In K.C., Steve Rock reports that there was a
"passionate call" at the NCAA's annual convention Monday to
"ban summer recruiting of high school basketball players."
SEC Commissioner ROY KRAMER, addressing delegates, said,
"The question is, 'Will we have the guts to do it?" (K.C.
STAR, 1/11)....In Boston, Peter May reports that Celtics F
DANNY FORTSON has "dropped" agent ARN TELLEM and "decided to
go with" an LA attorney who "handles several NFL clients."
Fortson, told Tellem had a "reputation for not returning"
phone calls: "He wouldn't return mine, either. And I was a
client" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/11)....Nuggets G RON MERCER
confirmed reports that he has dropped agent PERCY "MASTER P"
MILLER and NO LIMIT SPORTS. Mercer: "It is true but I'm not
comfortable saying anything else about it. I don't want to
bring a whole lot of attention to it just yet." Mercer will
now be represented by ANDY MILLER (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/11).
MORE NAMES: NHL referee and cancer survivor PAUL
STEWART appeared on CBS' "The Early Show" with Mark McEwen
and discussed the league's initiative with DODGE to raise
money for cancer research via an online auction at
dodgenhl.com. An autographed No. 99 WAYNE GRETZKY jersey
from the '99 NHL All-Star Game and a Dodge Viper with the
NHL logo on the hood were among the items being auctioned
that were presented by Stewart ("The Early Show," CBS,
1/11)....Analysts said Monday that they "have been hearing
recent rumblings about the possibility of job cutbacks" at
COCA-COLA HQs in Atlanta. Analysts add that the layoffs
could result from efforts by new CEO DOUGLAS DAFT to
"decentralize some operations by moving executives out of
Atlanta and closer to the local markets they serve" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 1/11).
