In Boston, Jenn Abelson conducted a Q&A with TD Garden President AMY LATIMER, discussing the challenges of her position. Latimer said from the last NHL lockout she learned “internally we need to be keeping our staff engaged.” Latimer: “The good news for us is that we have other events and things to direct their energy. We have so many concerts coming up we can divert sales teams and marketing teams to those. You don’t want [to] stay stagnant.” Latimer said of making her business more accessible to women, “Analytics is going to be the hot career in sports going forward, so I encourage women to look at that” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/27). Also in Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote of former TD Garden President JOHN WENTZELL, “The loss of Wentzell’s humor and all-around accommodating manner will be dearly missed in the old West End. At its core, the arena business is the hospitality business, and too many buildings in the US and Canada have lost nearly all sense of that” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/28).
SUPERHERO IN THE MAKING: In DC, Dave Sheinin wrote Redskins QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III could be an “athlete so brilliant, so likable, so rooted over time in the region’s culture, he would lift the entire community. A transcendent figure -- less a messiah than a soulmate for the populace -- who would be more than this city’s champion, but its face.” Redskins LB LONDON FLETCHER said, “He’s what this franchise and this community have been looking for, for over 20 years -- a superstar quarterback. But he’s more than that. He has the persona, the charisma, the talent” (WASHINGTON POST, 10/26).
HONEY OF A TECHNOLOGY: America's Cup Technology Dir STAN HONEY was profiled in the Baltimore SUN. Honey helped create LiveLine technology used in pre-America’s Cup events. Honey said, "If something is just cool, it has a wow factor when it is first introduced. For something to have lasting value, it has to tell a story or has to communicate something that is hard to see. We made that mistake at Sportvision a number of times. The systems that are successful are used as a tool to tell a story" (Baltimore SUN, 10/28).
NAMES: The Celtics held their annual Shamrock Gala benefiting the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, typically held at a downtown hotel, “at the TD Garden, transforming the arena into a groovy event space” (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 10/26)….Celtics investor BOB WHITE has “emerged as a singular force” with the MITT ROMNEY presidential campaign (N.Y. TIMES, 10/28)….In Boston, Nick Cafardo noted a book by Indians manager TERRY FRANCONA co-written with Boston Globe writer DAN SHAUGHNESSY “won’t paint Red Sox ownership in a positive light” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/27)….The CFL announced singer JUSTIN BIEBER, singer-songwriter GORDON LIGHTFOOT, pop-rock group MARIANAS TRENCH and singer CARLY RAE JEPSEN will perform at halftime of the Grey Cup on Nov. 25 at Rogers Centre in Toronto (TORONTO STAR, 10/27)….Singer KENNY CHESNEY will perform at halftime of the Redskins-Cowboys game at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, “kicking off the 122nd year of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.” Chesney’s performance “will mark 16 years of the Cowboys’ partnership with the Salvation Army” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/29)....Patriots QB TOM BRADY and his wife GISELE BUNDCHEN are reportedly “planning to build a house in Chestnut Hill” close to the homes of team Owner ROBERT KRAFT and President JONATHAN KRAFT (BOSTON HERALD, 10/29)….NFL Giants Treasurer JONATHAN TISCH is an investor in “make-your-own crafts store Make Meaning.” The “idea behind the store is to house a range of different craft activities under the same roof.” Tisch “won’t say how much he paid or what stake he owns” in the business (N.Y. POST, 10/28)....Dodgers P CLAYTON KERSHAW was named the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, given to a player each year for sportsmanship and service to the community (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 10/28)….Tigers P OCTAVIO DOTEL collects designer shoes, buying “about 20 high-price pairs a year -- Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada.” Dotel said, “What can I say, I love shoes” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/27).
