Chicago-based First Security Trust & Savings Bank, for which Blackhawks Chair ROCKY WIRTZ serves as President, "lost money in the first quarter, at a time when about 8 of 10 Illinois savings banks were profitable." In addition, nearly 16% of First Security's loans "were seriously delinquent, compared with an Illinois average" of 3%. But bank officials said that the institution is "on steadier footing now than it has been in years" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/5). Meanwhile, Wirtz during an Independence Day parade through his hometown of Winnetka, Ill., "drew some of the loudest cheers" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/5).
MUSIC MANIA: Nielsen SoundScan data shows that sales of "Chelsea Dagger," the soundtrack to the Blackhawks' championship run, have "hit 9,000 units -- purchases or downloads -- a sharp increase of the usual sales of a few hundred to 1,000 per week in the U.S." Nielsen Senior VP/Analytics & Client Relations DAVID BAKULA said that more than "half the sales nationwide were made to Chicagoans." Still, "Chelsea Dagger" sales have "fallen well shy of their peak of 23,000 units during the final week of the Blackhawks' 2010 championship season" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/7).
STEELY DAN: Steelers Chair Emeritus and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland DAN ROONEY's hope to have the NFL play a regular-season game in Dublin "got another airing" Thursday. Steelers QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER, who accompanied Rooney for a July 4 celebration "at his former residence," said, "I would like it for him. That's how much he means to me and I think everyone on our team would say that. Even if guys said they would never want to play in London, 100 percent of the guys on our team would say they would play in Dublin for Mr. Rooney" (IRISH EXAMINER, 7/5).
CELEBRATION FIT FOR A KING: The 40th anniversary of the WTA was celebrated last week at Wimbledon. MARGARET COURT, EVONNE GOOLAGONG CAWLEY, CHRIS EVERT, MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, MONICA SELES, MARTINA HINGIS, MARIA SHARAPOVA and SERENA WILLIAMS were among those in attendance. But they "honored only one with a standing ovation: BILLIE JEAN KING" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/5). SI.com's Jon Wertheim noted "every former No. 1 player from 1973 to the present" was at the ceremony, excluding STEFFI GRAF, KIM CLIJSTERS (who is pregnant) and VICTORIA AZARENKA and VENUS WILLIAMS (who are recovering from injuries) (SI.com, 7/7).
PICK & ROLL: The "intensely private" Basketball HOFer JOHN STOCKTON in his autobiography "ASSISTED" "successfully makes the transition to entertaining author." The anecdotes Stockton shares are "often witty, poignant and self-deprecating." He gives readers a "truly unique look at his career and his relationships with those who helped him along the way." The book is scheduled for release on Oct. 28 by Deseret Book. It is co-authored by his junior high coach KERRY PICKETT (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/8).
NAMES: Lakers G KOBE BRYANT has the greatest net worth in the NBA at $220M, followed by Nets F KEVIN GARNETT at $190M and Heat F LEBRON JAMES at $130M (Wealth-X)....ESPN NFL analyst RAY LEWIS was “unable to take part in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro due to a foot injury and fever.” Lewis is in Tanzania “to raise money and awareness about the need for clean water in East Africa” (BALTIMORESUN.com, 7/6)….In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote JAY-Z and his Roc Nation Sports agency in “three years or four or five … will be right at the top” of lists of the “most powerful people in sports." But that “doesn’t mean that all of the other agents in pro sports, starting with the top guys, are going to hide under their desks” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/7)….CBS President & CEO LES MOONVES “sold 450,000 shares of CBS stock” last week for about $22M (LATIMES.com, 7/5)….The ECHL named Evansville IceMen Senior Account Exec MATT KIEL Ticket Exec of the Year (ECHL).
IN MEMORY: Alberta Sports HOFer and former broadcaster BILLY POWERS and his wife DONNA were found “stabbed to death in their bed” on Thursday. Powers retired in October ’09 “after almost 50 years in the sports broadcasting and communications business” in Canada (CP, 7/5).
