Sports & Celebrity Newswire

Archive for October, 2009

The New York Yankees evened the series 1-1 against Philadelphia in game two of the World Series last night. A.J. Burnett pitched what he called the best game of his career.

AJ Burnett pitches what he calls the best game of his career in Game 2 against Phillies

‘AJ of the Yankees had all the pressure on him trailing one game to none in the series with Padro Martinez opposite him for the Phillies and what did he do, he produced in a huge way 22 of 26 first pick strikes…,’ said Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports

Checkout the video highlights  of Game 2 of the World Series.

More video highlights and interviews Yankees vs Philadelphia

Baseball Speakers
Sports Speakers
Alex Rodriquez

LOS ANGELES – Sam Rubin of KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles says the Michael Jackson documentary ‘This is It” is by far one of the best movies of the year and is sure to be nominated for an Academy Award. Elizabeth Taylor says, “It’s the most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen.” Sam Rubin agrees that ‘Elizabeth Taylor’s commentary is right on the money.’

Michael Jackson ‘This Is It” Review. Watch video.

Goose Gossage

Since I spend so much time around athletes, people often ask me about my most memorable experiences. And while I’ve had my share of memories, both good and bad, one that always sticks out involved New York Yankees Hall of Famer Goose Gossage. If you haven’t met Goose, he’s a great guy who loves to have a good time. He’s full of laughs and great stories.

I was playing in a pro-am scramble golf event with Goose in Copper Mountain, Colorado in the late 90’s. The other members in our group were big Yankee fans from New Jersey. One of the members of our fivesome had just purchased a new putter and unfortunately waited until the tournament to try it out. To say this guy was bad is a major understatement. He was the worst putter I’ve ever seen. He just couldn’t figure out how to use it. If he had a 10 foot putt, he would hit it 20 feet past the hole. As the day went on, Goose gave the guy some good-natured ribbing, which everyone was enjoying.

Fast forward to the last hole. We had a 30 foot putt for birdie, which the first four people had missed. Goose was putting last and just before he addressed the ball, the guy with the putter yelled “Hey Goose, if you make this putt, I’ll give you my putter.” You know what happened next.

Goose drilled the putt, walked over to the guy and said “Give me the putter”. The guy didn’t know what to do, so he gave Goose the putter as he promised. With the putter in hand, Goose walked over to the lake and threw the putter as far as he could into the water.

I’ll never forget the sight of the putter traveling end over end towards the middle of the lake and the reaction of the guy. He was in shock. The rest of the fivesome was on the ground laughing.  Without saying a word, Goose walked to his  golf cart and drove off.

At the awards dinner, the story made its way around the room. No one could remember such a funny golf story. Even the guy with the putter said it was worth losing the putter to have  a story to tell for the rest of his life.

Today, Goose is a highly sought-after baseball speaker and travels around the country making personal appearances. He resides in Colorado.

If you would like to find out how to hire Goose Gossage for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Goose Gossage booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top celebrity booking agent for athletes, entertainers, sports speakers and celebrities.

Jamie sings ‘Angel of Harlem’ by U2. Simon changed Jamie’s song 24 hours before the perfomance. Louis criticizes him for not singing a big band song and blames Simon. Judges didn’t like it that much, but I disagree. I think he rocks!

If you can’t see the video Watch on Youtube

Lucie Jones sings My Funny Valentine on Big Band week during the 3rd live show of X Factor. This was a stellar perfomance and I predict she will be in the top three.

If you can’t see the video Watch on Youtube

Joseph McElderry sings Michael Buble’s Sway on Big band week of X Factor.  Joe was great. He’s cute, likeable & talented and the dark horse to win!

If you can’t see the video Watch on Youtube

Danyl Johnson sings Feeling Good by Muse on The X Factor. Simon said that was in a completely different league to anything else we heard so far.

If you can’t see the video Watch on Youtube

The 1985-86 Chicago Bears are remembered as one of the greatest and most flamboyant NFL teams in history. Who can forget the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’? It’s cast of characters included quarterback Jim McMahon, Richard Dent, ‘Refrigerator’ Perry and Hall of Famers Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary, Walter Payton and Dan Hampton.

Mike Ditka & Dan Hampton are two of PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent's most popular speakers

PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent Agency books many of the ’85 Bears for speaking engagements, personal appearances and endorsements, but works most closely with Mike Ditka and Dan Hampton.

