Written by Sherry Barkas The Desert Sun

Bars throughout the Coachella Valley tuned their TVs to the Super Bowl on Sunday, and some drew large crowds and others didn't get quite the people they had expected.

In Palm Desert, Roc's Firehouse Grille and Schmidy's Tavern were packed. Each was giving away a big screen TV at the end of the game.



Dickie O'Neal's Irish Pub in Palm Springs was hosting its first Super Bowl splash since opening about a year ago, but not with as big a crowd as hoped.



There were about 50 people in the bar watching the game on a dozen TVs that allowed viewing from any of the pub's booths or tables.


It was busy, but Joey Leffel, who co-owns the pub with Michael Farber, said they had bigger crowds during the football season.


“Initially we took reservations,” she said. “We got about 40.”



She attributed the lower turnout to a game without a California team or the Green Bay Packers.
“We have a lot of Packers fans,” she said.


Many of the bar's game watchers were football fans, but not passionate about either the New York Giants or the New England Patriots.


“I'm from Connecticut. The Giants are on one side of me and the Patriots are on the other side. So I hate them both,” said Rick Festa of Palm Springs, who begrudgingly hoped the Giants would win.
He and stepbrother Gene O'Neill and their friends really just wanted to win the bar's football pool worth $250 a quarter.


They came close in the first quarter that ended 9-0, New York. The group needed a 9-3 score.
Just 1 minute, 18 seconds into the second quarter, the Patriots scored a field goal, bringing the score to 9-3.


“It's all about timing,” they said, taking it all in stride.


Janet and Steve Caudill of Palm Springs usually host a Super Bowl party, but having recently moved from Lake Arrowhead, decided instead to go out to see the game with a couple of friends.


“I'll take the Giants, but what I prefer is the 49ers,” Steve Caudill said.


In Cathedral City, Eileen Smith opened Tootie's Texas BBQ special for the Super Bowl, thinking she would have a large crowd. A few weeks ago, she had customers making reservations. When the 49ers didn't make it, a lot of people canceled their reservations, Smith said.


Sunday's crowd peaked at about 50 and by halftime was down to about 18, but she was still having a good time.


“Many left because they had other parties to go to,” Smith said.




But she had a lot of takeout orders. Was it all enough to cover her cost for opening?
“It definitely has been,” she said.




Sherry Barkas covers the city of Palm Desert for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at sherry.barkas@thedesertsun.com or (760) 778-4694.