SPORTS DEPOT
353 Cambridge St., Allston.
Telephone: 783-2300.
Hours: Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.,
Sunday 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Street-level entrance; all facilities on one level.
CHAMPIONS
110 Huntington Ave.
Telephone: 262-5776.
Hours: Daily 11:30 a.m.-1:25 a.m.
Street-level entrance; all facilities on one level.
THE SPORTS CAFE
120 Causeway St.
Telephone: 723-6664.
Hours: Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. with
variations during hockey and basketball season; Saturday
noon-6 p.m.
Street-level entrance; all facilities on one level.
Bob MacDonald is a member of The Globe staff. Restaurant
critic Robert Levey is on a brief leave of absence. The scoreboard shows it's the top of the eighth with the Red Soxleading Minnesota, 5-3, the Sox having typically scored all theirruns in one big inning, while the Twins have ground them out at onerun per inning. It's the kind of situation that makes veteran RedSox fans just slightly edgy about what's going to happen by theninth.
The scoreboard is on the Green Monster, the infamousleft-field wall at Fenway Park. It shows No. 16 pitching for theSox, which might cause some head scratching because the experts weconsulted (no letters, please) said the last Boston pitcher theycan remember to have worn that number is Jim Lonborg.
This Green Monster, you see, is not at Fenway Park, and youdon't see the Citgo sign behind it. It's in Allston at the SportsDepot, the old train station that used to be a restaurant calledthe Allston Depot and is now, along with the likes of Champions andSports Cafe, one of the Boston sports bars.
Of course in a city like Boston, every bar is a sports barwith televison sets tuned to whatever is in season. But the onesthat specialize show even more dedication.
When you walk into a place like the Sports Depot, youdefinitely know what it's about. The first thing that hit us wasthe television sets -- more tubes than you see at an airlineterminal, 30 in all, including one each in the men's room and, wehave it on reliable authority, the women's room. On our visit, all30 sets were turned to NESN, offering a panorama of weekly Red Soxhighlights and promos for every other sport -- including prowrestling.
Maybe it's the murals that attract your attention next -- bigpaintings of various members of the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox:Larry, McHale, Tommy Heinsohn, Dave Cowens (his is autographed),Luis Tiant, Roger Clemens.
Or the Celtics green warmup jacket in the display case. Whowore it? you wonder. Cousy? Sharman? Russell? Johnny Most? Well,actually, nobody. The Sports Depot sells such things in an openmezzanine.
Then there's the Baseball Bar. The roof above it -- wellactually the aforementioned mezzanine -- is supported by bats;balls are built into the bar, and the top is covered with baseballcards. Trade you three Dom Dimaggios for a Ted Williams?
The atmosphere somehow reminds you of 'Cheers;' it's big andopen and seems friendly. There's some bargain eats along with thedrinks and regular meals. During the Hungry Hour, Monday throughFriday, 4-6 p.m., daily specials include peel-and-eat shrimp,make-your-own tacos, a six-foot sub, chicken wings andcarve-your-own ham. A real bargain is the Hungry Hour food, whichis free. If you miss that, try the appetizer menu, from which wecan personally recommend The Ultimate Skins -- potato skins withsalsa, cheese and bacon bits served with sour cream.
You can do more than watch at the Sports Depot. Various gamesare rotated and during our visit there was one where you shootminibasketballs against the clock and an arcade-type bowling game.
Champions in the Mariott on Huntington Avenue is a combinationsports bar and dance club. A deejay is on from 9 every night andfrom 5:30 on Friday nights -- unless, of course there's a big gameon. There are 15 television sets. The clientele is a mixed crowdof sports fans, hotel guests and people who want to dance.
Instead of murals, the walls are decked with posters andsports memorabilia, including photos, much of the stuff broughtfrom the original Champions in Washington, D.C., although there isalso a lot of local stuff. Waitpersons wear black-and-white-stripedreferees' uniforms. Baseball cards are encased in the bartopsthroughout the sprawling premises, and Champions is eclectic enoughto include a ski over the bar, along with a giant tennis racket,giant baseball bat and giant sneaker.
That it is co-owned by sports attorney Bob Woolf givesChampions a leg up in the artifacts-of-famous-athletes department,which is why you see such things as Larry Bird's No. 33 hanging onone wall.
While Champion's Hungry Hour, Monday through Friday 4:30-6:30p.m., isn't free, it's close, with selected appetizers, such asFrench fries, barbecued wings, potato skins and onion rings, for 99cents.
The Sports Cafe is closest to the action, being located in theNorth Station-Boston Garden complex. Not surprisingly, Celtics andBruins memorabilia dominate the place. Celtics championship bannersand retired Bruin numbers hang from the ceiling. Hockey sticks,gloves and uniforms appear on every wall.
The menu includes such things as the Sullivan Stadium Salad,Ham Cam Burger and the Espo Burger. Sandwiches, some of them reallybig, include The Chief, Bird's Eye View and the Penalty Box.
The Sports Cafe's version of the Hungry Hour runs from 4:30p.m. to 6 p.m. and features free finger foods, such as chickenwings, tacos and hot dogs. The cafe also offers commuter specialsto anyone showing a commuter pass -- a dollar off the regulardaily special.
Naturally, all of these bars are draw their biggest crowdsduring playoff times. See you in September -- we hope. MACDON;05/20 NKELLY;05/25,16:49 SPORTSBA
