Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football Cavalcade Of Errors, Starring Rick Reilly!

Something amazing happened last night during ESPN's coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 16-13 overtime atrocity win over the lowly Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. It wasn't the Chiefs' miraculously hanging well within the 12 point spread on this game (obliterating degenerate teaser bets every ... More >>

Texans Romp Over Undermanned Ravens 43-13 As Records Fall

They weren't the boldfaced, awe-inspiring ever-dreaded Baltimore Ravens of old - too many injuries, and old age, have ravaged that line-up - but they are still wearing the purple and black that has intimidated NFL offenses for years. Not today in Reliant Stadium, though. The Houston Texans didn't ... More >>

Does Over-Serving at Restaurants Go Under-Investigated?

A few weeks ago, I endured a rather unpleasant dinner at The Rouxpour -- the subject of this week's cafe review -- which had nothing to do with the food itself and everything to do with two very drunk patrons. After being harassed by the two men throughout the evening, I finally retrieved a manager ... More >>

No Respect For Texans: $14 For A Monday Night Football Ticket?

If you think some of your fellow Houstonians are taking a "wait and see" attitude when it comes to the Texans, you should see the rest of the country. There's always just the slightest hint of disbelief in the voice of whatever NFL expert is picking them as a Super Bowl favorite -- they seem to kno ... More >>

In Memory of the Astrodome: 13 Awesome Derrick Dolls Pictures, from When Cheerleaders Were Cheerleaders

Everyone got a big piece of Astrodome nostalgia yesterday, after the media was granted a tour of the dusty, dilapidated old stadium. It put us in mind of the glory days of the Dome, when cheerleaders had hair that reached to the skies and embodied everything that the phrase "Fashions of the `70s a ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Neighborhood Bars

For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants. Here it ... More >>

Top 5 Songs About Whiskey

Whether it's rye or bourbon, straight or blended, Irish, Scotch or Canadian, rock, country or classical, whiskey and warblers go way back. Even Stravinsky was quoted as saying "My God, so much I like to drink Scotch that sometimes I think my name is Igor Stra-whiskey." In whiskey-related weird news ... More >>

First Look at BlackFinn American Grille

The Saloon​BlackFinn American Grille has come to Midtown, and it's pulling out all the stops to attract the local clientele. The grand opening is set for next week, but the restaurant is open and serving. At last night's soft opening party guests were given a chance to tour the restaurant and ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets

The Flacco Factor: Always keep it in mind​It's the first weekend of football in November. In college football, this means we get into nut-cutting time, weekends that completely weed out the real championship contenders. This weekend includes a quasi-final four in the SEC with the huge LSU- Ala ... More >>

Montrose Classic: Monday Night at Cecil's

It was a Monday night, and I was on the patio of Cecil's with a couple of friends. I looked toward the open part of the porch and saw two young men embrace. At first I thought the white guy with the shaved head was trying to express his affection for his skinny black friend by lifting him off the gr ... More >>

Top 5 Musicians Whose Art Trumps Their Politics

Once again we have yet another example that if a musician opens his or her mouth without the benefit of a guitar or piano close by, trouble is usually not far behind. In this case it's Rockin' Randall Hank Williams Jr., who compared this year's Obama/John Boehner "golf summit" to Adolf Hitler hittin ... More >>

Houston Texan Winston to Host Online Monday Night Football Show

Could Eric Winston's new online MNF simulcast be MST3K for sports fans?​Houston Texans offensive tackle Eric Winston is a funny and insightful guy who is a regular on local and national sports talk shows as well as a very good follow on Twitter. Tonight, he launches a Monday Night Football com ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Colonia Las Liebres 2008 Bonarda

​One way to drown the sorrows of a horrible Monday Night Football game featuring the disappointing Texans, is to open up a sample bottle of Bonarda direct from Argentina, and pretend that I'm no longer in Houston, but in the cellar of a mysterious and romantic winery down South America way. O ... More >>

Good Lord: Are The Texans About To Make A Playoff Run?

