WOMEN'S SPORTS AWARDS PRESENTED IN N.Y.: Olympic
swimmer JENNY THOMPSON was named SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
last night by the Women's Sports Foundation. Thompson
accepted the award at the foundation's 21st SALUTE TO WOMEN
IN SPORTS award event at the Waldorf-Astoria in N.Y. VENUS
and SERENA WILLIAMS were named SPORTSWOMEN OF THE YEAR in
the team category, while MARTINA NAVRATILOVA was given the
WILMA RUDOLPH COURAGE AWARD (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/17). Earlier
yesterday, Serena Williams appeared on "Live With Regis."
Williams, on how she has treated herself with her prize
money earnings: "As you may have heard, I'm a shopaholic.
But, fortunately enough I've been through a twelve-step
program and I've been able to stop. Unfortunately, I had a
relapse in Australia, so it was really disappointing. I'm
much better now" ("Live! With Regis," 10/16).
OTHER NAMES: Philadelphia's Power 99-FM has given 76ers
G ALLEN IVERSON's rap debut "40 BARS" a "big fat thumbs-down
and decided not to play it." Power 99 personality COLBY
COLB: "We're not obligated to play it just because he plays
for the Sixers and he is in Philly. ... The bottom line of
the radio station is to play hits. We haven't gotten any
calls begging us to play the record" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY
NEWS, 10/16)....NBC's Jay Leno, on Lakers C SHAQUILLE
O'NEAL's three-year, $88.4M contract extension: "The idea is
to make Shaq so wealthy he won't even think about making
another rap album" ("Tonight Show," 10/16)....In Houston,
Jonathan Feigen noted that Sonics C PATRICK EWING gave Hawks
C DIKEMBE MUTOMBO $100,000 this summer for a proposed
hospital in Kinsasha, Zaire. However, Mutombo "has not been
successful lobbying others" in the NBA. Mutombo: "They
don't know. They are American citizens. They don't know
about Africa. They don't understand" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
10/15)....NBA referee BENNETT SALVATORE was sentenced to a
year of probation, 150 hours of community service and fined
$500 after pleading guilty to filing a false tax return with
the IRS for the tax year '93 (AP, 10/17)....USA TODAY
BASEBALL WEEKLY's Paul White writes on the relationship of
DAN BROWN, MLB Giants beat writer for the San Jose Mercury
News, and SUSAN SLUSSER, A's beat writer for the S.F.
Chronicle, who were married in November '99. White writes
that "sharing secrets could hardly be a problem. They don't
see each other often enough" (BASEBALL WEEKLY, 10/11 issue).
