SB Nation User Blog: BearsNecessity

DBD 3.10.09 PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS!

BearsNecessity — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:46:53 -0000

Current research indicates that probably no one reads the DBD. So I'll make it as Twitterific as possible. With March Madness looming, it's time to ask, what is your favorite playoff system?

Brief summary of each system.

NFL: Four weeks of unpredictability, the most hyped up event to finish it off, but can be disappointing if games get out of hand since there are so few of them. At least you can see commercials of stupid animal tricks in the end.

NBA: Plenty of games, it lasts nearly two months, but usually rewards the best team that season with the title. Reserved for masochists like me.

NHL: Similar to the NBA. I've heard their playoffs are fantastic. I'll get to them someday.

MLB: Pitchers, hitters, duels. It's all about who's got the most cajones, or something. Who's got what it takes to win a Game 7 (and Game 7s in baseball are unparalleled). It's also really really short for a season that's two years long.

Soccer: Does soccer even have a playoff system? I know in Europe they have some Champions League thing, but that somehow has nothing to do with the actual club performance. It doesn't make any sense. Damned Euros. It's even worse than college football.

NCAA Basketball: Perfect for filling out pools and claiming bragging rights over your friends, even if you have no real interest in 95 percent of the teams or players. Probably the only time where a majority of women are just as interested in a sporting event. Full of upsets, full of unpredictability, but usually gets the best teams at the end.

NCAA Football: Emerald Nuts anyone? I guess if you count the regular season as the playoffs, maybe you could enjoy the finish...

Dump away with the usual hub-hub, but only AFTER you give an answer. Otherwise you will be punished with a link to an addicting flash game.

Poll

Favorite Playoffs?

NFL

10 votes

NBA

7 votes

NHL

6 votes

MLB

9 votes

Soccer

0 votes

NCAA Basketball

24 votes

NCAA Football

3 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Where Do You Watch the Beavers?

BearsNecessity — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:56:27 -0000

You might remember my attempt at creating a map of Beavers Meetups. I've been converting the map and the other team specific maps I created into a sports bars wiki, and am trying to assemble a comprehensive list of worldwide sports bars to make it easier for fans to watch the game. I was wondering what you guys thought of these places or if there are any other places to watch them that I missed.

Where do you guys watch the Beavers? Have you been to any of the sports bars of Oregon St. sports? What are your favorite sports bars in general?

Here's the partial list of OSU-friendly bars. You can edit and add to this list by clicking on the link and registering on the wiki, or just add other places you watch them in the comments!

California

Bus Stop; 1901 Union Street, San Francisco, CA 94123, 415-567-6905
Corner Office; 580 Anton Blvd #201, Costa Mesa, CA, 714-979-9922
Coach's Sports Bar; 5681 Lone Tree Ave., Rocklin, CA 95765, 916-632-8200
Players Sports Pub & Grill; 4060 Sunrise Blvd., Fair Oaks, CA 95628, (916) 967-8492
Callahan's Pub & Brewery; 8111 Mira Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92126

District of Columbia

Penn Quarter Sports Tavern; 639 Indiana Ave., Washington DC 20004

Idaho

Old Chicago Downtown; 730 West Idaho St., Boise, ID 83702, (208) 363-0037

Missouri

Willie’s Field House; 1501 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri 64108

Nevada

Village Pub; 10900 South Eastern, Henderson, NV 89052, (702) 216-6160

New York

Slainte Bar & Lounge; 304 Bowery, New York, NY

Oregon

Mission Theatre & Pub; 1624 N.W. Glisan, Portland, OR 97209
St. John's Pub; 8203 N. Ivanhoe, Portland, OR 97203

Texas

Third Base; 1717 West 6th Street, Austin, TX 78703
SRO Sports Bar & Café; 9800 Hempstead Rd, 444 Northwest Mall, Houston, TX 77092

Where Do You Watch the Golden Bears?

BearsNecessity — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:13:55 -0000

You might remember my attempt at creating a map of Golden Bears Meetups. I've been turning the map and the many, many others I created into a sports bars wiki, and am trying to assemble a comprehensive list of worldwide sports bars to make it easier for fans to watch the game. I was wondering what you guys thought of these places or if there are any other places to watch them that I missed.

Where do you guys watch the Golden Bears? Have you been to any of the sports bars of Cal sports? What are your favorite sports bars in general?

Here's the partial list of Cal-friendly bars. You can edit and add to this list by clicking on the link and registering on the wiki, or just add other places you watch them in the comments!

California

The Davis Graduate; 805 Russell Blvd., Davis, CA
The Graduate; 344 West 8th St, Chico, CA
3rd Ave. Sports Bar and Grill; 77 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, (650) 340-9872‎
Players Sports Bar; 7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd in San Diego, CA
Barney's Beanery; 99 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA
Busby's; 3110 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA
Huntington Beach Beer Co; 201 Main Street, Suite E, Huntington Beach, CA, 714 960-5343.

