Names In The News

Saints Owner TOM BENSON said that he has made an “‘open-ended’ commitment” of at least $3M to “initially fund a campus playing facility” for the Univ. of the Incarnate Word football team, which plans to make its NCAA Division II debut in ’09. The GAYLE & TOM BENSON FIELDHOUSE will include offices, dressing areas and a weight-training room (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 4/18).

Frazier Suing Daughter To Regain Custody Of Business Files

COURT REPORT: JOE FRAZIER has filed a lawsuit against his daughter, JACQUI FRAZIER-LYDE, to “regain custody of his contracts, product endorsements and other business papers.” Frazier-Lyde, who served as her father’s attorney and business adviser from ’89-’04, said she is “very surprised” by the suit, which she described as “baseless and frivolous” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/18)....Former NHL Rangers cheerleader COURTNEY PRINCE, who is suing MSG for sexual harassment, was “cast yesterday as a mentally ill pervert” in a court filing by MSG attorney MELISSA RODRIGUEZ, who claimed Prince’s “sex-obsessed behavior upset fellow skaters.” Rodriguez “based her claim on the report from a Columbia University psychiatrist who examined Prince last October.” Prince has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her attorneys did not immediately respond to the filings (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/18).

NASH BRIDGES: Suns G STEVE NASH is the subject of an in-depth interview in the May issue of PLAYBOY. Nash, on Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN refusing to match the Suns’ contract offer of $66M over six years in ’04: “I was [surprised]. He paid a lot of guys who never came close to living up to their contract. To draw the line on me, a guy who always showed up and worked hard and was a big part of the team’s success — it hurt” (PLAYBOY, 5/ ’07 issue).

NAMES: TV WEEK’s Top 10 Most Powerful People in TV News for ’07 includes MSNBC’s “Countdown” host and NBC’s “Football Night in America” co-host KEITH OLBERMANN at No. 6 and CBS News & Sports President SEAN MCMANUS at No. 7 (TV WEEK, 4/16 issue)....PETE VLASTELICA and JACK KLOSTER have launched YARDBARKER.COM, a new sports news and blog tagging Web site. The site is partially financed by Pro Football HOFer RONNIE LOTT and former NFLer HARRIS BARTON (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 4/18)....Rock star EDDIE VAN HALEN will serve as an honorary race official for Saturday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix Int’l Raceway (SCENEDAILY.com, 4/16)....Gross receipts from the 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at KEENELAND RACECOURSE yesterday fell 9.8% from last year to $16.6M. A total of 82 horses were sold, five fewer than last year. The average price dropped 4.3% to $202,890, and 47% did not meet the seller’s minimum price (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 4/18).