Which is the Best Bar in Lincoln?

Ten or so days ago The Wizard of Odds kicked off the great sort of theme post that can only occur in the off season: Thirst & 10. It's more than a search for the best college bars in America, it's a search for the best bars to fully experience a football Saturday at said school.

To put it another way: If you were to go to, say, Clemson what bar would you absolutely have to hit? That's what they're looking for.

The criteria:

• Has to be within walking distance of the stadium.
• Drinks should be so cheap that when you're local politico makes a move to ban promotions providing such cheap hooch you're sad but know that it's probably a good idea.
• The staff should be attractive.
• No chains.

In addition to the Tigers the only other schools to be represented thus far are LSU and Arizona, so it's still early but I'd be devastated if Nebraska didn't have a horse in this race.

Problem is, I feel woefully unqualified to offer an opinion on the Lincoln night/game day life. I never spent that much time on O Street in general and prefer to do my pregaming on Saturdays from plastic cups in the parking lot.

So which is the most Cornhuskerian watering hole? If you've got a strong opinion, I urge you to submit it to The WOO lest we lose our reputation as a drinking town with a football problem.

Just don't call it "School"

Spirits on the Creighton campus are presumably high right now. After an 0-2 start in the Valley, the Jays have won five straight conference games to get right back in the mix, the suddenly world beating, #22 Drake Bulldogs invade the Qwest--where Creighton has won five of their last six against ranked opponents--on Tuesday night, and CU is getting its very own on campus bar.

Does it get much better for a small mid-major university? Relative basketball success and school sanctioned drinking.

While the Omaha.com article linked above takes great care to examine the inherent problems and increased responsibility an on campus bar would bring, the whole thing seems to embody the college spirit to me.

A pint with a prof after class? Seems like the stuff of the letter sweater era but that's precisely what Creighton is going to do. (No word on whether or not incoming freshmen will be once again issued beanies.)

We have every assurance that a disapproving Billy Bluejay (or someone similar) will be vigilant in their pursuit of responsible drinking. Conveniently, this student center bar will close at least an hour before last call elsewhere--two if you want to cross the river--so, like the U. of Wisconsin example cited in the article, students can get plammered near home and raise hell elsewhere.

Sounds like a perfect system to me, now tell me more about those paper pitchers you speak of.

Salud. And beat Drake.

Freshly brewed Bugs & Cranks

Just because the Cubs lost to the Brewers today doesn't mean we can't think about baseball and it's glorious relationship with beer. (Okay, it would've been much better from a baseball standpoint if the Cubs had swept the Brewers, but they didn't. And there's still beer.)

Click here for the first in my two part MLB Draught 07 series.

Photo: WallyG