Names In The News

Gold Medal-winning U.S. swimmer MICHAEL PHELPS will be featured on the fifth season of Golf Channel’s “The Haney Project” (Golf Channel). Host HANK HANEY said that it "likely would be an eight-part series.” Haney: “This is a perfect opportunity for me because every other time I’ve done my show, everybody has a real job. Michael is retired. He’s got a lot of time on his hands. He’s going to practice a lot” (AP, 8/11).

MEET AND GREET: NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN and EPL CEO RICHARD SCUDAMORE took part in an open discussion panel at the NBA House in Convent Garden, London, in the presence of leading figures from the world of sports and business. Some of the attendees included U.S. Ambassador for the U.K. LOUIS SUSMAN, Nuggets Owner and Arsenal FC majority shareholder STAN KROENKE, Thunder Owner CLAY BENNETT, Rugby Football Union CEO IAN RITCHIE, USA Basketball Chair JERRY COLANGELO, former French Int'l and current Manchester City Football Development Exec PATRICK VIEIRA and Euroleague Basketball CEO JORDI BERTOMEU (EPL).

PLAYING WITH THE PROS: The MLB Giants on Friday unveiled a special plaque commemorating P MATT CAIN’s perfect game earlier this season. Team President & CEO LARRY BAER also presented Cain “with a special present -- an offseason trip to Hawaii, where he will play a round of golf with PGA pro DUSTIN JOHNSON, as well as a special commemorative golf club.” Hours before Cain’s June 13 perfect game, he “teed off from home plate with Johnson, who was at the ballpark for a special promotional event before the U.S. Open” (MLB.com, 8/10).

NAMES: The Orioles on Saturday unveiled a statue honoring Baseball HOFer EDDIE MURRAY (MLB.com, 8/11)….A Japanese TV station last week “sent a crew" to NFL Panthers training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., for a feature on S HARUKI NAKAMURA, "whose late father moved to the U.S. from Japan in the 1960s and was an eight-degree black belt in judo” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/10).