Oak Foils Custom Surfboards: Custom Mermaid Artwork by Keoni for Apryls Dyna-Gl...

Oak Foils Custom Surfboards: Custom Mermaid Artwork by Keoni for Apryls Dyna-Gl...

Book Review: HIGH STRUNG: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and the Untold Story of Tennis’s Fiercest Rivalry

My favorite part of HIGH STRUNG is the awesome 70s & 80s pics of the awesome hairdos! Seriously though, I was excited to get this book to review to read about this interesting piece of tennis history.

One was an ice-cold Swede with an aura of invincibility. A poster boy for the sport who was equal parts enigma and Adonis. He was tennis’s version of a matinee idol. He was a Houdini in a headband who could outlast opponents for thrilling comeback victories. He was obsessive, unflappable, and unbeatable on grass and clay. They called him “Ice Borg”.

The other was the poster boy for everything that was wrong with Western society. He was a left-handed lightning rod who sought confrontation with nearly every living being on the court while he was in the midst of battle. He yelled at umpires and linesmen loudly and with reckless abandon. He was an exact balance of talent and the temper, perfect biomechanics and boorishness. They called him “Superbrat”.

With all of their differences, their battles were pure tennis magic, and their rivalry the stuff of sports legend. Stephen Tignor’s “HIGH STRUNG: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and the Untold Story of Tennis's Fiercest Rivalry” (Harper, May 2011) is a marvelously articulated chronicle of the matches that defined the rivalry and the personalities that fueled it.

Both were exceedingly talented. John McEnroe represented the blinding heat of youth. Bjorn Borg was the epitome of cool control. McEnroe externalized everything. Borg’s competitive fires burned deep within him. McEnroe respected Borg and was driven by the desire to unseat him as the world’s #1. Borg was already a legend and sought to remain as the most dominant player in the sport. McEnroe found refuge in the rivalry. Borg found his final opponent.

You can get your copy here.

Book Review: GOLF LIST MANIA!

I was quite excited to get this book to review since I'm a not only a fan of golf but a huge fan of quick, easily digestible reading. This most definitely fit both criteria. For example, who won't appreciate a list entitled, "Great Caddyshack Pick-up Lines"? Most of the quotes come from the Rodney Dangerfield character, of course. "You must have been something before electricity." Epic.

This spring, as golfers everywhere dust off their clubs and begin the long-overdue march to the 1st tee, celebrated golf writers Leonard Shapiro and Ed Sherman aim to fill our heads with all things “golf” and present GOLF LIST MANIA!: The Most Authoritative and Opinionated Rankings of the Best and Worst of the Game (Running Press, May 2011), a comprehensive record of epic moments and massive disappointments, of major heroes and Sunday breakdowns, and of sage advice.

GOLF LIST MANIA! is a celebration of golf. These are our favorite subjects as fans, players, and major championship junkies: Tiger, the Shark, Sarazen’s double eagle, Miller’s 63, Van de Velde’s collapse, Sergio’s light résumé, Lefty’s greatest hits and near misses, Jack’s second places and Feherty’s acerbic wit. Shapiro and Sherman effortlessly compare 2nd rank events and personalities over decades and generations and leave the reader entertained and raring to go for that next tee time.

Top-10 graduates of the Nationwide Tour? There’s a list for that. Top-10 Aussies of all-time? Yep. Top-10 golf movies? Please. Ten best Korean LPGA players? There’s a list for that too. If it’s happened in golf over the last century or so, GOLF LIST MANIA! has it covered.

And interspersed throughout GOLF LIST MANIA! are some of the great golf quotes from some of the most famous and infamous golfers, thinkers, and personalities who ever shanked a three-iron: Bob Hope, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Alistair Cooke, John Updike, Phyllis Diller, Gerald Ford, Will Rogers, Billy Graham, Heywood Hale Broun, Rick Reilly, Jack Lemmon, Hank Aaron; black-and-white photos of golfers who’ve shaped the golf world, past and present; as well as guest-lists from some of the great sources of golf-knowledge in the game: Dan Jenkins, John Feinstein, Lance Barrow, Peter Kessler, et al. GOLF LIST MANIA! is about as much fun as a golfer can have with his soft spikes off. For some, it might be more fun.

