Last week was rough. For lots of reasons. Tailgating as hard as I did last weekend has left some lingering effects. There’s also a sprinkle of great games from Thursday through Saturday. So I decided that this week, it will be some major home spectating. It’s a weird week for me anyway because this is the first Thanksgiving I’ve had away from home. Hopefully I won’t miss Mom’s stuffing too much. Let’s check out the games.
Continue reading Thankspotting: Home Away From Home For The Holidays
Yeah the party lasted all through the weekend and I didn’t make a single pick. No, it wasn’t having the worst week ever, it was the fact that I never put picks in. It could be the fact a my buddy was in town and we were too busy sightseeing. Or it could be that I just didn’t have an internet connection. Whatever it was, I didn’t get the picks in. Oh well, that’s why we have 2 dropped weeks. Will I be able to come back and compete for the league title? Let’s looks at the standings: Continue reading Pick It Standings 2011 Week 12: Whoops
Oh yeah! I’m already thinking about what to do for the tailgating experience this weekend. I’m not sure if we actually have a spot to smoke some meat so we may be grilling guerilla style. What does that mean? Slapping some meat in a backpack and finding some friendlies for grilling. It should be quite the adventure. Speaking of adventure, the corner has turned for Bryce Brown for Heisman. It’s up to the rest of the league to catch up. Let’s take a look at the pick set: Continue reading Pick It and Stick It 2011 Week 11: Saucy Selections
Another week and another undefeated goes down. Stanford just didn’t have the offense that Oregan has and now the Ducks are back in the BCS Championship talks. Will they quack in there? We’ll see that in the BCS Standings. Nobody was undefeated in the Pick It and Stick It but I was dumb enough to forget to put my picks in for the morning game. I think I came out alright but I do not forsee a way into the title just yet. I’m going to need some major help. Let’s look at the standings:
Continue reading Pick It Standings 2011 Week 11: No Trophy For You
Okay, it’s getting to be that time of year. We had a quick preview of it last night. Well the whole week, actually. As the season goes on now, there will be some games on every day of the week. We’ll definitely be knee deep into over Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. But already last night was an epic match up between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. I just hope they don’t pile on big time games on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are for me. Please college football, don’t take my Tuesdays away. It’s the only real day I can recharge and get juiced for another week fo college football. I hope they don’t pick Tuesday but I do hope they Pick It and Stick It. Here’s this week’s fodder:
Continue reading Pick It and Stick It 2011 Week 11: Just Don’t Pick It There
Alright, after kind of a dark week for me, it’s now time to brighten things up. Last week was an awesome bbq but my team lost in the better game of the century. Now this week we have Missouri leaving for the SEC and Penn State going up in flames. I need a pick me up. I need me some Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill. That’s right, just when you thought there couldn’t be another bar like Hooters, you get a Texas knock off with franchises sprouting up everywhere. I’m sure I’ll do another knock off some other time, but for this week’s barspot, it’s all North Austin and it’s all about football. No, really.
When: Saturday, November 12, 2011
Time: 2:00 pm
Where: Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, 6901 North IH-35, Austin, TX (512) 454-2247
Games:
Notes: It’s kind of a let down week after the game fo the century, right? Nope. We have a couple of huge games on tap here as well. I’m looking square at the Stanford vs Oregon game. The one loss Oregon had this year was against LSU and Stanford needs to stay undefeated to matter. That game is massive. Meanwhile we have some interesting games between some top 25 teams. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech will see who will win the Tech title and possibly the ACC. Nebraska will more than likely walk over Penn State because of what has happened this week. Auburn and Georgia is no slouching matter when it comes to rivaries as well. Finally, I’ll be cheering on my Kansas State Wildcats as hopefully they help usher Texas A&M out of the Big 12.
