Ready to take centerfield

Gardnerville resident Cy Ball, 44, started bussing tables when he was a kid. He worked his way up from waiter to general manager of a five-star Lake Tahoe restaurant. Now he owns Centerfield Sports Bar & Grill in Gardnerville, where the Coyote Grill used to be.

"We have customers from every walk of life, kids in the arcade, guys shooting pool and families eating dinner," Ball said. "We get a variety of people that keep us going through the recession. During bad times, people want to go out and have fun."

Centerfield boasts an arcade, pool tables and more than a dozen televisions, including a projection machine. Ball said they want to draw sports fans, but that the establishment's main emphasis is on food and service.

"Our main focus is on giving people what they want," Ball said. "Customers have said that the atmosphere of the place has changed 100 percent."

Part of that change is a diverse menu. Centerfield offers classic and specialty burgers, like the Western Nevada Burger, which comes with bacon, Cheddar cheese, onion rings and chipotle barbecue sauce; Mexican food, including seared ahi tacos and beer-battered fish tacos; The Field of Greens, an elaborate salad menu; and Show Me the Dough, a pizza menu.

Entrees include rib-eye steak, chicken picata and pasta of the day.

Centerfield is located at 1328 Highway 395 and is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music is featured every other Saturday. Call 782-1902 for information.