THREAT VIEWER

If you’re heading to the US Open to drool over Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott, Ian Poulter, Tiger Woods or even Phil Mickelson, beware. In an effort to bolster security and public monitoring at the 2007 U.S. Open Championship golf tournament, Pittsburgh-area security and emergency response personnel will deploy ThreatViewer, a security product that provides remote monitoring capabilities in military, industrial and homeland security efforts. Yes- the U.S. Open now qualifies for the same security measures used by our government.

Perhaps spawned by the estrogen brigade that follows our babes or maybe just to bust those with cell phone or (gasp) perhaps to prevent those dangerous terrorists from interrupting the event- because god knows US golf is a high priority target. In any case, I suggest going in disguise to avoid being spotted by the ThreatViewer. The ThreatViewer works much the same way I do. It features multiple sensing options including sensors with panoramic imaging, pan-tilt-zoom camera, infrared imaging, gas detection, temperature measurement and humidity measurement features, among other options. Now, if I could only rig this thing up to my libido I’d be a happy camper.

STANFORD ST. JUDE CD

Heads up people…if anyone out there has a copy of this CD, I gotta get my paws on it. Last Thursday evening, the players party was held at the Majestic Grille in Memphis. The pros were asked to pick three or four songs for a CD, Stanford St. Jude Greatest Hits ‘07 which was used as background music during the party. Vijay Singh’s selections clearly reflect a love for ganja, as he picked tunes by Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac. Our sexy Columbian Camilo Villegas picked a few tracks from Max Graham and Hed Kandi- both of whom produce very funky, jazzy tunes ideal for lounging by the pool, while sipping Mojitos and having Camilo rub sunscreen over every inch of my body. Like I said, I need this CD. Why? Because the CD cover features a shot of Camilo hitting a ball down Madison. (commercialappeal.com)

TEE UP WITH TIGER

Gotta love this promo…Nike Golf and Golf Digest are offering a “Tee It Up With Tiger” sweepstakes, with 24 winners receiving a trip to play golf with Woods at the Reunion Resort in Orlando on September 19. Its simple- between now and August 10, 2007 buy boxes of Nike One Platinum and Nike One Black balls and look inside for one of the promotional colored balls, if you find one register it and you’ll be automatically entered in the Tee It Up with Tiger Woods sweepstakes. At stake, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tee off with the Tiger including: Airfare for one (so leave your friends at home), Two nights accommodations at Ginn Reunion Resort, Participation in a Tiger Woods Golf Clinic, an 18-hole golf outing, and one sporntacular hole played with Tiger Woods. Dates of Trip: September 18-20, 2007…

BABY WOODS

If you’re a Tiger fan, then you must be anticipating the birth of baby Tiger as much as I am. And now, Nike Golf will debut a new 30-second spot during this weekend’s U.S. Open, titled “Baby Woods,” as a tribute to Tiger Woods’ impending fatherhood. The ad features several Nike developers creating a custom set of baby clubs for Woods’ child, including a bag embroidered with the name “Baby Woods.” It will air on Golf Channel Thursday and Friday and during NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open Saturday and Sunday. The spot was filmed at Nike Golf’s Research & Development facility in Ft. Worth and was created by advertising gods Wieden & Kennedy in Portland. “Baby Woods” can be viewed in todays SBJ.

LUDACRIS AUCTIONS HARLEY

Ludacris loves his Harleys and he loves his foundation, so why not combine the two for a good cause? That’s exactly what the sexy rapper did. Harley-Davidson donated a 2007 Fat Boy motorcycle for auction on eBay to raise awareness for the Ludacris Foundation’s ongoing efforts. Luda autographed the bike, along with Shaquille O’Neal (above), Serena Williams, Bow Wow, Cee-Lo, Common, Diddy, John Legend, Kanye West and will.i.am, among others. The auction launched on June 2nd and closed Tuesday with a final bid of $21, 200, all of which goes directly to Luda’s foundation.

LEBRON JAMES SUCKS

It makes me really, really happy to know that I’m not alone in voicing my opinion of Lebron James and his lack of efforts to help anyone except himself. Various quotes from new sources around the web: In Portland, John Canzano wrote that with James declining to sign a letter written by teammate Ira Newble calling for the Chinese government to pressure the Sudan gov’t to allow U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur, he (Lebron) “demonstrated his undying loyalty to LeBron Inc. and walked the fence with a sterile, lame remark about needing more information.” James on Friday also “waved off a question about Nike’s corporate responsibility and the work conditions” of the factory employees who make the company’s shoes. James: “Nike’s a big company, they’ll figure it out.” Canzano: “The hunch here is that he’s not ever going to choose to be socially relevant” (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/9). The NATIONAL POST’s Bruce Arthur wondered, “What consequences would LeBron James suffer for signing that letter? How would it hurt him? But LeBron wants to be Michael Jordan, and Jordan was the epitome of the soulless chase for money instead of social responsibility” (NATIONAL POST, 6/9). In Ft. Worth, Jeff Caplan wrote, “It would be shameful if his stake in Nike prevents him from joining Newble and his teammates. And it would be inexcusable if Nike is dictating those terms” (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/10).Olympic Gold Medal-winning speed skater Joey Cheek, who donated his $40,000 Olympic bonus to Right to Play, said, “As an athlete, I don’t believe you have to be an activist or take on causes. There’s a smugness to that. But there are certain expectations of human decency.” (NEWSDAY, 6/10).

SEATTLE SODA

Jones Soda, which last month inked an exclusive five-year deal with the Seahawks for soft-drink rights at Qwest Field and its events center, is placing photos of Seahawks cuties Deion Branch, Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, Lofa Tatupu and Josh Brown on the company’s bottles this season. During games, Jones Soda will also have photographers “roaming the stadium taking pictures,” which will be placed on seahawks.com. Fans then can buy and customize their own 12-packs through Jones Soda’s Web site, myjones.com. (SeattlePI.com)

BOB WOOLMER AU NATURAL

Well, it looks like Pakistani national cricket team coach Bob Woolmer enjoyed every moment with his team before he was found dead last March. Jamaican police have confirmed that Woolmer was not murdered but died of natural causes. Jamaica Constabulary Force commissioner Lucius Thomas also ruled out match-fixing in relation to Woolmer’s death during the World Cup tournament in the Caribbean. Foreign pathologists “concur with the view that Mr. Woolmer died of natural causes” while in further toxicology tests, “no substance was found to indicate that Bob Woolmer was poisoned,” he said. Woolmer, 58, died soon after being found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica the day after Pakistan were knocked out of the cricket World Cup by Ireland.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda
delinda@athlebrities.