In Dallas, Barry Horn wrote watching Astros President of Business Operations REID RYAN "work the concourse" at Minute Maid Park is "akin to studying an evangelist working a revival." Ryan "acts like a one-man welcoming committee." Horn: "He enthusiastically works the crowd with boyish charm. Sitting with season-ticket holders here. Schmoozing on short concession lines there. Words are his fastball, his money pitch." Just as he did in "leading the effort to build" the Triple-A PCL Round Rock Express and Double-A Texas League Corpus Christi Hooks into "model minor league baseball franchises with robust fan bases, Ryan pounds the Minute Maid pavement with a pulp-free positive air" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/30).
THE MAVEN OF TULSA: In N.Y., Mary Pilon writes Tulsa '24 Olympic Exploratory Committee member NEIL MAVIS is the "dreamer in chief for Tulsa 2024, this unassuming city's bid to host the Olympic Summer Games." Mavis "bought copies of Atlanta’s 1996 bid on eBay to use as a model for Tulsa’s bid." He has "given a series of PowerPoint presentations to City Council members and local business owners, drumming up support slide by slide." He argues that "revenue from ticket sales and television rights will offset the costs" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/1).
SILVER SCREEN: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Alexandra Cheney writes DreamWorks Animation SKG in creating its new film, "TURBO," "looked to the real world for inspiration." One of the film's locales is Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and "to cement the film in a believable reality," DreamWorks hired IndyCar driver DARIO FRANCHITTI. He provided advice on "details about such things as the surface of the racing track" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/1)....A film based on JIM DENT's book about late Univ. of Texas football player FREDDIE STEINMARK, "COURAGE BEYOND THE GAME," is "on target to start shooting this fall." However, the emphasis of the movie "has been changed to focus more on" late UT football coach DARRELL ROYAL, who will be played by actor JOSH BROLIN (STATESMAN.com, 6/30).
THE GIVING TREE: A Sunlight Foundation analysis of political contributions released last week showed that the Haslam family is the "leading family of 'elite donors' in Tennessee." Eight of the "elite political donors" in the state are members of the family, including Browns Owner JIMMY HASLAM III at No. 5 with $176,550 in contributions. Jimmy and his brother, Tennessee Gov. BILL HASLAM, gave $37,500 each to American Crossroads, a super PAC founded by KARL ROVE (Knoxville NEWS-SENTINEL, 7/1)
CHARITY STRIPE: Red Sox LF DANIEL NAVA, C JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA and P FELIX DOUBRONT last week at Fenway Park worked out with "a few dozen kids from the Joslin Diabetes Center" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/30)....The Pirates yesterday at PNC Park hosted the third annual Pitch for Hope women’s baseball clinic, benefitting the Pittsburgh-based A Glimmer of Hope foundation. The event sold out and raised more than $50,000 (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/1)....Seahawks DE CLIFF AVRIL on Saturday hosted his inaugural youth football camp in Jacksonville and "spent time with more than 100 campers" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 6/30).
AWARDS & HONORS: The Braves on Friday before their game against the D’Backs held a ceremony to retire former MLBer CHIPPER JONES’ number (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/29)....The Bernards Township (N.J.) Zoning Board of Adjustment has “given the green light to an expansion of the USGA’s Museum honoring the achievements” of Golf HOFer JACK NICKLAUS. USGA Museum & Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History Dir ROBERT WILLIAMS said that the addition “will be about 1,500-square-feet in size.” He added, “We hope to undertake construction in 2014 with an opening in 2015” (NJ.com, 6/30)....A bronze statue of late Baseball HOFer ROBERTO CLEMENTE was erected in the Bronx last Monday, becoming “what many believe is the first Puerto Rican honored by a statue in a park in New York City" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/29)....The Canadian Baseball HOF inducted its ’13 class on Saturday, including former MLBer TIM RAINES (CP, 6/29).
NAMES: NFL Giants Chair & Exec VP STEVE TISCH will appear on ABC's "Shark Tank." Tisch will be a "guest shark" on the show's panel of investors, which features Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN (ABC)....Knicks F AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE could be the “majority owner of the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball club” in the Israeli Basketball Super League. His agent HAPPY WALTERS said Stoudemire is “part of a group that made a bid to purchase the team” (ESPN.com, 6/29)....A lawsuit alleges that former MLBer JOHN FRANCO and his wife, ROSE, “assaulted and threatened a Westchester woman who handled their 2012 estate sale on Staten Island” (N.Y. POST, 6/30)....49ers coach JIM HARBAUGH attended the Cardinals-A’s game this past Friday “wearing an A’s cap” (AP, 6/28).
