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Names In The News

Baseball HOFer REGGIE JACKSON yesterday filed suit in U.S. District Court in Nevada against American Memorabilia Inc. “in hopes of recovering baseball memorabilia it is auctioning -- including his New York Yankees watch commemorating his 400th home run.” Jackson in his lawsuit “alleged that his stepmother and two others were providing the keepsakes to the auction house against his wishes.” The suit “seeks to recover the watch presented to Jackson by the Yankees and that he later provided to his father.” It is described as “custom made by Cartier and is dated Aug. 11, 1980.” Jackson also is “trying to recover a ring that he says is a near-replica of his 1977 World Series Championship ring provided by the Yankees” (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/6).

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME: In Seattle, Jerry Brewer profiled MLS Sounders Minority Owner & GM ADRIAN HANAUER, who “does his best work behind the scenes, not on the field.” He “doesn't clamor for an audience” and is “rather shy when forced to discuss himself.” Hanauer “works without a salary in his general manager duties.” Hanauer: "I'm a minority owner, and for me, that's compensation enough. I don't have to worry about keeping my job or a contract extension or anything like that. I'm solely focused on what's right. If someone else could do the job better than me, I would gladly hand over the reins.” His approach is “similar in everything he does.” He is “quite the anomaly: a shrewd, millionaire businessman with good intentions; an aggressive negotiator balanced by patience and deep thinking; a dangerously good poker player who is also open and honest.” Brewer: “He's a talented manager, of people and of money” (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/3).

COURT IS IN SESSION: In N.Y., Sydney Ember noted when Redskins Owner DAN SNYDER “filed a defamation lawsuit against the Washington City Paper in February, readers rushed to show their support” for the newspaper. The City Paper “set up a fund for reader donations meant to offset the litigations fees, collecting 600 donations totaling $28,000 in the first three weeks.” Since the “initial influx, the fund has received only 190 donations totaling just over $3,000” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/2)....In N.Y., Candice Giove reported the federal government has put a Sept. 11 charity run organized by figure skater JOHNNY WEIR’s agent, TARA MODLIN, “on ice.” Modlin started the 9/11 Families Giving Back run a year after the attacks and “claimed to have raised over $600,000 to provide scholarships and aid to terror victims.” But tax records “show no beneficiary ever got a dime” (N.Y. POST, 7/3).

AWARDS & RECOGNITION: The Association of Luxury Suite Directors awarded Olympia Entertainment President & CEO TOM WILSON the Visionary Award at its annual ALSD Conference in L.A. on June 27. The award is given annually to leaders in the premium seat market (ALSD)….The National Lesbian & Gay Journalist Association named ESPN.com’s LZ GRANDERSON Journalist of the Year (NLGJA)….Fox Sports Media Group received 29 awards, including World Gold Marketing Team of the Year, at the PromaxBDA Promotion, Marketing & Design Awards Ceremony last week in N.Y. (Fox).

CHARITY STRIPE: New England Baptist Hospital received a $2M gift from The Yawkey Foundation to build three new operating rooms. The hospital said that it was the “largest donation” it has ever received from a foundation (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/5)….The Lightning Foundation will give “a different nonprofit $50,000 at each of 41 home games in the 2011-12 season,” totaling $2.05M for the season. The new Lightning Community Hero program’s “big dollars make up just part of the $10 million Lightning owner JEFF VINIK and his wife, PENNY, in February pledged to give to local charities” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/4).

NAMES: ESPN.com’s Marc Stein cited sources as saying that Nets G DERON WILLIAMS has chosen to sign with Excel Sports Management’s JEFF SCHWARTZ as his new agent. Williams “recently parted ways with longtime agent BOB MCLAREN” (ESPN.com, 7/2)….Former SMI President & CEO HUMPY WHEELER “recently had surgery for prostate cancer -- and so far is cancer-free in recovery.” He said that doctors “removed his prostate in surgery and there are no signs the cancer had spread” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/2)…. Golfer and Northern Ireland native RORY MCILROY “has been penciled in to bridge Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland" as a torch bearer for the '12 London Olympics (London TELEGRAPH, 7/6)….Packers LB CLAY MATTHEWS has been named Honorary Chair of this year’s AIDS Walk Wisconsin. The walk will be held Oct. 1 at the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee (JSONLINE.com, 7/5)….LOCOG Chair SEBASTIAN COE “secretly wed his long-time girlfriend CAROLE ANNETT” last weekend. It is Coe’s second marriage (London TELEGRAPH, 7/5).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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