THE PAPAL VISIT: MARK MCGWIRE met briefly with POPE
JOHN PAUL II in St. Louis yesterday, before a youth rally at
the Kiel Center where the Pope mentioned both McGwire and
SAMMY SOSA as role models for today's youth. USA TODAY runs
a photo of McGwire meeting the Pope on the front page of
today's issue. The Pope also met with members of the BLUES
and the team presented him with a stick and an honorary
jersey with the No. 1 and bearing the name "John Paul II" on
the back (CNN, 1/26). Pope John Paul II: "Now I am prepared
to return once more to play hockey" (CNN.com, 1/27).
OTHER NAMES: The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports in a front
page article on the vulnerability of pro athletes when it
comes to financial investing. It focuses on the case of
former 49ers DE LARRY ROBERTS and Dean Witter Reynolds
broker BRIAN SMITH, who has "vanished" with more than a $1M
of Roberts' and other NFL players' money (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 1/27)....Retired CBS Sports Producer FRANK
CHIRKINIAN became the 13th member inducted to the Phoenix
Open Hall of Fame (AZ REPUBLIC, 1/27)....GREG NORMAN will
not purchase a Boeing 737 jet but he has "upgraded" to a
Gulfstream V (ESPN.com, 1/26)....CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS lists
N.Y.'s "Forty Under Forty Rising Stars." Those featured
include: MSG Senior VP/Marketing PAM HARRIS, who has
"demonstrated a full range of attention-getting stunts,"
Yankees GM BRIAN CASHMAN, who has "earned his (pin)stripes,"
and Worldwide Entertainment & Sports Exec VP/Marketing RYAN
SCHINMAN, who first "took a seat at the bargaining table"
across from Bill Parcells when he was only 20-years-old
(CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS, 1/25)....A N.Y. TIMES editorial
praises the play of DAVID DUVAL, calling each of his shots
during his 59 on Sunday "a home run" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/27).
