Best Sports Bars In Kalamazoo

This article I will go a little off topic and talk about restaurants and sports bars around the Kalamazoo area. I have no formal training in rating restaurants (except for a few classes in the honorable Professor Howard Dooley’s History classes) but I do think I know my way around a sports bar. I will rank the bars with four stars in the topics of Food, Atmosphere, Sports viewing and Prices.

Burdick’s

Food: Three and a half stars

Atmosphere: Three stars

Sports Viewing: Two stars

Prices: Three stars

Burdick’s is one of the hot spots in Kalamazoo for the half off students Wednesday nights and Sundays. The food is very good but the half off menu is slightly limited. The drinks are all half price too. If you can catch a TV it is great to watch a game but otherwise the viewing isn’t the best. The place really isn’t designed to be a sports bar, but a bar and restaurant that has sports. I like going here but for the prices and food, not the sports. If you are going to catch a game, you can do better.

Wayside West

Food: Three and a half stars

Atmosphere: Three and a half stars

Sports Viewing: Three and a half stars

Prices: Two and a half stars

Wayside West is huge and has some of the biggest TVs (projectors) around. It has really good food and service but the deals are almost drink only. I always go to one of these places to eat, so if you’re like me it could be counted as a strike. The place is electric on game day be it college (I go there to watch Big Ten games on Big Ten Network since my cable doesn’t carry it) and plenty of fans go. You can’t go wrong with this place, especially if money is not an issue.

Brewster’s

Food: Three stars

Atmosphere: Three stars

Sports Viewing: Two stars

Prices: Three and a half stars

One of the bars I have been to a lot to catch Sunday Night Football games with my friends, I know this place pretty well. The food is good and the prices are good, the best bet is half off appetizers on Mondays. It is a bit of a drive down I-94 but it’s a solid choice. They probably have the best dessert out of all the restaurants if that is big for you. The atmosphere is more bar than sports bar but I enjoy going here.

The Grotto At Capone’s

Food: Three stars

Atmosphere: Three stars

Sports Viewing: Three stars

Prices: Three stars

The Grotto has pretty good prices on food and good specials on everything. They have a cleaner atmosphere in case you are not into smokier places. The big screen HD TVs flanks the walls and the food is solid. The place isn’t bad but isn’t outstanding. If you want to go to a place with great pizza or want a break from something this is a good place. This is more of a bar than a place to watch a game. It is a cool place to shoot pool though. Solid choice.

Big Deal’s

Food: Four stars

Atmosphere: Three and a half stars

Sports Viewing: Four stars

Prices: Three and a half stars

I have only been here a few times but for all the hype it had it lived up to it. They have 32 big screen TVs and artificial turf floors really add to the experience. They will turn it on any sport you will like, and if you have more than one at a time (like me with the MLS Cup, Sunday Night Football, Pistons Basketball and highlights from the NFL action of the day) they will set that up for you too. The food is very good and at a good price especially if you use the student packet coupons. They have every sports package as well, but that should be standard for any bar. This place is just opening and still finding its footing but is starting off well. It had a lot of people in it when I stopped in. The menu is your basic sports bar cuisine without desserts (not cool) and limited drink selection. All around the best sports venue in Kalamazoo right now. A few changes can be made but this should be the standard for everyone else to strive towards.

The State Of Football In Michigan

As we look at the state of football in Michigan, I will examine the college and professional ranks and compare it to other times. At its peak in the 1950’s, MSU was winning national titles and the Lions NFL championships. At its worse, Michigan and Eastern Michigan were awful and the Lions went winless.

College:

University Of Michigan: This is a program that is in transition, maybe transitioning again. They have missed a bowl two years in a row which robs teams of extra practice time, revenue and recruiting. They have some promising youngsters but their defense is losing a lot in graduation and the NFL. I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with Tate Forcier as I do if he wasn’t a stuck up whiny arrogant jerk. I never treated Chad Henne the way I treat Forcier. And don’t say “he’s just a freshman”, you crowned him a savior, so deal with it. This is a program that needs to make up its mind if RichRod is the next Bo or your John L. Smith. Your AD is gone. I think that RichRod will have to go at least 8-4 to keep his job. That being said, you don’t want to turn into Notre Dame and fire a coach every three years.

