Help!! Due to a serious lack of planning on my part, I have inadvertantly scheduled our trip to Paris during the Major League Baseball playoffs in October. Now I certainly don't intend to spend all my time in Paris watching the games, but I would like to know if there are any American- or sports-oriented bars in the city where I can at least catch a glimpse of the games while I grab a bite to eat . Any suggestions? I've already checked timeout and didn't see anything.

oh, sure, there are some. I have zero interest in any spectator sports so don't pay much attention to that, but you can find plenty of ads for that kind of thing in the American expat-community publication called FUSAC (which is free in Paris, you can pick it up at many places around the Latin Qtr, like maybe McDonalds and I know in Shakespeare & Co bookstore on rue de la Bucherie in front of Notre Dame). As I recall, there's one (big screen) in the Holiday Inn Republique, sev sports bars (Bear Bar or something) around 9th arr and Hard Rock Cafe/Planet Hollywood, and there are sev Chicago Pizza places (one in 14th arr on bd Edgar Quinet), as well as some Americanish Tex-Mex places like Mustang Cafe on corner of bd Montparnasse and rue du Montparnasse (not sure it has TV though). I haven't been in it, but I'll bet there's one somewhere in Holiday Inn near Eiffel Tower as it tries to be very Americanish (at least restaurants do).

Be careful if it is important to you, though. We were in Paris during the Winter Olympics one year. The French TV only showed how the FRENCH TEAMs were doing. Until we flew back home with one of the US Team, we had no idea how American teams or any others had won anything. Good Luck.

Interesting comment from Cherie. I have always felt that the US television stations only show the American teams, nice to know that other countries are just as biased.

well, seeing as how all the teams in the playoffs will be American, I just need to make sure that wherever I go will show baseball, and not soccer (I'm also hoping they'd rather show the Yankees over another team!) But thanks for the info!

sorry marie...did not mean to sound biased. when I watch US Coverage of Olympics or Formula 1, I actually root for (yikes!) other countries, too. I was amazed that while in Paris I couldn't figure out how anyone else did....I only found out how the USA did as I mentioned, flying home serendipitously with an Olympian.

I pity your situation. I spent a fall semester in Spain. In retrospect, though, it was a good thing I missed the pennant race because the Angels blew like a 17-game lead.

Marie, when are these games in Oct? We are planning to go in Oct and don't want to be there during these games.

Be aware - Rugby World Cup is on at that time (October). A couple of the games are being played in Paris. The French team is very good and will quite possibly make the quarter finals. That will probably be some of the biggest sports news in France at that time. I am not sure how many channels they have, but it might pay to try and find the French cable site. <BR>

The Division Series is from Oct 5th-11th, the League championship Series (likely to be Yankees -Indians and astros-Braves)from the 12th thru 21st (that's the part I'll be away for), and then the World Series Oct 23rd thru 31st. If the French Rugby matches are going to be a big deal, it looks like I may have to just get my news from the International NY Times. <BR>Cherie--who was the Olympian? sounds cool...... <BR>