to brag about it all to you on Monday morning.  From the looks of things it’s a hot spot to be at so I know it’ll be crowded with others when I get there.  Come on and join me!

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College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: It’s PMA Day

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There could be a big ole disparaging parenthetical here about how the Big 12 will go away and how badly it will affect my peeps and schools back home around the Kansas City area, but I’m deciding that we’ll focus on the good things this week.  Sure there may be moves, but our teams will play this Saturday and many Saturdays to come.  Whether or not they will play for a national title might still be going away real quickly, we’ll get enjoy the regional rivals and funky inter-conference matchups.  It’s time for some PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) and for this week’s Crib Sheet: Continue reading Crib Sheet: It’s PMA Day →

College, Football, Picks

PIck It and Stick It: Fling It Home

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That’s right, I’ll be on a plane shortly but I want to get the picks up for the week.  It’s hard to stay focused with the Big 12 in legal gridlock.  You know, I thought professional wrestling was soap opera for guys but now I know that college football realignment is the real deal.  No offense to the WWE, but this stuff is way better than the scripted stuff I used to watch.  So as the conference turn, get your picks in and hope for the best.

Continue reading PIck It and Stick It: Fling It Home →

Barspotting, College, Football

HomeSpotting: Homeward Bound

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Yeah, so soon right?  This weekend I’m forgoing my new home and heading up to Kansas City, the place I was born and raised.  Long story short:  I didn’t get a chance to visit the last time I was up there so I figured this weekend would be a good one to do so.  It’s after Labor Day so the tickets were cheaper plus I get to watch my 2nd favorite team Notre Dame play my homey Jolly’s favorite team Michigan.  There’s a BBQ to be had so nothing official, sorry Tanner’s.  But it will be a blast and I will do my best to recount it amongst the haze. Continue reading HomeSpotting: Homeward Bound →

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Conference Armageddon Again

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You know, I was hoping the big news of the week would be the start of the college football season.  The only thing that could overshadow it was Texas A&M leaving the Big 12.  Welp they announced their intention to do so.  Now that it’s official, the Big 12 must look to expand, which is more than what they did last year.  Everyone is saying that BYU is the most likely candidate, and they are being very careful with their words .  Even though they have been talking with the Big 12.  Will it happen?  Who knows, but there will be a boatload of speculation in the meantime.  Well and Oklahoma is looking to take the lead in blowing up the league.  Let’s hit up the Crib Sheet while we wait: Continue reading Crib Sheet: Conference Armageddon Again →

College, Football, Picks

Pick It and Stick It: Flick Me A Winner

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Here we go with another year of Pick It and Stick It!  This time I decided to go easy on people and not do confidence points throughout the year.  It was just too much beef to handle week in and week out.  So I cut that fat off and leaned it down to a tasty point spread straight up pick league.  You can drop two weeks so if want to join up please do so at:
If you got any questions, please feel free to hit me up.  Now let’s take a look at the first week’s pics: