5 FEB 06: FISH GONE WILD

Are you looking for a place to watch today's big game? Check the BellSouth Yellow Pages under "Sports Bars" and you'll find only two entries. The well-known Sports Page is NOT there - which may explain why so many TV's were on news channels, the last time I was there.

The only Columbus "Sports Bar" listed was for a place I didn't expect - the Wild Fish Bar and Grill near Peachtree Mall. A sports bar with this name might make sense for Miami Dolphin or Florida Marlins fans, but here?!

I visited Wild Fish for dinner a few weeks ago, when a friend I hadn't seen in years came to town. The "sports bar" is on Gentian Boulevard, in a building where "Tex-Mex" Rio Bravo Cantina and Chevy's both failed -- so with this name, it's a bit like moving from Nuevo Laredo to Cancun.

Wild Fish struck us as anything but a sports bar. It's a nice sit-down restaurant, one which takes the name of the party even when there's no wait for a table. You don't think the government had wiretap microphones hiding somewhere, do you?!

The server at Wild Fish called me by my last name, then proceeded to brief us first-time customers on the format. Fresh seafood, he said, is delivered frequently from Panama City and Cape Cod. He did NOT explain what makes it wild - perhaps leaving us to wonder if exotic dancers were coming out.

"Dr. James Dobson," the server said on one of his return visits - as my guest and I spent a good deal of time talking about religious topics. The server knew the name I'd brought up, but I didn't think to ask if the server focused on HIS family lately.

My guest and I both selected one of the Wild Fish specials of the evening. Grilled tuna was served on a bed of spinach, which was marinated in teriyaki sauce -- and served in a bowl, not on a plate. I suppose that WOULD make it tougher for the fish to squirm away, if it really was "wild" and undercooked.

The grilled tuna special was tender and tasty. And if spinach was covered in teriyaki sauce like this more often, children actually might be persuaded to like it....

An evening at Wild Fish is moderately expensive. Including the tip, dinner for two cost us 58 dollars - and that did NOT include appetizers such as "Steamed PEI Mussels" for $8.95. Either they're shipped from Canada's Prince Edward Island, or they're designed by a famous architect.

The ambiance at Wild Fish would be nice for a romantic evening. But one staff member dropped dishes in the dining room -- and a couple of times, we heard people yelling loudly near the door. Only as we left did I figure out the fuss: a pro football playoff game on a big-screen TV. So the "sports bar" is really a waiting room.

I was left wondering why Wild Fish calls itself a "bar and grill," with the bar first. The restaurant dominates, and the dinner we had was nice. But then again, it's next door to an Applebee's - and perhaps they've cut a deal....

BLOG UPDATE: The city of Auburn held a "community block party" Saturday evening to mark the 150^th anniversary of Auburn University. Hopefully the offensive linemen didn't take this the wrong way, and knock people over.

WRBL presented a half-hour special Saturday night on the Auburn anniversary. If host Susanna Avery always asks questions as "tough" as she did of campus officials on this program, trustees like Bobby Lowder will confuse her for years to come.

Interim President Ed Richardson said during the program Auburn University is probably best-known for its agriculture program. He's probably right about that - especially since NBC News has mentioned the catfish research program as a "Fleecing of America."

Another "interim" officer at Auburn right now is the Interim Vice President of Alumni Affairs. Dr. Debbie Shaw noted one great campus tradition is the annual "Hey Day" every fall. For you skeptical Alabama graduates - no, it does NOT mean students make bales for 12 hours.

A surprise guest on the Auburn anniversary special was former Athletic Director David Housel. It was surprising because he's been in hiding for a long time - and because you expected him to show up somewhere near Louisville.

David Housel was asked what is the greatest moment in Auburn sports history. He said for his generation, it was the first "Iron Bowl" game on campus in 1989. He didn't dare mention Coach Tommy Tuberville's unbeaten season in 2004....

Now for other items you may have overlooked from the last few days:

+ Mary Sue Polleys announced she will NOT run for another term on the Muscogee County School Board. Of course, she said the same thing four years ago -- so Nancy Vaughn may call her and ask: "Is that your FINAL answer?"

(Isn't the timing of this decision amazing? The Muscogee County School Board approved the "split sales tax" proposal - and now the President says ir's time for HER to split.)

+ DeKalb County, Georgia school officials announced classes will be canceled Tuesday, for the funeral of Coretta Scott King in Lithonia. So for the parents in this district, it will be a day ON and not a day off....

+ The evening news investigated reports that Streetscape construction in the 1100 block of Broadway has made it dangerous to walk. As if that's worse than the 1000 block - with all those restaurant sidewalk tables in the way, not to mention used by smokers?!

(I've actually jogged down the 1100 block of Broadway twice in recent weeks. A wooden bridge through the construction work admittedly can be a test of faith, but I did NOT fall through it - so maybe I'm not overweight after all.)

+ WLGA's "Auburn-Opelika Today" revealed the airport there will hold a fly-in on the same weekend as "Thunder in the Valley" in March. The Columbus Airport gets so little respect, Rodney Dangerfield should be buried there....

+ WDAK-AM switched from CNN to "Fox News Radio" for national news. This should protect Scott Miller from being scolded by Bill O'Reilly, for his obvious pro-Columbus State bias.

+ A Columbus kung fu school marked Chinese New Year with a traditional "dragon dance." Compare this with some senior centers, where couples occasionally hold a "draggin' dance."

+ Manchester mashed Greenville 80-56, in boys' high school basketball. This is the game which brought controversy, because tickets were sold three days in advance. But then again, it may be the only sports event in the Columbus area to sell out in the last two years.

+ Georgia Championship Wrestling changed its Saturday night "bell time" from 7:30 to 8:15. I didn't realize that many wrestling fans attended Saturday 6:00 p.m. church services....

+ Instant Message to Golden Acres Baptist Church in Phenix City: That reminds me - thanks for the card telling me you now have a Saturday night service. But at 6:03?! Is this allowing for long lines at Wal-Mart down the street - or are you expecting people to be "fashionably late?"

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If you're late showing up for the party, don't get caught with your hand in the cookie jar." - A University of Kentucky radio sportscaster, during Saturday night's game against Florida.

BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $2.16 a gallon at Dolly Madison on Victory Drive.... ten-ounce Maizetos tortilla chip bags for 89 cents at Piggly Wiggly on River Road.... and in the BIG game of the day: Kansas will beat Oklahoma in college basketball by five....

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