Mississippi Sports HOF & Museum Exec Dir Rick Cleveland in a special to the HATTIESBURG AMERICAN reflects on the tenure of retiring SEC Commissioner MIKE SLIVE and writes, "To call Slive a visionary doesn't really do him justice. He has guided the SEC to unprecedented heights. He has done so the way all great leaders do: by communicating, by inspiring, by building a consensus, by not being afraid to take bold chances, by surrounding himself with good people and by being passionate about his job." Slive "always has been one step ahead of the curve, including the fact he was a primary player in the long-overdue move" to a four-team CFP. Former Mississippi State AD LARRY TEMPLETON said that incoming Commissioner GREG SANKEY "brings a combination of Slive's intelligence and level-headedness to the job." Cleveland: "He will need both. Slive has set a high bar" (HATTIESBURG AMERICAN, 3/18).
A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION: Former Michael Waltrip Racing pit crew member BRANDON HOPKINS "claims he was fired from his $160,000-a-year job in August after he demanded to have surgery for an injury suffered on pit road, while the team states he was released because he stole a specially made gun on the day he asked for permission to talk to other race teams." Hopkins "sued the team in January in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte," and MWR "filed its response last week while also having the same case moved to North Carolina Business Court" (ESPN.com, 3/17).
FREE THROWS: Nets Owner MIKHAIL PROKHOROV on Friday resigned "from his own political party" in Russia. Prokhorov founded the Civic Platform party in '12. He quit the party, "saying it was 'senseless.'" The move is "seen by many as a further sign of Prokhorov's withdrawal from Russian politics to protect his business interests" (N.Y. POST, 3/18)....The L.A.-based Toberman Neighborhood Center on April 4 will honor Lakers G KOBE BRYANT and his wife VANESSA with the Bill Sharman Humanitarian Award. Lakers Exec VP/Business Operations JEANIE BUSS will present the award (Lakers)....Heat G DWYANE WADE on Monday outfitted several “well-deserving teenagers ahead of their upcoming proms.” His personal stylist “worked with 15 teenagers to get them each a custom suit and a luxury watch made by Hublot” (LOCAL10.com, 3/17).
NAMES: A’s GM BILLY BEANE “has accepted an advisory role” with Dutch soccer club AZ Alkmaar (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 3/17)....U.S. Olympian LOLO JONES was in New Orleans on Monday to “accompany 30 local kids from her foundation, Hurdles for Hope, on a shopping spree at Academy Sports + Outdoors” (NOLA.com, 3/17)....Rapper 2 CHAINZ “will perform three times” March 27 at Heat-Hawks. Doors will open at 6:00pm ET for the 7:30pm game, and the “first 5,000 fans will receive copies of the latest 2 Chainz mixtape ‘TRU Jack City’” (AJC.com, 3/17)....Lions WR CALVIN JOHNSON on Monday “proposed to girlfriend BRITTNEY MCNORTON while in Baltimore for the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation dinner” (ESPN.com, 3/17).