Beat the Ravens, and things get interesting quickly​Nothing hurts our head more than calculating NFL playoff scenarios, with the possible exception of getting hit directly on the skull by a 50-pound block of ice. So we will leave those calculations to more-obsessed people, but we do know this ... More >>

RIP, Dandy Don Meredith: Five Reasons To Mourn

Don Meredith: Gone but not forgotten​Dandy Don Meredith, the carefree Cowboy and Monday Night Football star, is dead. He died at 72 last night in Santa Fe, N.M., where he'd been living a life decidedly out of the spotlight, ignoring most interview requests. He was one of a kind, and here are ... More >>

Pegging Plonk

A neighborhood wine bar that's hard to categorize

The Guanciale Burger at Plonk: The Ultimate "Bacon" Cheeseburger

Photos by Troy FieldsClick here for a slideshow from Plonk.​In this week's cafe review, we take a trip to Plonk, a hidden spot in Oak Forest that features a slightly rougher crowd and far better food than you'd expect to find at a wine bar. It's that study in total contrasts that makes Plonk i ... More >>

NFL Butts: Match The Tight, Sweet Texans Ass To Its Owner (And Pick the Best)

We hadn't really noticed, but it has been brought to our attention by some of the more penis-challenged members of the staff that the Houston Texans feature some of the best butts in town.These butts are highlighted by form-fitting pants with little on underneath except the stray protective cup, whi ... More >>

Why Aren't There Any Good Conservative Comedians?

​It's a valid question, even in light of the specter of Satanism rearing its seven heads over Delaware last week. Actually, maybe that's the quick and dirty answer to my question: the reality of the Tea Party is funnier than any airplane food joke Christine O'Donnell could tell at the Improv. ... More >>

Houston's 10 Best Sports Moments*

*And the 5 most heartbreaking...

Houston's Top Ten Sports Moments: Another View

The bosses came out their Top 10 Greatest Houston Sports Moments today, so I thought I would share mine.1. September 25, 1986: The magic number for the Houston Astros to clinch the NL West is one game. The Astros are playing a midweek day game against the San Francisco Giants, the team that just ... More >>

10 Best Houston Sports Moments: We Want Your Input

He'll probably play a part on the list​With no more (or better) motivation than It Needs To Be Done, we are looking to set forth a formal, unimpeachable, inarguable list of Houston's all-time top ten sports moments/events/happenings.These can be as specific as Earl Campbell's legendary Monda ... More >>

Texans Schedule Out, And More Rides On Kubiak Than Ever Before

​The season remains nearly five months away, but with Tuesday night's much-celebrated release of the 2010 NFL schedule, the gameplanning for Peyton Manning among the Texans' brain trust can and should officially begin. Sure, this week's draft is the more pressing matter. Yes, there are still ... More >>

Beetle's Paul Beebe and Other Local Musicians Remember John Lennon

Today is one of the most dubious anniversaries in all of rock and roll. Twenty-nine years ago this evening, Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon on the front steps of Lennon's apartment building on the Upper West Side of New York City, the Dakota. For Baby Boomers and even their older kid ... More >>

All I Want For Christmas Is A Football Coach

​Dear Santa Claus:I haven't asked much from you in the past few years. So since I've tried to be a good person, I'm hoping that you'll do me a solid and fulfill my wishes this Christmas. Especially since I'm not asking for Ashley Judd, like in the past, but since I'm asking for something that w ... More >>

Five Houston Monday Night Football Highlights

The Texans go nationwide tonight with a Monday Night Football match-up against the Tennessee Titans. MNF isn't what it used to be since moving to ESPN, but it's still a big deal.Houston, of course, has had some memorable moments on Monday night. Mostly involving the Oilers -- who are now the Titans ... More >>

