In N.Y., Andrew Keh notes former Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter BILL CONLIN, who is accused of molesting four children, was named the recipient of the BWAA's '11 J.G. Taylor Spink Award, "presented to one person annually for 'meritorious contributions to baseball writing.'" Conlin is "now honored at the Hall of Fame and, as the most recent honoree, is currently featured in an exhibit there." Recipients of the Spink award are recognized in a special exhibit known as the "Scribes and Mikemen" exhibit. Baseball HOF Dir of Communications CRAIG MUDER said that the organization "would not comment on Conlin or his future inclusion in the exhibit." Muder added that no person "in any category had ever been removed from the Hall of Fame and that there was no mechanism in place to do so" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22).
HOLDING PATTERN: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole noted boxer FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. Wednesday was sentenced to 90 days in jail following his guilty plea to a domestic violence charge, "further delaying a mega-money bout between" him and MANNY PACQUIAO. A Mayweather-Pacquiao fight "could generate more than $200 million and earn each man in excess of $60 million, but it will have to wait a few more months now after" Las Vegas Justice of the Peace MELISSA SARAGOSA "unexpectedly let the hammer drop on the boxer." Saragosa sentenced Mayweather to six months in jail, "with 90 days suspended, and ordered him to pay a $2,500 fine, attend a year-long domestic violence class, perform 100 hours of community service and remain out of trouble for a year" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/21).
READY FOR ACTION: In Indianapolis, David Lindquist notes Super Bowl XLVI organizers Wednesday "announced a clean bill of health for Pan Am Plaza and also unveiled the entertainment roster" for the open-air music festival. The plaza "will be the site of a week's worth of ESPN television and radio broadcasting leading up to the Feb. 5 Super Bowl game played at Lucas Oil Stadium." ESPN will "roll in enough equipment to produce more than 110 hours of television content" during Super Bowl week. ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer for the NFL SETH MARKMAN said that a glass-enclosed set "will shield ESPN hosts and commentators from winter conditions on Jan. 30 through Feb. 5" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/22).
NO CHARGE: Maricopa County (Ariz.) Attorney BILL MONTGOMERY said Wednesday that his "investigators found no criminal wrongdoing by 31 Arizona politicians who took" gifts related to the Fiesta Bowl. Montgomery announced that following the eight-month investigation, he "couldn't prove criminal liability because of inconsistent state laws regarding the acceptance of gifts for public officials, vague reporting requirements of elected officials and lobbyists, and insufficient records by the Fiesta Bowl to support a prosecution" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 12/22).
FILING SUIT: In Oklahoma City, Brittany Hoover reports former ESPN analyst CRAIG JAMES, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, has "filed complaints against the publishers of MIKE LEACH's book, 'SWING YOUR SWORD,' and 'DOUBLE T -- DOUBLE CROSS' by MICHAEL LEE LANNING." James is petitioning to "take depositions from representatives of the publishers to investigate a potential claim against Scottsdale Book Publishing LLC, which published Lanning's book, and Diversion Publishing Corporation LLC, the eBook publishing company of Leach's book." Leach's attorney, TED LIGGETT, said that he believes James is "pulling a campaign stunt" by filing the suits (OKLAHOMAN, 12/22).
NAMES: 49ers WR BRAYLON EDWARDS as a Browns rookie in '05 announced that he would "give $10,000 scholarships to 100 area eighth-graders if they could graduate high school with over a 2.5 GPA and 15 hours [of] community service." Of the 100 who were afforded the opportunity, "79 met the criteria and have begun their first year of college" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/21)....The PGA Tour honored the Waste Management Phoenix Open with its '11 "Best Title Sponsor Integration" award during the Tournament Advisory Council Meetings (AZCENTRAL.com, 12/20)....Canada Prime Minister STEPHEN HARPER "has spent nearly a decade writing a book about" hockey, and reports indicate that he is "intent on finishing the tome next year" (EDMONTONJOURNAL.com, 12/21)....NBA Kings G TYLER HONEYCUTT has signed with Rival Sports Group. Honeycutt signed with the Kings earlier this month (Rival Sports Group).
