Ever wonder how executives in sports business spend their weekends? THE DAILY this week continues "What's Up For The Weekend," providing readers with an inside look at people in our industry. This week, we catch up with VMW Communications Owner and former Fox Sports VP/Media Relations VINCE WLADIKA, who chatted with Staff Writer Theresa Manahan.
Q: What are your plans for this weekend?
Wladika: My younger son has an 11U 50/70 baseball tournament this weekend -- two games on Saturday, two games on Sunday and a potential two on Monday, depending on how the team does. So that will be a big focus this weekend. My totally selfish goal is to have the first-ever Russian-born major leaguer. [Editor's note: Wladika and his wife, LINDA, have adopted three children from Russia].
Q: What are you really looking forward to this weekend? Anything special planned?
Wladika: Aside from the games, I'm just really looking forward to hanging out by the pool. And I do really enjoy cooking out. I love playing golf, but never, ever on the weekend -- I'm a weekday player.
Q: What do you like to watch and read on the weekend?
Wladika: I love to watch anything baseball -- MLB, college, youth. If its baseball, I'll watch it. For reading, I just love all the Sunday N.Y. papers. I'm probably one of the few remaining people in the U.S. who still gets all the newspapers delivered in the driveway every morning.
Q: What workout routines or activities do you like to do on the weekend?
Wladika: I'll pitch batting practice to my younger son and some of his teammates. We have a batting cage with a pitching machine in the backyard, but it's more fun and realistic when I pitch. It's a good workout for a 50-year-old wannabe ballplayer. By the time I'm done, I'll have thrown 500-plus pitches and then down a bottle of Advil with a couple of Coors Light chasers. But I can still bring it to 10- and 11-year-olds.
Q: What is the one thing our readers would be most surprised you do on the weekend?
Wladika: Other than throwing BP? Being pool/cabana/lifeguard boy for the kids and their friends when they come over to go in the pool. That is harder than anything -- kinda like herding cats.
Q: Best weekend ever?
Wladika: That's a tough one cause luckily there were a lot of them. But one that pops into my mind was when my wife and I went to Ireland years ago when Fox did the Steelers-Bears American Bowl game in Dublin. That was a blast. The game stunk -- hey it was a preseason game -- but we had a blast with all my old Fox colleagues eating and drinking our way through Dublin. And, of course, it was all on Fox's tab, so that's nice.
Q: Favorite weekend getaway?
Wladika: My favorite weekend getaway is our backyard or a local baseball field. After all the years of travelling for events for Fox, NBC and MLB, it's great to just stay home with the family. I know this will sound like sacrilege in our business, but you do get burned out on going to all those events. They become less special when you have to go to them.
Q: Guilty weekend pleasure?
Wladika: When you have three kids, you don't get much time for guilty weekend pleasures other than having a few minutes while I'm being pool/cabana/lifeguard boy to read some of the pathetically funny, self-absorbed, self-promotional, inane tweets people in our industry put out.
Q: Favorite local restaurant?
Wladika: Our favorite local restaurant is Buona Sera in Red Bank, N.J. As good as any of the top Italian restaurants in NYC.
