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.

Paris Hilton Mad Over Paris Hilton Tape - Snatches Copy From Video Store

This story is unfortunate. I don't blame her though. I hope the LA County Sherriff's Office has better things to do and drops the charges...read on:

January 22, 2005 (Associated Press)— Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.

"There was an incident, and she is alleged to have taken something," sheriff's Deputy Steve Suzuki said without disclosing further details.

Calls to Hilton's publicist, Gina Hoffman, were not immediately returned.

On its Web site, the TV show "Celebrity Justice" posted a security video taken last month of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.

Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told "Celebrity Justice" that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video "One Night in Paris" on sale at the newsstand.

"She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, `I'm taking this and I'm not buying it,"' Castro told the show.

Castro declined to comment when contacted Friday by The Associated Press, but he told KABC-TV of Los Angeles that Hilton and her bodyguards attempted to rip up a poster and pull down a display advertising the video.

"Nobody steals on my shift," Castro said.

Paris' sister, Nicky, told KABC that Castro overreacted.

"She did something anyone would have done in this situation," Nicky Hilton said. "It's not a big deal. Whatever _ she doesn't care. I think this guy is trying to make it into a big deal, to get some publicity for his newsstand."

The sex tape surfaced in 2003 just before the start of Hilton's reality TV series "The Simple Life." She has said she was embarrassed and humiliated that the tape ever became public.

Deputies were expected to present the case next week to prosecutors, who will then decide whether to file any charges, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The Sheriff's Department decided to announce details of the Dec. 15 incident after getting numerous phone calls from reporters, Suzuki said.

The Passing of Johnny Carson - A Signpost

Johnny Carson passed away on Sunday. For 30 of my 42 years on this planet, I made "The Tonight's Show" a part of my life. When he hosted his last show in 1992, I remember feeling that a major part of my life had not so much went away, as was made dormant.

Johnny Carson was one of those "signposts" I referred to earlier in my blog. What I mean is that he helped shaped the cultural conversation of the day: what you talked about at school or at work, and what movies or commedians you were motivated to see.

Frankly, he had some funny jokes. Take when he did his last show, when he said "I feel like a chicken and Colonel Sanders is cooking up his 11 herbs and spices." Now, you know what he was referring to. He had a way of taking popular culture references, and using them in his jokes. (One could also remark that it was a great way to plug Kentucky Fried Chicken, but I feel it's a sign of how much a product becomes a part of popular culture.)

Johnny Carson was the first talk show host to become powerfully successful from television; at one point, 17 percent of NBC revenues came from his show. The show had a unique time placement: right after the evening news. So, every NBC affiliate was a lead in for The Tonight's Show.

I can't see another John Carson today. What are the new signposts? I'll have to think about that one. Any ideas?

"The Superjumbo" - An Idea For McDonald's - Before They Use It

I posted this idea on the Fast Company website. I thought I'd replicate it here, for posterity. Here it is:

I think McDonalds need to focus it's efforts on new products. I vote for a replacement to the aged "Big Mac." I would call it "The Superjumbo" and work a marketing deal with Airbus Industries as they roll out the A-380. I'd even have a contest, where the winner is the buyer of every 10,000th Super Jumbo and that person wins a trip on, you guessed it: The A380. The Superjumbo jet.

Ticketmaster's Control of Presidential Inaugural Tickets

 Get Presidential Inaugural Tickets - click here.

According to Brian Becker of ANSWER Coalition, the reason why it was so hard to get Presidential Inaugural tickets is that the Presidential Inaugural Committee let Ticketmaster have control of distribution of the tickets. If you called Ticketmaster to buy them, they asked for you ID number. If you were a major party donor, you got a number. Or if you were Ticketmaster, you could go out and resell the tickets. That's why the tickets started poping up, first, on Craigslist, then other brokers bought them.

How did I find this out? Well, C-SPAN. Then I went online to check out the fact, and founf an article in the Washington Post. You can click READ to read it, or check it out below:

An antiwar group filed suit yesterday alleging that President Bush's inaugural committee has for weeks blocked the public from getting tickets to the inaugural parade route and has allowed only selected donors and supporters to purchase seats.

Although Presidential Inaugural Committee officials have repeatedly said that the tickets along the Pennsylvania Avenue route are available to the public, the suit alleges that individual members of the public are blocked from buying them unless they are Bush donors or supporters who have received an invitation and special identification number from the committee.

