Sunday football on Willard Street NW. (Scott Leibowitz)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at scott@borderstan.com.

There are some weekends when perfect weather sets the stage for non-stop catching up with friends and long evenings in loud bars. My original plan last Sunday was to enjoy my team’s game on U street – the game wasn’t available on regular cable. However, upon waking up Sunday morning around 11:30, that seemed like an impossible feat.

Luckily, I had a back-up plan in my pocket the whole time. A friend of mine, whom I met through a close college friend, has a very nice and well furbished Dupont apartment, including a full subscription to NFL Countdown (the service that lets you watch any football game, whenever). So, instead of the ambiance of U Street, this week’s bar review is more domestic. Though my friend’s apartment didn’t lend itself to normal bar things – kegs, random people – his place hits the spot.

My Swiss Friend’s Apartment in North Dupont, Willard St

General Description: Heart of Borderstan – with an amazing roof deck and spacious kitchen. Pretty much the ideal place for a handful of middle-20s intelligent, gainfully employed/grad school gentlemen.

Why I Went There: The thought of drinking (more) in a crowded public space didn’t appeal to me. Why go to a crowded bar when I can kick my shoes off in a large living room den?  This seemed like a no brainer.

Atmosphere: Six guys checking their smart phones and/or laptops intermittently for their fantasy scores with the game(s) on in the background. On one TV, my football team streamed through a Playstation3. A second TV showed the local Redskins game (because this scene was inevitable) and a third TV ran NFL Redzone (the 21^st century response to shortened attention spans). What a scene – does it get any better?

There was plenty of space and couches for everyone to kick back and yell obscenities. And with an incredible roof deck, we got some halftime rays. Access to the roof deck made the guilt of spending the better part of Sunday afternoon a little bit better.

Food and Beverage: If I was too tired to make it to a bar, clearly I was too tired to really make a good breakfast/brunch, so I did the next best thing and picked up some comfort lunch food at THE BEST deli in the neighborhood, So’s Your Mom at 1831 Columbia Road NW. Little beats the timeless tradition of lox, cream cheese, tomato, onions and scallions on an everything bagel. Throw in a “revive” Vitamin Water and a bag of chips, this lunch brought me back.

Actual Game Viewing: Anytime I can watch a football game and feel like I am sitting in my childhood home, I feel good. The luxury of my friend’s apartment has this too. And between the hours of 1 and 5 pm, I didn’t miss a single exciting play from my game or any others in the league.

Overall: We all need friends like this, who save us from our weekend hangovers and provide safe havens to enjoy our football teams. Big thanks to Stephan, Eric, and John.

Total Pigskins: The lazy in me says 5, but the practical says 2, so lets go with 3.5

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!

• Remember Urkel? Yea well he is now a game show host on Sci-Fi Network. Good news right?
• Hate your job? This is how you quit in style.
• Michael Vick hates Washington Redskin cheerleaders.
  

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Buffalo Billiards on 19th Street NW south of Dupont Circle. (Scott Leibowitz)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at scott@borderstan.com.

This is now the third bar I have reviewed and I gotta say I am sorta getting the hang of this. I have had some great feedback from you guys, but feel there are lots of hidden gems of bars and places in our neighborhood I should stop by on game-day.

As long as there are TVs, draft beer, and football on, I am willing to check out anywhere. For this week thought I’d venture south and spend the day in Dupont Circle. Enjoy.

Buffalo Billiards, 1330 19th St NW

General Description:When you hear the term “sports bar”, this is definitely what you would have mind. It’s got wall-to-wall televisions, tons of different great bar games, lots of space, and fairly standard bar drink and food. If your team makes it to a championship game, and you want to watch with your fellow fans, this is the place to do it.

Scott Leibowitz

Why I Went There: Convenience in Borderstan. This past Sunday was great weather and a walk through the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market made it quite easy to walk to the south part of the circle for football. I have also been here for a few college games and enjoyed some pretty loud and enthusiastic crowds.

Atmosphere: This is the very spacious and activity filled bar DC needs to be considered a decent sports bar city. First off it is quite large with tons of space, so if you are a group of 25 Cincinnati Bengals fans, there is plenty of room and an available TV. Every game is on somewhere, including the center of the room with a projector screen and six other HDTVs; frankly it’s a lot of stimulation.

Its other big plus is they have so many games and activities including; a dozen billiards tables, shuffle board, darts, ski-ball, foosball, buck-hunter, and that golf video game people like. If your team is getting blown out, chuck some darts. Got a friend or significant other who isn’t a big football fan, there are plenty of games to help their Sunday afternoon enjoyment. (My girlfriend is not like that; instead she blew me out in Fantasy Football this week.)

Food and Beverage: This bar blew their money out on their HDTV’s and tons of games. That said their beer and food menu is not an escape from any other bar in the area or the country. I’d even go as far to say the beer selection, besides Batch 19, was very average (Buds, Millers, Coors, etc.). Menu seemed fairly bar’ish but gotta say for a place this large, table service was nice.

Actual Game Viewing: Tons of space + tons of HDTV + friendly staff = anywhere you sit you can see your game.

Something a Female in My Party Noticed: This was a not just a bunch of dudes watching football. I’d say half the patrons were women, and not just dates, but game invested, wearing their team’s jerseys and cheering all game. This bar is for every fan, every gender.

Overall: If you want a sports viewing bar with tons of games and TVs, this is as good as it gets.  Besides that, not much else but an average bar

Total Pigskins: 3 

   Links! Links! Ice Cold Links

•     With the Occupy Wall St (also DC), Ben&Jerry’s steps up.
•     Attention basketball junkies: Forget the NBA, enjoy this documentary on high school ball.
•     Why is college football so inferior to the NFL? Stuff like this. What a dumb rule.

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Ready for football?

From Scott Leibowitz. Find him @Lebodome on Twitter or email him at scott@borderstan.com.

YES. It is finally here. There was definitely a moment back in May watching Ochocinco bull-riding where it definately looked like there may not be an NFL season. Even our commander-in-chief (a Chicago Bears fan, ha!) almost stepped in to fix the fight between millionaires and billionaires.

However, when push came to shove and the chips were on the table (by chips, I mean prospect of no season at all) both sides cooled and came to a compromise (remember that word Federal government?).

Football is here, and it starts this Thursday with the last two Super Bowl winners facing off: Saints vs. Packers. I hope that you all did well in your one or many fantasy football drafts, and are ready to dominate your leagues with good research and biting insults to your opponents.

This looks to be another good season with lots of fun, bizarre and illegal story lines. One of the things I have always respected while living in DC is how fierce and loyal Redskins fans are, despite its recent poorly run front office. This was and always will be (sorry Caps/Nats) a football town, and you can feel it around the city.

With that said, here are some things to look for as America’s greatest sport (baseball, you know you still own October) kicks off and we begin the 46^th season of the National Football League.

The Redskins: how bad can/will they be?  The star quarterback they brought in last year (McNabb) and the 100 million dollar headache (Haynesworth) are gone. They passed on QBs in the draft and are putting their eggs in either untested rookie John Beck or sorta decent veteran Rex Grossman. Coach Shanahan says Grossman is the starter, for now.

If this team wins eight games, I will be shocked. (That said, I hope that running back Tim Hightower scores lots of touchdowns for my fantasy team). The ‘Skins play a tough schedule, including the stacked AFC East, with home games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots. At least the defense will be fun to watch.

Boring Kickoffs. A new rule was made for this year that kickoffs are at the 35-yard line instead of the 30 to prevent some of the more vicious hits that occur in this phase of the game. Yes, player safety should be a high priority, but in the pre-season so far, there are too many touchbacks and less exciting returns. I will miss these plays.

10 Years Later. The first Sunday of the season is September 11 and the league was smart to have the New York Football Giants play the Washington Redskins at 4:15. This weekend will have lots of touching memorials, speeches and stories, especially at games. While we all will be enjoying a full slate of Week 1 games, please take some time to reflect on that day.

