Several hundred people yesterday "gathered at the Basilica at St. Vincent College" in Pittsburgh for a commemorative church service for late Steelers Owner DAN ROONEY. The service coincided with the "third day of the Steelers' training camp at the college." Steelers President ART ROONEY II "delivered the first reading of scripture, followed by a second reading from" Steelers GM KEVIN COLBERT. Rooney: "It's a beautiful day, and it was great to have everybody join us for Mass and remember my dad" (TRIBLIVE.com, 7/30).
I'LL HAVE WHAT HE'S HAVING: Hornets GM RICH CHO's "food 'scouting report' blog, Big Time Bites, has officially launched," as he "wants to share his culinary command with the world." After Cho's Instagram feed "blew up among NBA executives, a blog seemed like the next logical step." Cho has "long snapped photos of his meals, followed by grading the spread among his dining parties." He has "already posted 68 evaluations of premier dishes on the site, rating meals on a five-point scale." The rubric "isn’t comprised of stars, but basketball decals housing the Big Time Bites logo, and Cho marks each plate from 'rotation' to 'Hall of Fame.'" Small Spalding NBA balls "indicate the price as opposed to traditional dollar signs" (SI.com, 7/29).
THE GOOD STUFF: Phoenix Mercury C BRITTNEY GRINER has "donated $5,000 that she earned for winning the WNBA’s Cares Community Assist Award" to a Phoenix LGBT youth center. Griner made the donation after she heard the center had been "damaged in a suspected arson earlier this month." She also "started a social media campaign to help raise more money for the organization" that she has volunteered for in the past (AP, 7/30)....T'Wolves F TAJ GIBSON made a $20,000 donation to help fund care for a three-year-old in his native Brooklyn. CHYNNA BATTLE, 21, was "killed in a Brooklyn shooting earlier this month," and her family has a "goal of raising $30,000 to help care" for her daughter (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/30).
TYING THE KNOT: N.Y.-based investment firm Allen & Co. VP MICHAEL MELNITZKY and ALLISON GREENBERG were married Saturday at Maritime Parc in Jersey City. Melnitzky “specializes in the sales and acquisitions of professional sports franchises" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/30)....St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist BENJAMIN HOCHMAN and ANGELA LAROCCA were married July 1 (N.Y. TIMES, 7/30)….Golfer SERGIO GARCIA and ANGELA ATKINS were married on Saturday. Garcia was seen “wearing a certain green jacket” during the festivities (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 7/30).
NAMES: PRESIDENT TRUMP has accepted an invitation to be Honorary Chair of the Presidents Cup when the competition is held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City on Sept. 26-Oct. 1 (PGA Tour)....Warriors F DRAYMOND GREEN was a guest at Dolphins HQ yesterday, “watching practice from the sidelines and addressing the team before it ended.” Green has a relationship with Dolphins coach ADAM GASE, a fellow Michigan State Spartan, and is also a member of the advisory board of Dolphins Owner STEPHEN ROSS’ RISE outfit, an “anti-racism initiative that uses sports to bridge divides” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/31)....ESPN’s JEMELE HILL was a guest judge on yesterday’s episode of “FOOD NETWORK STAR.” Hill said, “I’m a decent cook, but I’ve always loved cooking shows because I’m fascinated by the process.” Hill taped the episode in L.A. a “few months ago” (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 7/29)....ESPN’s SEAN MCDONOUGH yesterday was “one of four inductees” to the Triple-A Int’l League Syracuse Chiefs' Wall of Fame (SYRACUSE.com, 7/30).