You can get your copy here.

Oak Foils Custom Surfboards: Preview of Apryl's OG Dyna-Glyde Scalloped Concave...

Oak Foils Custom Surfboards: Preview of Apryl's OG Dyna-Glyde Scalloped Concave...

Check Out Rickie Fowler's PUMA Style at The Masters

Kicking off the Masters today, 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler will bring color to the course in his best PUMA styles of the season as he seeks to add a coveted green jacket to his already fashionable collection.

Rickie tees-off on Thursday morning wearing a color he hopes to be wearing again Sunday afternoon – GREEN! Capturing his true signature style, from his Fitted Monoline Flatbrim cap to Cell Fusion shoes, Rickie will rock the PUMA green from top-to-toe.

You can check out the hi-res images here.

Product Review: B IS FOR BASEBALL: Alphabet Cards

I was sent a very cool little product to review recently that is a really cute way to teach the alphabet to one of your really cute little ones. I plan on passing them on to one of my cute little nieces/nephews. Here are the details:

As we look ahead to the 2011 Major League Baseball season, artist Doug Keith reminds us that at its root the National Pastime is and forever will be a game for the young and young at heart.

This May, Keith and publisher Simply Read Books will introduce the first in a series that will keep our young sports fans in the game and into learning their ABCs. “B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards”, by Doug Keith (Simply Read Books, May 2011) is an entertaining and edifying look at the alphabet through the humorous illustrations that capture the spirit and action of the play in the diamond.

The game is here in every one in these 26 cards. From A to Z, young learners will find that “P” could be a pitcher beginning his wind-up; “L” could be an outfielder who catches the ball and the wall at the same time; “A” could be batter practicing his mighty swing; and “Y” could be an ump calling “Yer out!”

“B IS FOR BASEBALL: Alphabet Cards” are about as much fun as you can have off the field and there is no better way for our young fans to get ready for the tee ball, little league and the 2011 season.

The cards come in their own box and are a joy for all ages. I would recommend these for the young sports fan in your life or any child that is learning their alphabet. You can get yours here.

Book Review: REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox

I received one of the most beautiful books to give a review just in time for baseball season. Let me just get one thing strait - I am most definitely NOT a Boston Red Sox fan in any way, shape, or form. No way. That should tell you that this review is quite genuine.

I was told that:

This book is a stunning tribute for the 100th anniversary and covers all of the players, teams, characters, anecdotes, Pesky Poles and Green Monsters that loom large in Fenway lore. It is truly beautiful and will appeal to all fans of the game…not just Sox fans.

“A lovely work of sporting art”—Furman Bisher

“For Red Sox fans, this gem of a book about a jewel of a ballpark is enough—well, almost enough — to banish from all thoughts of Bucky Dent and other disappointments.”—George F. Will

Indeed it is an incredibly beautiful gem that any baseball fan would appreciate that is filled with great pictures and anecdotes. The retro pics are my favorite like the one on page 66 of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. There are so many chapters of the Red Sox history such as Babe Ruth's debut, Nuns' Day, and the animosity between the bleachers and the box seats.

You can get your copy of this beauty here.

Much More To Come

I have so much going on these days but also have a few things stacked up that I need to share. I'll be getting caught up this week. Check back here for book reviews, surf session reports, philanthropic reports, and quite a bit more.

Have a great weekend!

A Special Deal From Our Sponsor - Photo Ball Marker

Our favorite sponsor - Photo Ball Marker - has come up with a special deal for the readers.

To celebrate our breaking the 1000 mark in Twitter Followers we have set your promo code to give Free Shipping in addition to $5 off this week only.

