In Baltimore, Julie Scharper reports Baltimore Grand Prix Founder STEVEN WEHNER yesterday asked a judge “to prevent organizers of the race from using ticket sales as collateral on future loans because, he alleges, they have failed to make tens of thousands of dollars of payments to him.” In separate lawsuits filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court, Wehner and early investor SEAN CONLEY “allege that current race organizers have defaulted on payments to them.” Baltimore Racing Development President JAY DAVIDSON in an e-mail wrote the injunction request, filed nine days before the scheduled start of the three-day event, "seems to me to be an 11th-hour attempt to harass the Baltimore Grand Prix" (Baltimore SUN, 8/25).
CHARITY STRIPE: The GLOBE & MAIL’s Dave McGinn notes 11-year-old MATTHEW MANCINI “won the chance to speak with” Penguins C SIDNEY CROSBY yesterday through Wind Mobile’s “Best Conversation Ever” campaign. The competition “allows five Canadians to speak to the person of their dreams and donates $100,000 to the Canadian charity of that person’s choice.” Crosby “requested that the funds go to the Sidney Crosby Foundation, which benefits children and children’s charities.” Mancini has been “deaf since age four and in January was diagnosed with osteosarcoma” (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/25).
NAMES: A California federal judge “has rejected” Magic G GILBERT ARENAS’ attempts to "block VH1’s ‘BASKETBALL WIVES’ and turned down a request to stop former fiancé LAURA GOVAN from appearing on the show." In the decision, the judge indicated that there is “no escaping the fact that Arenas becomes part of this show in some form,” but the “mere appropriation of Arenas’ name and likeness doesn’t necessarily equate to misappropriation” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/24)….L.A. Superior Court Judge AMY HOGUE “plans to throw out key portions of a lawsuit by a nanny who claims she was fired" by Pacers Owner HERB SIMON and his wife “because she became pregnant” (AP, 8/24)....Manchester United manager SIR ALEX FERGUSON “has ended his boycott against” the BBC. The move “comes after a summit meeting” between BBC Director General MARK THOMPSON and EPL Chair DAVE RICHARDS “to find a way to end the dispute.” Ferguson “has not co-operated with the BBC since their May 2004 Panorama documentary on the transfer dealings of his former agent son JASON” (DAILYMAIL.co.uk, 8/25)….LPGA Championship co-Chair JERRY STAHL was inducted into the Oak Hill Country Club’s Hill of Fame Tuesday. Stahl was club president in ’83-84 and served as co-Chair of the ’89 U.S. Open at the course (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 8/24).
IN MEMORY: The Orioles reported that MASN analyst and former Cy Young winner MIKE FLANAGAN was found dead outside his home yesterday afternoon. After his playing career, Flanagan became “the face of the franchise as a television announcer and top executive." He became Exec VP for the Orioles in '05, a "role he held until his contract expired" at the end of '08, and also served previous stints as part of the team's broadcasting crew (Baltimore SUN, 8/25). Flanagan’s body was found by authorities who received a 911 call at 4:26pm ET. The cause of death “was not immediately determined” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/25).
