Keven Reed

Tim Smith, Megan Theaker, Lauren Handel and Justin Tate, from left, play some pool and hang out at Bailey's.

Keven Reed

Justin Hay and Martha Elliot take in the sports-bar scene at Bailey's.

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Anyone who made it out-and-about in Knoxville this past weekend might have noticed a significant change in the city. The wonderful fall weather has finally graced our presence. Everyone is retiring their shorts for jeans and donning their favorite hoodie in an effort to keep warm from the chill night air.

However, there is something much bigger than that going on. With the change of the season it is time once again for the raging football fans to descend upon Knoxville and support their favorite team. While most choose to do so by tailgating and turning the Strip into an overwhelmingly orange version of Mardi Gras, there are those who would rather spend their time away from the chaos and set up shop in their favorite sports bar.

I have received quite a few e-mails from people looking for my opinion on what is the best sports bar in Knoxville to visit to check out a game, whether it be for the college games on Saturday or a place to kick back after work for Monday Night Football.

After visiting quite a few, I came to the conclusion that Bailey's Sports Grille in Cedar Bluff is clearly the sports-bar leader of Knoxville.

Walking inside Bailey's causes an almost immediate sensory overload. There are enough HDTVs and projectors to keep you up to date on just about any event going on. It looks like something out of a James Bond film, with the capabilities to track and watch any player from any angle. Just in the dining area and bar, there are at least five large projectors and another five HDTVs lining the walls.

Bailey's has more pool tables than any bar I've visited in Knoxville. I've never been to Bailey's when there wasn't a pool table open for use with little or no wait time.

Bailey's also offers darts and an exciting array of the newest Golden Tee-style games and deer hunting simulators. It's refreshing to see that with each year's installment of the game, the deer have actually begun to look like something other than that brown blob from the Dire Straits "Money for Nothing" video.

On the beer front, Bailey's offers 20-something beers on tap. Most of its selection consists of domestic brews, with a just few of the standard imports. There are usually specials after 11 p.m., but for a Monday night - when most bars are offering some of their better weekly deals - Bailey's is somewhat lacking.

While the beer prices were disappointing, they do offer 35-cent wings on Monday nights. They weren't very meaty, but I did enjoy their honey hot and spicy garlic flavors. Bailey's also has a full menu of bar food and burgers and even offers a beer comparison guide to show you which beer will go best with your cheese sticks and nachos.

Bailey's represents everything that I find ridiculous about the sports-bar scene. At the same time, I think the total excess of it all is what I like about it so much. If I am going to visit a bar to watch football, I want there to be enough TVs to suck out as much electricity as a small neighborhood. I want the fans to yell and cheer for their team.

Bailey's provides that atmosphere.