So… Are you ready for some football?

Thought of the Week. How are you preparing for Week 1? Any big party plans? I am fan of starting the season at home with friends and lots of guacamole…

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!

• Are the new University of Maryland football jerseys cool or just plain weird? I haven’t decided….
• Even pro athletes get pulled over for driving 147 mph. This is a good thing.
• GWU just announced its 2011-12 Men’s Basketball schedule. DC is a better town when it’s not just Gtown playing good ball.
• Forget Andy Roddick. Say Hello to the new face of American tennis: Donald Young.

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An unusual end to the summer: An earthquake, a hurricane and the best baseball game Lebodome has ever attended. (Scott Leibowitz)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find him @Lebodome on Twitter or email him at scott@borderstan.com.

Maybe we were all having too much fun at happy hours. Maybe it was penance for complaining about the awful heat of July that made it unbearable to take a walk without craving a slurpee. Or maybe, just maybe, as Michelle Bachman joked, it’s because our own District can’t seem to remember the classic kindergarten lesson of “play nice together” (I don’t for a second endorse this. That woman is batsh*t). What the heck happened to our summer and how did it end like this?

For me, my end of summer was so out of whack that I am not sure what kind of adjectives should be used. But like most people, it can be told through the medium of the natural disasters (don’t love that term) we have had recently.

Earthquake: One a perfectly normal Tuesday, I made plans to enjoy some outdoor lunch with fellow Borderstan writer Laura. We grab our lunch and find a quiet seat behind McFadden’s around 25th and K Streets NW. In the midst of a great catch-up session, Laura turns to me and asks if our bench is shaking or if is she going crazy. I noticed that yes, it is a bit, but I blame it on either a metro under us (the Metro doesn’t go to Gtown so not that), squirrels (nope) or a moving truck (nah).

About 15 minutes later someone randomly asks us if we are ok from the earthquake, and we both think he is drunk. We then hit the twitter waves and see that we laughed through a 5.8-er. Of course, we then noticed everyone has cleared the offices and traffic is gridlocked. I almost feel bad — I didn’t notice a freakin’ earthquake. What’s wrong with me?

Irene: So I go home to New Jersey (yeah yeah, insert your comment) last week, and on the Thursday before the storm, I attend easily the best baseball game I have ever seen. The New York Yankees hit 3 grand slams, a feat that has never been done in the history of professional sports. How could life get any better?

I’ll tell you!! Some pissed off woman named Irene showed up and decided she had enough of Jersey and forced me and my extended family to stay in the house and enjoy the best hurricane the state has seen in a century. I will say my small suburb was spared from flooding, power outages and water sports, but it ruined my plans for an amazing live fantasy football draft (it was done online, not the same). Plenty of Jersey is still recovering; luckily we put our pool furniture back outside Monday, but I still don’t have power.

Earthquakes. Hurricanes. What a way to end the summer.  At least we got my favorite season coming up: fall. What’s not to love about playoff baseball, beginning of the NFL and maybe some college football that will be declared ineligible in a few years. Hopefully it doesn’t snow anytime soon.

Thoughts of the Week: What are ya’ll up to for Labor Day? I hope it’s a BBQ…

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!

• The greatest sporting event comes to NYC this week, the US Open.
• If you are a fan of “The Wire”, enjoy this.
• United States children are better than Japanese children… at baseball.

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Where do you jog? (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome or email him at scott@borderstan.com.

For most organized sports, people have great and detailed stories of how they first started. Maybe it was that cute girl who loved basketball players that encouraged you to work on your jump shot, or as a kid you just loved having a catch with your dad so you excelled at little league. However, in all my years (that isn’t many) I have never heard anyone tell me they started running because they just knew it was meant for them or how fun it is. Running is just… well, just running.

