NAMES IN THE NEWS

          POPE JOHN PAUL II has awarded papal knighthood to News
     Corp. Chair RUPERT MURDOCH for "unblemished character" and
     for promoting "the interest" of society, the Church and the
     Vatican (L.A. TIMES, 1/3)....In N.Y., Su Avasthi gave the
     "buzz" on January movies, which included a down arrow for
     HOWIE LONG's "Firestorm," which "looks like it'll crash and
     burn" (N.Y. POST, 1/2).....NASCAR Owner RICK HENDRICK was
     barred from any involvement with his race teams as part of
     the sentencing "for his part in the American Honda Motor Co.
     kickback scheme" (USA TODAY, 1/2)....BUSINESS WEEK named
     adidas Chair ROBERT LOUIS-DREYFUS as one of its top 25 
     Managers of the Year (BUSINESS WEEK, 1/12 issue)....The
     WNBA's SHERYL SWOOPES was named one of PEOPLE magazine's 25
     Most Intriguing People (PEOPLE, 12/22 issue)....Former NHLPA
     Exec Dir ALAN EAGLESON is "expected" to receive an 18-month
     jail sentence as part of a plea-bargain on chargers of
     racketeering, mail fraud and embezzlement.  Also, author
     RUSS CONWAY has reissued his book on the subject, "Game
     Misconduct," which includes "new information," including the
     fact that the '96 World Cup of Hockey made more money,
     C$14.7M, than "the combined profit of the five Canada Cups
     that were organized" by Eagleson (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/5).