In Cincinnati, Josh Pichler profiled Reds Owner & CEO BOB CASTELLINI, who this offseason “arguably made the biggest news" by securing the '15 All Star Game. It is the “latest check mark on Castellini’s high-impact to-do list, which has included making good on promises on everything from delivering a playoff team … to helping jump-start the Banks development.” MLB execs say that Castellini’s “leadership starts with getting the little things right.” This is why Castellini “attends almost every home game, why he makes a point to mix with the fans, and why he’s out front publicly despite a personal preference to avoid the spotlight” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 3/31).
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: In N.Y., David Waldstein notes Yankees GM BRIAN CASHMAN's broken right ankle will "remain in a cast and be so immobilized" that he will have Yankees Assistant GM BILLY EPPLER "move into his house for a month to help him get back and forth to the stadium.” Cashman suffered the injury during a charity sky dive with the U.S. Army Golden Knights on March 4. He said that one of the Army colonels from his jump had previously “moved into his place in Tampa, Fla., to help” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/1).
DEFENDING CHARITABLE EFFORTS: In a special to the BOSTON GLOBE, Red Sox P CRAIG BRESLOW noted the paper in Feb. published an article titled “In Nonprofit Game, Athletes Post Losing Records.” Breslow wrote, “As the brother of a cancer survivor and a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who founded the Strike 3 Foundation, it is unclear to me how a real loss could be defined within the context of raising money to cure a disease.” He asked, "What percentage of a dollar disbursed makes that dollar too little to bother raising? What research oncologist turns away $37,000 because it isn’t $100,000?” Breslow: “I may not be equipped to answer this question, but I would be happy to connect the author of the article to the oncologists, nurses, patients, and families at Yale who could probably share some insight” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/29).
AROUND THE HORN: NBC’s Al Roker broadcast from the White House lawn this morning in advance of the 135th Easter Egg Roll. Roker was joined by the Nationals' Racing Presidents. Roker at one point turned to the Presidents positioned behind him and said, “Don’t you have Opening Day coming up? Get going, you got to get to Nationals Stadium.” NBC’s Willie Geist said, “I couldn’t tell because of the puppet hands, but I think ABE LINCOLN just flipped you off" (“Today,” NBC, 4/1)....Boston native and singer BRIAN EVANS created an original song and video titled "At Fenway," which was "posted on YouTube" last week. The video features WILLIAM SHATNER as an umpire at Fenway Park and “was shot there after a Red Sox game last September” (ESPN.com, 3/29)….The D’Backs' Evening on the Diamond on Thursday at Chase Field raised a record $1.8M to benefit the team’s foundation (D’Backs).