Michigan State: Man, where do I begin. I love Dantonio. I believe he is the right man for the job. I am in no way calling for his job, or even Narduzzi’s. But there were some serious coaching mistakes this year. I’ll make my stance very clear. I would have in no way allowed Glenn Winston back on the team this year. I would have redshirted him, allowed him to come back to school and the team and practiced to stay in shape and see what he can do if he was on his best behavior the whole year. I don’t care how talented he is. He was our best kick returner (until Keyshawn Martin came around) and the toughest power runner. Now he is kicked off the team. Now he is an embarrassment to the entire program, along with Jenrette. He should have never been given a second chance, and I have been saying that since he was reinstated. The QB situation was horribly mishandled and cost the Spartans at least the Central game. Putting Nichol in after Cousins made a highlight play is stupid. They shuttled in with little or no reasoning behind it. After Cousins separated himself from Nichol it got a little better but not much. The secondary was atrocious all year with that being Dantonio’s specialty that’s upsetting. The team had many boneheaded penalties and too many penalties as well. That’s not supposed to happen to a disciplined team like MSU wants to be. At least we made a bowl and made it three in a row. At least we beat Michigan and most of the teams we should, and we have a young core of very good talent to build around. But this year was disappointing.

Western Michigan: Talk about disappointment. We went from 9-3 with a great team led by a veteran QB and RB to a 5-7 team that couldn’t beat anybody decent. We did win some close games and play well at home but lost two games we should have won that would have lifted us to a bowl. The Indiana game was tough because we were so close to winning. The rest of our losses were brutal and you could tell how young our team was. Now next year will prove difficult with a road trip to Notre Dame and Hiller and West graduating. Maybe some of Cubit’s recruits can come through and get this team back to a bowl game.

Eastern Michigan: You guys were awful before and are still awful now. Maybe Ron English can turn this around and win more than 3 games a year. I don’t know what this team has to do besides get better recruits, but if they are going to strike, now is the time, with the rest of the MAC West taking a step back.

Central Michigan: State Champs by far. They beat every team in the state besides Michigan, and I have confidence they would win even in Ann Arbor. The upset MSU with a thrilling come from behind field goal after a miraculous onside kick recovery. They took care of business against the pathetic Eagles and on the road against arch rival WMU. This season will turn out to be what many people thought, a trip to the MAC Championship game against Ohio and a chance a better bowl than the Pizza Pizza! Bowl has them contracted to. But this season was one lost, as Dan Lefevour should have produced more. There is no reason this team couldn’t be like Ball State last year and go into this game undefeated and make a very solid bowl. Still a great season for a program that has really become the best in the MAC.

Professional: The Rampage folded with the rest of the Arena Football league and Michigan was not given another franchise in the new launch league. The Kalamazoo Xplosion, the most successful professional team in Michigan, folded. Now we are left with just the Lions.

Detroit Lions: The season is not over technically, but we have found out a lot about the Lions. They are more talented and are better coached. They have a good GM that drafts well (so far, finding gems Levy and Brown) and will pull off moves trading and waiver wire to make this team better. Stafford and Pettigrew have looked very good at times, battling through injuries, and Delmas looks like a future Pro-Bowler. This team just needs more playing time for its young players and more talent overall. A few more drafts and this could be a playoff team. I haven’t believed in a QB, Head Coach and GM in oh, forever in Detroit. It could be a couple more tough seasons but we should see more and more progress until this team is winning.

Overall: The state is on the way up. Central needs to keep winning and Eastern, Western and Michigan need to consistently win and get better. MSU needs to string together more successful seasons or it will be no more a threat in the Big Ten then Northwestern. Do we really need an Arena team? In a word, no. The Lions need a lot more work but seem to be heading in the right direction. The state of football is much better than last year and should improve next year as well.

NFL Picks Week 12

Already missed my upset special and have gone 1-2 so far this week, 6-6 in Upset Specials overall. Here is the rest of the picks for the week.

Falcons over Buccaneers
Dolphins over Bills
Bengals over Browns
Seahawks over Rams
Jets over Panthers
Eagles over Redskins
Colts over Texans
Chargers over Chiefs
49ers over Jaguars
Cardinals over Titans
Vikings over Bears

Sunday Night Football: Ravens over Steelers
Monday Night Football: Saints over Patriots

You're Welcome: Football and Fùtbol

This week's You're Welcome comes with a bonus 3 picks for the Thanksgiving day pigskin lineup. I am a big fan of carrying three games on the holiday, with the prime time game being added. I should be watching a lot of football and eating amazing food all weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Football:
Packers over Lions
*Upset Special* Raiders over Cowboys
Giants over Broncos

1. Matt Stafford: I have been singing his praises all week with an impressive gutsy win over the Browns. I know it was over an awful team and it doesn't matter and no one cares and blah blah blah but he impressed me enough to change my mind about drafting him. I wanted to take Aaron Curry so bad or Jason Smith or even considered Mark Sanchez to be a solid option. But after seeing 10 games of football, I realized I am very wrong. His mobility and arm strength are good enough to be an elite NFL player. His accuracy is improving and his grit and leadership are showing a team and a city with a culture of losing that he will do all he can physically to take them to victories. Once the talent level around him improves, we could see a special player. And we can all say we saw it start in a meaningless game in late November.

2. Real Salt Lake: I am a Galaxy fan since they have my favorite player Landon Donovan (because of his work for the US National team) plays for them. I watched the entire MLS Cup match (Eagles vs Bears? yawn) and saw an early goal by LA set the tone for the game. RSL went into the playoffs with a sub .500 record and play their way into the final, defeating league juggernauts LA and Columbus. They have certainly earned this title and earned the win. But it is hard to overlook how LA blew their chance to be champs. They have the two best players in the league (Beckham and Donovan) and were red hot in the second half once Beckham committed to the team. After scoring first, they gave up a tough goal, lost their goalkeeper and took the game into penalty kicks. Donovan whiffed on a shot and RSL buried a shot to get the Cup. The MLS is as entertaining as ever, and RSL is its perfect champ, a tough comeback kid reaching their goal.

3. Chris Johnson: Probably the best Running Back in the league has been tearing the league up in Tennessee's 4 game winning streak. He is on pace to beat Eric Dickerson's rushing title and tear up defenses the rest of the way with Vince Young leading an offensive attack better than the aging Kerry Collins was. Young's running of the option only will only help Johnson put up huge numbers. He has track speed and can start and stop on a dime. He definitely has some Barry Sanders moves and I would take him over AD because he fumbles less and has more home run power. Plus Peterson has an all world O-line and more balanced attack. Plus he plays the Lions and Bears 4 times. Johnson won't beat Dickerson's record but he will keep churning out huge yardage.

Gutsy Win Over Cleveland, Weston Corbitt, Spark Staffordmania

After a super gutsy win in Detroit, Matthew Stafford has been getting some respect around the league. Countless TV shows, a YouTube video (I highly suggest) have been put out to show the manliness of number 9. I am sure we will see some Matt Stafford facts soon too. Like Matthew Stafford can throw a football through a brick wall, Matthew Stafford can drink a keg in an hour and it only makes him blink, Matthew Stafford can lead a horse to water, and have him drink and lead the Lions to a victory. Its cool to be excited about a young QB. Maybe we are on to something here.

The Detroit Lions Have Turned The Corner

The Lions probably won't win another game all year. They beat an awful Cleveland Browns team by one point, at home. They almost got blown out and almost lost after retaking the lead. They played fairly bad the whole second half. We have won a game already this season. That was an end of an era. This is the turning point for the franchise. Other Lions teams would have folded and been all right losing in a blow out. You came out and honored past greats, won a game this year, so who cares?

Down 24-3 late in first quarter and the offense looking lost, the team could have been stupid with the football and throw all over the place. But Stafford looked calm and poised and delivered the ball with arm strength and accuracy. He threw 2 ugly interceptions into coverage but threw 5 TD passes (a rookie record) and put the team on his back. He took shots all game and scrambled for precious extra yards. He was injured when he threw the game winning touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew grew up just as much as when he took pass after pass and ran for tough yardage. His hands looked great. The young core of talent is really starting to take shape for Detroit. Give Schwartz and Mayhew time and some more drafts and this team will win. Period.

I was wrong with Stafford. I know he threw 5 TDs against the Browns, but his toughness, leadership, guts and mobility were all on display today. His accuracy and understanding of the NFL is evident. We will go as far as he does. He has rare arm strength. Aaron Curry can't lead a team to a win. Jason Smith can't inspire a team to a win. Stafford has the right mindset and all the talent in the world. Hopefully the city of Detroit will look past his 41.7 million dollar guaranteed contract and see the tough leader he is with so much potential. He is what the city of Detroit must do. Battered and beat, with the world on top of you and all the pressure in the world you need to make a comeback and battle through and take the win no matter how tough it is. You need to sacrifice even more than you have now and take what is yours. This is an epic win for the Lions, and something to build on. Enjoy this win, but expect more losses. But the Lions are battling their way back to the top, one game at a time.

NFL Picks Week 11

I have clawed my way back to .500 in my Upset Special picks. I started the year with 4 straight losses. My overall record is 98-46 after a solid 12 win weekend. Here are the picks for the week.

Panthers over Dolphins (I made this pick, incorrectly, on Twitter on Thursday)
Cowboys over Redskins
Lions over Browns
Packers over 49ers
Steelers over Chiefs
Vikings over Seahawks
Giants over Falcons
Saints over Buccaneers
Jaguars over Bills
Colts over Ravens
Cardinals over Rams
Broncos over Chargers
Bengals over Raiders
Patriots over Jets

Sunday Night Football: Eagles over Bears

Monday Night Football: *Upset Special* Titans over Texans