ANDREW RECTOR, the Yankees fan who is suing the team, ESPN, the network's announcers and MLB for showing him sleeping while in the stands during an April game against the Red Sox, appeared on NBC's "Today" Friday morning to discuss his $10M lawsuit. NBC's MATT LAUER noted the suit "has a lot of people talking" and said, "I don’t really know where to start." Rector said he was "an innocent person who happened to fall asleep at the game" and was not "doing anything wrong." Rector: "They just started going off on me." Lauer asked, "What was it specifically that JOHN KRUK and DAN SHULMAN said that bothered you? What crossed the line?" Rector: "Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel if you were broadcasted on TV all over the media? They put me on YouTube and it basically creates a public forum where people could comment. There were so many derogatory comments about me that was caused by what they did." Lauer: "First lesson: Never read the comments." Lauer later said, "It's not the most well-crafted lawsuit I've ever seen" ("Today," NBC, 7/25).
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE: A source said that Pegula Sports & Entertainment, owned by Sabres Owner TERRY PEGULA, will “lease nearly all of the 31st floor of One Seneca Tower” in downtown Buffalo (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/25)....The executor for the estate of PAUL and BUNNY MELLON said that their 2,000-plus-acre Upperville, Va., estate “will be listed for sale in the next several days at an asking price” of $70M. Redskins Owner DAN SNYDER has made “an expression of interest” in the property (WASHINGTONIAN.com, 7/21)....Rockets C DWIGHT HOWARD “has sold his mansion-estate” in Longwood, Fla., for $3.4M. Howard paid $7.78M for the seven-acre property in ’08 (LATIMES.com, 7/24)....Former MLBer MARK GRUDZIELANEK listed his Del Mar, Calif., home for $2.1M after paying $1.358M for it in ’12 (LATIMES.com, 7/24).
NAMES: Memphis AD TOM BOWEN has been appointed to the NCAA D-I Leadership Council. He was voted to represent the American Athletic Conference (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 7/25)....The Univ. of Illinois has "approved a one-year contract extension for basketball coach JOHN GROCE." He "receives a $100,000 raise, hiking his annual compensation" to $1.7M (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/25)....Crowdlending website Zencap collected the remaining US$135,000 needed "for the int'l distribution of a documentary film" about Mavericks F DIRK NOWITZKI (HANDELSBLATT.com, 7/24)....Rapper LIL WAYNE, who co-founded record label Young Money Entertainment, is "launching his own sports management firm in partnership with Polaris Sports." La Liga club Real Madrid MF CRISTIANO RONALDO will "be the first client" for Lil Wayne, who will "manage the athlete's business affairs in the US, plus modeling deals" (N.Y. POST, 7/25)....Tennis Canada on Thursday announced that STEFAN EDBERG and former Rogers Cup Master of Ceremonies DON GOODWIN will "be inducted into the Rogers Cup HOF during the '14 tournament (Tennis Canada)....Pro Football HOFer JIM KELLY will "take part in the pre-game coin flip" at this year's HOF game featuring Bills-Giants (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 7/25)....Boxing announcer MICHAEL BUFFER “made his Broadway debut Wednesday night in ‘ROCKY’” (N.Y. POST, 7/25)....Colts LB ROBERT MATHIS “is a father again,” as his daughter BRIELLE EMMA-ROSE MATHIS was born July 19 (INDYSTAR.com, 7/24).
