In DC, Kent Babb profiles former NFLer DONTE STALLWORTH, who was recently named by the Huffington Post as one of its "national security fellows, a six-month internship of sorts that exposes hopeful journalists to the basics of reporting." Stallworth "attends news conferences and forums, conducts interviews and writes stories, goes to budget meetings and works with editors who, at least for a while, found it difficult to look beyond Stallworth’s past." Senior Politics Editor SAM STEIN said, “I’m editing somebody who was (once) on my fantasy team." Stallworth is a "news junkie with strong opinions he has had no problem sharing over the past five years, for better or worse" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/23).
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Burton Snowboards Founder & Chair JAKE BURTON appears in Tuesday's "What's Your Workout" feature in the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Burton sets an "annual goal of snowboarding 100 days a year." A "snowboard pioneer," Burton has "hit that goal nearly every year during the past 19 years, with the exception of 2011, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer." Burton's "main form of cardio" is hiking. While at NYU, he was the captain of the swim team and "continues to get in the pool everyday when he is home." He also takes a "private Ashtanga-style yoga lesson in his home once a week" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/23).
MURDERER'S ROW? The animated film "HENRY & ME" boasts a "treasure trove of Yankees legends," including late baseball HOFers BABE RUTH and MICKEY MANTLE, along with late Owner GEORGE STEINBRENNER. Film Dir BARRETT ESPOSITO said of how it became a Yankee project, "Steinbrenner was supposed to be in the movie, he was going to play himself, but unfortunately he fell ill and passed away." Asked about cutting Yankees 3B ALEX RODRIGUEZ from the film, Esposito said, "That was a decision that was made by the studio. ... But I think whoever ended up deciding to cut him from the film it was because we just didn’t want the distraction. It’s a movie about empowering children, and I think it sends the wrong message" (VARIETY.com, 12/20).
STEP RIGHT UP: The trustee who is "recovering money for victims of BERNARD MADOFF's Ponzi scheme announced Monday another round of intended distributions of recovered funds." That "helps the Mets' owners, the WILPON family." The Wilpons, "like other victims, can deduct the 48.546 cents per dollar from their lost funds" from the $162M eventually owed to the trustee (ESPNNY.com, 12/22)....Payments of $8,891.82 per month will be made to pay off former MLBer DARRYL STRAWBERRY's "tax debts" from '89, '90, '03 and '04, and the IRS on Jan. 20 "will auction off the right to receive the monthly checks." The IRS has "set a minimum bid of $550,000 for the right to receive the remaining payments" of $1.28M (N.Y. TIMES, 12/23).
SEASON OF GIVING: Steinbrenner's Silver Shield Foundation “will pay for the education" of the children of RAFAEL RAMOS and WENJIAN LIU, the NYPD officers who were killed Saturday. The foundation “will provide an education fund of $20,000 per child to assist with tuition payments for prep school, college and university undergraduate and graduate school, vocational and technical school and tutoring services” (MLB.com, 12/22)....The Serena Williams Fund on Friday announced a grant to The Caliber Foundation, an organization focused on the victims, families and communities damaged by illegal gun violence in the U.S. (Serena Williams Fund).
NAMES: PRESIDENT OBAMA “has yet to attend an NHL game while in office, but many had hoped that the upcoming Winter Classic would provide the perfect opportunity” with it being at Nationals Park. Obama, however, “will be vacationing with his family” in Hawaii on Jan. 1 (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/22)....Former MLBer DEREK JETER “partied at a private bash with 30 attractive girls, a group of his friends and an open bar until 2 a.m. Monday morning” at the Arthur lounge inside N.Y.'s Chester restaurant to watch Seahawks-Cardinals on “SNF” (N.Y. POST, 12/23)....The Florida Council on Economic Education named Lightning Owner JEFF VINIK an honoree for ’15. An induction ceremony is scheduled for March 26 in Tampa (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/22)....TIGER WOODS “has three projects on his design platter -- Bluejack National near Houston, which is set to open next fall; a collaboration with DONALD TRUMP for an 18-hole course in Dubai; and a second course, tentatively called The Oasis, at Cabo’s Diamante.” Business is "very good as Woods begins leaving his permanent imprint on the game.” In Q1 of '15, he “will cut the ribbon on his first restaurant, The Woods Jupiter: Sports and Dining Club near West Palm Beach, Fla.” (USA TODAY, 12/23)....Organizers of Downtown Indy’s New Year’s Eve Celebration on Monday “unveiled the custom car that will be suspended high” in the air and ultimately descend as “the crowd counts down” to ’15. The celebration “is set to kick off at the end” of Heat-Pacers that afternoon. Downtown Indy President SHERRY SEIWERT said that as organizers “mulled ways to put the Indianapolis signature on the New Year’s Eve event, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Verizon IndyCar series stepped up” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/23).
