Photo by Lyndsey Taylor

Sports bar scores with spacious patio, 42 TVs

By Lyndsey Taylor

Diners and athletics enthusiasts can take their pick of sports to watch on 42 LED high-definition TVs, or partake in darts, bean bag toss or a giant version of Connect Four at Third Base sports bar and restaurant.

Owners Bill Hogan, Brendan Puthoff and Michael "Stix" Tashnick each have more than 14 years of experience in the restaurant industry and opened Third Base Southpark Meadows in July 2009 at 9600 S. I-35.

"Technology, I think, is one of the things that really sets us apart from the other sports bars," Puthoff said. "We focus a lot on audio quality. We saw some sports bars that we admired that were downtown and wanted to do something [just] as well on the technology front and also deliver on the comfortable, laid-back [atmosphere]."

TVs in the restaurant are on a matrix technology system, which allows employees to change the channel of each individual TV to increase the number of sports games patrons can watch.

For Sunday football patrons can use a map that indicates what games are playing on individual TVs throughout the restaurant.

For largely anticipated games, the business extends its services to the parking lot and sets up additional bars. Ample planning is necessary for weekend sporting events, and the owners said they try to predict the size of crowds.

The Southpark Meadows spot is Third Base's largest location and can seat up to 1,800 people on its patio, which also has a music stage. Puthoff said during popular boxing matches, the South Austin location has drawn a crowd of about 1,800 people.

"It's a completely different experience than watching a game [at home]," Puthoff said. "There is a camaraderie watching a sporting event at a sports bar that you just can't get [at home]."

Third Base Southpark Meadows, 9600 S. I-35, Bldg. B, Ste. 500, 512-381-2273, www.thirdbaseaustin.com

Hours: 11 a.m.–2 a.m. daily