Ditka seems to get more popular with age. Not only does he have two namesake restaurants in Chicago and one in Pittsburgh, he’s served as a popular pitchman for such companies as Coors and Charles Schwab. PFP negotiated his deal a couple of years ago with Circuit City, where he appeared alongside fellow Hall of Famer John Elway in a series of national print and tv ads.

Ditka was a popular player and even more popular coach for the Bears. In 10 season as head coach, he led the Bears to six NFC Central titles and three trips to the NFC Championship Game. He coached the Bears to the Super Bowl title in 1985-86.

Although not as high-profile on the national stage as Ditka, Hampton has also enjoyed success since his playing career ended. He’s the current host of the syndicated Pro Football Weekly as well as a local Chicago radio show on WSCR 670 The Score. He has served as pitchman for such companies as Chevrolet and Firestone and is currently spokesperson for Illinois Back Institute , a deal negotiated for him by PFP. He’s also a popular motivational speaker and makes personal appearances around the country meeting/greeting guests and signing autographs. In fact, just last week, he gave an uplifting speech at a high school function in the Chicago area.

Hampton spent his entire 12-year career with Chicago and is one of three Bears to play in three different decades. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and was named to the 1980’s All Decade Team. He finished his career ranked third all-time on the Bears for sacks and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.19

Both Ditka and Hampton reside in the Chicago area.

If you need information for booking Mike Ditka or Dan Hamilton as your next speaker or for an appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Mike Ditka or Dan Hamilton booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a sports speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, professional athletes, entertainers and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Bad officiating has been the subject of Major League Baseball this month and Monday’s call by umpire Tim McClelland has to be by far the worst officiating ever. McClelland and his  team made three bad calls on the bases in the fourth and fifth innings of the Angels’ 10-1 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Monday.

Bad umpire call by Tim McClelland in Game 4 of American League Yankees vs Angels

Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano both get tagged at third after a ground ball to the mound, but the ump calls out only Posada

Watch Video of McClellands bad call.

Tim McClelland talked about the play after the game:

“On the play with Cano and Posada, I thought Cano was on the base. I was waiting for two players to be on the base, and when there was never the situation where both of them were on the base at the same time. When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base, and when Jorge touched the base and continued and tagged Posada out, I thought Posada was out …

McClelland said he and the other umpires routinely monitor television replays. What he saw Monday indicated that he made two mistakes while working third base. McClelland, who routinely is among the highest-rated umpires, is the crew chief for this ALCS.

“Obviously or not obviously, there were two missed calls,” McClelland said. “And I’m just out there trying to do my job and do it the best I can. Unfortunately, by instant replay, there were two missed calls.”

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a sports speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports speakers, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Jim Abbott Baseball Icon, is a popular inspirational & motivational speaker

Jim Abbott was the underdog growing up. He was born with only one hand but had aspirations of reaching the Major Leagues.

As a youngster, he would spend hours bouncing the ball off a wall to practice fielding and throwing. He showed enough promise in high school to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays but chose instead to attend the University of Michigan. He led the Wolverines to Big Ten titles in his freshmen and junior years and had a career record of 26-8. He went on to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the outstanding college baseball player in the United States.

As a member of Team USA in 1987, Abbott became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil enroute to winning the silver medal in the Pan-American Games. In 1988, Abbott participated in the Summer Olympics and led the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal after pitching a complete game seven hitter in a 5-3 victory over Japan.

After the Olympics, Abbott reached his dream of playing in the Majors. He enjoyed a 10-year career with primarily the California Angels and New York Yankees. His most famous moment occurred when he threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993.

As a result of Abbott beating the odds and achieving success, he received numerous awards, including…

• March of Dimes Athlete of the Year (twice)
• Academy Awards of Sports, Courage Award
• 1991 Victory Award recipient at the Kennedy Center Washington D.C.
• Freedom Forum’s Free Spirit Award

Today, Abbott is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and one of the most popular baseball speakers along with Jim Morris, Bill Buckner & Goose Gossage. From corporate sales meetings to charity fundraisers to baseball banquets, Abbott travels the country delivering his message of ADAPT: Overcoming Adversity. ADAPT is an acronym for Adjustability, Determination, Accountability, Perseverance and Trust. He resides in Southern California and spends part of his summers in his home state of Michigan.

If you would like to find out how to hire Jim Abbott for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Jim Abbott booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a  top sports speakers bureau &  celebrity booking agent for athlete appearances,   sports stars,  entertainers and celebrities.