USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach profiles new Big East Commissioner VAL ACKERMAN, writing she is "attempting to prove that a basketball-centric college athletic conference can succeed in a football-dominated world." Ackerman "can't pinpoint one reason she decided to delve into her latest big project." The Big East "appealed to her because of its basketball focus and its roots as a powerhouse hoops conference." Ackerman said that she "hopes to find new potential revenue streams and that having the league based out of New York will help in that regard." She will "focus on short-term issues, such as scheduling, as well as long-term vision, such as innovative was to garner interest in the league or maintaining relationships with other commissioners and being involved in issues of NCAA governance" (USA TODAY, 8/14).
ROBERT'S RULES: Redskins QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III appears on the September cover of GQ. In excerpts not included in the story he said, "I don't smoke. I don't drink, I've never done any drugs. I need my body to be at its peak performance. ... I don't need to get in trouble because I went out and got drunk one night and I don't know how to be drunk." He added of gay players in the NFL, "I think there are (gay players) right now, and if they're looking for a window to come out, I mean, now is the window" (GQ.com, 8/13).
NAMES: Golf HOFer ANNIKA SORENSTAM will receive the Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America in February '14 (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 8/13)....MLS Sporting KC manager PETER VERMES will be inducted into the National Soccer HOF on Oct. 11 (KANSASCITY.com, 8/14)....Bengals TE JERMAINE GRESHAM recently donated $30,000 to his alma matter -- Ardmore High School in Oklahoma -- for new football team uniforms (NEWSOK.com, 8/13)....Knicks G IMAN SHUMPERT raps on MICHELLE OBAMA's new hip-hop album "PASS THE ROCK." The album is part of her Let's Move! Active Schools initiative, which "aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity" (ESPN.com, 8/13)....Former St. Louis-based WGNU-AM radio host JACK CLARK "has retained prominent St. Louis attorney CHET PLEBAN as legal counsel" for a possible suit by Angels 1B ALBERT PUJOLS (STLTODAY.com, 8/13).