That sets the price for our Three Photo Set for people going through your ads at $20 (Our Price through Our Web Site is $24.95 + $4.95 = $29.90). It will be good through Sunday, March 13, 2011 and then go back to the normal $5 off.

To get this deal you only have to scroll down a bit and click through the ad on the side bar for Photo Ball Marker and the promo code is pre-populated.

Book Review: Derek Jeter: From The Pages Of The New York Times

Okay, let me just start this out by saying that I am the FARTHEST thing from a Derek Jeter fan. I'm even farther away from that from being a Yankees fan. This girl is a Los Angeles native that has been a Dodgers fan from the day she discovered baseball. Yes, that means I am accustomed to being in somewhat of an abusive relationship. At least my hometown has a team. I got that going for me.

At any rate, this is post is not about me, it's about the beautiful hardcover book I was sent to review. I was told:

Drawing on over 5,000 New York Times news articles and features, dozens of classic photos and the masterful design of publisher Harry N. Abrams, DEREK JETER: From the Pages of the New York Times is a fitting and attractive chronicle to one of the great players in major league history.

This book is really quite attractive and awesome for Jeter and Yankees fans. I would go so far as to call it a "must have" for that group. Even everyday baseball fans will also enjoy this narrative that chronicles his career from high school days through the 2010 season.

You can flip to nearly any page and get an interesting tidbit about this future Hall of Fame shortstop. For example, one interview piece quotes Jeter as claiming to want to play shortstop since his dad did in college. You know, because when you're young you always want to be like your dad.

This book is a great compilation of Jeter's accomplishments to date with an abundance of full-color pics and quick factoids to keep even the shortest attention spans interested.

You can get your copy here. Check it out!

Have You Tried Deal Pop?

Hey Los Angeles readers - this one's for you so pay attention if you like local sports bars:

Have you tried Deal Pop? It's one of those deal sites where you can get major discounts on food, spa services, and the like. They contacted me today to help them highlight the latest deal for the L.A. area.

The deal is for a new sports bar called The Varsity and if you go to the Deal Pop link and you can get $20 worth of food and drink for $10. Also, if you enter the code VARSITY20 then you'll get the deal for only $8. Yes, I bought one and am looking forward to checking this place out, especially since they have a dog-friendly patio!

*This is a sponsored post

The Importance of Betting in Sports

Today’s world of sport is not ruled by frenzied fanatics dressing up in team attire and cheering on their favorite athletes. Sports are not even really controlled by respective athletes either, save some up-and-coming sports not yet in the mainstream. More than anything, it is the almighty dollar the rules sport, and thus money precedes any sport’s global success and thus dictates its path.

Money comes not only from fans and sponsors but also from the betting world. Just like those Wall Street guys playing the futures and derivatives game as a separate sport while the housing market ignited and eventually went supernova, millions of gamblers from the across the globe put their “stock” in sport by way of sports-betting.

Sure, a US casino online or a place like Vegas gets the most notoriety for gambling – games like blackjack and the one-arm bandits. But holding equal ground is the world of sports-betting.

The point: the culture of money surrounding a sport, i.e. its monetary potential, is, more than anything, responsible for a sport’s rise.

Take the game of Texas Hold’em, for example. Here you have a game where the primary purpose is, already, to gamble. It’s simple enough, to be sure, and certainly nothing there to make it a “sport,” right?

Well, not so fast. Because of the insane amount of money surrounding the game, the amount of betting potential every card in every hand from every player offers, and the unabashed pursuit of the prize, poker, seemingly overnight, became an internationally recognized “sport,” with ESPN, the king of sporting news, leading the charge on their central network.

The potential for others outside of the sport to make money was one of the biggest reasons this sport exploded onto the world scene. You’ll find celebrity poker players all over the top 10 online casinos and throughout every major land-based poker room in the country. They’re stars of sport now, and the outside money is what lifted the platform to such heights.

With the potential for betting being so important to a sport’s success, other sports and games hoping to make the leap into the mainstream can take a strong and valuable lesson away from watching the rise of others.