The lawsuit, filed by the ANSWER Coalition, seeks to stop the National Park Service from cordoning off large sections of Pennsylvania Avenue for Thursday's inauguration. A federal judge is expected to hold a hearing on the case early next week.

"Pennsylvania Avenue is considered American's Main Street," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney with the Partnership for Civil Justice, which helped file the suit. "For the government to come in and take this space, to say you may only have access to this event if your viewpoint is approved by the incoming administration, is a fundamental violation of all of our First Amendment rights."

An inaugural official called the suit frivolous but did say that some parade bleacher seats were held in reserve for presidential supporters.

Steve Schmidt, communications director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said the public has lots of access to the inauguration. "Many of the inaugural events require tickets to attend," he said. "A great many require no tickets and are open to the public. The lawsuit is being reviewed, but this inaugural committee is operating no differently than any other inaugural committee for both Democratic and Republican presidents."

People answering phones at Ticketmaster yesterday said callers needed an invitation and identification number to buy a ticket. "As of right now, the only way you can get a ticket is if you get an invitation," one said. "We haven't heard anything yet, but I don't think they're going to release any to the public."

The lawsuit says the coalition has documents from a related suit showing that the 2001 Presidential Inaugural Committee prevented members of the general public from purchasing bleacher seat tickets for that inaugural parade and provided those seats only for Bush donors, fundraisers, supporters and invited guests.

The coalition stresses that it is not contesting President Bush's right to select who sits near the Capitol to watch his swearing-in or in VIP seating at Lafayette Square and near the White House.

"We're only talking about the part that the general public thinks they're allowed to go to," Verheyden-Hilliard said. "If they oppose war in Iraq, they should be allowed to express that. If they are supporters of the Bush administration, they should be allowed to express that."

Anne Wilson, a coalition volunteer, submitted an affidavit as part of the lawsuit saying that she tried this week to purchase a parade ticket, as instructed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. She called Ticketmaster, was routed to the presidential inaugural ticketing center and was told she needed an identification number and invitation to buy a ticket. She expressed her dismay and was told to call the Presidential Inaugural Committee, she said.

Tracey Schmitt, spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said last night, "People now interested in getting tickets should go to the Web site," though she warned, "There's an overwhelming demand." She said previously that anyone can walk up to watch the parade from various locations along the route.

Earlier yesterday, Jeanne Phillips, the inaugural committee chairman, said inauguration tickets were still available.

"We are still selling tickets," she said. "I mean, you can safely say we always have a few tickets at will call. We will be selling tickets until the last one is gone. It is going to be tight, but if you hurry on Sunday you might be able to get the last few."

The parade is expected to start at 2 p.m. Thursday after Bush's swearing-in on the Capitol steps.

Post staff writers Timothy Dwyer and Susan Levine contributed to this report.

Jacksonville Super Bowl XXXIX Hotel Room Fiasco - Pt 8

Well it appears that this hotel room shortage problem started because Jacksonville had signed letters and not contracts claiming the 17,000 rooms. For evidence, read this article I found: http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2002_4th/Nov02_SuperRooms.html

I learned today that in 2000, my competitors at Jacksonville's Super Bowl Bid Committee did not have hotels signed under contract, but simple letters of support and rooms from some of the hotels in the surrounding area. I and others (including the Bay Area Media) were led to believe that they had signed contracts, each 13-pages long, totalling 17,000 rooms.

The Oakland bid effort I led had about 7,000 rooms under contract, and a letter from the San Mateo CVB for 12,500 more. So, where I felt bad because we didn't have enough contracts, it turns out we had more rooms under contract at the time of our bid presentation on the morning of November 3rd 2000 in Atlanta, and yet Jacksonville won.

I remember Robert Gammon, who wrote for the Oakland Tribune at the time, as refering to the Oakland Super Bowl Bid as "failed." Well folks, we didn't fail. I didn't fail.

I believe to this day, we should have won -- the Super Bowl should be here in Oakland. But I do feel a high degree of personal vindication. Given what I had to put up with -- a less-than-supportive Jerry Brown, and no shortage of people telling me we could not do it -- I can officially say that I and the people that helped me with that bid did a hell of a great job. We can all officially say we got more hotels under contract than Jacksonville. We did what we didn't think we did.

Think the Oakland Tribune will report that? Hmm? Hmm?

Well, the other problem is a Jacksonville hotel gouging and reservations issue that may rank as one of the largest in sports events history.