Gusher of ProblemsOne of the bigger reversals...

Gusher of Problems

One of the bigger reversals of fortune is that of oilman Boone Pickens, now under siege from shareholders instead of leading them on corporate hunting expeditions as he did so often in the early 1980s.

Pickens, whose last big raid was his unsuccessful run at Los Angeles-based Unocal in 1985, and his debt-burdened Mesa Inc. energy concern are currently under the gun from Montana millionaire Dennis Washington as well as from Los Angeles billionaire Marvin Davis.

The two investors, who own more than 9% of Mesa’s stock, told the Securities and Exchange Commission that they may try to seize control of Mesa’s board of directors.

Back in 1987, Pickens could hardly have predicted the pickle he would be in one day. In his best-selling autobiography, “Boone,” published that year, Pickens boasted that Mesa’s then-solid finances were an “endorsement of our management and an indication of tremendous opportunities for those who could predict the future and were willing to bet on their analysis.”

How to Beat Inflation

An announcement last week from Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM said that a football signed by “all USC Heisman Trophy Winners” sold for $975 during a recent charity auction sponsored by the station.

Presumably, one reason the price was so high is that the autograph of murder defendant O.J. Simpson--college football’s 1968 Heisman winner--is on the ball.

How much of a difference did it make?

Consider that a football autographed by the four USC Heisman winners back in late 1993--before the killings of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman--was being advertised by a New Jersey company in various magazines.

The price then: $295.

Surveys Inc.

In the category of bizarre business surveys: The cover story of the latest issue of the trade publication Sales & Marketing Management, titled “Sex, Sales and Stereotypes,” claims that nearly half of the salesmen the publication polled entertain clients at topless bars.

It says that 40% of companies expressly disallow the practice and that 43% “look the other way.” It also said the visits are usually the client’s idea.

Another survey, this one by brand-name consultant Interbrand Schechter, says that name changing for corporations fell 8.1% in the first half of this year compared to the first six months of 1994.

Among the more familiar names making the switch was Sunbeam-Oster to Sunbeam Corp., Travelers Inc. to Travelers Group, McGraw Hill to McGraw-Hill Cos. and Geo. A. Hormel & Co. to Hormel Foods.

Briefly. . .

Cyberbums: Fans of the Oakland A’s can now second-guess the team via e-mail by sending suggestions and questions to the team’s TV broadcasters. . . . A promotion on Universal Pictures’ World Wide Web site, making a subtle reference to the controversy surrounding the cost overruns on the upcoming big-budget movie “Waterworld,” says, “What you’ve heard won’t prepare you for what you’ll see.”