In DC, Kent Babb examines the relationship between ACC Commissioner JOHN SWOFFORD and Big Ten Commissioner JIM DELANY, and writes they have "traded jabs and teams" during one of the "most tenuous periods in college sports history." It has been a "continual battle" that dates back "four decades, when they each were athletes at" the Univ. of North Carolina. They graduated "a year apart in the early 1970s." Delany took a "complicated route toward being a conference commissioner -- law school, then a job as an attorney in the North Carolina justice department, then as an enforcement representative for the NCAA -- but Swofford’s ascent was more direct." He became UNC AD in '80, at age 31, and he "held the job for 17 years." Former UNC AD DICK BADDOUR said, "They’re different leaders. But I do think the similarity is that they both are able to articulate vision" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/2).
KATZ CLEARED: In Calgary, James Wood reports The Progressive Conservative Party and Oilers Owner DARYL KATZ have been "cleared of wrongdoing in connection with a [C]$430,000 donation made to the Tories during the 2012 provincial election." The issue "arose last fall when campaign financial documents showed several of Katz's associates had made donations to the Tories and allegations that Katz had made the payment in a single cheque." That "prompted accusations that Katz and the PCs had broken the province's election spending limit of [C]$30,000 for corporations and unions" (CALGARY HERALD, 5/2).
WHISTLEBLOWER REVEALED: GOLF.com's Michael Bamberger noted the rules "fiasco" surrounding Tiger Woods' two-shot penalty at The Masters this year was called in by Champions Tour golfer DAVID EGER "as it turns out." Eger before joining the senior circuit had a "long career as a tournament director with both the PGA Tour and the USGA." He said that he was "casually watching the Friday round" when he saw the potential violation. He "did not have a phone number" for The Masters Rules Committee Chair FRED RIDLEY, but he did have one for PGA Tour official MICKEY BRADLEY, who he knew was working The Masters. Bradley "immediately called Ridley" and PGA Tour VP/Rules & Competitions MARK RUSSELL (GOLF.com, 5/1).
CRIBS: Lakers coach MIKE D’ANTONI bought a home in Manhattan Beach, Calif., for $6.9M and listed his Colonial-style home in Rye, N.Y., for $6.95M (LATIMES.com, 5/1)….Bears RB MATT FORTE paid $1.47M for a “five-bedroom, French Normandy-style house on nearly 5 acres” in the Mettawa suburb of Chicago (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/2)….Yankees RF ICHIRO SUZUKI is renting the 111 Central Park North apartment that has been listed “for $23,500 a month and also for sale” at $9M (N.Y. POST, 5/2)….Former NBAer MITCH RICHMOND put his 13,000-square-foot, Southern California home on the market for $9.495M (SACBEE.com, 5/1)....Royals P JAMES SHIELDS on Tuesday listed his four-bedroom estate in the gated Renaissance Oaks subdivision of Clearwater, Fla. for $1.1M (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/1).
CHARITY STRIPE: Marlins LF LOGAN MORRISON yesterday launched charity Project LoMo in partnership with the American Lung Association to “encourage kids to pursue their own charitable endeavors” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/2)….Tigers RF TORII HUNTER filmed a FS Detroit PSA for Metro Detroit food rescue organization Forgotten Harvest (DETROIT NEWS, 5/1)....Stomp Out Bullying named Ravens LB JAMEEL MCCLAIN global ambassador (BALTIMORESUN.com, 5/1)....Wizards C EMEKA OKAFOR is donating $100,000 to UConn’s Husky
Sport program, which “partners UConn students and faculty with
educational leaders and programs in Hartford’s North End.” He also donated $250,000 in ’07 (HARTFORD COURANT, 5/1).
NAMES: A tweet on Monday by former NFLer LEROY BUTLER congratulating Wizards C JASON COLLINS led to a Wisconsin church, “citing a morals clause,” pulling Butler’s “$8,500 speaking engagement -- an anti-bullying presentation -- scheduled for this summer” (SPORTS XCHANGE, 5/1)….UNLV yesterday announced a proposed statue of former men’s basketball coach JERRY TARKANIAN will show him “sitting on chair, towel in mouth, next to an open seat” (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/2)….The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls, N.J., is “creating a new exhibit, Championing Respect, which will detail the evolution of attitudes from JACKIE ROBINSON breaking the color barrier to the latest news of gay athletes openly competing.” The exhibit, a collaboration with Athlete Ally, is expected to open in mid-June (NYTIMES.com, 5/1)....WNBA Sky F SWIN CASH will be the keynote speaker for the NAACP Pittsburgh chapter’s 59th annual Human Rights dinner (TRIBLIVE.com, 5/1)….Universal Picture’s “The Best Man Holiday,” a sequel to the ’99 film “The Best Man,” will be shot at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the final week of May (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/2)….Vanity Fair named Giants WR VICTOR CRUZ the “best-dressed man in the NFL,” replacing Patriots QB TOM BRADY who previously held the recognition (BOSTON HERALD, 5/2)….Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT attended the Maple Leafs-Bruins playoff game last night (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/2).
