Fox's Sports Bay Area Baseball Luncheon

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending my fourth Fox SportsNet Bay Area Baseball Luncheon, held at Treature Island. For those of you not aware of the event, it's considered the "kickoff" baseball season event for the media of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The featured speaker was Bob DuPuy, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball and someone I wanted to meet to talk about SBS's Oakland Baseball Simworld and ask him about how MLB deals with excessive debt amoung teams.


Media Roast of People and Politicians

The luncheon is a media roast. Ray Kiper was the event MC, and seemed to leave few luminaries out of his humor gunsight. Some of the people he talked about -- like Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown -- were there. Others, like San Francisco Chronicle Columnist and friend Glenn Dickey, were not.

Ray said this about Dickey: "Is Glenn Dickey here? No? Well, that's right because he doesn't have his column anymore!" That was a low blow. I don't know what Glenn did to deserve that. I personally think Ray should have spent more time roasting Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.

Yes, Jerry was there, and about a table away from mine. He was sitting with Mike Crowley, President of the Oakland A's, SF Giants GM Brian Sabien, SF Giants Owner Peter McGowan, SF Giants President Larry Bear, Du Puy, and Randy Muller of Fox Corporate.

While Jerry was there, Simone Brice, who I know, and who's worked in the City of Oakland, walked in. I offered him a seat and lunch at our table, since there were about four open seats. He sat down and we caught up on things.

Simone and I hold differing views on what our roles in Oakland should be. I am passionate about Oakland; Simone sees Oakland as a means to a personal end. In other words more money and pension for a better life. Personally, that's why I'm running SBS. I just feel that I can do more of a personal nature here in a private business.
With Oakland, I was on a mission to make the City better.

Simone and I also talked about Jerry and just how hard it is to work for him. See, Jerry tends to be really inconsiderate of his staff people. I mean if you think California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley had problems with his staff, take a look at Jerry Brown. What protects Jerry is his celebrity status, and the media's almost rose-colored view of him. A view so unrealitic it borders on silly. But I digress. Let's get back to the luncheon.

DuPuy Says Major League Baseball Supports Oakland

After the round of Kiper Jokes, Fox Sports GM Jeff Krolik introduced DuPuy. In his speech, DuPuy stated more than once, that Major League Baseball was committed to keeping the A's in Oakland with a new baseball stadium.

There's a school of thought which goes like this: Major League Baseball will try to work with the Oakland Officials, knowing they don't have their act together, then work to relocate the team to San Jose. I personally don't think Major League Baseball would work to damage the Giants' fan base in the South Bay, but I'm only reporting a school of thought.

One part of that idea is that Oakland officials do need to get their act together. Well, more specifically, the Coliseum Authority and the Mayor's Office -- er, The Mayor.

Anyway, I saw a lot of people at the lunch. I saw Jerry and he saw me while he was at the podium. I think I may have caused him to skip a few lines.

I also saw my good friends Monte Poole and Marty Mandel, who's a local TV and Broadcasting agent, as well as Jay De La Cruz, who makes the whole lunch happen for Fox. Then there are long times friends from the A's like David Rinetti and Dave Alioto. And of course I met a ton of people and collected business cards I have to follow up on.

In all, a great way to start the baseball season!

What's With All The Teachers Sleeping With Students??

Hey, will someone tell me why we have this rash of teachers bedding their students? I mean elementary school teachers, as I seriously doubt anyone really cares what professors and college students do. Well, OK. Maybe someone. But show me the last time someone was thrown in the slammer for that.

What's the deal here? Is it in the water, or has it been going on and only now noticed? Also, the women are not ugly ducklings, so forget that "They can't get a man" idea. Plus, some were married. Geez...

I mean check out this latest report I found on Google and is at CBS:


(CBS) A teacher in Tennessee has been accused of having sex with one of her students, who is 13.

The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler says Pamela Turner, 27, taught physical education, and was married to a high school basketball coach. But she's been charged with statutory rape.

Prosecutor Dale Potter says, "Some people don't look at it as serious, but if you reverse the roles and make it a male on a female, then everyone gets really upset, and it's considered really serious."

Potter adds Turner won't be given special treatment because she's a woman: "We intend to prosecute it as aggressively as we do our other sex cases."

Turner is free on a $50,000 bond. The school system has placed her on leave.

Of course, notes Syler, this is hardly the first time a teacher has been accused of having a physical relationship with a student.

Perhaps the most infamous case involved Mary Kay Letourneau, a Seattle teacher whose relationship with a sixth-grader, ultimately produced two children. Letourneau spent seven years behind bars.

Last December, Debra LaFave, a middle-school reading teacher in Florida, was charged having sex with a 14-year-old.

Her lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, asserts, "Debbie has some profound emotional issues that are not her fault." He plans an insanity defense when her trial comes up later this year.

"Three young, attractive teachers, all accused of sexual misconduct," Syler sums it up.


Say folks, is this going on a lot at school? Do tell here!!! And here's another question: Why is it always a female teacher? I've yet to see a case involving a male teacher.

Dynasty? Patriots? ...Yeah. I Guess So

Ok, now that the Super Bowl is over, the question of the day is "Are the New England Patriots a dynasty.?"

Well, if you hate that the team wins all the time and consistently root for their loss and demise, then yes. The New England Patriots are a dynasty.

I give Head Coach Bill Belichek credit for keeping his players consistently hungry. It's not like they're the most talented team in the league; they have great players, but they are weak in areas like the defensive secondary. What makes them great are the coaches: they teach, train, and prepare, and they do it better than the other 31 teams in the NFL.

I'm Back in Oakland - Mom's Getting Better

I returned to Oakland on Friday but felt real guilty that I didn't stay longer with my folks. I called my Stepfather's brother and wife to really encourge them to fly down to Georgia. I think they have some issues around the perception of Georgia as racist (I think it's not much different than the Bay Area, but the kind of racism here is more subtle but none the less visible...When one's eyes are open)

Anyway, to my surprise, they did fly there on Sunday. That made me very happy.

The other matter I have to clear is to determine what happened to my real Dad in Rolling Meadows, Ill. I can't call him as his number's disconnected.

New York Jets New Stadium - City Is Making Mistakes

I am as excited as anyone to see New York City build a new stadium for the Jets and the 2012 Olympics effort, but I think they're dropping the political ball.

They're forcing a design on the people of New York, when they should have a public party and design competition. The time clock is clicking so to salvage this PR problem, they should just have a public party where people get to actually come up with changes to the stadium design.

Yes, they're going to have hecklers, but I think they will be "controlled" by those who are just happy to be a part of the process. They should also record the names of each of the people who attend, and put them on the stadium walls when it's built.

Super Bowl: Oakland - Zennie Gets Jerry Brown

After over four years, I finally got my chance to publically explain what really happened to our Super Bowl Bid.

If you're wondering what I mean read this column penned by the Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole.

In Atlanta, not Jacksonville

Last week, I learned that my Mom has Breast Cancer, and was due to go into the hospital on Monday of this week. So last week, I decided to cancel my Super Bowl trip and come here to Fayetteville, GA, to be with my Mom and Stepfather, who has been battling Prostate Cancer.

My Mom's upset that I didn't attend what was to be my 4th Super Bowl, but I'll tell ya I feel a lot better being here than worrying.

Besides, the 2005 Super Bowl should be in Oakland, not Jacksonville.