MICHAEL EISNER was named the LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL's
Executive of the Year for '95. Also noted is JAMES FREEDMAN of
Barrington Associates, who oversaw the sale of the Kings (L.A.
BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/14 issue).... A.J. FOYT's antitrust suit
against CART asks for at least $5M in damages after the loss of
his seat on the CART Board of Directors and a possible
sponsorship deal with Texaco. The suit accuses CART of
pressuring sponsors not to support IRL teams, resulting in the
loss of Foyt's team's deal with Texaco (AUTOWEEK, 1/22
issue)....JULIUS ERVING met with 76ers Owner HAROLD KATZ last
week, fueling speculation he was offered the job of GM/Coach and
even a part of the team. Erving: "There was no offer made and
there's no interest on my part." Erving said he wanted to
discuss plans to turn the team around before they moved into the
new CoreStates Center next season (N.Y. POST, 1/23)....GARY
BETTMAN was a guest on "Charlie Rose" last night. Bettman, asked
if basketball is the fastest growing international sport: "It
depends on who you talk to. ... He (NBA Commissioner David Stern)
would say yes. But I would say it is going to be, or it is,
hockey. ... They are taking an American sport and exporting it.
Eighteen percent of our players come from Europe and the former
Soviet Union. ... The interest level of our game in Europe is
phenomenal" (PBS, 1/22).
LATE NIGHT NOTES: Jay Leno unveiled the cover of SI's
swimsuit edition on "The Tonight Show" last night ("Tonight
Show," NBC, 1/22). On "Late Show," David Letterman was followed
by "DaveTrax," a blue dot similar to the one surrounding the puck
on Fox. Letterman reviewed the puck while viewing highlights of
the All-Star Game: "Like people had no idea there was a puck on
the ice" (CBS, 1/22).
