After completing its second year, the Champions Tour is
boasting growth that compares favorably with the Senior PGA
Tour's initial campaigns (Champions Tour)....Golf columnist Jeff
Babineau writes in the ORLANDO SENTINEL that the high-paying
tournaments in November and December are creating burnout among
LPGA and PGA Tour pros, causing the "main product" to suffer in
January and February. Pros are skipping tournaments early in the
year, Babineau notes, instead of the non-tour events in November
and December (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/14)....Jackie MacMullan reports
in this week's SPORTS ILLUSTRATED that a group of "newly named
player representatives" led by Patrick Ewing, are circulating a
letter expressing dissatisfaction with the extension of NBPA Exec
Dir Simon Gourdine's contract last month (SI, 1/15 issue)....Cam
Cole of the EDMONTON JOURNAL notes that the CFL could be in for a
"dizzying" off-season, as it has yet to determine whether the
U.S.-based clubs will exist next year (OTTAWA CITIZEN,
1/15)....Packers DE Reggie White vowed to personally petition the
NFL's Competition Committee to have the type of chop-blocking
used by the Cowboys Sunday made illegal ("SportsCenter," ESPN,
1/14).