I’m still holding the flag up high for last week’s Game of the Century. No, it wasn’t LSU vs Alabama, but it was Oklahoma State hosting Kansas State. The mistakes in both games were costly but the ones in Stillwater provided for actual touchdowns and way more drama. The dram in Tuscaloosa was mostly hype. Seriously, how can a kicker missing 4 field goals be that exciting? It certainly isn’t to me. On the other hand, it took a goal line stand for Oklahoma State to stop Kansas State at the end of regulation. It was just a better game and more deserving of the century title. Now on to the results for the week:
Continue reading Pick It Standings 2011 Week 10: Game of the Century
I have to admit, I am getting excited about going to a BBQ this weekend. It’s fun running around the city and checking out new places, but the home cooked food and good times with peeps you know is always a welcomed change of pace. It will be a little awkward, however, as I’ll be sneaking my laptop on over to get ready for the big night games heading our way. I more than likely will not be watching two games at once, but I will be prepared just in case. For everyone else, prepare yourselves for the Pick It and Stick It.
Yeah the night games have high contrasts in terms of spreads. Kansas State and Oklahoma State have a huge 21 point difference while Alabama and LSU have only 4.5. Yeah I know Arkansas and South Carolina are close together too at 5.0. Out of those, I think LSU will make it a toss up. Sorry but Kansas State blew its wad already and it will be hard to watch via streaming laptop Saturday night. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, there is nothing exciting. Big 12 wise, Texas is up big on Texas Tech, but that will be closer. Iowa State should hang one on the pathetic Kansas Jayhawks. Oklahoma will run right over Texas A&M. That Baylor against Missouri will be a shoot out. Everything else is seriously blah.
Yesterday was rough for me. I didn’t expect to go into work to load up on candy, but I’ll be damned if the nice people I work with had loads of candy for me to nom on. I skipped lunch entirely all because of it. Some solid food found its way in my belly later on in the night, but it was no use. The sugar shock went to major crash and I’m just waking up from the coma. What better time than now to go over the Pick It and Stick It Standings? There’s nothing sweet in there that I know of.
Continue reading Pick It Standings 2011 Week 09: Waking Up From The Candy Coma
It’s Halloween weekend (-ish, it’s on Monday) and the weather is finally starting to reflect that down here in Austin. I have to get used to it being hot rolling into late October. This weekend has a big ole cold front blowing through and I’m already feeling the chills. That’s the sign on fall that I need and it fits right in the super creepy Halloween theme. The action of the field and on the Pick It and Stick It is still smoking hot. Keltron3000 is breaking away from the pack but others are hot on her heels. Kansas State is up for the game of their lives, well more like the game of the year, as they host Oklahoma. So grab some Candy Corn and let’s check out the picks: Continue reading PIck It and Stick It 2011 Week 09: This Is Giving Me Chills
Yes, we have not one, but two big upsets to deal with this week in Pick It and Stick It Standings. Unfortunately, there’s not real upsets with the picks, but with Oklahoma and Wisconsin losing there is a major reorganization in the BCS Standings. Things are starting to unravel quickly in the tightly wound Big 12 race now that Oklahoma lost. Unfortunately for me, that means that ESPN College GameDay won’t be in Manhattan when the Sooners take on the undefeated Kansas State Wildcats. That’s fine because I think they play better when they are under the radar. Much like me and my status for Pick It and Stick It. Let’s check out the standings.
Continue reading PIck It Standings Week 08: Shake Rattle N Roll
It’s been awhile since I had to get up for the early college football game. Last Saturday was the reprise and I’m thankful that the Lavaca Street Bar had a bloody mary bar to kick things off. There was alot of talk about Midwestern sensibilities in the last week and I was surprised at how the Lavaca catered to that. Speaking of the Midwest, it was Sunflower Showdown weekend and I had a front row seat, without actually being there. Did Lavaca Street Bar handle spectating well, or did I leave sucking on some cheese curds? Let’s find out.
Walking in, you wouldn’t suspect that Lavaca Street Bar was a big sports bar. It’s another in a long line of sports bar that look tiny up front but huge in the back. All around the bar, televisions lined the place. In the back room there is a huge projector screen television as well. The Direct TV made sure I was able to watch my team up on there. The wireless internet is free but they had some kind of weird sign up page that made things hard to login.
The best part of Lavaca Street Bar has to be the games. They have all the games that you need. They have Big Buck Safari, Golden Tee, a hard punch game, Pop-A-Shot, Skee Ball, and what I think could be a pool table. I see cue sticks but no table and I think it’s because of the bloody mary bar. At any rate, back to the Skee Ball. It’s a rare sight to see Skee Ball in any bar, let alone a sports bar. If you want to set yourself from the back, get a game like that in your bar.
