RAFAEL NADAL yesterday in Paris filed suit against former France Minister for Health & Sport ROSELYNE BACHELOT, who "accused him of doping." Nadal said that he "needs to defend his integrity and image as an athlete" and cited Bachelot's "'offensive remarks' on French television last month" as a reason for filing the defamation suit. Bachelot said that Nadal's seven-month injury hiatus in '12 was "probably due to a positive doping test" (AP, 4/25).
THE INTERVIEW: USA TODAY's Rem Rieder profiles ESPN Senior Dir of Talent Development JOHN SAWATSKY and writes "whether you are a news consumer or a news professional, you will never watch interviews the same way after you spend some time listening to Sawatsky." To get the best information, the 67-year-old Sawatsky "advocates questions that are open-ended, especially those that begin with 'what,' 'how' and 'why,' designed to elicit description and elaboration; neutral in tone; and lean." There are times "when closed questions are okay, but not all that many" (USA TODAY, 4/26).
BALL GAME: Tennis Channel Founder STEVE BELLAMY has created Live Ball, an "amped up [tennis] version of a double round robin fueled by trash talk" that "does away with the serve and return, which means players hit nearly 10 times as many balls." Bellamy started the game when he "saw amateur players leaving" tennis for yoga and spin class. He "experimented with some variations and came up with a format he thought offered a more exciting workout than traditional tennis" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/26).
SPRING READING: Simon & Schuster yesterday hosted a release party at The Half King in N.Y. for Wall Street Journal reporter MATTHEW FUTTERMAN's book, "PLAYERS: THE STORY OF SPORTS AND MONEY, AND THE VISIONARIES WHO FOUGHT TO CREATE A REVOLUTION." Attendees included Herrick Feinstein Partners DAN ETNA, JOHN GOLDMAN and IRWIN KISHNER; Inner Circle Sport Partner STEVE HOROWITZ; NBC Sports Senior VP/Communications GREG HUGHES and Senior VP/Strategic Communications for Regional Nets TIM BUCKMAN; USOC Senior Dir of Communications MARK JONES and Associate Dir of Communications CHRISTY CAHILL; and Fox Sports Senior VP/Communications LOU D'ERMILIO (Alex Silverman, Staff Writer).
NAMES: Indiana G YOGI FERRELL has signed with agent KEITH KREITER of Edge Sports Int'l ahead of the NBA Draft (THE DAILY)....Seahawks CB RICHARD SHERMAN and his fiancee ASHLEY MOSS "have welcomed their second child, a daughter, AVERY" (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/26)....Fox Sports' ERIN ANDREWS yesterday “settled her lawsuit against a hotel owner and operator that allowed her stalker to secretly record her.” The terms of the agreement are "confidential." A jury last month determined that West End Hotel Partners and Windsor Capital Group were “on the hook” for $27M awarded to Andrews (TENNESSEAN.com, 4/25)....Former NFLer STEVE WEATHERFORD yesterday once again “helped several students’ prom dreams come true” at Newark’s Barringer High School. This is the third straight year of "Project Prom" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 4/26)....The D-backs were recognized as one of the recipients of the Jackie Robinson Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner awards during a special pregame ceremony over the weekend. The awards are given on an annual basis to minority-owned, women-owned and other diverse-owned businesses and organizations whose work reflects the character and of Robinson’s legacy (D-backs).
