In Chicago, Phil Rogers profiles Cubs Senior VP/Scouting & Player Development JASON MCLEOD and notes that while Cubs President of Baseball Operations THEO EPSTEIN and Exec VP & GM JED HOYER were the "top-of-the-ticket hires" in Chair TOM RICKETTS' front office restructuring, McLeod is "the guy that really got" former VP & GM JIM HENDRY's role. McLeod is a "combination scouting director and farm director," and is "considered a rising star in the amateur scouting community." He spends most weekdays "in his office, then heads out on Thursday or Friday to watch college and high school players" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/18).
IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: The GLOBE & MAIL's David Ebner reported a British Columbia Supreme Court on Friday granted an order to declare that Canucks Chair FRANCESCO AQUILINI and estranged wife TALI'AH "have no reasonable prospect of reconciliation with each other." It is "unclear what individual stake" Francesco has in the club, which he owns along with brothers ROBERTO and PAOLO, and father LUIGI. Francesco said that the Canucks "would not be affected by the divorce proceedings" (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/17).
NAMES: Records indicate that Baltimore Mayor STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, using public money, "treated guests to $2,920.52 worth of food and nonalcoholic beverages in the city's skybox" during the '10 Ravens season at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore SUN, 3/19)....49ers WR RANDY MOSS has filed a lawsuit claiming he may have lost a $160,000 investment in a barber shop in Delray Beach, Fla. The investment deal called for Moss to be paid back in eight years and receive up to 25% from the revenues of the shop (MIAMI HERALD, 3/19)....NFL free agent HINES WARD is selling his 12,836-sq-ft Sandy Springs, Ga., home for $7.5M (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/17).
