Maple Leafs Chair STEVE STAVRO has sold his oceanview
estate in Palm Beach, FL, which includes a 150-foot beach
parcel, for $8.35M. Stavro paid $3M for the 14,115 square-
foot home in '87 (PALM BEACH POST, 5/29)....Nets F/C JAYSON
WILLIAMS is dismissing a report that he will leave his wife
KELLIE for OPRAH WINFREY. Williams: "I can't believe Oprah
thinks I have a crush on her just because I sent her flowers
[after appearing on her show]" (N.Y. POST, 5/30)....Heat
President & coach PAT RILEY was a guest on the "Tonight
Show" on Friday. Riley, on Knicks fan SPIKE LEE: "The next
time he comes down, we're going to have JIMMY BUFFETT kick
his ass" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 5/26)....In NJ, Matthew
Futterman reported that sports industry execs say the "off-
the-field success" of Yankees manager JOE TORRE and other
coaches "represents a major shift in the marketing
industry." With some athletes "showing up in the police
blotter in recent years," corporate execs are "now just as
likely to sign a mature successful coach to an endorsement
deal as a young, unpredictable superstar" (Newark STAR-
LEDGER, 5/28).....In N.Y., Rush & Molloy reported that
tennis player MARY PIERCE and Indians 2B Roberto Alomar are
"due to wed" in Puerto Rico around Christmas (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 5/30)....MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, on the ANDRE AGASSI-
STEFFI GRAF romance: "What I'm surprised at, more than
anything, is the fact that Steffi is like a groupie now.
When you are the wife or girlfriend of a player, you end up
being like a groupie. I don't know how long I could handle
that. I'm surprised she can" (Mult., 5/29)....BILLIE JEAN
KING gave the commencement speech at the Univ. of MA: "Like
in tennis, every ball that comes to me is a decision. ... Do
I slice it, do I hit it cross-court, do I hit topspin, do I
lob? What do I do? But I have to accept responsibility for
that" (N.Y TIMES, 5/29)...ESPN's DAN PATRICK appeared on
this morning's "GMA" to promote his book "Outtakes," a
collection of interviews he has done with athletes.
Patrick, on whether NASCAR drivers are athletes: "I said
this to DALE EARNHARDT, 'Try driving five hundred miles with
your kids in the backseat screaming.' Now that's an
athlete. Who is he to say, 'I drove five hundred miles and
nearly died.' I've got kids who want a Happy Meal" (ABC,
5/31)....The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sam Walker profiles the
star power around the Lakers and writes that "of all players
... nobody is more dedicated to celluloid stardom" than F
RICK FOX. While Fox's acting is "often praised by critics,
his projects often aren't PG." Walker notes that the NBA
has "formed alliances with studios and record companies to
provide its athletes with help navigating the thickets of
show business" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/31). The
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Liz Mullen reports that Fox will
"reprise his role" on HBO's "Oz." Fox' agent JILL SMOLLER
of AMG handled the deal (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/29).
