MI residents CHAD AND ALISHA BLONDEEL named their first
child, a son, ESPEN, after ESPN. The name is Dutch, meaning
"god-bear." Chad: "His grandma calls him 'Espy' for short"
(ESPN MAGAZINE, 5/1 issue). In N.Y., Bob Raissman: "Next
thing you know some Ma and Pop Moron will name their kid
CNN/SI.COM" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/23)....Cubs RF SAMMY SOSA
"disputed charges made this month" by ARTURO SANDOVAL, co-
Founder of the Sammy Sosa Foundation, that the organization
is "broke, mismanaged and plagued by theft and nepotism."
To "show that the foundation is alive and well," Sosa
appeared at a N.Y. hospital last Friday with a seven-year-
old Dominican girl, who is being treated for a rare liver
disease. Sosa, on his foundation: "I don't think we have
any problems right now" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/22)....Former
Bruins President PAUL MOONEY died Sunday in MA at the age of
59 after a fight with cancer (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/25)....Mystics
G NIKKI MCCRAY and Comets F SHERYL SWOOPES are among five
African-American athletes who will be honored tonight at the
fourth annual Women Who Dare Awards Celebration in the
National Sports Gallery at MCI Center (WASHINGTON POST,
4/23)....While "political observers" say that RUSH LIMBAUGH,
who is campaigning for an analyst job on ABC's "MNF,"
"certainly wields less power nationally than he once did,"
that is "not to say" he is "not a radio force. According to
talk radio ratings, an "average minimum of 14.5 million
listeners tune into 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' every week"
(N.Y. TIMES, 4/24)....In St. Louis, Tim O'Neil profiled MLB
Cardinals President and former A-B exec MARK LAMPING and
wrote that Lamping is "front and center" in the team's
effort for a new ballpark. Lamping is "one of the local
business community's wonder kids, rising quickly through the
world of workaholic ambition" (S.L. POST-DISPATCH, 4/23).