Game Time: Texans Battle Titans Tonight In The Most Important Athletic Event In Our's Nation's History

​Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and I can say without hyperbole that this is a million times worse than all of them put together." -- Kent Brockman, Channel 6, Springfield (The Simpsons)If you are wondering what "this" was in that quote, it was the Bart Simpso ... More >>

FRONT PORCH PUB'S POISON GIRL

Stirred and Shaken: Front Porch Pub's Poison Girl

Photo by Troy Fields​"I'd hate to own a bar," says Sergeant B. "I'd have to deal with people like me." He's talking about agitated drinkers, and in this case, the source of the agitation is a Monday Night Football bingo game at Front Porch Pub (217 Gray, 713-571-9571). Bingo and anger normally ... More >>

Meridian Primed

Hate sports bars? Then you'll love the Old Chinatown rock venue's new sports bar.

"Kill Yourself" or "Don't Give Up"? Five Possible Theme Songs for the 2009 Houston Texans

[Ed. note: Due to an editing mistake, this should have been up Friday afternoon. Apologies... we sure hope it didn't jinx the Texans or anything.] ​You may have missed it - what with there being almost no media coverage whatsoever - but football season started this week. Our own Texans are looking ... More >>

Five Spot: J-Dawg, Z-Ro's Lyrical Match (Seriously)

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com.​You know, prior to the three seconds of gunshots that unwound all the good ... More >>

Bocephus Wants to Bail (One of) You Out, America

Lost your job? 401(k) a distant memory? Still think a country boy can survive? Well, America, you're in luck: Hank Williams Jr. feels your pain, and he wants to help out. Today, in conjunction with his new single "Red, White and Pink-Slip Blues," Hank Jr. announced his "Bocephus Bailout Packa ... More >>

Vote Carrie Milbank for Playboy's Sexiest Sportscaster

Last week I wrote a post about the latest edition of Playboy.com's Sexiest Sportscaster contest. And I was a bit disappointed at some of the choices. And though I have some Erin Andrews burnout, I could understand the desire of many of my fellow males (and probably quite a few females too) to see ... More >>

Vote Carrie Milbank for Playboy's Sexiest Sportscaster

Last week I wrote a post about the latest edition of Playboy.com's Sexiest Sportscaster contest. And I was a bit disappointed at some of the choices. And though I have some Erin Andrews burnout, I could understand the desire of many of my fellow males (and probably quite a few females too) to see ... More >>

Remembering John Lennon

On December 8, 1980 - 28 years to the day - John Lennon was shot and killed on the steps of the Dakota Apartments on New York City's Upper West Side by professed fan Mark David Chapman. It was a Monday just like today, and millions of people found out when ABC Sports' Howard Cosell broke the ... More >>

Texas Tailgating: Monday Night Football

This is it -- the Big Night of Tailgating in Houston. Monday Night Football is in town and our top tailgating teams will be putting on a show. Even if you don't have tickets to the game, it's worth taking the train to the Reliant Parking Lot just to take a look at the tailgating action. Here are ... More >>

Texas Tailgating: Monday Night Football

This is it -- the Big Night of Tailgating in Houston. Monday Night Football is in town and our top tailgating teams will be putting on a show. Even if you don't have tickets to the game, it's worth taking the train to the Reliant Parking Lot just to take a look at the tailgating action. Here are ... More >>

Texas Tailgating 2008

Top Ten Astrodome Sports Moments

Leave Chris Berman the !@$&#% Alone

John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week Ten: Georgia (the Country, Not the State) Loves the Texans

Dennis Miller Gets Another TV Show? Really?

A Call for Calls, or Why I Need My Own Radio Show

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Monday Night Fleshballs

What could be more thrilling than football? Football at a strip club.

Crash Course

A stuntman is mightily impressed by Houston's rail crashes

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Best Happy Hour

The Tavern

Late-Night Access

Packrat thinks Leno is after its stash