If a sport such as surfing or mountain-biking wants to break away from their respective niche markets, regardless of how strong the niche is, and into the mainstream, the money has to be right. Not only will more fans and more sponsors need to put more money into the coffers of owners and event organizers, but the culture has to be promoted from the outside in by a wave of willing sports-betters showing that there’s a broad market with profit potential for everyone.

Exactly how other sports can get this done is up for debate. But much like horseracing or football, it wouldn’t hurt a niche sport to offer odds like spreads and over-under numbers at the gate. Making it lucrative instead of solely entertaining is the real ticket that sells in all of sport.

*This post contains 100% sponsored content

Review: Kikkor Golf Shoes

Although I missed the PGA Merchandise Show this year the cool folks at Kikkor Golf didn't want me to miss out on their cool style. Talk about being stoked!

I just got my pair of Retra - Purple Bornelle delivered today. They look even better in person than I had imagined. Seriously!

Not only are they super comfortable but they are incredibly cool looking. I can totally identify with this brand image as I'm not your everyday golfer. Yeah, I'm that golfer that has a more modern style, especially that I'm much better of a surfer than a golfer. Sure, you'll find me wearing some funky vintage styles but the emphasis on the funky! These fit right in with that style as they have that look of a retro running shoe.

I can't wait to get these babies out on the course. Now I've got a really good excuse to get out there this weekend. Woot! Woot!

I have to thank the guys at Kikkor for hooking me up with this sweet pair of kicks. Also, a shout out to my bud Rob for his awesome video that he took at the PGA Merchandise Show this year that I stole from YouTube for the top of this post.

Book Review: Run Like A Girl

I was contacted by Mina Samuels, author of Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives about reviewing her book. I was excited to check it out after hearing about it.

Part locker-room confidential, inspiring manifesto, and personal memoir, this book shows us through stories how the confidence women build by participating in sports—whether it’s running or rock climbing, swimming or yoga—can transform our lives in profound ways.

Lively, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking, the candid stories of nearly a hundred women fill the pages: from a U.S.-ranked amateur triathlete who’s raising an autistic son, to a woman who runs her first marathon at sixty; and a young mother with scoliosis who cycles her way back to health; as well as sports icons Kathrine Switzer, Rebecca Rusch, and Molly Barker. These women all share how sports helped them overcome life’s obstacles and achieve the happiness and success they’d been running toward.

I would have to agree that the sports I participate in profoundly contribute to my quality of life. My husband even notices the "high" I'm on after an awesome surf session. That's the ultimate for me. If I can't surf that day, I've just got get on the treadmill/bike/elliptical for at least an hour or I am not human. Exercise and sport are vital for me.

I am really enjoying getting in to this book. It's an interesting read that has great little quotes throughout. Check out Mina's blog and get your copy of the book here.

Surfer's Ear or Swimmer's Ear?

The video above really explains the difference between surfer's ear and swimmer's ear quite well.

Surfer's ear develops after many years of surfing in cold water and can require surgery. Swimmer's ear is an infection of the ear. Neither is pleasant.

I'm writing about ears as mine are a bit unhappy today. I woke up with a bit of vertigo so I used up a sick day to stay in bed and try to sleep it off. It seems to be working, the dizziness is subsiding and my left ear just feels a bit heavy. It's been incredibly cold in the morning for dawn patrol so I should really get some ear plugs. Ear plugs are a preventative measure against surfer's ear as are wearing a hood. The latter is a bit difficult for me though. I can easily wear a hood when scuba diving but for surfing it's a whole other thing.

What experience have you had with surfer's or swimmer's ear?

Dolphins Playing With Surfers

Yes, it happens. I had only heard about people having dolphins really make contact with them while surfing and had never experienced it first hand (in spite of how much time I've spent in the water). I don't mean just swimming by. That has happened to me plenty of times. I've watched pods of dolphins swim underneath me. Dolphins have "dropped in" on people that I was surfing with. I see them out in the distance feeding, playing, and just swimming by.

