WISE held its 18th annual Women of the Year Awards Luncheon yesterday at the Marriott Marquis in N.Y. The sold-out event, hosted by WISE National President KATHY FRANCIS, honored NBA Senior VP/Events & Attractions GAIL HUNTER, MLB Senior VP/Special Events MARLA MILLER and NFL Network COO KIM WILLIAMS. CBS' TRACY WOLFSON served as emcee. CBS Sports Chair SEAN MCMANUS was presented with the second annual WISE Champion Award (THE DAILY).
STICKING AROUND: In N.Y., Harvey Araton notes Heat President PAT RILEY last night "became the fifth man to receive the award" named for late NBA coach CHUCK DALY and presented by the NBA Coaches Association. Riley said that he "has [no] plans to retire from his position." He said, "I'm looking to build this thing even better and I don't have any timeline. I've still got a lot of bite left in my bark" (NYTIMES.com, 6/19). Riley maintained that he is "comfortable in his current role and no longer has the itch to get back on the sidelines." He said, "If I ever decided to do that (coach) again, I know I would say no because I'd have to face (reporters) after every game. I will not be jumping out of my skin trying to get back on the floor" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 6/20).
AND THE HONOREES ARE...The Pro Football Writers of America named Jets QB TIM TEBOW the recipient of the '12 Good Guy Award, given to an NFLer for his "qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs" (ESPNNY.com, 6/19)....The Nets were honored last week with an award from The Cabrini Mission Foundation for their philanthropic efforts in the community (NYPOST.com, 6/19)....Former Ohio State Univ. football coach JIM TRESSEL will be inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports HOF. The list of '12 inductees also includes U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning tennis player MARY JOE FERNANDEZ GODSICK, U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning pole vaulter TIM MACK, and former NFLers RAYMONT HARRIS, CLINTON JONES and PRESTON POWELL (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/20)....ESPN's LEE CORSO will receive the AutoZone Liberty Bowl's 41st Distinguished Citizen Award at a July 22 dinner held in his honor at the Hilton Memphis (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 6/20).
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington profiles MLB Rangers GM JON DANIELS, and writes he is "now the best GM in the business, culminating an ascent so fast and from so deep, it should have given him the bends." Daniels has "built one of baseball's deepest farm systems from scratch, put together back-to-back league champions and given the Rangers a shot at a third." He has done it "without mortgaging the team's future, getting the kind of bang for his buck that Yankees or Red Sox shareholders can only envy" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/20).
NAMES: Thunder minority Owner and Cellular One Chair, President & CEO EVERETT DOBSON is the co-Owner of Thoroughbred bay stallion Caleb's Posse, winner of the $1M Dirt Mile at the '11 Breeders' Cup (NEWSOK.com, 6/19)....UFC parent company Fertitta Interactive announced that it will launch its social gaming company Ultimate Gaming, UFC's official online gaming sponsor. Fertitta Friday on Facebook will debut its free-play poker game, Ultimate Poker (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/20)....A N.Y. judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit by former NBAer CUTTINO MOBLEY against the Knicks claiming discrimination in their diagnosis of a career-threatening heart condition (N.Y. POST, 6/20)....Russia President VLADIMIR PUTIN said that he plans to attend the London Olympics "in a private capacity and watch the judo competition" (AP, 6/20).
