In Portland, Molly Harbarger reports the city of Milwaukie, Ore., has "enlisted the expertise and connections" of Portland Business Association President and former Trail Blazers Senior VP/Business Affairs J.E. ISSAC to "help bring minor league baseball to the city." Milwaukie Community Development Dir KENNY ASHER said that Isaac "will help Milwaukie develop revenue sources, such as ticket sales, naming rights and concessions, to offset the cost of building and operating a stadium." Isaac is also "recruiting a group of investors to buy a Northwest League team outright, or at least own part of the franchise" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/1).
GIVING BACK: The D'Backs yesterday announced the launch of the “D-backs $100,000 School Challenge,” presented by the Univ. of Phoenix. Twenty local area schools will receive $5,000 each from the D'Backs Foundation to improve their school or classroom. Teachers and faculty are encouraged to make their best pitch on why they deserve to receive the funding (D'Backs).
NAMES: Bobcats Owner MICHAEL JORDAN's 56,000-square-foot-house in Highland Park, Ill., has been put up for sale for $29M (CHICAGOREALESTATEDAILY.com, 2/29)....HoopsHype reported Raptors G LEANDRO BARBOSA is now represented by agent DAN FEGAN (TWITTER.com, 2/29)....Lions DT NDAMUKONG SUH, a Subway endorser, is the grand marshal for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix Int’l Raceway (ARIZONA REPULIC, 3/1)….NHL Commissioner GARY BETTMAN yesterday brought the Stanley Cup to a Congressional Hockey Caucus in DC (BOSTON HERALD, 3/1).
IN MEMORY: Former NFL Cardinals Advisor to the Owner THOMAS GUILFOIL died yesterday at the age of 93. As an advisor, Guilfoil helped to engineer Owner BILL BIDWILL’s "failed campaign for a new stadium" in St. Louis, and then helped him move the team to Arizona in ’88 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/1).
