Squire Patton will lobby for the LA 2024 Exploratory Committee in support of a House resolution pushing the bid that was announced April 27 by L.A.-area Reps. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD and STEVE KNIGHT. The bill is being supported by House Majority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY, Minority Leader NANCY PELOSI, Democratic Caucus Chair XAVIER BECERRA and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman ED ROYCE, all of whom are from California (POLITICO.com, 5/9).
SNOW SAFETY: The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association formed the Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Safety & Security Foundation in memory of U.S. Ski Team prospects BRYCE ASTLE and RONNIE BERLACK, who were "killed in a slide" on Jan. 5, 2015. The mission will be to "develop a how-to guide to not only keep skiers out of harm's way on the slopes, but to tackle other issues such as what to do in case of a terrorist attack at an airport and travel from city to city given that the racers are on the road so much" (AP, 5/9).
FITNESS CLASS: Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON and trainer JAMES COOPER in March "opened O Athletik, a sprawling 35,000-square-foot facility in Houston that offers everything from MMA and boxing classes to batting cages and hot yoga." There is a "six-power-rack station rig with an obstacle course and a climbing rope for CrossFit-style workouts." It is "both a compound for Peterson and a bet on customized training options to attract millennials" (ESPN.com, 5/9)....WNBA Chicago Sky F ELENA DELLA DONNE is profiled in the WALL STREET JOURNAL's "What's Your Workout" feature, and for the past two offseasons she has "worked with a personal trainer, DINA MOORE, at the Hockessin Athletic Club in Delaware." Della Donne and her longtime trainer "focus on skills, conditioning and shooting accuracy." This year, she has "paid close attention to recovery and incorporates massage, foam rolling and yoga into her training" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/10).
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The '83 NC State men's basketball team yesterday made it "to the White House for a visit" with PRESIDENT OBAMA to celebrate their NCAA title, "33 years late." One former player explained that the NCSU in '83 "was 'frugal' and wouldn’t pay for the whole team to travel" to DC. Late coach JIM VALVANO and some of the team’s older players met with PRESIDENT REAGAN after the '83 win, but the younger players "were left out" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/10).
BUYING POWER: Penguins co-Owner RON BURKLE and co-investors SAM NAZARIAN and JONATHAN GOLDSTEIN have "won a years-long battle with JASON KALISMAN for control" of Morgans Hotel Group, agreeing to "buy it for $2.25 a share," a total of $78M. Burkle in November '13 "bid $8 a share," for a total of $278M (N.Y. POST, 5/10)....Cavaliers Owner DAN GILBERT's Bedrock Detroit has "added to its extensive downtown Woodward collection with the acquisition of two mid-size buildings." Entities related to Gilbert and Bedrock "control more than 30 properties, ranging from skyscrapers to parking garages" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/10).
AWARDS & HONORS: Spurs GM R.C. BUFORD has been named the '15-16 NBA Basketball Exec of the Year. He previously won the award in '13-14. Trail Blazers GM NEIL OLSHEY finished second in the voting with 63 points, and Warriors GM BOB MYERS was third with 38 points. Buford had 77 points (NBA)....Former Univ. of Texas football coach MACK BROWN "received the Distinguished American Award at the National Football Foundation Austin Chapter Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Monday at the Erwin Center" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 5/10)
NAMES: A federal judge “has rejected an attempt" by former MLB Cardinals Scouting Dir CHRIS CORREA to subpoena the Astros “in advance of his sentencing next month for hacking” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/10)....Baseball HOFer REGGIE JACKSON’s new website ReggiesGarage.com “went live” last week. Its mission is to be a ”one-stop-shopping destination for anyone fixing up or restoring muscle cars, largely from the ‘50s through the ‘70s.” Jackson “hopes to leverage both his fame and auto expertise to tap into a classic-car specialty parts market valued” at $36B (USA TODAY, 5/10)….DR. DAVID FISCHER, who was the team physician for the ’92 “Dream Team,” has “made available for bid a pair of game-worn, autographed shoes from nearly the entire roster,” as well as his Olympic championship ring and a “host of other memorabilia signed by the entire team” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/7).
IN MEMORY: Youth baseball program RBI Founder JOHN YOUNG “died Sunday” in L.A. at the age of 67. He designed the program to “bring African-American youth back to” baseball. He “played only two games in the big leagues but had a lasting impact on the sport” (ESPN.com, 5/9), Young “personally started RBI” in ’89 in L.A. Two years later, with Young’s guidance, MLB “took over RBI’s operations and it now serves 230,000 young men and women across the U.S., Canada, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.” Since its inception, the program “has served more than two million players” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/10).
