In Baltimore, Jeff Barker in a front-page piece noted MLB authenticators have "doubled staff during the postseason because of heightened fan interest." Authenticators are contract employees "mostly off-duty current or retired law enforcement officers." MLB Authentication Program Manager Michael Posner said that they "worked all 2,430 games of the major-league regular season and verified about 650,000 items." The authentication program began in '01, and was "precipitated in part by Operation Bullpen, an FBI investigation in the mid-1990s that uncovered an alarming amount of forged autographs and phony memorabilia" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 10/13).
GRINDING GEARS? The AP's Jenna Fryer noted NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth -- three championship contenders -- were all "involved in some sort of fracas after the checkered flag fell Saturday night" at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Monetary punishments "mean little to drivers at their level." More important, though, is the "message NASCAR sends through its actions." Penalties are a "deterrent to the drivers to show the emotion that the fans are eating up right now." But if NASCAR "looks the other way, it's openly embracing behavior that some could argue is too dangerous." It is a "no-win situation for NASCAR" (AP, 10/13).
SHAPE OF THE OCTAGON: MMA JUNKIE's Mike Bohn wrote it "makes sense" for UFC fighter Ronda Rousey to "receive more money considering her popularity and accomplishments in the sport." But when her salary is "compared to No. 1 contender Cat Zingano, who made a reported $18,000 for her UFC 178 victory last month, there's a noticeable discrepancy." Rousey said that she has "yet to cross paths with a disgruntled female fighter." Bohn wrote a "huge factor is marketability," and Rousey has "no equal in her division when it comes to name recognition and visibility" (MMAJUNKIE.com, 10/13).
