Twins GM TERRY RYAN is "on the mend" from his Feb. 11 cancer surgery, and "responded to a text message" from manager RON GARDENHIRE with a phone call on Wednesday night. Gardenhire said of Ryan, "Sounded good, doing well." He added that Ryan has "yet to begin radiation treatments as doctors wait for his neck to heal." No date has been "set for when those treatments might begin." Gardenhire said Ryan has been "staying in touch with people" at Twins Spring Training in Ft. Myers (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 2/28).
HAIL THE CONQUERING HEROES: The Indiana House on Thursday "voted to exempt Olympic medals and prize money from Indiana income taxes." The tax break "would be retroactive to Jan. 1, which means it would apply for now to just one person," Bronze Medal-winning U.S. skier NICK GOEPPER. U.S. Sen. JOHN THUNE (R-SD) "introduced a measure that would exempt Olympic winnings from federal income taxes," and PRESIDENT OBAMA "has expressed support for the measure" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/28)....Gold Medal-winning U.S. skier TED LIGETY on Thursday celebrated his win in the giant slalom at sponsor Putnam Investments (BOSTON HERALD, 2/28).
STAYING INVOLVED: Former NFLer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON "jabbed local professional athletes Wednesday, imploring them to do more" in the San Diego community. He spoke "before a launch party for TangoTab, a company whose business plan works to feed local families." Tomlinson said of why he got involved, "What other athletes are doing something here? That's the way I always look at it, and I'm not trying to bash any guys, but no caring athletes have stepped up to do anything in this community from what I understand. The one guy that continued to do things is not living anymore (JUNIOR SEAU)" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/27).
COURT REPORT: ESPN’s JAY BILAS “testified in the ED O’BANNON lawsuit about his endorsement deals since leaving college.” The NCAA on Thursday “filed previously-sealed excerpts from Bilas' deposition” in February ‘12. The portions filed “reflected the NCAA's attempt to show that college athletes are not restricted from making money off their name, image and likeness after leaving school, a point lawyers for the O'Bannon plaintiffs previously acknowledged” (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 2/28)....A lawyer for former NHLer STEVE MOORE argued in court on Thursday that former Canucks Owner JOHN MCCAW JR. “should be forced to answer, in front of a jury, if he approved a career-ending sucker punch” by Red Wings RW TODD BERTUZZI, who played for the Canucks at the time of the incident. Moore’s lawyer is “asking the Ontario Superior Court to compel” McCaw, who is “based in Seattle, to testify in Toronto” (CP, 1/27).
CHARITY STRIPE: Padres P BLAINE BOYER on Thursday was “handing out shirts and hats with the ‘X’ symbol on behalf of the ‘End it Movement’ to teammates. Boyer’s gesture corresponded with the movement’s “National Awareness Day for the fight to end children being used as sex slaves around the world” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/28)....Make-A-Wish Colorado’s annual celebrity dinner was held last week, with 38 local sports figures “slinging salads and steaks for the 343 guests at Sporting Affair.” The athletes included Broncos DT MITCH UNREIN and DE BEN GARLAND (DENVER POST, 2/27).
NAMES: Seahawks CB RICHARD SHERMAN’s agent, JAMIE FRITZ, said that Sherman’s online store “started taking bitcoin in December and has received 20 to 30 orders a month using the currency.” Sherman in a January Facebook post “announced plans” to accept the digital currency (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/27)....A development group backed by Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK “could breathe new life into a stalled plan to transform the landmark and long-vacant Recreation Pier in Fells Point” into a 128-room luxury hotel with a restaurant (Baltimore SUN, 2/28)....ABC's ROBIN ROBERTS will be the keynote speaker at the May 30 Beacon Awards Luncheon in Houston, following the May 29 Orioles-Astros MLB Civil Rights Game (MLB.com, 2/27)....Int'l Tennis HOFer BILLIE JEAN KING will deliver the commencement address at Simmons College on May 9 at Bank of America Pavilion in Boston (Simmons College)....Former NBAer EDDY CURRY’s Burr Ridge, Ill., mansion that he lost to foreclosure is currently listed for $3.779M, and is “under contract, with the deal expected to close in the coming days” (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 2/27).
