Queen of Sports

MLB Wants To Be The Talk Of The ‘Digital Water Cooler’

The people who market the MLB are trying to attract the attention of younger fans, by implementing some new media outlets online. MLB marketer Tim Brosnan told the New York Times, “We want to be part of the discussion at the digital water cooler, day in and day out, with a younger demo than we’ve targeted in advertising before.”

Firstly, they launched MLBAlwaysEpic.com which is a mircosite that allows fans to watch videos like a journey inside Brian Wilson‘s beard. They also introduced the MLB Fan Cave. After searching through thousands of applications for the MLB Dream Job, two winners were picked to watch every game of the 2011 MLB season in the Fan Cave. The winners will blog, tweet, Facebook, and star in a web series about their experiences. The Fan Cave is located in an exclusive location in Greenwich Village in New York City, and will play host to fan activities from live music and parties to visits by MLB players. The Fan Cave is not much of a cave however, bur rather a fish tank with large glass windows that allow passersby to view all the actions of the cave’s dwellers. The winners of the contest, Mike O’Hara and Ryan Wagner, will be able to watch the game on any of the 15 TV sets in the cave which was designed and created with the help of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Paul DiMeo.

Stay tuned all season long for the latest MLB insights from these two.

Backup Point Guard For The Mavericks Dating Former Miss Universe

According to ESPN, Dallas Mavericks backup point guard J.J. Barea turned heads when he arrived at Jason Kidd‘s Charity Casino Night last week with a stunning lady on his arm. A former Miss Universe, also from Barea’s native Puerto Rico, Zuleyka Rivera is a telenovela actress who earned her crown in 2006. The relationship between the two started six months ago when Barea text messaged the beauty after getting word she was single. The two had met before at celebrity events in Puerto Rico. Text messages turned into phone conversations, which turned into dates and eventually tweets that tipped off the media.

Not bad for a backup NBA player.

Photo: Twitter

Happy Opening Day!

Baseball season has officially begun today! Opening Day festivities are already under way in some parts of the country, while they are still being prepped over here on the West Coast. Here’s a breakdown of today’s games:

-Tigers vs Yankees in NY: currently. On ESPN.

-Braves vs Nationals in Washington: currently. Televised regionally.

-Brewers vs Reds game just started. Regional broadcast, as well.

-Angels vs Royals in Kansas City at 1:10 pm. Watch it on Fox Sports West.

- Padres vs Cardinals in St. Louis at 1:15 pm on ESPN.

-World Champion Giants vs Dodgers in LA at 5 pm on ESPN.

-Red Sox vs Astros in Houston at 5:05 pm. Regional broadcast.

Kemba Walker: Hot Or Not?

Sports Illustrated thought Kemba Walker was hot enough to put him on the cover of their March Madness issue that hit newsstands last week. The stand-out player for the UConn Huskies led his team all the way to the Final Four and won the Bob Cousy Award which honors the top point guard in college basketball the title for excellent leadership, teamwork, success, and basketball fundamentals.

Walker, a junior,  is a sociology major at UConn. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Rice High School, a private school in Harlem with one of the best basketball programs in the country. In his junior year at Rice, Walker helped lead his team to a 53-51 win at Madison Square Garden over Derrick Rose and his school. Walker’s senior year average of 18.2 points per game landed him a spot on the McDonald’s All-American Team. Walker is no stranger to the Final Four line-up, in his freshman year at UConn, he led the Huskies to the Final Four. MVP of the Big East Tournament, Walker scored 130 points in five games, setting a Big East Tournament record.

Check out his epic buzzer beater that secured his team the win in the Big East Tournament this year:

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Walker is not only talented on the court, but his selfless nature which he credits to how his parents raised him, make him even more of a star. Walker’s father told the New York Post, “He gives most of his things away. At the Big East Championship Game, a young boy asked him for a sneaker. Kemba gave it to him.” His coach at UConn, Jim Calhoun said of him, “People who meet him think he’s the nicest kid in the world. And he is, off the court. On the court, he’s a killer, a killer with a smile.”

So, what do you think? On this last day of March, rounding out our March Madness series of Hot or Nots, is Kemba Walker hot or not?

Muhammad Ali Portrait Made Of Punching Bags Unveiled This Week

Artist and sculptor Michael Kalish unveiled the masterpiece he worked three years to perfect at L.A. Live this week. The 22-foot high portrait of Muhammad Ali is stunning not only because of the materials Kalish used: 1,300 speed bags, (the small punching bags boxers use to practice) over six miles of steel cable, and 2,500 pounds of aluminum pipe, but also because the portrait is a sort of optical illusion. Ali’s face can only be made out when the viewer is standing directly in front of it. Titled ReALIze, the portrait will be on display in the Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live until April 9.

We had the chance to see it in person, and recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Celebrity Sighting: Snooki, The Rock and John Cena At WWE Press Conference

Jersey Shore’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi hit the stage yesterday at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City for WWE’s Wrestlemania XXVII press conference. Wearing a t-shirt that read “Brunette Mafia” Snooki was joined on stage by Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, and John Cena. Also in attendance were WWE champions The Miz and Edge. Snooki was promoting her Wrestlemania match that will be taking place this Sunday.

Snooki appeared on Monday Night Raw on March 14 and is coming back for a mixed gender tag team match Sunday.

Photo: PNP/WENN.com

Virginia Commonwealth’s ‘Shaka’ Theme Song

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Set to the tune of the hit song from the 60′s “Hooked on a Feeling,” Virginia Commonwealth’s theme song pays homage to the team’s coach, Shaka Smart. Check it out.

Sneak Peek: Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow’s New Jockey Commercial

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback who now plays for the Denver Broncos is becoming a household name. He may not have caught many breaks starting last season, but that didn’t slow down his popularity. Check him out in this new commercial for Jockey, which is set to air April 4. Girls can catch a quick glance of Tebow shirtless in the first few seconds of the commercial.

Sports Date Of The Week: The Final Four

April is nearly upon us, and kicking off the beginning of the month are two exciting NCAA basketball games. The Elite Eight have made way for the Final Four: Virginia Commonwealth, Butler, University of Kentucky, and University of Connecticut. This Saturday, don’t miss out on the games everyone will be talking about in the office on Monday as these four teams compete to prove they are  the best in the nation.

Whether you’re going to catch the game at home with a few friends, or you’re going to a party don’t forget some of these game day must-haves:

A huge tin of Bercos popcorn. Their caramel corn is great, but their white cheddar is probably more suited for March Madness snacking. To order, visit their website.

For a quick, easy meal, grab a Boboli pizza crust and make your pizza extra special using one of these great recipes: spinach and artichoke pizza or chicken parmesan pizza.

Here’s the breakdown of who’s playing when: Kentucky is playing U Conn on Saturday at 5:45 pm PST in Houston. The game will be televised on CBS. Earlier in the day, also on CBS, Butler will take on Virginia Commonwealth at 3 pm PST.

Athlete Sighting: Kris Humphries

New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries and his serial athlete dating girlfriend Kim Kardashian were spotted holding hands while leaving the Alexander McQueen boutique in New York City over the weekend.

Love those Louboutin boots Kim!

Photo: WENN