Names In The News

The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Will Leitch wrote STEVE KETTMANN's new book about Mets GM SANDY ALDERSON has a "lack of skepticism" rivaling that of a "quickie paperback on a pop idol." "BASEBALL MAVERICK" is "such a fawning piece of Mets propaganda that I suspect" Alderson will "secretly be a little embarrassed when he reads it." Kettmann "gives his subject a relatively free pass on the use of steroids" and PEDs by players, despite Alderson presiding over an A's clubhouse that included admitted PED users JOSE CANSECO and MARK MCGWIRE. Kettmann is "so desperate" to provide Alderson with a winning narrative that it "doesn’t seem to matter that, well, there hasn’t been any winning" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/16).

NAMES: Baseball HOFers GEORGE BRETT, TONY LA RUSSA, FRANK THOMAS and JOE TORRE will participate in a panel on May 6 as part of the SALT Conference in Las Vegas, hosted by SkyBridge Capital. It will be moderated by Baseball HOF President JEFF IDELSON (SkyBridge)....Longtime Braves broadcaster DON SUTTON on July 20 will be inducted into the team’s HOF. He has covered the team since ’89 except for a two-year stretch beginning in ’07 to call Nationals games (AJC.com, 4/16)....Drivers BRYAN HERTA and ROBBY GORDON on Thursday “were forever linked” to the Verizon IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach after “receiving a place” on the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. They were the 22nd and 23rd “to receive plaques along Pine Avenue next to the convention center” (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 4/17)....Former NBAer YAO MING has been inducted into the Laureus World Sports Academy (FIBA)....New Balance announced that in partnership with Playworks, Mets RF CURTIS GRANDERSON and the Grand Kids Foundation, it has created the New Balance Fitness Challenge, a six-week program to help promote healthy lifestyles for youngsters. It launches May 1 at P.S. 9 in Brooklyn (New Balance)....Former Wisconsin F and college basketball Player of the Year FRANK KAMINSKY on Thursday returned to his high school, Benet Academy, “for a ceremony retiring” his jersey (NAPERVILLE SUN, 4/17).