In Ft. Lauderdale, Larry Barszewski notes the Dan Marino Foundation has plans to open a "downtown college for the developmentally disabled." The Dan Marino Foundation Florida Vocational College "would help those with developmental disabilities move into adulthood," and the school's goal is to "get students jobs or to prepare them to be successful in a traditional college program." The school would be for students "ages 18 to 28 who have been diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other disabilities." The goal is to "open campus in the fall of 2013," and officials said that the college "will probably start off with no more than 60 students" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/8).
ON THE CATWALK: ESPNW's Adena Andrews profiled stylist RACHEL JOHNSON, who is "using the corridors of NBA arenas as her catwalk and the league's biggest stars are her models." Johnson is the league's "fashion fairy godmother, improving the style of the league, one superstar at a time." Her choices for the NBA's "elite have been influenced by street styles, art trends and classic Hollywood style." Before dressing NBAers, Johnson had a "booming career styling music industry notables, such as PHARRELL WILLIAMS, KEYSHIA COLE and JAMIE FOXX." Her NBA "fashion reign" began in '05 when rapper JAY-Z introduced her to Heat F LEBRON JAMES' manager, MAVERICK CARTER (ESPNW.com, 2/7).
PARENT TRAP: Former tennis player ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO said that her parents "have drained her" of her $59.5M "wealth and left her struggling to pay off her debts." Sanchez-Vicario in her new memoir, "ARANTXA, VAMOS! MEMOIRS OF A STRUGGLE, A LIFE AND A WOMAN," wrote that her parents "made her 'suffer a lot.'" She wrote, "My parents left me with nothing and now I am indebted to the (tax authorities) and I will not be quiet." Her mother "slammed her daughter's claims" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/8).
SUPER BOWL AFTER GLOW: Each Giants team member was given “a custom engraved 750 milliliter bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue whiskey, a gift from” DE JUSTIN TUCK. Each bottle had the “player’s name and Super Bowl XLVI champions engraved on it.” The total tally for “80 bottles was $17,600” (N.Y. POST, 2/8).…Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT was seen “taking some post-Super Bowl comfort with two friends at the Met Bar in Chestnut Hill” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/8)….Giants WR HAKEEM NICKS and LBs MARK HERZLICH and SPENCER PAYSINGER “held court at Avenue on Monday night," while RB BRANDON JACOBS dined with DE DAVID TOLLEFSON at Abe & Arthur’s (N.Y. POST, 2/8).
NAMES: The Twins are auctioning off a baseball signed by KIM KARDASHIAN and Nets F KRIS HUMPHRIES. The former couple signed the ball before Humphries threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Twins' July 1 game against the Brewers at Target Field (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 2/8)....The Canadian Baseball HOF's class of '12 includes Brewers GM DOUG MELVIN (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/8)....Chinese artist and activist AI WEIWEI will partner with Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron, with whom he created Beijing's Bird Nest Stadium for the '08 Olympics, to design a pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens for the '12 Games (RAWSTORY.com, 2/8)....Toronto lawyer JAMES KLOTZ has been named to a panel set up to recommend fixes for FIFA. Klotz is one of several int'l experts brought onto FIFA's new independent governance committee (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/8)....The Cancer Wellness Foundation of Central Alabama announced that Broncos QB TIM TEBOW will be the featured speaker at an event in March (AL.com, 2/7)....An official, unsigned Patriots jersey worn by QB TOM BRADY during his team's victory over the Cowboys last year brought in $46,000 at auction (BOSTON HERALD, 2/5)....Broadway producers FRAN KIRMSER and TONY PONTURO, along with Dir THOMAS KAIL and actors TUG COKER and PETER SCOLARI "will be among the 'MAGIC/BIRD' group taking in the Celtic-Lakers tilt at TD Gardens tomorrow night." Ponturo said that the game is "research"(BOSTON HERALD, 2/8)....Magna Int'l Honorary Chair & Dir FRANK STRONACH in the last two years has increased his Marion County (Fla.) land holdings "nearly sixfold, making him the largest private property owner in the county with 29,000 acres" (OCALA.com, 2/4).
