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President Obama Honors Penguins
At White House Ceremony |
PRESIDENT OBAMA Thursday honored the Penguins for their Stanley Cup championship in a White House ceremony that lasted "about 10 minutes." Penguins RW BILL GUERIN: "I know they're busy guys, but he really did take the time to spend a few minutes with us, so it was really cool." Penguins co-Owner MARIO LEMIEUX, CEO KEN SAWYER, President DAVID MOREHOUSE and GM RAY SHERO also were present for the ceremony (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/11).
HONOR ROLL: Angels CF TORII HUNTER Thursday was named the winner of the Branch Rickey Award, which was created by the Rotary Club of Denver to "honor individuals in baseball who contribute to their communities and are strong role models." Hunter Thursday also was named as the Angels' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award (L.A. TIMES, 9/11)....MLB Productions will name its Secaucus, New Jersey-based studios after Baseball HOF broadcasters ERNIE HARWELL, MEL ALLEN and VIN SCULLY (MLB.com, 9/10)....CBS' JIM NANTZ on Monday will receive the President & Mrs. George H.W. Bush Community Impact Award at a luncheon at The Houstonian Hotel in Houston. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greater Houston Fellowship of Christian Athletes (CBS).
GIVING BACK: Pacers co-Owner HERB SIMON has donated $1M from his Herbert Simon Family Foundation to the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. The money will pay for "books and programs to help caregivers in up to 260 home day-care centers teach preschoolers to read," and the donation also will "fund an early reading Web site and educational programs" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 9/11)....Red Sox P JOSH BECKETT Thursday night hosted the Beckett Bowl, "his annual bowling tournament that raises money for his foundation and Children's Hospital Boston" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/11).
NAMES: Ginn Resorts Chair & CEO BOBBY GINN "has given up his company's stake in a proposed private ski resort at Battle Mountain" in Minturn, Colorado. Crave Real Estate Ventures will take over the project (VAIL DAILY, 9/10)....New independent Atlantic League Newark Bears Senior VP DWIGHT GOODEN Thursday outlined his plans to "launch the Dwight Gooden Baseball Academy." Gooden said that plans are "afoot to add indoor facilities" at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium "for year-round camps, as well as regular Little League Tournaments." The Bears are pitching the plan as part of an effort to "revive the fledgling club and restore Newark's baseball glory days" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 9/11)....Cavaliers F LEBRON JAMES Wednesday night attended a party at the Monkey Bar in N.Y. thrown by Vanity Fair Editor GRAYDON CARTER for James' new book, "SHOOTING STARS." Revlon Chair RONALD PERELMAN, The Weinstein Co. co-Founder HARVEY WEINSTEIN, director RON HOWARD, NV Investments President VIVI NEVO and author FRAN LEBOWITZ were among the attendees (N.Y. POST, 9/11)...U.S. Gold Medal-winning short-track speedskater APOLO ANTON OHNO is featured Friday in USA TODAY's "Traveling With The Stars" feature (USA TODAY, 9/11).
IN MEMORY: Bobcats Investor SKIPPER BECK died Friday morning when his single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Rock Hill York County Airport in South Carolina. A family spokesperson said that Beck "was piloting the plane" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 9/11). Bobcats Owner BOB JOHNSON in a statement said, "Skipper loved basketball and was instrumental in bringing the Bobcats to Charlotte. ... We will miss him courtside" (Bobcats).
