Names In The News

In Toronto, Feschuk & Westhead cite sources as saying that Rangers and Flyers alumni who played in the NHL's Dec. 31 Winter Classic alumni game "weren’t paid for their services." One source said that he had "heard they were paid a nominal fee of $200." While airfare and accommodations were "covered, some players actually spent money to play" in the game. Airline baggage fees "meant lugging hockey equipment to Philadelphia cost about $50 to $100." Those who "didn’t want to travel with hockey sticks could purchase one in the dressing room for $50." Looking back, NHL alumni and their advocates are now "expressing emotions ranging from disappointment to mild disgust that the ex-players who commanded the crowd didn’t receive a more substantial chunk of the proceeds." Feschuk & Westhead note the planning for the alumni game "is mostly left to the home team," and the Flyers "did not respond to repeated requests for comment" (TORONTO STAR, 1/19).

ON THE RECORD: The N.Y. TIMES' Thamel & Viera interviewed a group of 13 Penn State trustees, who spoke yesterday about the "somewhat frantic, certainly exhausting week that led to the firings" of football coach JOE PATERNO and school President GRAHAM SPANIER and to the "disturbances on campus that those dismissals set off." The board "decided to share its story because it grew weary of hearing criticism." The trustees, over "three hours, described how they had felt blindsided by Spanier's failure to keep them informed of the nature and scope of the Pennsylvania attorney general's investigation" of former assistant football coach JERRY SANDUSKY (N.Y. TIMES, 1/19).

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT: In N.Y., Howard Beck reports Basketball HOFer KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR was named a U.S. cultural ambassador yesterday, "with a mission of promoting education, racial tolerance and cultural understanding among young people around the world." Abdul-Jabbar "leaves Sunday for a six-day assignment in Brazil and will visit at least four more countries this year." He is the "first sports figure to be named cultural ambassador during the OBAMA administration" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/19).

CHARITY STRIPE: The Magic's charitable foundation gave out $1M in grants yesterday to "19 nonprofit organizations in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, boosting efforts to improve literacy, education and healthy lifestyles, and alleviate homelessness" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/19)....Boxer FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. yesterday "made good on a promise to a Nevada judge to donate $100,000 to a breast cancer support organization." Mayweather gave the money to officials from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure research and support foundation. His lawyers had "promised the judge who sentenced Mayweather in December in a domestic battery case that the boxer would make the donation" (AP/ 1/18).

NAMES: Film producer BARRY JOSEPHSON and his company, Josephson Entertainment, are partnering with West Omaha Films to produce "THE MAGICIAN," a biopic of pro football's first black starting QB, MARLIN "THE MAGICIAN" BRISCOE. Screenwriter GREGORY ALLEN HOWARD, who wrote "REMEMBER THE TITANS" and worked on "ALI," wrote the script "detailing Briscoe's rise to the top" and his "meteoric fall" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 1/18)....Golfer BYEONG-HUN AN, the '09 U.S. Amateur champion, has signed with agent CHUBBY CHANDLER's Int'l Sports Management (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/18)....Former NFLer AHMAN GREEN received the '12 Red Smith Award Tuesday at the 47th annual Red Smith Sports Award Banquet. Green is "considering a career in broadcasting" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/19)....GQ ranked Nationals P STEPHEN STRASBURG No. 47 on its "50 Most Powerful People In Washington" list (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 1/18)....Former MLBer JOE MAGRANE’s daughter SHANNON appeared on last night’s season debut of Fox' "AMERICAN IDOL" as she auditioned for a spot on the show. Shannon was voted into the next round by all three judges (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH, 1/19)….The Players Dir of Sales & Marketing JARED RICE was named top sales person of the year for PGA Tour-owned events during the tour's recent winter meetings in Boca Raton (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/19).

IN MEMORY: MARTY SPRINGSTEAD, who umpired MLB games for 20 years and “supervised major league umpires as an executive for more than 20 more, died on Tuesday” of a heart attack while swimming at a club near his home. He was 74 (N.Y. TIMES, 1/19).