FRANCE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER: NASCAR issued a release
this morning that NASCAR President Bill France Jr. has been
diagnosed with cancer. France is currently undergoing
additional diagnosis and treatments. France: "The doctors
have told me the illness is very treatable" (NASCAR).
CBS SportsLine's Len Pasquarelli reported that agent
SEAN JONES "would like to involve" former teammate, Packers
DE REGGIE WHITE, in the agent business. Pasquarelli cited
sources as saying that White "doesn't really want to dive
head-first into the agent business but that he might like to
dabble along the fringes of it." Pasquarelli added, "Such
an arrangement probably would provide White with more funds
for his ministry" (CBS SportsLine, 12/17)....In Detroit,
Terry Foster wrote that Saturday's 76ers-Pistons game was
"graduation night," as the team's scoring crew wore Univ. of
NC blue caps and gowns in honor of G JERRY STACKHOUSE, who
received his degree from UNC earlier that day. The Pistons
also donated $10,000 to UNC in Stackhouse's name (DETROIT
NEWS, 12/18)....USA TODAY's Jill Lieber profiles Turner
Sports Teams President STAN KASTEN and writes, "Nobody else
has as full a plate as Kasten, day after day, season after
season, year after year." Lieber writes that Kasten is
"passionate, smart, driven and tireless" and notes that it
"takes three people to keep his computerized appointment
schedule straight" (USA TODAY, 12/20)....Federal researcher
LLOYD JOHNSTON said at a news conference Friday that more
U.S. boys are using steroids. Johnston: "As many had
feared, we think it likely that MARK MCGWIRE'S reported use
of androstenedione in the year in which he set a new home
run record affected young boys. Surely it gave them the
idea it could make them stronger." At the conference,
Health & Human Services Secretary DONNA SHALALA was
"reluctant to blame McGwire" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH,
12/18)....PRESIDENT CLINTON reportedly plays Callaway's
Biggest Big Bertha Driver, Adams Tight Lies fairway woods
and Wilson Fat Shaft irons (SUN-SENTINEL, 12/19).
