Tronc has accused Lakers investor PATRICK SOON-SHIONG of "demanding an investment in his own company before he agreed to buy millions of shares in the newspaper publisher last year" in the "latest flare-up between the two top investors in the L.A. Times' parent company" (L.A. TIMES, 4/4).
CONGRATULATIONS ALL AROUND: The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass named as recipients of the VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award Indians President of Baseball Operations CHRIS ANTONETTI, marketing agency MKTG VP JENNIFER MASI and The Legacy Agency co-Founder & Principal RUSS SPIELMAN (UMass)....The Alabama Sports HOF will recognize ESPN Senior VP/Events PETE DERZIS as one of two Distinguished Sportsmen at the 49th Annual State of Alabama Sports HOF Induction Banquet on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Derzis also served as UAB Associate AD from '77-90 (AL.com, 4/2)....The Women's Basketball Coaches Association awarded DePaul AD JEAN LENTI PONSETTO its '17 WBCA President's Award (WBCA)....Hawks CMO MELISSA PROCTOR has been named a recipient of The Network Journal's "40 Under Forty Achievement Award" (Hawks)....The Penn State College of Engineering named Populous Senior Principal SCOTT RADECIC a '17 Outstanding Engineering Alumnus (Penn State).
PLAY BALL! As part of the pregame ceremonies at yesterday's Pirates-Red Sox, there was "a moment of silence to honor the memory" of former MLBers DAVE FERRISS and RUBEN AMARO SR., and former MLB Senior VP/Scheduling & Club Relations KATY FEENEY (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/4)....Boston Mayor MARTY WALSH, former U.S. Secretary of State JOHN KERRY and MSNBC's JOE SCARBOROUGH watched yesterday's Pirates-Red Sox game together from a Fenway Park luxury box (BOSTON HERALD, 4/4)....On MLB’s Opening Day, Sens. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) and ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) and Rep. BILL PASCRELL JR. (D-N.J.) “introduced legislation to award” Baseball HOFer LARRY DOBY the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously (NJ.com, 4/3).
NAMES: Crain's Cleveland Business released its "Five to watch in sports business list." Among those selected were Cavaliers VP/Partnership Marketing & Strategy SHELLY CAYETTE, Browns Senior VP/Marketing & Media DAVID FREEMAN and Indians Assistant GMs MATT FORMAN and CARTER HAWKINS (CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 4/3 issue)....Virginia Tech football coach JUSTIN FUENTE has "agreed to a two-year contract extension" that will see him earn $4M in the last year of the deal (WASHINGTON POST, 4/4)....Packers DT RICKY JEAN FRANCOIS said that he “owns 25 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises.” Francois: “I’m going on year nine, and I have so many different investments and opportunities, so the day I have to walk out of the league, I won’t have those second guesses. I won’t be those guys you see on ’30 for 30’” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com 3/30)....PELE and Bunim/Murray Productions, producers of “KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS,” are partnering with Pele’s manager PAUL KEMSLEY to develop a limited scripted series based on the soccer player’s life. This series will delve into his life in N.Y. in the mid-‘70’s while playing for the Cosmos alongside other international players (BMP).
