Former Chicago Sun-Times writer BRYAN SMITH in his new book suggests that late Blackhawks Owner BILL WIRTZ was "mentally incapacitated toward the end of his reign." The book is titled, "THE BREAK AWAY: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE WIRTZ FAMILY BUSINESS AND THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS." Wirtz ran the Blackhawks with "authority for four decades until his death" in '07. Smith said, "It was becoming clear to [Wirtz' eldest son] ROCKY that his father was having problems with dementia. Or, at the very least, seriously debilitating memory loss" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/10).
Zagunis said she hired the junk-hauling company to remove unwanted items from her in October '16GETTY IMAGES
LAW & ORDER: Gold Medal-winning U.S. fencer MARIEL ZAGUNIS has "filed a $965,000 lawsuit against 1-800-GOT-JUNK? of Portland, claiming the local franchise is responsible for breaking her toe and damaging her athletic career." Zagunis said that she hired the junk-hauling company to "remove unwanted items from her Portland-area home" in October '16. According to the lawsuit, that is when a lift gate on a company truck "suddenly malfunctioned by dropping onto her right foot." Zagunis won Gold at both the '04 Athens and '08 Beijing Games (OREGONLIVE.com, 10/9).
FURTHERING EDUCATION: Former NFLers who have had "at least two accredited seasons of NFL service" have the opportunity to "return to school to complete their degrees, or to pursue advanced degrees" thanks to The Trust, which was developed out of the '11 CBA between the NFL and NFLPA. More than 1,500 scholarships worth more than $12.2M have been "awarded through The Trust, which will reach its fifth anniversary next month." Last spring, 115 former players "used the scholarship program, and 87 more did in the summer" (AP, 10/10).
NAMES: COLIN KAEPERNICK will make an appearance tomorrow at a Harvard ceremony and is "asking the press not to report on his remarks." Harvard's Hutchins Center for African & African American Research will "honor Kaepernick, along with seven other recipients of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal" (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 10/10)....Lightning coach JON COOPER on Monday held the kickoff dinner for Coop's Catch for Kids at Amalie Arena to "raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer." ESPN's DICK VITALE and Rays manager KEVIN CASH were in attendance (TAMPABAY.com, 10/9)....Panthers DE JULIUS PEPPERS yesterday morning “drove east from Charlotte almost three hours” to Lumberton, N.C., where he “teamed with United Way” in Hurricane Florence recovery efforts in the area. Peppers is a “native of Bailey, which is a short drive northeast of Lumberton” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/10)....Kauffman Stadium emcee DANAYA ROLLER is “not returning” next season, and the Royals are now “looking for a replacement” (KANSASCITY.com, 10/9)....Longtime Georgia Radio Network sideline reporter LORAN SMITH, who still “wears a bunch of different hats for the UGA Athletic Association,” on Monday “suffered a broken hip and a fractured elbow when run over” by two football players at practice. Smith, 80, underwent surgery yesterday at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital (AJC.com, 10/9)....The Fiesta Bowl organization has been named a finalist for the annual Corporate Philanthropy Award by the Phoenix Business Journal (Fiesta Bowl)....CONOR MCGREGOR on Sunday was “spotted in Vegas at XS nightclub" to see DJ VIRGIL ABLOH (NYPOST.com, 10/9).
