Names In The News

Univ. Of Kentucky Hoops Team Thanked By President Obama For Raising Money For Haiti

The NHLPA has launched a Hockey for Haiti relief project, in which fans can bid on memorabilia donated by the union and its players. The auction, online at eBay.ca, will include autographed jerseys and sticks. Fans also can donate directly to Hockey for Haiti through worldvision.ca/hockey (NHLPA)....PRESIDENT OBAMA yesterday called the Univ. of Kentucky men's basketball team to "congratulate them on the 'Hoops for Haiti' program that raised" more than $1M (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 1/27)....Members of the Saints signed autographs at a Walmart in Baton Rouge yesterday to help promote WYNK-FM's "Operation Hugs for Haiti" charitable effort (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 1/27).

CHICAGO STYLE: In Chicago, David Haugh profiles Blackhawks GM STAN BOWMAN, whose "smart, sobering style is worth remembering." Many Blackhawks fans "may not know Bowman if they bumped into him," and he said, "That is fine for me. I'm comfortable and I don't need to be getting a lot of the focus. It's not about me; it's about the team and the Blackhawks" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/27).

RINGS OF FIRE: The USOC has filed a federal lawsuit to get Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Int'l Institute for Sport & Olympic History to drop "Olympic" from its name. Institute President HARVEY ABRAMS said that the company, which is "dedicated to studying the history" of sports, is "not interested in a costly legal battle, and that may cause the group to eventually" change its name. The USOC contends that the institute "didn't get permission" to use Olympic as part of its name (AP, 1/26).

NAMES: The Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary yesterday elected Celtics Managing Partner & CEO WYC GROUSBECK as its Chair. Grousbeck, whose son is blind, has "for years been involved with members of his family in helping to fund research and educational initiatives related to blindness and other conditions" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/27).....WAYNE GRETZKY said that he plans to attend Molson Canadian Hockey House's "Wayne Gretzky Day" on February 19 (VANCOUVER SUN, 1/27)....Houston-based attorney RUSTY HARDIN is suing Nuggets G J.R. SMITH for "nonpayment of legal fees" stemming from an '07 civil lawsuit. Hardin is seeking $22,753 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/27)....The band Free Reign -- which includes Cowboys offensive linemen Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo and Cory Procter -- released a five-song EP titled "Tragedy" yesterday at stores and on iTunes (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/26)....Patriots QB TOM BRADY and Colts QB PEYTON MANNING will face off on the golf course for an episode of Golf Channel's "DONALD J. TRUMP'S FABULOUS WORLD OF GOLF" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/27)....Baseball HOFer CAL RIPKEN JR. has "lent his support" to an initiative to place Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey, on the list of "America's Top 11 Most Endangered Places" (Bergen RECORD, 1/27)....The N.Y. POST's Raakhee Mirchandani ranked Jets QB MARK SANCHEZ and Knicks F DANILO GALLINARI as two of the N.Y.-area's "12 most eligible bachelors" (N.Y. POST, 1/26).