FLIPPING THE BIRD: JOHN KROWNAPPLE, who is one of the
Orioles' "Bird" mascots, is recovering from a sprained ankle
and bruised shoulder sustained after LOUIS VITAGLYANO of
Philadelphia "shoved" "The Bird" off a 7-foot-high platform
onto the field during Tuesday's game. Orioles Dir of PR
JOHN MAROON: "When somebody assaults the bird, it detracts
from the enjoyment of the game." Vitaglyano was arrested
and charged with second-degree assault and reckless
endangerment (Baltimore SUN, 5/7).
MORE NAMES: 49ers co-Owner EDDIE DEBARTOLO's
spokesperson RICK RICE "confirmed" that DeBartolo has put
his Bay Area home up for sale and "acknowledged a 'high
possibility' that he will move" to FL. But Rice "cautioned
against" the notion that DeBartolo's move is "a sign he has
given up hopes of regaining control" of the 49ers, noting
that he ran the team "successfully" from OH before moving to
the Bay Area in '96 (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 5/7)....When NFL
execs visited L.A. on Thursday to "confer with prospective"
expansion team owners, ED ROSKI was not in attendance, as he
"was in New Guinea with an expedition seeking the source of
the Sepik River" (L.A. TIMES, 5/7)....The Stanley Cup will
be featured in the "5K Revlon Run Walk for Women" tomorrow
in L.A. as part of the "Stanley Cup Hockey Fights Cancer
Tour." The Cup will be chaperoned by film producer JERRY
BRUCKHEIMER and actor SCOTT WOLF (NHL)....Predators captain
TOM FITZGERALD will appear on the "Late Show" with David
Letterman tonight. More than 400 Nashville residents were
flown to N.Y. for the taping (USA TODAY, 5/7). Fitzgerald
reads the "Top 10 Nashville Predators Pick-Up Lines." Among
the highlights: No. 9: "I may be a Predator but I'm also a
Titan." No. 6) "Remember when you said you'd go to bed with
me the day Nashville gets a hockey team?" (TENNESSEAN, 5/7).
...In Chicago, Raymond Coffey notes the financial
contributions that White Sox/Bulls Chair JERRY REINSDORF has
given to Chicago schools. Reinsdorf has contributed $3.5M
for a Bulls Scholars Program, under which 40 students in
each of Chicago's 25 middle schools receive assistance in
their transition to high school. Reinsdorf is also funding
a program to train teachers at 12 schools in a "direct
instruction" technique (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/7)....WILLIAM
SANDERS, the father of Lions RB BARRY SANDERS, said that his
son "is too loyal to ask to be traded." William Sanders
added that Lions Owner WILLIAM FORD is "great," but "there's
no way in the world Mr. Ford would hire some guys to run his
company like they run his football team. If he did, he
wouldn't sell a car" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/7)....WALTER
PAYTON will appear in a PSA promoting organ donation that
will air during CBS's "Touched By an Angel" on May 16
(Mult., 5/7)....In Boston, Steve Bailey reports that LARRY
KING is in "splitsville" from Boston agency WOOLF
ASSOCIATES, which has filed suit against the talk-show host
for the move. King signed with the late Bob Woolf in '78
(BOSTON GLOBE, 5/7)....Olympic Gold Medalist & U.S. Women's
soccer team member TIFFANY ROBERTS, swimmer SABIR MUHAMMED
and softball player TRINITY JOHNSON spoke to Houston-area
middle school students yesterday on behalf of Champion
Int'l's "Getting Ahead Means Education" program (S&S).
