‘A Theatre Of Football’

Posted Jan 8, 2007 by Crystal Lauderdale

Updated Jan 8, 2007 at 03:44 PM

Audio: Barnacles manager Greg Brett

All’s quiet on the Florida front … at least here and now. Across the street from Buffalo Wild Wings, seven people are dining at Barnacles (Florida territory according to the Buckeyes fans). Three of them are servers taking a lunch break. The staff expects it to get much busier as happy hour approaches, though. “This is as big as it gets next to the Super Bowl,” says general manager Ken Peliksza. “With Florida playing, I bet it’s the biggest game ever for this area.” The bar boasts 457 television screens (458, if you count the one for the kitchen staff), and every one will be tuned to the BCS Championship Game tonight. “It’ll be like a theatre of football,” says Peliksza, sweeping the remote control around the room. Each screen flashes into sync with the others as he passes. It looks like they’re doing the wave.