Names In The News

Auction For Rivers' Gatorade-Soaked Shirt Nets $55,000 For Celtics' Shamrock Foundation

The shirt Celtics coach DOC RIVERS wore during the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals-clinching Game Six, which was drenched in Gatorade and signed by Rivers and Celtics F PAUL PIERCE, was sold at a WEEI-AM auction for $55,000, with all proceeds benefiting the Celtics' Shamrock Foundation. An anonymous fan paid $35,000 for the shirt, Gatorade donated $10,000 and a second anonymous donor pledged $10,000. Also, the wives of Red Sox players Sunday at their annual Picnic in the Park benefit raised $350,000 for the Red Sox Foundation (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/25).

HONORS & AWARDS: Red Sox Owner JOHN HENRY last night was among 30 Boston-area recipients of an Ernst & Young master entrepreneur award. Henry, after receiving the award, said mythologist Joseph Campbell "said that when you follow your bliss, doors will be open and you'll find yourself building the life you should be leading" (BOSTON HERALD, 6/25)....The Professional Hockey Writers' Association for the second consecutive season awarded the Capitals media relations department as the '07-08 recipient of the DICK DILLMAN Award as the top media relations staff in the NHL's Eastern Conference. The Sharks won the award for the Western Conference (Capitals).

NAMES: Nike Chair PHIL KNIGHT later this year is set to begin construction on a 30-acre campus in Oregon for animation studio Laika, which he acquired in '02, "around the same time he releases Laika's first" film, "Coraline" (WIRED.com, 6/24)....Theatrical Producer TIM MOLYNEUX has created "All In: The Poker Musical," which will preview with a cast staging at the Rio during the World Series of Poker. Poker player PHIL HELLMUTH is among the musical's investors (LAS VEGAS SUN, 6/25)....Senators Owner EUGENE MELNYK "lost his bid to install a hand-picked slate" of directors at his Biovail Corp., as Melnyk did not receive enough votes to displace the company's proposed directors with his own nominees (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/25)....The Charlie Daniels Band will perform July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (AUTORACING1.com, 6/23)....PRESIDENT BUSH yesterday on the White House lawn hosted the Univ. of Georgia's women's gymnastics and men's tennis teams, among others, in honoring 20 NCAA championship teams (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/25).

IN MEMORY: Former Arizona Republic sportswriter BOB EGER yesterday died unexpectedly at the age of 66 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/25).