Clock begins running for this year’s NFL bar directory

The Las Vegas Review-Journal again this year will compile a directory of Las Vegas Valley bars that cater to fans of specific NFL teams.

As always, our goal is to direct fans of specific teams to places where they can watch their own team's games while surrounded by fellow fans of their team -- sort of like how it would feel to watch a game in person in your home team's stadium, but with less exorbitant beer prices.

By the way: If you want to watch other games while your team is playing, may we suggest, first, that you might not be as rabid a fan of your team as you think and, second, point out that there are hundreds of sports bars, sports books and casinos across the valley where you can do just that.

Which leads us, as it must, to the rules:

■ Each bar on our list must cater to an individual NFL team and show only that team's game while the team is playing. So, we won't include sports bars, sports books, casinos, bars or rooms inside casinos or anyplace else where other games are being shown while the home team's games are being broadcast.

■ Each bar must show every game its team plays, which means -- for now, at least -- that the bar must subscribe to the NFL Sunday Ticket satellite package.

■ Each bar must offer some sort of food and/or drink special during its team's games (it doesn't have to be fancy, or even much, but we fans do love a deal).

Bar owners or managers must call to give us details -- including prices -- of those specials. (Note, however, that we list only game-time specials and not regularly priced menu or bar items.)

■ We'll be happy to list any giveaways -- footballs, caps and the like -- bars will have during their teams' games. However, we don't list gaming-related giveaways or promotions.

■ Finally, we'll accept all of this information only from a bar's owner or manager and only via a one-on-one telephone conversation with reporter John Przybys at 383-0280.

Press releases, e-mails, faxes, letters, voice-mail messages and secondhand messages don't make the grade.

Calls will be accepted only between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, starting Monday. The deadline for calling is 4 p.m. Aug. 24. No calls will be accepted after that.

This year's directory will be published in the Review-Journal Living section on Sept. 5, four days before the 2010 NFL season kicks off with a Thursday night game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints.