SLOC President & CEO MITT ROMNEY continues to discuss
another run for political office in MA and is thinking of
running again in 2002: "I would love to run, or serve in
public service, if I thought I could win and if I believed I
could get my message across. I've really honed my message
-- I've really got it down now, and I think I could
communicate well, or better than last time [his unsuccessful
U.S. Senate bid]" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20)....WILLIAM "TANK"
BLACK gave up his sports agent's license in FL over the
weekend to "settle state charges that he provided cash" to
Univ. of FL athletes. Under the deal, Black "agreed never
to apply for a sports agent's license again" in the state.
Black still faces "federal drug and money laundering
charges" (Mult., 8/19)....In today's WASHINGTON POST, Smith
College Economics Professor ANDREW ZIMBALIST reviews Harvard
Law Professor PAUL WEILER's new book, "Leveling The Playing
Field: How The Law Can Make Sports Better For Fans," calling
the book "insightful and penetrating" (8/21)....JOHN ELWAY
was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees for the
"Fund for CO's Future," a "private-public venture to raise
money and provide resources" for some of the state's schools
that receive a "failing" grade (DENVER POST, 8/18)....During
yesterday's WNBA Western Conference Finals, league sponsor
SEARS donated $352,551 to the NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF BREAST
CANCER. In Houston, W.H. Stickney Jr. writes that the
donation "is a big step toward" SEARS reaching its three-
year, $1M commitment (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/21)....In N.Y.,
Robert Clow writes that Marlins Owner JOHN HENRY's JWH
Global Strategies hedge fund is down 17.49% on a "year-to-
date basis," through June 30. The fund's assets have fallen
from between $2-2.5B to $1.25-1.5B (N.Y. POST, 8/21).
TONY HAWK'S THE LATEST: In N.Y., Stefan Friedman
reported that skateboarder TONY HAWK "is bidding to become
the first slacker athlete superstar." He has been on a
multi-city promotion tour of his first book, "OCCUPATION:
SKATEBOARDER," and his new video game, "TONY HAWK: PRO
SKATER 2," came out last week (N.Y. POST, 8/20). Hawk
addressed his critics who accuse of him "selling out" by
cashing in on his fame: "I think the only complaint people
have is skateboarding is so hardcore and underground and
you're selling out. We're just helping it grow so that it's
easier to do. In your hometown there's a skatepark now
because you've seen these guys promoting skateboarding in a
positive light." Hawk, on the "Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark
Tour": "The Tour was something that we have done with our
team every summer, but on a much smaller scale. ... ESPN was
kind enough to support it and do it on a bigger scale, and
we made programming out of it" ("Up Close," ESPN, 8/18).
