Spotting sports bars around Baltimore

Bert's used to be the place to be on Sunday afternoons. It was the one day of the week that people ignored the faint scent of vomit, the unappetizing food and the inept service of the former Charles Village restaurant in order to indulge themselves with hours of pure, joyous football. With NFL Sunday Ticket, plasma screens wall-to-wall, and booths crammed with fans of several different teams, Bert's was a haven for the football fan.

However, earlier last year, the unspeakable occurred as Bert closed his doors for good, leaving several Hopkins students staring through the windows into the black hole that was once their sanctuary. Unless you are a Ravens or Redskins fan, or your team is playing them, there's a good shot that the game you want to watch is not going to make it on basic cable. So where's the next place to get your NFL fix?

The Local SpotsIt didn't take long for the two remaining Charles Village bars to capitalize on the NFL void that Bert's left in its wake. Both the Charles Village Pub (CVP) and PJ's Pub have recently signed onto Direct TV's "NFL Sunday Ticket" and are able to show most of the games.

CVP is your best bet. The staff labels the televisions on Sunday morning so you can check where your game is playing in advance and try to snag a good table. This, however, can prove to be a difficult feat. The bar is tiny and usually fills up a few minutes before kickoff, so if you don't have a seat by then, you're not getting one. But if you do, the pub has a great atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff, and excellent food, making it the best football experience you're going to find in Charles Village.

PJ's is much larger and more accommodating, but when you get down to it, it's still PJ's. The bar is dark and uncomfortably hot due to lack of air conditioning or ventilation. Unlike CVP, PJ's offers a Sunday special with its $10 cheese pizza, but there's usually only one waitress working during the afternoon so service is inevitably going to be slow and that pizza is going to take about an hour to reach your table.

As slow as the service may be, if you choose PJ's as your new Sunday afternoon spot, you're going to have to order something. Bar owner Jerry Smith, a true capitalist at heart, is known to hound customers who just come for the games and order nothing from the menu.

The Charm City CharmersIf you're looking for the quintessential Baltimore sports bar, then Pickle's Pub is your place. Located right across the street from Camden Yards, Pickle's has a definite Charm City feel, chock-full of canned Natty Boh and crab-themed entrées. Although it's not an ideal spot for catching a football game, it's worth a mention for anyone looking to kill a few hours before an Orioles game.

Mother's Federal Hill Grille is the better option for Sunday afternoons, offering good food, a "tailgate patio" in the back and a friendly, homey atmosphere.

The FranchisesThe ESPN Zone in the Inner Harbor and The Greene Turtle in Fell's Point are safe bets in terms of getting a table and ensuring that your game is on a TV close by. I'd give the edge to The Turtle simply because it's the less-corporate of the two and the last time I went to the ESPN Zone they required a $10 purchase per hour which will inevitably put a strain on your wallet.

The KingsOne thing I've learned through my three years in Baltimore is when in doubt, trust the locals. Citysearch awarded the gold and silver prizes to Porter's Pub & Grille and Looney's respectively and the combination of the two offers just about anything the average football fan could desire. While Porter's tends to provide a friendlier and more laid-back experience, Looney's (as the name suggests) is more likely to host a loud college crowd.

Bert's may be gone, but weeping is unnecessary. Baltimore offers plenty of alternatives to the football junkie in need of a fix; it's just a matter of finding the place that's best for you.