Colorado

Fox & Hound Smokehouse & Tavern; 9239 Park Meadows Dr, Lone Tree, CO - (720) 875-9161‎

District of Columbia

Bar Louie; 701 7th Street NW (202 638-2460), Washington DC

Illinois

Full Shilling Irish Sports Pub; 3724 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 773-248-3330

Massachusetts

Baseball Tavern; 1270 Bolyston St., Boston, MA, 02215

Nevada

Paradise Cantina; 4480 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169, (702) 434-0031‎

New York

The Pacific Standard; 82 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY
MJ Armstrong's; 329 1st Ave, New York, NY

Oregon

Life of Riley; 300 NW 10th Ave, Portland, OR.

Texas

The Mezzanine Lounge: #150, 2200 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX
Legend's; 8901 Business Park Dr., Austin, TX 78759 (512) 343-0888

Poll

Where do you watch the Bears?

I'm usually at the game!

19 votes

My favorite sports bar!

2 votes

At home with friends/family!

11 votes

At home alone

4 votes

Online

3 votes

I'm a radio guy!

1 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Where Do You Watch the Ducks?

BearsNecessity — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:38:22 -0000

Hi vassals, good to see you again. You might remember my attempt at creating a map of Oregon Ducks Meetups. I've been turning the map info into a sports bars wiki and the many, many others I created, and am trying to assemble a comprehensive list of worldwide sports bars to make it easier for fans to watch the game. I was wondering what you guys thought of these places or if there are any other places to watch them that I missed.

Where do you guys watch the Ducks? Have you been to any of the sports bars of Oregon sports? What are your favorite sports bars in general?

Here's the partial list of Duck-friendly bars. You can edit and add to this list by clicking on the link and registering on the wiki, or you can just comment below!

Arizona

Native New Yorker; 5030 E Ray Rd # 5, Phoenix, AZ 85044, (480) 496-5717‎, nativenewyorker.com
Dukes Sports Bar and Grill; 7607 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257, (480) 675-9724‎, dukessportsbar.com

California

Mr Pockets Sports Bar; 516 N Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, (310) 372-4343‎, mrpockets.com
National Sports Grill; 450 N. State College Blvd, Orange, CA 92868, (714) 935-0300‎, nsganaheim.com
Beer Hunter Sports Pub & Grill; 78483 Highway 111, La Quinta, CA 92253, (760) 564-7442‎, laquintabeerhunter.com
Barney's Beanery; 99 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105, (626) 405-9777
McNear's Saloon & Dining House; 23 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 765-2121‎, mcnears.com
MVP's Sports Bar and Grill; 1629 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95816, 916-441-1114
Canes Bar and Grill; 3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109
R Bar; 1176 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109, (415) 567-7441
Stadium Pub; 1420 Lincoln Ave, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, (925) 256-7302

Colorado

Jackson's All-American Sports Grill; 10710 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CO 80020, (303) 635-2222

Hawaii

The Shack Waikiki; 2255 Kuhio Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, (808) 921-2255‎

Idaho

Tavern at Bown Crossing; 3111 S Bown Way, Boise, ID 83706, (208) 345-2277‎, tavernatbown.com

Illinois

Witts; 2913 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, (773) 528-7032

Massachusetts

The Baseball Tavern; 1306 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, (617) 437-1644

Minnesota

Joe Senser's Restaurant and Sports Theater; 2350 Cleveland Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113

Nevada

PT's Pub; 1651 E. Sunset, Las Vegas, NV
Amendment 21 Grill and Sportsbar; 425 South Virginia St, Reno, NV, (775)-786-0808

New York

The Hill; 416 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10016

North Carolina

The Box Seat; 5006 High Point Rd., Greenboro, NC 27407

Oregon

Louie's Bar and Grill; 41 North Main Street, Ashland, OR 97520
Copper Monkey Restaurant; 6540 SW Fallbrook Place, Beaverton, OR 97008, (503) 352-3399
Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill; 1020 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701, 541-385-8898
Bay Street Grille; 1341 Bay Street, Old Town, Florence, OR 77439, 541.902.9033
Hilton Eugene; 66 East Sixth Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401
Macadam's Bar & Grill; 5833 SW Macadam Ave., Portland, OR, (503)-246-6227
The Sky Box; 535 SW 6th Street, Redmond, OR 97756, (541) 504-2575
Splitz Sports Grill; 2400 NE Diamond Lake Blvd, Roseburg, OR 97470, 541-672-3601
Magoos; 275 Commercial Street SE, Salem, OR 97301, 503-363-5836
Marcellos; 4 Ponderosa Rd., Sunriver, OR 97707, (541) 593-8300

Virginia

Summers Restaurant & Sports Bar; 1520 N. Court House Rd., Arlington, VA 22201

Washington

Sport Restaurant; 140 4th Avenue North Suite 130, Seattle, WA 98109, (206) 404-7767

US Virgin Islands

Caribbean Saloon; Red Hook, 6501 Red Hook Plaza, Suite 201, St. Thomas, USVI 0080200

Poll

Where do you watch the Ducks?

I'm usually at the game!

