In Sacramento, Marcos Breton profiled Sac Soccer Chair & CEO KEVIN NAGLE, who "made a fortune starting and then selling pharmaceutical companies before investing in Republic FC and moving the minor-league soccer franchise to the brink of a berth" in MLS. Nagle is also "known as a key local investor in the Kings." With Republic FC, Nagle is "trying to up the ante by proving that Sacramento is a place that supports not only professional sports teams, but major investments of hundreds of millions of dollars." He is "taking the risk himself by putting up his own money while recruiting big name investors" such as Hewlett-Packard CEO MEG WHITMAN, and "using that clout to finance the rest" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/28).
NOT GOING ANYWHERE: The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly profiled Toronto FC GM TIM BEZBATCHENKO, who is "less feted and far less talked about than his peers in the city's hockey, basketball and baseball organizations." But he has "quietly laid out a vision that puts him in position to become the most transformative team executive in Toronto's modern history." Reputationally, he has been "squeezed between" Oak View Group CEO TIM LEIWEKE's "enormous personality and the eventual rise of the team." Since Bezbatchenko "wasn't greeted" like a "sports messiah on the way in the door, too few plaudits have fallen his way now that he's part of the furniture" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/29).
NO DAYS OFF: Bruins D ZDENO CHARA is profiled in the WALL STREET JOURNAL's "What's Your Workout?" feature. Chara spends much of his offseason "on a bike and has trained on roads that have been parts of Tour de France mountain stages." Chara does a drill called the band-assisted "partner pushdown." One person "loops a large exercise band" around their waist." The other person "anchors the band with one hand and pushes their partner into a lateral squat position with the free hand." The person in the squat "immediately explodes back into the upright position" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/29).
NAMES: Cubs 1B ANTHONY RIZZO's charitable contributions and involvement with pediatric patients earned him MLB's Roberto Clemente Award for '17 (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/29)....The L.A. Chapter of Women in Sports & Events named the recipients of its '17 Women of Inspiration Award: LA 2028 Vice Chair JANET EVANS, UCLA women's gymnastics coach VALORIE KONDOS FIELD and WNBA Sparks President & COO CHRISTINE SIMMONS (WISE)....NHL Senior Dir of Hockey Operations KAY WHITMORE has been "ordered by a judge to pay back $384,000 he received after investing in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme run by a Vancouver notary" (THEPROVINCE.com, 10/27)....Musician STEVE AOKI and COLIN KAEPERNICK visited a mural and posted photos on social media to honor the “work of Japanese-Americans and civil rights activists who helped them win reparations from the U.S. government” (MERCURYNEWS.com, 10/29)....The title role in “THE SIMONE BILES STORY,” a Lifetime biopic set to air in ’18, will be played by JEANTE GODLOCK (NBCSPORTS.com, 10/27)....SB Nation’s KRISTIAN WINFIELD was “slashed in the face” near a food cart in the Meatpacking District of N.Y. yesterday (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 10/30)....Fox Sports’ ALEX RODRIGUEZ, KEVIN BURKHARDT and JOHN SMOLTZ on Thursday “were spotted at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston" (PAGESIX.com, 10/27).
