In L.A., Lisa Dillman notes former Clippers VP/Basketball Operations ELGIN BAYLOR took the stand again yesterday in his wrongful-termination lawsuit against the team, and cross-examination from Clippers General Counsel ROBERT PLATT revealed discrepancies between Baylor's "previous testimony and his current assertions." Baylor had testified that Clippers Owner DONALD STERLING and team President ANDY ROESER "frequently asked him how much longer he intended to stay on." But Platt yesterday "showed video testimony from Baylor in a pretrial deposition in 2009 in which he said he had been asked that question once back in the days when the team played at the Sports Arena" (L.A. TIMES, 3/23).
BRISTOL UNIVERSITY: ESPN yesterday announced that "its Connecticut payroll will soon surpass 4,100 people, which amounts to about 300 additional jobs since last fall." ESPN Exec VP/Administration ED DURSO said that the company is "consolidating publishing jobs" from its N.Y. offices to Bristol. That includes 75 from ESPN The Magazine and 50 "from other areas there, including digital operations and corporate communications." Durso noted that "about 100 jobs have been added throughout the company" since October (BRISTOL PRESS, 3/23).
NAMES: A baseball field named for Angels P DAN HAREN for "children with special needs" opened yesterday in Scottsdale, Ariz. The facility includes a "grandstand, scoreboard and rubberized field to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/23)....Attorneys for Bulls F CARLOS BOOZER have filed suit in Miami, alleging that businessman CLAUDIO OSORIO "'maliciously' squandered a $1 million investment by Boozer in Osorio's company, InnoVida Holdings" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/23)....U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge JEFFERY DELLER "lifted an automatic stay on Friday, giving Primerock Real Estate Fund LP the choice to collect on its $820,000 claim against" Steelers QB CHARLIE BATCH "by seizing property he put up as collateral to secure the debt" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 3/23)....UEFA President MICHEL PLATINI yesterday was "re-elected unopposed for a second four-year term" (THETIMES.co.uk, 3/22)....AHL President DAVE ANDREWS has been named by the Ace Bailey Children's Foundation as the '11 recipient of its Ace Bailey Good Guy Award, "presented annually to individuals who have supported and advanced the game of hockey on the professional, school or youth level" (SYRACUSE.com, 3/22)....Former U.S. Secretary of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE has accepted an invitation to serve as Honorary Chair for the May 6-8 Champions Tour Regions Tradition (Champions Tour)....Magic C DWIGHT HOWARD will guest star in an episode of Disney XD's "KICK BUTTOWSKI -- SUBURBAN DAREDEVIL" on April 30. Skateboarder TONY HAWK also will guest star on the series this season (Disney).
