Names In The News

In Denver, Marc Spears reports Nuggets F CARMELO ANTHONY “sent personal letters to several high-ranking executives in the NBA,” including NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN and USA Basketball Exec Dir JIM TOOLEY to apologize for some of his recent behaviour. Anthony had a disagreement with U.S. Olympic coach LARRY BROWN in Athens, a N.Y. “nightclub scuffle” and a recent citation for a petty-offense marijuana charge (DENVER POST, 10/28).

THANK YOU BARRY MUCH: BARRY BONDS’ 700th home run ball sold for $804,129 yesterday on Overstock.com. The ball attracted 240 bids and the price hit $820,000, but the auction house “rejected two final bids when it learned those bidders didn’t have the money” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/28).

NAMES: The N.Y. POST’s “Page Six” wrote that despite reports of PARIS HILTON’s involvement with ATP player MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS, Hilton was recently seen “locking lips” with ANDY RODDICK in Las Vegas (N.Y. POST, 10/27)....The PGA EUROPEAN TOUR is investigating SEVE BALLESTEROS for allegedly assaulting JOSE MARIA ZAMORA, another Spanish golfer and European Tour Tournament Dir, at an amateur tournament last month in Pedrena, Spain. In last year’s Italian Open, Zamora penalized Ballesteros for slow play and Ballesteros “refused to adjust his card or accept the penalty and was subsequently fined by the tour” (AP, 10/27).