Two days after losing a tightly contested local election in Westpost, Conn., NBC Sports Ventures Senior VP ROB SIMMELKJAER said he has not decided whether he wants to run for political office again. Running to be the town's second selectman, Simmelkjaer, a Democrat, and his running mate MELISSA KANE lost by 452 votes out of 8,380 total votes cast. Speaking before a panel at the Lagardère Sports esports Rising conference on Thursday, Simmelkjaer said the experience of running for political office was intoxicating. “I’m glad I ran,” Simmelkjaer said. “I was disappointed to lose, but the experience of going through a political campaign was worth it" (John Ourand, Staff Writer)
SEEKING SHELTER: Hurricanes Owner PETER KARMANOS JR. is "among the major-league team owners" mentioned as "benefiting in the past from offshore tax havens." Other owners mentioned were the Patriots' ROBERT KRAFT, the Heat's MICKY ARISON and the Celtics' STEVE PAGLICUA (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 11/10). The Kraft business is an "offshoot of the family’s International Forest Products wood and paper business." A spokesperson for Kraft said that Kraft’s offshore company was "created to do business with certain customers and dealt with relatively small sums of money" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/10).
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER: MLB Commissioner ROB MANFRED on Thursday night received the Jacob K. Javits Lifetime Achievement Award at the ALS Association Greater N.Y. Chapter’s 23rd Annual Lou Gehrig Sports Awards Benefit. MLB Chief Baseball Officer JOE TORRE presented Manfred with the honor. Other honorees include former UConn basketball coach JIM CALHOUN and former NFLers ANTREL ROLLE and TIM SHAW (ALS Association)....Former NFLer DWIGHT CLARK on Thursday was inducted into the San Jose Sports HOF. Unable to "attend the event in person because of his declining health," Clark "sent along a taped acceptance speech that addressed" his ALS. Clark was one of five new inductees, and each new member will "have a bronze plaque permanently installed along the concourse" at SAP Center (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 11/10)....Former NFLer RON JAWORSKI entered the Philadelphia Sports HOF last week, along with NFL Net's ANDREA KREMER (NJ.com, 11/9).
NAMES: Cubs President of Baseball Operations THEO EPSTEIN's Foundation to be Named Later on Thursday "presented BASE, a Boston-based program that inspires disadvantaged youth to further their education, with a $150,000 grant to help bring it to Chicago" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/10)....Patriots DT RICKY JEAN FRANCOIS said he owns 30 Dunkin' Donuts franchises and is "trying to get up to 50." His franchise locations stretch from Savannah, Ga., to Hilton Head, S.C. (BOSTON HERALD, 11/10)....Among those in attendance at Thursday's DC premiere of HBO's upcoming documentary, "THE NEWSPAPERMAN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN BRADLEE," were ESPN's TONY KORNHEISER and WNBA Washington Mystics Vice Chair, President & Managing Partner SHEILA JOHNSON (POLITICO.com, 11/9)....Former boxer BUSTER DOUGLAS and 1,800 guests last week attended Fight Night, a Fight for Children fundraiser that "generates funds for early childhood education initiatives" in the DC area (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 11/8).
IN MEMORY: Former Saints Exec VP DICK GORDON "died Monday at 88 at his home" in San Marcos, Calif. Gordon, who worked in the Saints front office in the early '70s, "personally was remembered as an honorable man who was simply out of his element in the NFL." Former Saints Dir of Entertainment BARRA BIRCHER said, "He was an astronaut, so obviously, he was a very intelligent man." Gordon oversaw the team's "move to the Superdome" in '75 (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 11/9).
