Knicks F CARMELO ANTHONY and Heat F CHRIS BOSH appeared on Wednesday night's episode of "Law & Order: SVU" on NBC (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/29). Up next, Anthony is “planning to make an appearance" on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" (ESPN.com, 9/29). Meanwhile, Thunder F KEVIN DURANT’s upcoming movie is “a talent-switching film in which Durant comes into contact with a high-schooler with marginal skills.” With a bit of “movie magic, the kid becomes the star of his league, while Durant can’t shoot the basketball into the ocean.” A Warner Bros. spokesperson said that the picture “is expected to be released in 2012.” Durant said, “(The movie is) good timing considering what’s going on.” He added that “'it feels a little crazy' to not be prepping for training camp” (TULSA WORLD, 9/30).
PROFILE VIEW: The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE’s Bob Fortus profiles MLB Rangers COO RICK GEORGE, a former New Orleans resident and PGA Tour exec who joined the baseball club last October. Rangers President & CEO NOLAN RYAN said, “While his track record and achievements certainly are impressive, his ability to build relationships with everyone around him truly sets him apart.” Former Fore!Kids Foundation Chair MIKE RODRIGUE said, “I always thought he could be a CEO in any field he went to. He’s such a people person. We always described him, when he entered a room, he was like a roach in a match box. He was so eager to meet everybody” (NOLA.com, 9/29).
STAYING TRUE TO HIS ROOTS: NBC’s “Today” show Friday profiled Jets QB MARK SANCHEZ. NBC’s Natalie Morales noted Sanchez, a “third-generation Mexican-American,” has “supported organizations that are important to his family’s roots,” including the Hollenbeck Youth Center in East L.A., where his mother grew up. Sanchez said, “Before I can donate money, I can donate time.” Morales said the Hispanic community overall “has shown a growing interest in the NFL, with viewership up by 40% since 2008 in games simulcast in Spanish.” Morales said to Sanchez, “You are seeing a lot of fans. Football used to be soccer, but now because of you they're on your side now.” Sanchez replied, “It’s wonderful. I see big sombreros and stuff at games. That’s so cool for me” (“Today,” NBC, 9/30).
LATE NIGHT TALK: Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” Thursday and host STEPHEN COLBERT said, “My guest tonight is a billionaire entrepreneur and the owner of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. The interview won't really get exciting until the fourth quarter.” Colbert said of the Mavericks winning the NBA Championship, “People said it couldn’t be done. ... They told me year after year, ‘You're an idiot. It's never going to happen,’ and here we are, champs.” Colbert wondered, “As a billionaire, do you get hit up for cash by politicians all the time?” Cuban: “All the time. I mean, I get phone calls, e-mails, letters, FedEx, UPS, everything.” Colbert: “Has KARL ROVE ever hit you up for money?” Cuban: “He sent me a ham.” Cuban said he has not “given to a political campaign or politician in years. It’s been a long time.” Colbert: “So you're due. You're like the slot machine that's all warmed up. The right person's just got to stick a quarter in you” (“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central, 9/29).
HELPING HAND? Buffalo-based Delaware North Cos. Chair & CEO and Bruins Owner JEREMY JACOBS “refuted reports that he would be willing to fund" the Univ. of Buffalo’s climb into D-I hockey the way Sabres Owner TERRY PEGULA did last year with Penn State. Pegula paid $88M “for men’s and women’s programs and a new arena.” In Buffalo, Bucky Gleason writes “it would be shocking" if Jacobs "wasn’t involved in some form." He is "deeply loyal to UB and has donated some $18 million to the school” (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/30).
NAMES: Yankees SS DEREK JETER was seen dining Saturday at Abe & Arthurs in N.Y. with former Yankees OF GERALD WILLIAMS and Bobcats Owner MICHAEL JORDAN. One table over were Giants RBs AHMAD BRADSHAW and BRANDON JACOBS. Also at the restaurant were Rangers C BRAD RICHARDS, RW MARIAN GABORIK and LW BRANDON PRUST (N.Y. POST, 9/30)….NBC's TONY DUNGY, the national spokesperson for Family’s First’s All Pro Dad Program, writes an op-ed in Friday's USA Today. Dungy writes, “America’s men must step up and realize the difference they can make in their children’s lives” (USA TODAY, 9/30)....Falcons Owner ARTHUR BLANK sold his seven-bedroom Atlanta home on Sept. 15 for $3.8M, “a 64 percent adjustment from its initial listing of $10.5 million in April 2008” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/30).