This morning was different. It started out like many other mornings. Walking out to the shore, I carry my board to the edge of the water. Next I stretch and put the leash around my ankle. I look up and see a pod of dolphins feeding out in the distance. They seem to be feeding because you can see them circling around one area and stirring up the water quite a bit. Every so often, one or two jump out of the water and chase each other. They seemed to be having fun.

I was sitting on my board in the lineup (well, there was only me and one other guy out there) looking at the swell and waiting for my set. Out of nowhere I felt a THUMP on the back of my board and looked back to see what it was. Just then, one of the dolphins jumped out of the water.

Yeah, it startled me. That would startle anyone.

Next they circled me and the one other surfer in the water. It was as if they wanted to play with us. They eventually lost interest and went back out farther and then headed south.

It was pretty awesome.

Can I Just Embed This Again?

Santa Monica Surfer's El Porto 11/13/10 from Helge Steffen on Vimeo.

This was one of the most awesome days at this spot. The video always makes me smile. I caught so many waves that day! This was only weeks after my 2nd place showing at the Haunted Heats surf contest. I love this surf spot when it's not holding me under and working me over.

Why A Marriage Works

My husband and I have a lot in common, obviously. I don't buy that whole business that opposites attract. Although we appear to be opposites on the surface, we are so alike it's not even funny. That's for another time - this post is about sports.

This morning I was going surfing with friends. Hubby was invited. He doesn't surf but he'll come with the hound and watch. Sometimes he even takes pictures. At the last minute this morning he told me that he was gonna stay home and I should just go. He wasn't being spiteful or smarty pants either.

I went. I met up with 2 guys and 1 girl. He knows I surf mostly with guys. He's cool with it.

No, I don't surf mostly with guys because I don't like to surf with girls. It just so happens that I go at times and to breaks where there are mostly guys in the water. Hubby knows I am out there to surf. He's seen me enough. I get out there and catch waves.

Among the guys I surf with it's perfectly acceptable to stop talking in mid-sentence and turn around to catch a wave. In fact, it's perfectly acceptable to not talk at all. I can't say the same for the girls I usually surf with (with one notable exception - you know who you are).

Now before you call me a traitor to women - take a deep breath. Most of the girls I know like to sit out there and act like a buoy while they chat. I'm not out there to float around. I'm out there to surf. You can come with me - heck - I'll even switch boards with you and chat a bit. However, I am out there to surf. If you're a surf chick and you want to go surfing with me just shoot me a note and you are invited.

During the week for dawn patrol my surf bud is a guy. Sometimes I just go alone. If I waited for someone to surf with me I would never go.

At any rate, hubby is cool with it.

He's now off to the range. I am not a huge fan of staying at the driving range for 3 or 4 hours. He is. I'm much happier playing 18. I can stand a range for about a small bucket - maybe a medium on a good day. I trust him to go work on his game. He's as focused on golf as I am on surfing. It totally works for us.

Why don't I go with? I do sometimes. We just don't like paying for dog daycare every day we want to go out (if you also had a bloodhound you'd understand).

Anyways, this is why a marriage works. We trust each other. We are both obsessed with our sport and understand each others need for their sport.

They might just have to change the definition for surf widow.

Northern Trust Open 2011: Sunday

This post is now sponsored by Los Angeles golf courses. However, the opinions are my own and this is not how I scored tickets to this event. The tickets were from a friend of mine.



I was incredibly excited to score weekend tickets to the Northern Trust Open. Yes, both days. Never mind that I got them for no charge, but they were also Clubhouse tickets. Needless to say, I was pumped.

That was, I was totally pumped until I got there. It's a good thing I didn't have to pay the $75 face value of the ticket. I would have flipped out. Really, the only benefits to these higher-priced tickets were that you got to use the fabulous & clean restrooms in the clubhouse instead of the portables. Some may argue this is worth the extra fee. You did also get access to a private dining area with a VERY limited menu. Yes, you still had to pay for the food and drink and it wasn't a great value if you get my drift.

