Names In The News

Ann Iverson Principal Owner Of ABA Expansion Team

Agent SCOTT BORAS has “threatened the Giants with litigation over their signing” of Dominican 3B ANGEL VILLALONA, “claiming that he had an agreement to represent” the 16-year-old prospect. But MLB VP/PR PAT COURTNEY said Boras’ “only means of recovering any money from the player would be to sue the player pursuant to any personal-services contract he may have with him” (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 8/28).

HOOP DREAMS: ANN IVERSON, the mother of 76ers G ALLEN IVERSON, is the principal owner of the ABA’s new expansion franchise, the Richmond Warriors. Minority Owner & GM GEORGE CHRISTOPHER: “This isn’t going to make Mrs. Iverson a million dollars or anything, but it’s fun to do” (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 8/27)....Lakers G AARON MCKIE has formed the AM8 Foundation, a nonprofit designed to help Philadelphia-area kids “reach their full potential through educational, recreational, and community activities” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/26)....Basketball HOFer KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR was included in a segment during last night’s Emmy Awards broadcast in which host Conan O’Brien introduced the Ernst & Young Emmy accounting team like a basketball team, using the Bulls’ pregame music (“Emmy Awards,” NBC, 8/27).

NAMES: Retired NFL team GM BOBBY BEATHARD won the 65-and-older bracket at this weekend’s World Bodysurfing Championships (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/28)....In Boston, gossip columnists Fee & Raposa report TD Banknorth Garden Dir of Marketing & PR Jim Delaney “is heading out on his own in the next couple of months to set up a communications shop” (BOSTON HERALD, 8/28)....HAL HABIB and CHARLES ELMORE of the Palm Beach Post won first-place awards for sports writing and sports column, respectively, in the FLORIDA PRESS CLUB’s annual contest (PALM BEACH POST, 8/27)....The city of Dallas, after a six-year hiatus, will again host a large COTTON BOWL parade. AT&T title sponsors the game and the parade (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/26).

IN MEMORY: JOHN “TOMMY” MANFUSO JR., former owner of Pimlico, Bowie and Laurel parks, died of coronary artery disease on August 19. He was 76 (WASHINGTON POST, 8/27).... FRED SMITH, a baseball historian and author who wrote a number of books about the Tigers, died Thursday at the age of 89 from congestive heart failure (FREE PRESS, 8/26).