Wizards G JOHN WALL hosted his fifth annual Family Foundation event over the weekend on DC's Goodman League court where he placed "backpacks over the shoulders of hundreds of children." Wall "greeted and posed with children for three hours at his morning event," and "about three miles away in another Southeast location," Wizards F MARKIEFF MORRIS and his F.O.E. Foundation held another backpack giveaway (WASHINGTON POST, 8/5).
WELCOME TO THE CLUB: Pro Football Talk's CHAREAN WILLIAMS received the Dick McCann Memorial award as part of Pro Football HOF weekend and gave a "three-minute speech at the Gold Jacket Dinner on Friday night." Williams: "You couldn’t write the history of the game without the 318 men in the Hall of Fame, but somebody had to write their stories, and I’ve been fortunate to write many of them." Meanwhile, NFL Network's ANDREA KREMER received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television award (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/6).
THE GOOD STUFF: Orioles CF ADAM JONES "pledged $8,500" toward the DC-based Mamie Johnson Little League team, which needed funds to make it to their Mid-Atlantic regional in Connecticut (WASHINGTON POST, 8/5)....Rams G JAMON BROWN is "giving back to Louisville's West End." His foundation today will be "presenting the 13U West Louisville All-Star baseball team with a $5,000 check" to "help them with their trip to the Babe Ruth League World Series this week" (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 8/5)....Red Sox LF STEVE PEARCE "helped out with New Balance's Fitness Challenge at Harvard's Cumnock Fields." Meanwhile, Red Sox 2B BROCK HOLT "recently made a special stop at Dana Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic." Meanwhile, the Revolution hosted the MLS club's fourth annual Bowl for a Goal event at Splitsville Luxury Lanes in Patriot Place. The MLS team "raised $75,000 for Special Olympics Massachusetts through the pin-packed party" (BOSTONHERALD.com, 8/6).
NAMES: NASCAR Exec VP & CMO JILL GREGORY in a Q&A touched on what she looks for in job candidates. She said, "I think of it like a sports draft. I'm not looking for a specific skill, I want the best available athlete. They can learn NASCAR. I need people who are passionate, committed and want to jump in" (CHARLOTTEAGENDA.com, 8/6)....The Purdue BOT "approved the largest one-time gift in Boilermaker athletics history" from retired businessman and alum L. DICK BUELL that will see the "creation of the L. Dick Buell Head Men's Basketball Coaching position." The $10M pledge begins at $1M and "grows over the course of his lifetime" (JCONLINE.com, 8/3)....A play written by RAY DIDINGER, a member of the Pro Football HOF Writer’s Honor Roll and expert on the Eagles and NFL, "runs Aug. 8-26 at the Media Theater” in Media, Pa. The autobiographical play, titled “TOMMY & ME,” tells the “story of a young Didinger idolizing” Pro Football HOFer TOMMY MCDONALD (CANTONREP.com, 8/4)....ESPN’s DAN LE BATARD, along with his artist brother DAVID and father GONZALO, on Saturday “hosted MAS Miami Vol. 2, a party celebrating music, art and sports” at Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale (SOUTHFLORIDA.com, 8/6)....Thunder F ABDEL NADER on Saturday was the “winner of PAUL GEORGE’s Celebrity Fishing Tournament” in Castaic, Calif. Also in attendance were Thunder Gs RUSSELL WESTBROOK and ANDRE ROBERSON, as well as coach BILLY DONOVAN and Exec VP & GM SAM PRESTI (NEWSOK.com, 8/5)....Westbrook will “soon will be a father of two,” as his wife NINA on Instagram yesterday “posted a strong suggestion the couple has a second child on the way” (NEWSOK.com, 8/5)....Former NBAer LAMAR ODOM “turned down a massive payday to appear on ‘CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER’ and spill secrets from his relationship with KHLOE KARDASHIAN” (NYPOST.com, 8/4)....Cubs 1B ANTHONY RIZZO, SS ADDISON RUSSELL and CF IAN HAPP on Friday were "spotted at KASKADE’s post-Lollapalooza DJ set” at Studio Paris Nightclub in Chicago's River North Gallery District (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 8/4).