8 votes

My favorite sports bar!

7 votes

At home with friends/family

12 votes

At home alone

4 votes

Online

3 votes

I'm a radio guy!

0 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

DBD 3.04.09 What Was Living in Cal Like?

BearsNecessity — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:46:49 -0000

via img17.imageshack.us

As part of Twist's ongoing plans to expand the CGB Empire, he desires to know about the nobles .~~who are plotting around him to usurp his throne.~~ We've already had many significant missions subjugating the vassals upstairs in Eugene, but now he wants to know more about us equals. Or something. Or maybe it's me. You don't know, more to the point, you don't care.

We know all about your Cal history. What was your Cal life like outside of sports? Started out in isolated Foothill (like me), get the beefcake of Bowles, or were you like most of us rocking out in the units? Did you enjoy your time in the dorms?

What was the post-dorm experience like? Were the frat boy/sorority girl stereotypes overrated or not hammered home enough? Were co-ops bang for the buck? Who else got screwed by their corrupt and incompetent apartment managers?

Twist'll have significant links soon enough. In the meantime, stare at this tree or answer the questions.

via www.coasttocoastam.com

Poll

Where'd you enjoy living during your Cal years?

Dorms

7 votes

Frats

11 votes

Co-ops

2 votes

Apartments

26 votes

Not in Bezerkley!

3 votes

With my parents

0 votes

People's Park

3 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

This video is amazing. What makes it funnier is Bruins Nation's indignation. What is Digger...

BearsNecessity — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:47:31 -0000

This video is amazing. What makes it funnier is Bruins Nation's indignation.

What is Digger thinking?

Maybe the Phoenix Suns are better suited for soccer. Barbosa as striker, Nash at midfield, and Shaq...

BearsNecessity — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:47:01 -0000

Maybe the Phoenix Suns are better suited for soccer. Barbosa as striker, Nash at midfield, and Shaq as goalie

DBD 2.27.09 Cal Football or Basketball?

BearsNecessity — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:47:04 -0000

via imgur.com

As Cal basketball inches closer to a tourney berth, we're pretty satisfied, if not exhilarated at how our team has performed. This leads us to a scenario where both of Cal's major sports are fielding strong, competitive teams. Considering how important education and athletics will be for incoming recruits in the ongoing economic downturn, there's nothing to suggest that California won't remain a hot spot well into the next decade.

Say that Cal football under Tedford and Cal basketball under Montgomery will field competitive teams for the next 5-10 years. What would you take more pleasure from on a day to day basis, watching our football team, or watching our basketball team?

Pros for football: Fewer games means every game means that much more and is thus more exciting to the average fan. Getting and/or winning a Rose Bowl seems far likelier than advancing deep in the NCAA tournament. Plenty of more people watch football. California football has never been this high in modern times and might never be this way again, given the traditional Pac-10 football programs who will always be around.

Cons for football: Just as the importance of a critical win is magnified, the devastation from a critical loss is so real. Discussions tend to be more fractious since there's a chain of command and it's easier for fans to assign blame. Also the sport is so complex it's difficult to discuss in layman's terms with fellow fans outside of 'Who ya think should start at QB?" and "Player X blows'. Way too much Monday Morning Quarterbacking.

Pros for basketball: Easier to understand; a far more laid back experience, quicker in pace and thus takes less time game to game. Not as difficult to learn the intricacies, more kinetic in pace. Games usually no longer than two hours, the equivalent of a Premier League soccer match. Strategy discussions way cool. Deeper history of Cal basketball than of Cal football. Also usually the best teams in the conference advance since there are more games; slip ups against Oregon State can be swept under the rug, unlike in football.

Cons for basketball: Chances of winning a National Championship without a star player are close to nil. Too many games to keep track of and dilutes the meaning of the regular season (a little bit, at least compared to college football). Lots more value placed on quality of officiating in basketball, and Pac-10 refs blow.

What are your thoughts on this?

Dump away as usual, and don't forget about the Gameday signs.

Poll

What do you enjoy more, Cal football or Cal basketball?

Cal football; VIVA TEDFORD!

48 votes

Cal basketball; all hail Pete Newell!

2 votes

I like both equally!

13 votes

I enjoy another sport more!

1 votes

64 votes | Poll has closed

Hi Vassal State

BearsNecessity — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:05:14 -0000

If I were running the AtQ occupation, I'd be a benevolent dictator (call me the nice version of Twist). I actually have useful questions to ask you guys, rather than jailing dvieria and throwing him in a Napa Valley gulag. Oh well. I'll just have to inquire your noble minds, servants.

As you might know, Andy Ludwig was hired as Frank Cignetti's replacement as Cal's offensive coordinator. I realize Oregon fans have a good amount of experience with him, having coached at Eugene in 2002-2004. What do you guys think of him as a coach, and what type of playcalling and offensive styles can we expect next season from the Golden Bears?

Oh dear. Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson have started a YouTube show together.

BearsNecessity — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:04:44 -0000

Oh dear. Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson have started a YouTube show together.