If you haven’t done so already, make plans to get out to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows to catch the US Open Qualifiers which wrap up Friday. There is no admission to watch some of the best tennis players in the world try to gain a berth to compete in America’s Grand Slam Tennis event. The winner of the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas next Saturday night will be Showtime’s pay-per-view unit which is charging $99 per order.
Mayweather and his team are trying hard to sell the notion to the media and public that he can be beaten in order to hype the gate. Yes, Conor McGregor is an excellent mixed martial arts pugilist; has had some boxing training; and he could theoretically land a lucky punch at the right time. Conceding all of that, Floyd Mayweather, even at 40 years old, remains undefeated (49-0) and is in fantastic shape. I can’t imagine him losing. The hardest part for him will probably be carrying McGregor for a respectable amount of rounds so as to not upset the ticket-buying and pay-per-view audience.
I was surprised to read in Bob Raissman’s Sunday Daily News column that WFAN executives have told New Jersey governor Chris Christie that he is out of the running to replace Mike Francesa. Christie, for all of his flaws, knows his sports; speaks well; and certainly, knows how to argue with callers which is almost de rigeur in the world of drive-time sports talk radio.
Alex Rodriguez has been on the cover of countless sports magazines but two weeks ago his countenance was on the front of the entertainment trade magazine, “The Hollywood Reporter.” A-Rod has certainly kept a busy media schedule this year. He has co-hosted “Live With Kelly” and was a panelist on “The View.” His appearances on those ABC properties went so well that he has landed a gig as an occasional contributor to ABC News.
He is clearly not one to play favorites when it comes to networks as he does pre and postgame analysis on Fox Sports Major League Baseball telecasts and will be hosting a CNBC finance show designed to help athletes who have made some bad decisions regarding investing and spending that will be called “Back In The Game.”
CNBC is seeing profit in sports-themed programming. It made a big presentation at the Television Critics Association conference held in Beverly Hills a few weeks ago for the second season of the cleverly-named “Adventure Capitalists.” The best way to describe the show is to think of it as “Shark Tank” where the budding entrepreneurs are creating sports-related equipment and gadgets. The panelists who are willing to risk their own funds are former Giants linebacker Dhani Jones, former Philadelphia Eagles special teams player and champion skier Jeremy Bloom, and gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Speaking of “Shark Tank,” show panelist and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was mingling with the media at a reception sponsored by ABC Television. Mark is one of the principals of AXS TV a cable network that specializes in broadcasting concerts and is also the current home of legendary newscaster Dan Rather. For some reason, AXS never found a home on Time Warner Cable but Mark is hopeful that things will change now that Charter Communications’ Spectrum division has taken over ownership of Time Warner Cable.
Snacking used to mean munching on pretzels or cookies but these days there are for healthier and tastier items for consumers. Farmer Pantry has come up with a line of Cornbread Crisps which are bite-sized like a Nabisco Cheez-It but not salty. Like the tag line from those old Lay’s Potato Chips commercials, it’s impossible to eat just one. For those who want a more decadent single-serving treat, Bakerly, a company that got its start in Long Island City, makes packaged fruit crepes. I recommend its strawberry-filled crepes.
While there are shampoos, razors, and deodorants that are designed for men, it has been next to impossible to find detergents, household cleaners, liquid soap, and air fresheners that are manufactured and marketed for guys. A new company, Hero Clean (hero-clean.com) has filled this void.
It’s almost impossible to watch television without seeing a bedding ad that promises a better night’s sleep with a product that ends in “pedic.” An L.A. chiropractor, Dr. Rick Swartzburg, has created his own “pedic” company called Snuggle-pedic. I haven’t tried the company’s mattresses but I am impressed with its hypo-allergenic beefy bamboo pillow which not only doesn’t quickly flatten like most traditional pillows but also remains cool when you sleep on it. Most pillows tend to get warm as soon as your head hits the pillow.
-30-
