In Boston, Michele Morgan Bolton profiles Patriots Charitable Foundation President JOSH KRAFT, who also serves as Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston President & CEO. He said, “People always say to me, you’re a Kraft, what are you doing working at a Boys & Girls Club when you could be sitting around watching ESPN all day?" Bolton notes the Kraft family has “donated more than $100 million to philanthropies they hold close, from education and cancer research to youth sports, and American and Israeli causes, among others” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2).
MEETING MINUTES: In L.A., Lin II & Pringle report the L.A. Memorial Coliseum Commission “came under fire from state officials Wednesday for a lack of transparency, then was forced to cancel its monthly meeting halfway into the session after officials acknowledged the venue had failed to publicly post the agenda as required by law” (L.A. TIMES, 2/2).
CHARITY STRIPE: Boston- and N.Y.-area Dunkin' Donuts “have joined in on the frenzied Super Bowl XLVI wagers.” If the Patriots win on Sunday, the N.Y. franchises “will make a $5,000 donation to the Myra Kraft Giving Back Fund at the Boys & Girls Club.” If the Giants win, Boston franchises will “pony up $5,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/2)….Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater K.C. named Royals 1B ERIC HOSMER a celebrity ambassador (Royals).
NAMES: Cavaliers Owner DAN GILBERT “celebrated the grand reopening” of his Rock Ventures building in downtown Detroit this week as part of his campaign to turn the area “into a digital entrepreneurial hub by redeveloping historic buildings.” He said that he “plans to renovate” the Federal Reserve building and “use it to attract new companies to downtown.” The purchase would be “the ninth building acquired by Gilbert and his partners since moving” Quicken Loans’ HQ downtown in ’10 (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/2)….Knicks C TYSON CHANDLER is “renting a five-bedroom, five-plus-bathroom, 3,585-square-foot unit at the Rushmore condo building” in N.Y., with the asking price around “$32,500 per month.” Yankees 3B ALEX RODRIGUEZ reportedly has his full-floor five-bedroom unit in the Rushmore building on the market with an $8M price tag. Knicks G IMAN SHUMPERT is renting a $5,000-per-month condo in White Plains (N.Y. POST, 2/2)….The Pujols 5 Westport Grill is being renamed the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar & Grill in the wake of ALBERT PUJOLS signing with the Angels (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/2)….Tennis player SERENA WILLIAMS was spotted in Paris on Monday having lunch at L’Avenue with tennis player GRIGOR DIMITROV (N.Y. POST, 2/2).
IN MEMORY: Boxing trainer ANGELO DUNDEE died yesterday at his home in Tampa “surrounded by his family.” Dundee, 90, was best known for working with MUHAMMAD ALI and SUGAR RAY LEONARD (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/2).
