LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: Eva Longoria Parker attends the Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Western Conference Game 2 at Staples Center on May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: David Beckham (L) and Victoria Beckham attend the Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Western Conference Game 2 at Staples Center on May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol fouls San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili who scores and makes the basket and follows with a foul shot for a three-point-play during Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference final basketball playoff series in Los Angeles, May 23, 2008. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots over San Antonio Spurs center Michael Finley (4) during the second quarter in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Wednesday, May 23, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
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Actor Sylvester Stallone watches the San Antonio Spurs play against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Friday, May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 101-71. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
AP
Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton dives after a loose ball as San Antonio Spurs' players Tony Parker of France, left, and Damon Stoudamire, right, move in during the second half in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Friday, May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 101-71. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Soccer player David Beckham, left, and his wife, entertainer Victoria Beckham watch the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs play in the second half in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Friday, May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 101-71. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Actress Eva Longoria Parker watches her husband, French player Tony Parker's team, the San Antonio Spurs play against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Friday, May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 101-71. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
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San Antonio Spurs' players from left, Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili, of Argentina, watch the final minutes of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Friday, May 23, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 101-71. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: (L-R) TV personalities Paula Abdul and Terri Seymour watch in the second half of the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs on May 23, 2008 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
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CNBC premiered its documentary on Nike, called "Swoosh! Inside Nike" yesterday. The documentary was reported and hosted by CNBC's sports business reporter Darren Rovell. Rovell spent several years at ESPN before being hired by CNBC. I was always surprised ESPN let Rovell get away without anyone hired to replace him. I can only suppose that as ESPN has become a bigger force in the sports business, it must have been increasingly hard to have someone cover the business of sports while leaving ESPN out of the stories.A couple months ago, I went to the people at Nike, who in covering the business of sports, I talk to every single week. I told them the idea of the show--a look into their company that went deeper than any report. I told them I wanted to show our viewers this sneakerhead culture. I wanted to go behind the story of Michael Jordan's incredible success even today as a shoe pitchman, delve into Nike's history and explore their advertising and finally--look into how they recovered from the labor practices that made them the poster boy for sweatshops a decade ago.So those looking for that will be disappointed. What about the rest?
Miller: I have one better. Jared from Subway fame, turned his tickets back in. (Miller, then kicks in the mock outrage) Come on! We lost Jared! If we're going to lose Jared, one of the best season ticket holders of all time. If we're going to lose Jared and that Subway contract, so much for the Pacers. It's over! It's over! What's next? What is next?Where will Jared take Indianapolis' Finest on dates now?!
"I grew up in a household where a lot of people in my family were in gangs and involved in drugs," he said. "As a child, I got to see, up close and personal, all the negative things. Instead of watching them on TV, they were right there in my household. But all I wanted to do was make my grandparents proud of me. I saw other kids that never listened. That's one thing I did. I used basketball as my (escape route)."But the subject matter of the doc -- and the fact all the Warriors had Sunday off completely -- didn't stop Bay Area reporters from all but blaming the (bad) Monday loss to (insurgent) Minnesota on Baron's festival visit. Sometimes, you cannot win.
If there's any coach that I want mic'd up for a game, it's Sam Mitchell: the guy is as off-the-cuff as they come during actual interviews, so I can't wait to hear what comes out of his mouth in the heat of the moment during a game or during a halftime speech, even if the censors edit out all the good parts.Raptors NBA TV produces the team's games and tomorrow's home game against Detroit will air on Rogers Sportsnet. Since ESPN is not on Canadian cable and satellite systems, Raptors fans won't get to hear what Mitchell has to say.Those bugs include accidentally airing a profanity uttered by Jerry Sloan, which, I'm sure you heard,
"We had hoped to let Canadian fans hear whatever Sam is saying, but the league has denied our request," said Chris Hebb, senior vice-president of broadcast and content for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. "They have only been doing it for three weeks and are reluctant to pass it on to other broadcasters until they've got the bugs worked out.
Stella Foster's gossip column in the Chicago Sun-Times has a too-awesome-to-be-false tip on when we might next see Charles Oakley in the spotlight (via Hoopshype): FORMER BULLS STAR and wannabe cooking king Charles Oakley cooked up a storm at a recent bash at the Northbrook home of jewelry giant Lester Lampert and wife Maureen. Oakley, who recently filmed a pilot for a possible cooking show, wowed guests with his secret recipe for chicken wings, cheeseburger sliders, his signature blackened cod, meatloaf and peach cobbler.(Emphasis mine.) Fans have long endorsed a reality show set on following Oak; a cooking show might be even better. As someone whose basketball habit is occasionally matched by marathon sessions with Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown and (of course) Anthony Bourdain, this cannot happen soon enough.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports TNT will begin strapping microphones on coaches during its Thursday games beginning this week with Denver-Dallas and Miami-Portland. Also, cameras will record pregame, halftime and postgame meetings in the locker rooms. This is a tremendous idea... for the fans. A few assorted reasons why:
