Names In The News
Jets Owner Woody Johnson organized a $7M fundraiser last night in N.Y. for presumed Republican nominee for president Sen. John McCain. Other sports notables in attendance were Yankees President Randy Levine and Genesco Co-Founder John Tatum. It was the biggest fundraiser of the campaign for McCain and of his career (Daniel Kaplan, SportsBusiness Journal).
MOST INFLUENTIAL: TIME magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People includes former tennis player ANDRE AGASSI, former cyclist LANCE ARMSTRONG, AC Milan F KAKA, LPGAer LORENA OCHOA and double-amputee South African track star OSCAR PISTORIUS as part of the Heroes & Pioneers section. ATPer ANDY RODDICK wrote about Agassi, English Premier League club Fulham G KASEY KELLER wrote about Kaka and Golf HOFer NANCY LOPEZ wrote about Ochoa. Also, former Starbucks Chair & CEO HOWARD SCHULTZ wrote about PepsiCo Chair INDRA NOOYI (TIME, 5/12 issue).
OPEN AND SHUT: Cowboys QB TONY ROMO yesterday failed in his attempt to qualify for next month's U.S. Open, shooting a 5-over 75 at the Golf Club of Dallas (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/8). ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, on whether Romo trying to qualify for the U.S. Open will be a distraction to the team: “Let the guy go and play. This is a team that’s inviting HBO in to film ’Hard Knocks’ next year. That’s not a distraction on any level?” (“PTI,” ESPN, 5/7). Meanwhile, Tennis HOFers IVAN LENDL and MICHAEL CHANG, Hockey HOFer GRANT FUHR and former NFLer BILLY JOE TOLLIVER also will try to qualify for the tournament (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/8).
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Huggins (r) Signs Contract Extension
To Stay At West Virginia Through 2018 |
PICK & BANK ROLL: West Virginia Univ. men's basketball coach BOB HUGGINS last Friday signed a contract extension with the school through 2018 that will pay him "no less than $20.5[M] in guaranteed compensation." The contract, which will terminate when Huggins turns 65, will pay him $250,000 in base salary each season as well as "supplemental compensation that begins at $1.25[M] this season and will increase by no less than $100,000 every year." Huggins on May 1 every year also will receive a $100,000 retention bonus (CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL, 5/6).
LADIES NIGHT: In L.A., Larry Stewart profiles Fox' JEANNE ZELASKO, is back on the net's Saturday baseball coverage after a "string of off-season misfortune," including a December diagnosis of thyroid cancer (L.A. TIMES, 5/8)....In Boston, Jessica Heslam writes NESN's HEIDI WATNEY, who made her debut on the net this week, is the "latest beauty-queen-turned-sportscaster" in Boston. Watney is replacing TINA CERVASIO, who in March left NESN for MSG (BOSTON HERALD, 5/8).
HONORS & RECOGNITIONS: Golfer JACK NICKLAUS yesterday was honored as the eighth recipient of the PGA Tour's Lifetime Achievement Award (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/8)....NLL Minnesota Swarm President TOM GARRITY has been named the league's Executive of the Year (Swarm)....Nets F RICHARD JEFFERSON has been charged with fifth-degree misdemeanor assault in Minneapolis after a January 27 incident in which Jefferson "grabbed a man by the throat ... and choked him until he briefly lost consciousness." His first court appearance has been scheduled for June 18 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/8)....Former NBAer CHARLES OAKLEY is aiming to launch his own cooking show, "Cafe Oakley," for which he already has filmed three episodes, including one featuring former NBAer JOHN STARKS (N.Y. POST, 5/8).
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