Pro Football HOFer MIKE DITKA said that he "couldn't pass on the opportunity to have his wine served" at fellow HOFer DON SHULA's restaurant in Naples, Fla. Ditka: "To have it in Don's restaurant, that's special. ... It's a great opportunity to get some exposure." Shula's Steak House initially will "offer two of Ditka's wines by-the-glass." The wine is "produced in the Napa Valley region of California," and the labels "feature Ditka in stages of his career" (NAPLES NEWS, 3/22).
TURN THE PAGE: Dallas Morning News columnist TIM COWLISHAW yesterday spoke about his new book, “Drunk On Sports,” which was released last Sunday, “It’s a little bit about the Cowboys, it’s a little bit about JOSH HAMILTON, little bit about hockey. But it’s mostly about me and drinking and how I thought it helped my career for many years and how after trips to hospitals and a jail cell, it hurt” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 3/20).
NAMES: NHL Rangers President & GM GLEN SATHER is recovering from surgery he had on Thursday at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in N.Y. to treat prostate cancer, and is "expected to be off the job for a few days" (NYTIMES.com, 3/21)....The Bobcats and FS Carolinas/SportSouth have teamed for a $200,000 sponsorship of Y Achievers, a YMCA of Greater Charlotte program that operates in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (Bobcats)....Golfer GRAEME MCDOWELL has a 40% interest in Nona Blue, a restaurant which “opened near the Orlando International Airport last week.” McDowell said that one of his “quests will be for the restaurant to serve the perfect cup of Irish coffee” (JACKSONVILLE.com, 3/21)....DirecTV Chair, President & CEO MIKE WHITE’s compensation “roughly tripled" in '12 to $18.04M. White earned $5.94M in '11, down from $32.93M in ’10 when he received $14.7M in “long-term stock awards upon joining the company” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 3/22).
IN MEMORY: Former Knicks player and broadcaster JOHN PALMER died of cancer on Tuesday at the age of 91. He called games on WMGM in N.Y., and worked as a TV analyst during the ’68 Mexico City Games. He also served as producer and broadcaster of “CBS Sports Spectacular” and appeared on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” (PALM BEACH POST, 3/22)....A monument of late IndyCar driver DAN WHELDON was unveiled Thursday at Turn 10 of the St. Petersburg circuit featuring "bricks from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, stones from his native England and the handprints of his wife and two sons" (AP, 3/21). The monument was created by artist RON WHITNEY and is a "concrete slab with a plaque on the front" (TAMPABAY.com, 3/21).
