IT'S THAT TIME of year again, with have baseball playoffs, football and hockey—but how do you watch them all live? The easiest way is to head over to the nearest sports bar and watch the dozens of flat-screen TVs playing every game imaginable, with some random curling thrown in just because.

I went to the Sports Page in Mountain View. This unassuming building sits off Shoreline Boulevard and is easy to pass up. The inside could be any bar, with multiple beers on tap, red, cracked vinyl chairs and shiny flat-screen TVs viewable from any seat in the house. The bar itself was nice and clean with plenty of seating, although it is carpeted, and carpeting in bars just scares me a bit.

The night I went, both hockey and baseball were playing, as well as surfing, but no one seemed to be paying that screen any attention. The hard-core fans sat at the bar and grunted at the screen with cold pints in front of them. At the tables gathered groups of friends that ranged in age from early 20s to the almost retired, and a lot of them carried badges from local tech companies. These groups were louder but didn't seem to care as much about the games (although they still watched). In general, the crowd was loud but friendly; there was some good-natured ribbing but no seriously heated words were exchanged.

This is obviously a place where a lot of the locals come to after work to blow off some steam. The bartenders are quick and friendly, and the Sports Page has a full menu too. What's cool about the Sports Page is that it also has a sand volleyball court in the back, and that's just awesome.

Colleen Watson (Got a favorite place to tell us about? [email protected])

Britannia Arms

1087 S. De Anza Blvd, San Jose; 408.252.7262

Britannia Arms

5027 Almaden Expy, San Jose; 408.266.0550

Britannia Arms

173 W. Santa Clara St, San Jose; 408.278.1400

Double D's/

354 N. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos; 408.395.6882

Sports Page

1431 Plymouth St, Mountain View; 650.961.1992

Send a letter to the editor about this story.