TOP FEMALE EXECUTIVES: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL names
its Top 25 Female Sports Executives of the Year in its
current issues. WWC President & CEO MARLA MESSING was
ranked No. 1, as the WWC "exceeded all expectations, and
many observers believe Messing was the primary force behind
that" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/18 issue)....The WOMEN'S
SPORTS FOUNDATION celebrates its 25th anniversary tonight in
N.Y. Exec Dir DONNA LOPIANO said that she hopes the next 25
years bring "greater access to the doors of corporate
managers, the men and women who control the financial
ledgers of major companies" (O.C. REGISTER, 10/17).
OTHER NAMES: A group of Chicago Republicans "hopes to
meet with" MICHAEL JORDAN to "urge him to run for the
congressional seat" being vacated by U.S. Rep. JOHN PORTER
(R-IL) (SUN-TIMES, 10/17)....In Houston, John Lopez profiled
STEVE PATTERSON, who will lead the city's new NFL franchise,
and called him "the most successful professional sports
executive" in Houston's history (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/16).
...In St. Paul, Charley Walters reported that despite being
dropped by T'Wolves F KEVIN GARNETT, agent ERIC FLEISHER is
not "out of a" 4% cut of Garnett's $126M deal. Insiders say
that Fleisher "was paid a flat negotiating fee by Garnett,
not a percentage" (PIONEER PRESS, 10/17)....In the N.Y.
TIMES BOOK REVIEW, Alan Schwarz reviews JOE MORGAN's "Long
Balls, No Strikes: What Baseball Must Do To Keep The Good
Times Rolling," and writes that Morgan "too often relies on
banal statements and stories to which the average fan would
say, 'No kidding'" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/17)....In today's N.Y.
TIMES, Ginia Bellafante goes "Shopping With SERENA WILLIAMS"
and writes that the Williams sisters have become "budding
fashion divas in the minds of some" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/18).