In the latest edition of the WALL STREET JOURNAL's "House Call" feature, GARY PLAYER writes he logs "hundreds of thousands of miles a year traveling to compete on golf courses on behalf" of his company and the many businesses he represents. Player: "While I own houses in Florida and South Carolina, home is really a 3,500-acre ranch in Colesberg, South Africa, in the Great Karoo region of the Cape Province." He bought the land the house is located on in '74 "when there was just a tiny guesthouse and stables." He writes, "The ranch is isolated. If I handed you binoculars, you wouldn't be able to spot a house or a person." Player notes he is at the house "about three months a year -- but not all at once" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/14).
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McAndrew (l.) performed on bagpipe with
Shannon Rovers at Penguins-Blackhawks |
PIPE UP: Soldier Field Assistant GM & Dir of Finance
MARTY MCANDREW will march in tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago as a member of the Shannon Rovers bagpipe band. His longtime involvement with the band also led to the bagpipers getting a role during the March 1 Penguins-Blackhawks NHL Coors Light Stadium Series game. McAndrew said, “Fortunately when I comes to bagpipes, my GM,
TIM LEFEVOUR, is a kindred spirit and has graciously granted my annual requests for time off during the ‘High Holy Days’ surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. February and March are typically our slow season at Soldier Field, but enthusiasm for outdoor hockey has changed all that. So, Tim’s solution was to try and combine work and play. As a result, Shannon Rovers ended up as part of the opening ceremonies as color guard and leading the teams to the ice.” Meanwhile, Blackhawks President & CEO
JOHN MCDONOUGH will serve as Grand Marshall for tomorrow’s parade (
David Broughton, Staff Writer).
GREEN MEANS GO: U.S. snowboarder
GRETCHEN BLEILER in a special for USA TODAY writes Russia as part of its bid process to host the Sochi Games said that it "would be staging a 'zero waste' Olympic that followed green building standards in 'harmony with nature.'" On paper, the Games "might pass for being somewhat green." Bleiler: "The problem is that you can't destroy an old-growth forest ecosystem and just rebuild it elsewhere. ... Sochi's environment has been devastated, and as our attention shifts away, we must demand change. History can't repeat itself. The best thing that can come out of Sochi is for bid cities and the IOC to truly consider the environmental price paid and the impact to future host cities before any sites are chosen" (
USA TODAY, 3/14).
THE DATING GAME, MATE: D-Backs P
JOSH COLLMENTER has "assented to a contest loosely titled Win a Date with Josh Collmenter, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Australia," as part of the promotional efforts around the two-game MLB season-opening Dodgers-D-Backs series next week. The teams arrive in Sydney Tuesday morning and "open their season at the Sydney Cricket Ground next weekend." In between, Collmenter "will conduct his blind date, culled from Twitter and Instagram submissions and chosen by a panel" of D-Backs (
SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/13).
NAMES: The Ford Motor Co. Fund will award $1M in automotive design scholarships over the next 20 years to commemorate late Lions Owner & Chair WILLIAM CLAY FORD, who passed away on Sunday (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 3/14)....Former Fiesta Bowl CEO JOHN JUNKER on Thursday "was sentenced to eight months in federal prison ... after acknowledging that he participated in an illegal campaign contribution scheme" (AP, 3/13)....NFL free agent DT HENRY MELTON is being sued by Texas-based Chill Restaurant & Bar Owner DONALD PAYNE for misdemeanor assault. The suit is for more than $1M, with Payne claiming assault and negligence. Melton's agent, JORDAN WOY, hinted that Melton "would sue the bar" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/14)....ESPN NFL analyst BRIAN DAWKINS on Thursday spoke at the Bob Hayes HOF induction banquet, where former Jaguars Owners WAYNE and DELORES WEAVER were enshrined (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 3/14)....Former BNP Paribas Open Owner CHARLIE PASARELL on Thursday received his Int'l Tennis HOF ring at a ceremony. The HOF holds the ceremonies at the home area of each member (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 3/14)....NASCAR team Owner ROGER PENSKE "made his first hole-in-one last weekend at Augusta National's 154-yard fourth hole" (INDYSTAR.com, 3/13).
