Ghost stories seem to be everywhere. Just ask the Spurs
My Sunday best …
Something creepy is in the air.
A video went viral recently of a televised soccer match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund that featured a ghostly figure seemingly walking on the field.
The Detroit Tigers' Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens will be hosting "Ghostbusters Night" on Friday.
And the name of the album Coldplay released last week? "Ghost Stories."
So it seemed only appropriate to share an incident that recently happened to San Antonio Spurs forward Jeff Pendergraph, er, Ayres, a former Arizona State tough guy who had a chilling encounter with the supernatural in an alleged haunted hotel in Berkeley, Calif.
The Claremont Resort has long been recognized as having its share of spirits, including that of a 6-year-old girl who apparently died in the hotel.
The Spurs stayed there when they were playing at Golden State. Here's what Ayres told the San Antonio Express-News:
"You get in at whatever time. I took my room key. I could hear stuff in the hallway, like people in their rooms. So I'm thinking people are watching TV or whatever. So I get to my door, and my key doesn't work, but it sounds like there's somebody in my room. Like I hear a little baby, not crying but making noise. I'm like, 'What the heck?' I keep trying my key and it doesn't work. So I go downstairs to get a new key, and I tell them (somebody's in the room).
"So they call the room, and nobody answers. They're like, 'We can get you a new key and send you up with security and make sure nobody's there, because there shouldn't be anybody in there.'
"Then they're like, 'We'll just get you a new room.' It was the creepiest thing. I heard a couple of other guys heard babies in the hallway, kids running down the hallway. Creepy. I really heard voices and a baby in the room, and there wasn't anybody in there. It was crazy."
Spurs center Tim Duncan said he also heard a baby in his room. …
A big nod of respect for Ayres, who found a niche in the NBA and is finishing his fourth season. Ayres' Spurs are enjoying a 2-0 lead over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
He is there because of hard work and a strong commitment to team play. In Tempe, he was a consistent and influential leader on a 25-win team and on one that suffered through a 15-game losing streak. He stayed despite a coaching change and finished with the most games started in school history.
He also has played for Portland and Indiana, but his most productivity has come in San Antonio, where he is averaging 13 minutes a game. The Spurs signed him to a two-year, $3.6 million deal in July, and coach Gregg Popovich has said he likes the forward because of his blue-collar mentality and willingness to stay within his role. …
Ayres is setting himself up nicely for the future, too. The NBA has one of the better pension plans around.
Three years in the league (which means being on a roster 50 percent of a season or by Feb. 2) guarantees $56,988 a year at a retirement age of 62, and 11 years will secure the maximum of $195,000. There's also a generous 401K plan. …
Finally, a ray of hope in the Pac-12 Networks' standoff with DirecTV.
AT&T's agreement last week to purchase DirecTV for $48.5 billion could open the door for the satellite provider's subscribers to finally receive the conference network's programming in their homes.
"I was delighted to see it," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott told reporters. "It can only be good news for the conference. (AT&T) is our most comprehensive partnership. … I feel very good about our relationship."
Scott's comments came Wednesday afternoon during a media session featuring Scott and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney, who were discussing not only a bowl game pairing representatives from the conferences on Dec. 30 in San Francisco, but also issues facing college sports.
Don't get too excited just yet.
Federal regulators must still approve the deal, a process which take time. But it's something. …
Professional sports has long had an uncomfortable relationship with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community. Other than select teams — most notably Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants — marketing opportunities were ignored out of fear of backlash.
Bravo to the WNBA for last week becoming the first pro league to market to that group as well as participate in campaigns for awareness and education. "WNBA Pride Presented by Covergirl" will feature all 12 teams taking part in initiatives.
"The world is moving in a direction of more inclusiveness and more diversity, and rightly so, and this is another recognition of that," said Jason Rowley, president of the Suns and Mercury.
Final word: "I'd rather not (stay there again)." — Duncan, on returning to the Claremont
Reach Boivin at paola.boivin @arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/Paola Boivin. Listen to her streaming live on "The Brad Cesmat Show" on sports360az.com every Monday at 10:30 a.m.