The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jared Diamond reports Mets C JOHN BUCK has invented a product entitled Glove Guardian to "protect mitts." Buck said, "We're major-league catchers. How do we not have a box to put our gloves in to protect it?" The Glove Guardian "resembles an oversize sunglasses case." The inside "contains an adjustable stand topped with a mold of a softball to hold the fingers open, allowing players to change the height based on the size of their glove." The "'single' model, which holds one glove, sells for $64 online; the double is $74." Buck sees the Glove Guardian as "the first phase of a larger enterprise." He plans to "produce other products and has ideas related to improving traditional catchers' gear." The company "expects to have the Glove Guardian in retail stores this year" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/20).
BOOK IT: On Long Island, David Lennon reports former MLBer ROGER CLEMENS yesterday said that he is "planning to write a book that will set the record straight about his career." Clemens said, "There's a lot of stuff I'm going to write about one day -- and hopefully real soon. I've got a couple of guys lined up to do it, to tell even more facts behind the scenes that you guys don't know" (NEWSDAY, 2/20)....A's radio announcer KEN KORACH is "working on a biography" about late A's and MLB Giants announcer BILL KING. His publisher is "hoping it can be ready by mid-season" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 2/19).
AWARDS & HONORS: The Texas Sports HOF on Monday inducted its '12 class, and it included TNT analyst and former NBAer SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, Saints QB DREW BREES, former NFLers RICKY WILLIAMS and WALT GARRISON, high school baseball coach BOBBY MOEGLE, Baseball HOFer EDDIE MATHEWS and softball player CAT OSTERMAN (CHRON.com, 2/18)....The Arizona Sports HOF announced that former U.S. Olympic diver MICHELE MITCHELL, late golfer HEATHER FARR, NBA Kings Dir of Player Development and former NBAer FAT LEVER and Suns Founding investor KARL ELLER will be inducted May 9 (AZCENTRAL.com, 2/19)….The Atlanta Sports Awards will honor Georgia State men’s basketball coach RON HUNTER with the Community Spirit Award and former MLBer CHIPPER JONES with the Lifetime Achievement Award on March 5 (AJC.com, 2/18).
NAMES: Memorabilia from the career of Baseball HOFer WALTER JOHNSON belonging to his family will be up for bid on Saturday at Heritage Auctions in N.Y. The items include the “personalized framed copy of Johnson's plaque from his Hall of Fame induction, a handwritten congratulatory letter from TY COBB, the ‘Notice to Player of Release or Transfer’ signed by Senators owner CLARK GRIFFITH after Johnson's final season in 1927, and an engraved six-piece tea set celebrating the 20th anniversary of Johnson's signing with the team.” Johnson's daughter, CAROLYN THOMAS, and her son, HANK THOMAS, said that it was “simply time to start parting” with the items (AP, 2/19)….Pine Manor College reps tomorrow will go before the Brookline (Mass.) Zoning Board of Appeals to “seek permission to sell off” 5.2 acres to Patriots QB TOM BRADY and his wife, GISELE BUNDCHEN, who “plan to build a home on the Chestnut Hill property” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/20)….NASCAR Foundation Exec Dir LORENE KING said that two initiatives she “would like to expand” are the NASCAR Dreams program and the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/20)….Former MLBer MIKE PIAZZA is teaming with RALPH WINTER and TERRY BOTWICK’s 1019 Entertainment to produce “Constantine,” a film about the Roman emperor (VARIETY.com, 2/19)….NASCAR driver AUSTIN DILLON yesterday in Daytona Beach went up “on an Air Force F-16 with a Thunderbirds’ pilot” (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/20).
