CBA Owner ISIAH THOMAS was presented with the
President's Award by the National Conference of Black Mayors
Inc in April (CBA)....Magic GM JOHN GABRIEL was named '99-
2000 NBA Exec of the Year (Magic)....Supercross Champion
JEREMY MCGRATH appeared on NBC's "Tonight Show" on Friday
and performed stunts and talked about Supercross. McGrath:
"Supercross is the greatest sport in the world. We have
[thousands of] fans every race" ("Tonight Show," NBC,
5/12)....The UNITY QUILT, an 8'9''-10'10'' quilt made by the
mothers of NBA players and consisting of 42 autographed NBA
jerseys, sold to an unnamed bidder Friday on NBA.com for
$24,010. Proceeds will benefit Reading is Fundamental (USA
TODAY, 5/15)....The upcoming baseball film by MIKE TOLLIN
called "SUMMER CATCH," which is due in 2001, will include
HANK AARON, CARLTON FISK and DICK ALLEN (Mult., 5/12)....In
N.Y., Robert Lipsyte, on IMAX's "MICHAEL JORDAN TO THE MAX":
"This documercial seems earthbound, slick and bland. ... The
film seems particularly empty compared with the recent PBS
documentary on JOE DIMAGGIO. ... We still know nothing about
Michael" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/14)....In Boston, Carol Beggy noted
that a wedding scene on the season-ending May 21 episode of
"THE PRACTICE" featuring DYLAN MCDERMOTT ("BOBBY DONNELL")
and KELLI WILLIAMS ("LINDSAY DOLE"), was filmed Thursday
under the lights at Fenway Park (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/13)....USA
TODAY's Sandra Block examines Miami-based Canseco Financial
Group, the financial firm started by Devil Rays DH JOSE
CANSECO. The firm "caters to pro athletes and other wealthy
individuals looking to buy a second home, yacht or other
big-ticket item[s]." But Canseco added, "We intend to take
care of the Hispanic market, which is strong here" (USA
TODAY, 5/15)....In N.Y., Rush & Molloy wrote that "buzz" in
L.A. is Lakers G KOBE BRYANT "popped the question" to a girl
"even younger than he is." Rush & Molloy also reported that
ANNA KOURNIKOVA is said to be "juggling engagement offers"
from both Red Wings C SERGEI FEDOROV and Panthers RW PAVEL
BURE. Sources say Kournikova recently "sent back" a $1M
ring to Fedorov (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/14).
WOMEN IN THE NEWS: U.S. track & field athlete MARION
JONES was profiled by Thomas Hacket of the N.Y. TIMES
MAGAZINE, who wrote that "a lot of people hope [Jones'] fame
will do for women's sports what Michael Jordan's did for
basketball -- that, whether through marketing or mystique,
she will somehow speak to the collective imagination such
that when a 14-year-old boy imagines the athlete he'd like
to be, visions of Jones will stir his dreams" (N.Y. TIMES
MAGAZINE, 5/14 issue)....U.S. softball team members DOT
RICHARDSON, LISA FERNANDEZ, MICHELE SMITH and MICHELLE
VENTURELLA were interviewed by Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today"
show. Fernandez said that the women's team is scheduled to
begin a 62-game U.S. tour on May 25 in OK City leading up to
the Sydney Games. Both Lauer and co-host Katie Couric took
turns batting against Smith and Fernandez. At the end of
the interview, Lauer and Couric were presented with Nike
team jackets ("Today," NBC, 5/15).
