In San Jose, Cam Inman reports some former 49ers players have "not always felt" an open-door policy in recent years, and the team is "striving to change that." 49ers GM John Lynch was in the midst of NFL Draft meetings when Pro Football HOFer Steve Young "texted and politely asked permission to visit." Lynch’s reply: "I said, 'Steve, whatever you want and I’ve told you that. You're always welcome.'" Young "enjoyed the new, calming aura." Young’s "stealth presence to the side of the practice field resulted in happy greetings" from former teammate Keena Turner, 49ers consultant Dr. Harry Edwards and CEO Jed York (MERCURYNEWS.com, 4/13).
THEY'RE WORKING ON IT: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner reports Baseball HOF officials are "still seeking items to display" from the Cubs' '16 World Series title. The HOF usually collects equipment used in a World Series "immediately after the final game." A Cubs spokesperson said that the team’s archivist was "still in the process of donating items to the Hall and was expected to send items from the World Series" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/14).
PLAYER OR PRIMATE? In K.C., Pete Grathoff notes a new feature that was played between innings of the Royals’ Crown Vision board during Wednesday’s game "drew criticism from fans and won’t be returning." The “Player or Primate” contest "starts with an extreme close-up of hair, and fans are left to guess if it is a picture of a human or an animal." The Royals "didn’t hear directly from unhappy fans, but the team thought it best to stop using the segment." Royals VP/Publicity Toby Cook said, "We were not happy with the results, and the feature will not be shown again" (K.C. STAR, 4/14).