Now let me just say that I was still pumped to be there. This is my 3rd year in a row at the tournament and I enjoy every moment of it. You did hear me say that I had tickets for the weekend - I only got out there today. No matter what I tried, I could not get hubby out there yesterday. This is quite odd considering I'm the surfer girl that he got into golf about 5 years ago. I love watching it in person so much better than on the TV and the course at Riviera is so awesome to be at. Top that off with the week of rain we've had and I just wanted to get outside.

Anyways - we managed to park at the 9th and see some great players roll by. First was KJ Choi, Trevor Immelman, and Vaughn Taylor. There was a toddler standing close by that said "KJ Choi" as he walked up. The golfer turned and smiled and as he walked up to the tee his caddy handed the youngster a ball.

Next was JB Holmes, Stuart Appleby, and Martin Laird. Its true what they say about Holmes. That guy can crush the ball. Even more interesting is he's not the biggest guy out there.

The next group was Justin Rose, Stewart Cink, and Spencer Levin. They were followed by Harrison Frazar, Jimmy Walker, and Robert Allenby. I just love watching some of these big-name golfers tee off. It's amazing how well they hit the ball and seeing it in person just makes your jaw drop.

Finally John Senden, Ryan Moore, and Vijay Singh were up. Vijay looks so much bigger on TV. In person you see that he's in amazing shape. We stood there in awe as he crushed a massive drive.

And lastly the leaders came - Fred Couples, Kevin Na, and Aaron Baddeley. Somehow, the most obnoxious guy in the crowd was standing right behind us. If you were watching on TV and heard the dude on 9 yelling his encouragement to Couples, he was right behind us. There were also a couple of 12-year-old girls wearing homemade t-shirts that said, "I <3 Baddeley". Many of the media photogs stopped and snapped their picture.

Badds can sure hit the ball. It was epic. Na didn't do so bad either. We totally felt for Couples, you could tell he was experiencing some pain as he winced through his drive.

Overall, it's a great event but they're getting cheaper in a lot of ways. This time they were doing buy 1 get 1 free tickets and let everyone in free after 1:30 pm today. You could tell this affected the rest of the event. A can of soda was $5 and trying to find the free magazine program was impossible. This is the first year I didn't get one. To top that off, there were much fewer food choices this year and those that were available were pricier than Dodger Stadium (which is saying quite a bit if you've ever been there). This year in "The Grove" food court there was ONE choice for food. Outside of this area you were pretty much down to hamburgers and hot dogs. Two years ago they had several clinics and fun things for the fans to do, like taking a picture with a life size Phil Mickelson cutout that they would email to you.

I'll still get down there next year. I love going. Now I've just got to find someone that will take me to play Riviera. I've just got to play this place.

Congrats on the win to Aaron Baddeley!

Book Review: The Undisputed Guide To Pro Basketball

The team at FREEDARKO.COM have a new book out called The Undisputed Guide To Pro Basketball. I was sent a review copy along with the usual press info and dug in.

I've got to say, this is one of the most fun books I've delved into in some time. This isn't to say it doesn't have it's serious content though. There is a legitimate historical narrative that starts things off in Chapter 0 with the time line starting in 1891. Following is info on the early barnstorming teams with incredibly interesting names like The Terrible Swedes and the ladies of the men's rule playing All American Red Heads.

Get a bit further into the book and you've got fabulous infographics like the "Head Hair Key" and "Hair Champions". My hometown Lakers 1975-76 team have the distinct honor of being named the hairiest team. The fun doesn't stop there - there's a section later in the book dedicated to Charles Barkley that's aptly coined "Loud, Fat, and Gifted". Epic.

This book is a must-have for any basketball nut. The authors include a disclaimer that the history is far from complete but they really do include quite a lot in this hardcover of 200+ pages.

You can pick up a copy here for yourself or the basketball fan in your life.

Go Lakers!*

*I can't possibly mention basketball without saying that.