Your Weekly Open Thread for Random Questions

It allows everyone to still ask their questions, but consolidates it into one forum for ease of use and to keep FanPosts from being overrun. Seems pretty logical to me.

It’s not about the questions being a problem, so much as finding a single place where they can be coalesced. I think you mistake the purpose here.

near or inside-the-loop for the games we don’t attend. Sometimes Lucky’s, often not. Email me and I’ll let you know each week. (heading to Austin for ULM though…)

although I think all their locations turn into Texas joints on gameday. This is just the one I go to.

Other bars that cater to Longhorns are Cortland Garage and I believe the West End.

Some info posted here.

I saw a DirecTV ad the other day that said the game would be on PPV. They are asking $39.99. Ouch.

Writing #3 right now. Will have to sprint to make it through all ten.

Biggest and best is probably northwest corner of MLK (aka 19th street) and Red River. If you’re friendly and put yourself out there a bit, any tailgate would be happy to feed you and quench your thirst.

Easiest bar to visit would be Scholz Garten, located at 17th and San Jacinto.

54b Trip Report

Also keep an eye on the site, as TOA and I are making the trip this year.

This’ll get you headed in the right direction…you’re most like SOL as far as hotels in Stillwater go, but there are some alternatives listed below. Otherwise, all you really need to know for pre and post game is Eskimo Joes.

Texas vs. Oklahoma State • Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK • October 31, 2009

Overview: With a generous donation from super booster T. Boone Pickens, Oklahoma State recently renovated their stadium making OSU a lot more attractive to potential big name recruits. That coupled with a new do-whatever-it-takes-to-win attitude instilled in the team by fiery Head Coach Mike Gundy has made Stillwater a much more imposing place to play. And with several key players returning for OSU this season, Cowboys players and fans alike will be chomping at the bit to avenge several heartbreaking losses to the Longhorns in recent years.

Transportation: Stillwater is located 65 miles northeast of Oklahoma City and 71 miles due west of Tulsa. It takes just over an hour to drive there from the airports in either city. Driving conditions in Oklahoma are pretty leisurely, so even fans coming in from places as far away as Dallas shouldn’t hesitate to make the drive.

Lodging: Hotel options in Stillwater are extremely limited and with the majority of fans attending the game from both schools requiring accommodations, making reservations far in advance isn’t just recommended, it’s required. If there are no vacancies, staying in Guthrie or Edmond (just north of OKC) is a good alternative.

Hampton Inn, 717 E. Hall of Fame Avenue, 405-743-1306

Fairfield Inn, 418 E. Hall of Fame Drive, 405-372-6300

Holiday Inn & Suites, 715 S. Country Club Road, 800-718-8466

Restaurants/Bars: Even people who have never been to Stillwater know of Eskimo Joe’s because of the iconic T-shirts sold there featuring a smiling Eskimo and his smiling husky. The "Jumpin’ Little Juke Joint" is a sports bar of the highest order and easily the most popular place to be in Stillwater on Saturdays in the fall. It fills up fast, so get there early and order Joe’s famous cheese fries. The pizza at Hideaway around the corner is quite good too.

As for post-game bars, there are a slew of them over on Washington Street, also known as "the strip," located just south of campus.

54b’s Picks:

Eskimo Joe’s, 501 W. Elm Avenue, 405-372-8896

Hideaway (Pizza), 230 S. Knoblock Street, 405-372-477

Shortcakes (All-Night Diner), 219 N. Main Street, 405-624-1057

Dirty Dog Tavern, 421 S. Washington Street, 405-385-0244

Murphy’s Bar, 306 S. Washington Street, 405-743-2983

Tailgating: Parking near the stadium is limited, especially for the general public, so most fans park in the adjacent neighborhoods and congregate in the makeshift beer gardens located in the parking areas of local establishments located near Eskimo Joe’s on Elm Street prior to kick-off. The best tailgating can be found in the "OSU Posse Lot," located just south of the stadium.

Tickets: Both teams will likely enter this game highly ranked with the Big XII South Division Title possibly on the line, so tickets will be very hard to come by. In the past, the OSU ticket office has been known to require purchasing an entire season package rather than sell single tickets to marquee match-ups. Securing tickets before arrival through online auction sites or even a 3rd party ticket source like Stubhub is recommended due to the high demand for this game.

Gameday Traditions: Oklahoma State has a couple of mascots, one being "Pistol Pete," whose name and likeness are modeled after Deputy US Marshal Frank Eaton, a late 1800’s gunslinger who became famous for tracking down and shooting the perpetrators who murdered his father. The other mascot is Bullet, a black horse that sprints onto the field before the game and after every OSU touchdown. Lastly, after the OSU offense makes a first down, visitors to Pickens Stadium will be hard-pressed not to notice the very audible Public Address announcer exclaiming, "And that’s another Cowboy," and prompting the crowd to scream, "First Down!"

Local Attractions: For the avid golfer, there are several public and private golf courses of note in the area including 5-Star Karsten Creek, home of the 10-tiime National Champion OSU Golf Team.

So GamePlan wouldn’t cover it. That’s for ABC and ESPN games. I can’t tell yet if TWC get the PPV option for FSN, but I’m guessing I will. ASAP.

New Orleans is in rough shape for sports bar generally, and terrible shape if you want to watch a game other than LSU. Johnny White’s may be an option in the quarter but I doubt they’ll get a PPV game. There’s also a place in the called Kabby’s down riverside on Poydras. Lots of TV’s, and probably your best bet in the quarter.

Uptown you’ve got a few more options, most near the streetcar.

Cooter Browns probably has the most screens in the city, but the bartenders don’t care at all about sports. Friar Tucks had Direct TV last I heard, but I don’t remember catching any games there. Bruno’s reliably carried Texas games and for big games tends to turn into a Texas Ex bar. The Boot (native’s don’t laugh), is actually fine afternoon sports bar with a lot of TV’s but the crowd gets young as the sun goes down.

Finn McCools is the best dive Irish Pub you can ask for in mid-city, and can be counted on to carry big games

The Texas exes were really disorganized when I lived there, so Tulane’s large Texas Ex grad/law student contingent usually worked something out at one of the aforementioned uptown bars.

I think they host game watching parties at bars around the country. Sign up with the chapter in your area and they probably will send you some info via email.

pretty much; sometimes, people are nice enough to post a feed that they found works. Be on the lookout in the open threads during the game.

but the Capcha screen does not recognized the test words I type.

So how does this thing work anyway? Does someone who gets the PPV need to post it to justintv?

…they just need a student ID, doesn’t even need to be current (eg. recent alumni can use their ID)

..but the regular Cap Metro buses work w/ some detours. Depends on where you’re coming from. Try the website, and the bus drivers are helpful when asking about the detours

chaps