In L.A., Pringle, Blankstein & Lin II report prosecutors yesterday “filed theft and conspiracy charges ... against two former employees of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, bringing to eight the number of people charged in the corruption scandal at the historic stadium.” The L.A. city attorney's office has “accused former warehouse worker ULISES LUNA, 33, and former payroll clerk MARIA DE LA TORRE, 38, of stealing Coliseum funds by cashing falsified salary checks” (L.A. TIMES, 12/6).
ON THE BLOCK: Baseball HOFer DON LARSEN sold the jersey from his perfect game in the '56 World Series for $756,000 at a Steiner Sports auction yesterday. In addition, a “huge collection of memorabilia” owned by ESPN's BOB KNIGHT was “highlighted by his championship ring from the Hoosiers’ 1976 perfect season, which sold for $209,940.” Other Knight rings sold include his ring from the Hoosiers’ ’87 title ($54,000) and ’81 title ($45,542) as well as his ’81 Basketball HOF ring ($36,932). Several “oddball items” from Knight included a chair from the ’76 Final Four ($19,201), an ’88 game-worn sweater ($4,500) and a game-worn white-and-red adidas shoe ($1,980) (ESPN.com, 12/5).
GLOVE WORK: Baseball America named Giants GM BRIAN SABEAN MLB Exec of the Year (BASEBALLAMERICA.com, 12/5)….Former Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter PAUL HAGEN was announced as the ’13 recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award given by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America annually since ’62 for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” Hagen will be honored at the Baseball HOF induction in July, joining the 63 other Spink winners in the HOF’s “Scribes and Mikemen” exhibit (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/5)….Late Blue Jays radio announcer TOM CHEEK was selected as the ’13 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the Baseball HOF (Baseball HOF).
AWARDS & RECOGNITION: The USGA selected golfer DAVIS LOVE III as the recipient of the ’13 Bob Jones Award (USGA)….WTA Chair & CEO STACEY ALLASTER was given an Xstrata Nickel Trailblazers & Trendsetters Award as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 for ’12 (TOP100WOMEN.ca)….Among GQ magazine’s “Least Influential People of 2012” were Lakers C DWIGHT HOWARD, U.S. swimmer RYAN LOCHTE, former Saints defensive coordinator GREGG WILLIAMS, cyclist LANCE ARMSTRONG, former Red Sox manager BOBBY VALENTINE and NHL Rangers and Knicks Owner JAMES DOLAN (GQ, 12/'12 issue).
CHARITY STRIPE: Patriots K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI, P ZOLTAN MESKO, WR MATTHEW SLATER and DE RON BRACE on Tuesday visited Bristol, Conn.'s Rockwell Elementary School as part of the NFL’s Play 60 campaign. The school “received a $10,000 Play 60 grant for health and wellness programs or activities” (PROVIDENCEJOURNAL.com, 12/4)….Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI on Tuesday was at the National Jean Company in Newton, Mass., to “raise money for One Family Inc., an organization that works to end homelessness in Massachusetts” (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 12/6)….Former NFLer ZACH THOMAS yesterday delivered food to local service organizations in South Florida in support of the Dolphins’ new partnership with Burger King (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 12/5).
NAMES: Columbia Sportswear Chair GERT BOYLE spoke “during a meeting to unveil” some of the company’s fall ’13 product line. Boyle said, “I live in an old peoples’ home now. And I’m a helluva lot better off than some of the people there.” Boyle added, “My health is fine, I think” (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/6)....Former NBAer ALONZO MOURNING and Kidney Care Partners reps yesterday were at an educational briefing in DC sponsored by the Congressional Kidney Caucus. Mourning and KCP members told lawmakers that any additional cuts to the Medicare ESRD benefit would be ill-advised (KCP)….Yankees SS DEREK JETER on Monday was at Pig and Khao on N.Y.’s Lower East Side (NYPOST.com, 12/6)....Former MLBer JORGE POSADA sold his Upper East Side apartment in N.Y. for $9.5M (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 12/5)
