RAM DEMAND: Christmas Eve is shaping up...
RAM DEMAND: Christmas Eve is shaping up as the last ever home game for the Rams in Anaheim, but holiday gift items with the team logo and colors are still popular. At Upper Deck card and clothing store in Anaheim, owner Bruce Gershenoff is steadily shipping Ram merchandise to places such as South Dakota, Canada and Scotland, despite the team’s dismal record and uncertain future. . . . In fact, anything with a National Football League team logo is hot. “I’m selling a lot of pro football jerseys, as well as Christmas ornaments and coffee cups,” Gershenoff said. “Pro football fans are extremely loyal.”
STRIKE ONE: With no Mighty Duck call being sounded from Anaheim, don’t expect a repeat of last year’s frenzied run on the National Hockey League team’s paraphernalia. Bruce Surdin, president of the National Skate Locker across from The Pond, says NHL souvenirs and apparel are not nearly as popular as they were a year ago because of the league’s work stoppage. “We’re finding fans do not want to support the teams,” Surdin said. “Last year we sold about 150 custom jerseys (game sweaters) a month. Now we sell about 10.”
GOPHER HOLE: For golfers who spend more time in the trees and rough than on the fairway, modern technology comes riding to the rescue. The Gopher golf-ball finder, available in most Orange County golf stores, has a free-swinging antenna that points toward a lost ball, even underwater. . . . Ken Bodger, the Gopher’s West Coast distributor, says it works by filtering out everything except the wavelength given off by a Surlyn ball covering and that “99% of all golf balls are Surlyn covered.”
HOT ITEM: With one of the healthiest snowpacks in years covering local mountains, equipment for winter play is going fast, says Jeff Jones, president of Newport Ski Company. The hottest selling items are boot-heaters, which have recently gained popularity with skiers and snowboarders. . . . “Boot-heaters are being made a whole lot better than they used to be,” Jones said. “It’s like roller blades; they have been around since the ‘80s but didn’t catch on until the ‘90s.”