In my case, it was because my high school was too small for a football team and I was too slow/uncoordinated to play soccer in the fall, so cross country was the best way to get in shape for winter basketball. Despite hating every practice and meet I participated in, I am quite thankful to have learned the art of going for a jog. It has so many benefits that I won’t list them here (that and I am not qualified to be an expert in health matters).

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Lockout! Scott sums up the situation with the NFL and NBA. (Illustration by Luis Gomez)

Scott Leibowitz

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome.

Of course the economy isn’t fixed yet; if it were, the NBA and NFL wouldn’t be in lockouts.

After watching President Obama‘s latest press conference on the budget negotiations, I had a thought that hit me like a linebacker sacking a blind-sided  quaterback (one of my favorite hits in the game):
the current  NBA and NFL lockouts are linked to our federal economy. All of these lockouts and struggles are no coincidence… America needs its football (and hoops) for our economy’s sake.

What is exactly going on? I am not an expert or lawyer so my next two paragraphs are loaded with links explaining both…

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I walk the line: Sunday afternoon at Meridian Hill Park. (Scott Leibowitz)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome.

Scott Leibowitz

Backyard Sports to the Sound of the Drums at Meridian Hill Park

Welcome back to the Lebodome…

There are many essentials that make up a true summer in D.C. Going to a Nats game to enjoy the food (instead of the baseball), jazz at the sculpture garden (where you at least know one random person) and, of course, the drum circle Sunday at Meridian Hill Park.

As I have already checked off the first two from my list, I decided it was time to sweat for a few hours outside, listening to some beats. Last week, Editor Luis Gomez wrote a great article on the park’s diversity. And I found this Washington Post article explaining the tradition of the music, so I won’t go too much into the actual drumming as I ain’t Ringo. I was at the park to enjoy the activities, the people watching and the music.

The main green on the north side of Meridian Hill Park. (Scott Leibowitz)

One of the very first things you notice in this park is it is long, meaning plenty of green space for all kinds of outdoor/backyard games — but there is a bit of a risk. There is a lovely string of benches on both sides of the middle green, so if you are playing anything, you are part of the showcase (which is amazing for people watching).

For most of the afternoon, I found myself watching Frisbees fly around while enjoying the great variety of dogs taking walks. The park is also great for bocce — a section is just dirt, making it perfect for good rolls.

I also saw fantastic jugglers, a competitive game of Bolo Toss (Ladder Toss) and, my personal favorite of the day, the gymnast/Cirque De Soleil group climbing on top of each other. My roommate also tells me later in the afternoon when it cools down the park has very competitive short field soccer.

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Scott Leibowitz joins the Borderstan.com writing team.

Editor’s note: Borderstan.com welcomes a new contributor, Scott Leibowitz. In his own words: “Scott may not be the trendiest, but since age 8 when he realized going pro wasn’t an option, he has watched Sportscenter every morning and rooted for his beloved New York sports teams (despite being from Jersey). Schooled in Foggy Bottom, he plans people’s financial futures by day and enjoys his front lawn of 18th Street Adams Morgan by night. His father the basketball coach taught him his game, and he is always open for a quality discussion on the pros and cons of the designated hitter rule or anything else.

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From Scott Leibowitz. Find me on Twitter @Lebodome.

Hello, Borderstan! How’s it going? My name is Scott and I am new to Borderstan.com. I am here to bring a little sports and outdoor activities into your digital reading space. I am from New Jersey living in D.C., and working for a small financial services company from my room right on the 18th Street strip of Adams Morgan.

My goal is to make this column a mix of sports topics from Borderstan, D.C. and the rest of the world. The focus will be on Borderstan-area activities, including sport leagues, bars to enjoy games and good running routes. I hope to chronicle some of the things I see from my window, as well as a healthy dispensing of Internet links. Feel free to comment or follow me on Twitter at Lebodome.

Old Business Before New Business: I Love June

With the excitement and fun of fireworks, barbecues, and humidity, the time around July 4th is probably one of the best chunks of days on the calendar, especially as it kicks into the deep part of summer.

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