The service was rather sparse. There was essentially two bartenders for the whole joint. The female one was rather cute and the guy, well, was a guy. We had to get up from the back a couple of times to order food and drinks. They did come out here and there though. The guy was nice enough to setup the whole back room for my games so I can’t dog them too much. He also turned the light on for me when I was getting my bloody mary because the place is real dark. Like go to sleep dark.
Now on to the beer pairing. Lavaca touted some Midwestern specials like cheese curds and brats. Guess what I got. The cheese curds were good but not northern Iowa good. I think the ones I make are better. I chose to have Wastach Brewery’s Pumpkin Seasonal Ale with the bratwurst. I wanted to do an Oktoberfest type ale but that was the closest thing they had on tap. I’m so glad I chose it. It has to be the best tasting pumpkin beer I’ve ever had. The brat itself was tasty but everything around it was average. The mustard, bun, sauerkraut, and even the basket was very low rent. But hey, that’s part of the appeal.
The Sunflower Showdown was the main event for the weekend for me. For some reason I was real scared about Kansas. Boy was I ever wrong. Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb has the 2nd highest passer rating in the Big 12. He did a good job, but the rest of the team was terrible. Meanwhile, on the other side, Kansas State’s Collin Klein put up all star numbers. He ran for 4 touchdowns and actually threw the ball pretty well. It helps when you are playing one of the worst defenses in FBS. Methinks Turner Gill’s job is in serious trouble right now.
The other games were a little more competitive. I got to watch was Missouri and Oklahoma State duke it out in Columbia. Seeing as Missouri no longer thinks they are Midwest material, it was nice that the Cowboys beat them down. Well, it wasn’t a beat down so to say, the Tigers kept it nice and close. I missed out on LSU vs Auburn because I was busy Halloween shopping. I also missed out on most of the action in the evening because I went and watched White Denim at Stubb’s. So the first big Hail Mary of the year that put Michigan State over Wisconsin was not to be had for me. Thanks to a lightning delay, however I watched the end of Texas Tech upsetting Oklahoma.
It has begun. The undefeated teams are starting to drop like flies. I still don’t know what to think about the weekend. I certainly didn’t expect Oklahoma being the team with losses going into this weekend’s game against Kansas State. Lavaca Street Bar had a super sweet setup, even though it was too dark and you had to try real hard to get service. The food is almost food truck level, which can be real tasty but lacking on the presentation side. I’d recommend this place to just about anyone if they want to duck in and see some great football. They have reserved areas for alumni groups like LSU and Wisconsin so be careful when you go.
It’s high time to duke it out on the field for dominance on the college football landscape. The unbeatens will dwindle down here real soon, if not this weekend, and it’s everyone team for themselves. Please remember, however, by fighting I mean actually playing tough football. I do not mean actually fighting the opposing players. It seems in the last couple of weeks some players have been confused and took to fisticuffs. Heck 41 players are suspended because of a big brawl that happened last weekend. Please, when you go out there fight well in terms of football, not Mortal Kombat. Now, it’s time to go over the Pick It and Stick It and look for some fatalities. Finish Him!
Continue reading Pick It and Stick It 2011 Week 08: Ready, Flick, Fight!
It’s all downhill from here. We are halfway through the season and I’ve had some sweat bars to check out around the Austin area already. Now, I was real close to the big hoopla that is sixth street downtown, but I managed to stay just far away enough not to be in the heart of it. Well, this week I’m taking one step closer to some of the bars around the much hyped street way. Saturday, I’ll be heading to the Lavaca Street Bar. Now, I’ve been there before waiting for a band to got started across the way at Antone’s so I know what it’s like. I haven’t seen it on a college football Saturday, however.
We may be seeing the search for Missouri end real quick. We also may see the search for the Big 12 heat right up. The Tigers are planning on leaving for the SEC and we may know about it here by tomorrow. Alot of people, including myself, thought that they would wait unilt the end of the season to get the ball rolling but apparently they want to move fast. So in the middle of the football season, we will see even more conference realignment. I’m just going to avert my eyes from the pain and check out this week’s Crib Sheet: