In S.F., Mark Purdy noted this year's Pro Football HOF list did not include former 49ers Owner EDDIE DEBARTOLO JR., who "won five Super Bowls and set new standards for organizational excellence." Pro Football HOFer DAN FOUTS said, "That's shocking because so much weight is put on winning Super Bowls, and Mr. DeBartolo won basically one out of every five during the 23 years of his 49er ownership" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/5). SI.com's Jim Trotter wrote there was "virtually no chance that two non-players were going to be voted in, as evidenced" that BILL PARCELLS and DeBartolo were "debated longer than any other candidates." Parcells "took up to 57 minutes, DeBartolo 42," while the only other candidate discussed longer than 19 minutes was ANDRE REED. Eventually, Parcells "survived the first cut -- and DeBartolo did not" (SI.com, 2/4).
TAKING SHOTS IN A DIFFERENT ARENA: In Boston, Stan Grossfeld writes even with his "high-profile name, the conservative" former ESPN analyst CRAIG JAMES is a "long shot in the 10-candidate field that is seeking the seat" of retiring U.S. Sen. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R-Texas). James has "never sought elected office before," and he is being "hit hard again, right out of the gate." On Jan. 12, the day of his official announcement, James "admitted he received 'insignificant' amounts of money from Southern Methodist University boosters as an 18- and 19-year old." Later that evening, James was "ambushed in the primary debate." In what he "termed a 'gotcha' question, he was asked if he knew the name of the US Secretary of Defense." James said, "Looks like I jumped off the high board on the first try" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/5).
COMPILING STATS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Reed Albergotti profiles north England native NEIL HORNSBY, who "has compiled research and analysis that the Giants and several other teams used this season to prepare for their opponents." Hornsby in '07 "launched his website, called Pro Football Focus." He said that the site now "provides customized data to five NFL teams ... as well as to sports agents seeking to bolster their players' arguments for fat paychecks." The Giants are a "nonpaying user of the site" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/5).
NAMES: Federal prosecutors on Friday said that they have “closed their investigation of LANCE ARMSTRONG without charging him, nearly two years after they began looking into allegations that he and his cycling teammates committed a variety of possible crimes by doping.” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California ANDRE BIROTTE JR. “did not cite a reason for the decision and declined further comment” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/4)….Titans Owner BUD ADAMS JR. became the first recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by the USAA on Saturday. The award acknowledges efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members and veterans (USAA)….Agent SCOTT BORAS has stopped representing free agent MANNY RAMIREZ (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/5)….Republican presidential candidate NEWT GINGRICH yesterday appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and said that he is “a Packers fan and, along with his son-in-law, owns Packers stock” (JSONLINE.com, 2/5)….MARY CASHMAN, wife of Yankees GM BRIAN CASHMAN, on Friday “filed divorce papers, a day after prosecutors charged a woman with stalking him and extorting money over an extramarital affair” (AP, 2/4)….The Maryland Jockey Club on Friday announced that Maroon 5 and WIZ KHALIFA will perform at the Preakness InfieldFest on May 19 (MJC).
AND THE WINNER IS....: The Giants defeated the Patriots in a thrilling Super Bowl XLVI, and picking upsets turned out to be the best bet in the SBD/SBJ Super Bowl Pick 'Em, as only one of the 84 responses correctly predicted the winning team, MVP and TV ad. Former MLB VP/Baseball Operations and Administration ED BURNS came the closest to running the table, as his entry had the Giants defeating the Patriots 34-31, with QB ELI MANNING winning Super Bowl MVP and Doritos topping USA Today’s Ad Meter (THE DAILY).
