Mets P R.A. DICKEY Saturday reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He completed the climb to "raise money and awareness for a charity called Bombay Teen Challenge." The Mets "had tried to discourage him from making" the ascent, telling him he "would be at risk of voiding his $4.25 contract for 2012 if he were injured in the process" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/15). Dickey in a special to the N.Y. TIMES wrote, "We reached the summit just as the glow from the sun was trying to make its way over the eastern part of the mountain. ... The view was unforgettably magnificent, as incredible as anything I have ever seen" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
ROLE OF THUNDER: The Warner Premier film starring Thunder F KEVIN DURANT has been renamed "Thunderstruck." Durant will be filming scenes for the movie in Oklahoma City "in the next few days, including a session that is scheduled to be shot inside Chesapeake Energy Arena" next Tuesday. The movie has been granted a "license from the NBA to use the Thunder's name and logo and other league property" (NEWSOK.com, 1/13).
COURT REPORT: ESPN VP/Communications MIKE SOLTYS confirmed that the net has "settled a wrongful termination lawsuit" brought by announcer RON FRANKLIN. Soltys in an e-mail said that the case "was settled out of court on Thursday and terms were not announced." Franklin had filed suit against ESPN and ABC in Austin in January '11, "accusing the company of violating his contract by firing him after a contentious conversation with sideline reporter JEANNINE EDWARDS in an Atlanta hotel lobby before the Chick-fil-A Bowl" (OKLAHOMAN, 1/14)....A court clerk "blasted her employees for unsportsmanlike conduct in the courtroom last week, after staffers fawned over" former NFLer TIKI BARBER -- the defendant in a divorce proceeding. A court source said that Barber "was rushed by a dozen court staffers Thursday in the waiting area of the Appellate Division courthouse in Manhattan" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).
BIRTHDAY BASH: A "star-studded" guest list convened at Louisville's MUHAMMAD ALI Center Saturday night to wish the former boxer a happy birthday. Ali turns 70 tomorrow, and the $1,000-per-plate party featured 350 guests, "most of whom paid for their seats." The event is "expected to raise $250,000 for the center." Ali made a "brief appearance before the event started, standing on the second floor flanked by family and friends." Musician JOHN MELLENCAMP was expected to perform at the event (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 1/15).
EXECUTIVE PROFILES: ESPN CHICAGO's Melissa Isaacson profiled Bulls and White Sox Chair JERRY REINSDORF and wrote he is "regularly recognized as one of the leading examples in sports in the areas of minority hiring and programs dedicated to helping inner-city youth." MLB Exec VP/Baseball Development JIMMIE LEE SOLOMON said, "Every team in its own right does their best to promote diversity, but the White Sox are superstars" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 1/13)....The N.Y. TIMES' Story & Morgenson in a Sunday Business section cover story profiled Bank of America CMO ANNE FINUCANE, one of the "most powerful figures" in American banking. Her title "only hints at her influence within the bank, on Wall Street, in Washington and beyond." Over her 17-year career with the company, she has "spun a web of relationships in business, politics, the media and philanthropy" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
NAMES: HOWARD HILL, a private investigator retained by EPL club Tottenham Hotspur who "obtained West Ham vice-chairman KARREN BRADY's telephone records at the height" of the Olympic stadium bidding process, "has been arrested on suspicion of fraud offences" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/14)....Former NBAer YAO MING is "becoming a member of an advisory body to Shanghai's legislature." The committee "does not have any real power," but its members "can make suggestions for the advisory body and government departments" (AP, 1/15)....Penguins co-Owner RON BURKLE "bought a controlling stake in Soho House, the line of luxury, members-only clubs." The deal, for about $383M, gives Burkle 60% ownership of the chain (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/14)....ESPN's fifth Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research raised a record $1,301,530 in contributions for The V Foundation for Cancer Research during the month of December, surpassing the previous best of $1,238,799 set in '10 (ESPN).
