Names In The News

Former USC QB MATT LEINART in his ESPN.com diary discussed his firing of agent LEIGH STEINBERG and subsequent hiring of CAA’s TOM CONDON. Leinart wrote his relationship with Steinberg “wasn’t bad by any means, but it just didn’t feel right. As hard as it was, I felt like the best thing to do was part ways.” Condon “was one of my first choices when I was picking an agent, but I was unsure about the whole situation with IMG.” CAA, which already repped Leinart for marketing purposes, recently added Condon from IMG. Leinart: “I felt a better connection there. The fact that he’s with [CAA] now and they are all under one agency makes it easier as well” (ESPN.com, 4/19).

COMPETITION: TIGER WOODS will race a dirt-track car next Monday in New Zealand to benefit the STEVE WILLIAMS FOUNDATION, the namesake charity of his caddie that provides coaching and educational opportunities. Woods is in New Zealand for Williams’ wedding (AP, 4/19)....LANCE ARMSTRONG is planning to compete in the N.Y. Marathon on November 5. Armstrong: “I’ve been training some, but I wouldn’t call it serious. It’s just something to fill a void in my life after I quit competing as a professional cyclist” (AP, 4/20).

Csonka Receives $5,000 Fine For Filming In National Forest

NAMES: AEG has acquired Santa Monica-based BOUNCE EVENT MARKETING (L.A. TIMES, 4/20)....Dew Action Sports Tour GM WADE MARTIN was named one of the ten “Marketers of the Next Generation” by BRANDWEEK (BRANDWEEK, 4/17 issue)....Pro Football HOFer LARRY CSONKA, who hosts the weekly “NAPA’S NORTH TO ALASKA” on OLN, was fined $5,000 for “conducting commercial work in a national forest without obtaining a special use permit.” The show features fishing, hunting, history and customs from around Alaska (AP, 4/19).

IN MEMORY: OSCAR ACOSTA, manager of the Rookie League Gulf Coast Yankees, and HUMBERTO TREJO, the Yankees’ field coordinator in the Dominican Republic, were killed in a car crash last night on a highway outside of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic (N.Y. POST, 4/20).