Franchise Notes

In DC, Robert Barnes reported the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to revive a lawsuit on behalf of Native American activists who claimed that the Redskins name is "so racially offensive that it does not deserve trademark protection." The suit was first filed in '92. The group won, but the decision was overturned on the basis that the claim "should have been made long ago." The Supreme Court "considered only the question of whether the suit was barred because of the passage of too much time" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/16).

FATHER FIGURE: ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wrote while new Padres Exec VP & GM Jed Hoyer has a "reputation as a creative, prepared and indefatigable, he's realistic enough to know that running a team is no one-man show." He plans to "communicate with the people above him and empower those below him in the hierarchy." An MLB source said, "There's a perception that [Padres Vice Chair & CEO Jeff] Moorad is the puppet master, but I don't think that's true. I don't think he views himself as a 'baseball guy,' and he clearly likes having young, bright, energetic executives around. Jed is smart enough to see what the dynamic is going [to] be there" (ESPN.com, 11/16).

SEARCHING FOR GOLD: In S.F., Bruce Jenkins writes if Chris Cohan were to sell the Warriors, the "chain of life-changing events would be marvelous to behold." The front office "would be cleaned out, top to bottom," and coach Don Nelson "would be forced out." But it is "like waiting for the Castro brothers to relinquish power, or Al Davis to surrender his grip on the Raiders -- a hideous, torturous wait that could take hundreds of years" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/17).

NOTES: The Arizona Rattlers yesterday "signed a lease to begin play in April as part of the new Arena Football 1" at US Airways Center. Former Rattlers coach Danny White will serve as team President. White indicated that "per-game pay for players will be" between $400-1,000, and the team will "take on housing, transportation and meal expenses" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/17)....An estimated 2,500 fans attended a rally Saturday at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota welcoming the Orioles as the ballpark's "new spring tenant." Baseball HOFer Jim Palmer and Orioles CF Adam Jones were among the attendees at the event (Sarasota HERALD-TRIBUNE, 11/15).