Fertitta could face challenges in turning around Caesars, which filed for bankruptcy last yearGETTY IMAGES
In Houston, Sarnoff & Takahashi in a front-page piece profiled Rockets Owner TILMAN FERTITTA, who has "embarked on a quest to merge his vast private holdings of casinos and restaurants with Caesars Entertainment Corp." If Fertitta can "pull it off," he will become the CEO of a "sprawling global empire and gain the opportunity to show again, on his biggest stage yet, that he has what it takes to pump new life into a struggling old brand and make it pay." If Fertitta, who owns the Golden Nugget Casino chain, succeeds in his bid for Caesars, he would "face even bigger challenges, not only needing to turn around an underperforming company that emerged from bankruptcy only about a year ago, but also do it in an industry that has struggled to stay profitable as markets grow saturated and competition from online gambling intensifies." That Fertitta is "taking on such hard work at a point in life when most would ease back comes as no surprise to those who know him and have done business with him" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/28).
TRUMP DEEPENS NASCAR TIES: PRESIDENT TRUMP during a political rally in Charlotte on Friday referenced suspended NASCAR Chair & CEO BRIAN FRANCE. Trump said, "We love you, Brian. Brian, get in there Brian. Brian is going to be in great shape. Brian is a tough winner." Trump said, "That whole France family, they are pretty good. That's like owning the entire NFL, you know that right? What a great thing. We love NASCAR. We love the drivers" (MOTORSPORT.com, 10/27). France endorsed Trump during a February '16 campaign stop and appeared on stage with him (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, NASCAR team owner RICHARD CHILDRESS introduced Trump at Friday's rally and "told the crowd before Trump spoke that the press didn't give Trump credit for his successes" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/27).
CYCLING CRAZE: Cycling is not just a "hobby" for Falcons GM THOMAS DIMITROFF, as the sport has been one of his "passions since his days as a youth growing up in Canada." Dimitroff has an "affinity for both road and mountain biking, with a collection of 15-plus such bikes to satisfy his itch." Dimotroff has "gone on rides up and down the coast" from Vancouver to Tijuana, and has "taken his bike adventures all the way to the southern vineyards of France." He even "rode alongside" cyclist LANCE ARMSTRONG through the mountains of Colorado "during the same season the Falcons appeared on HBO's 'HARD KNOCKS'" (ESPN.com, 10/27).
FACES IN THE CROWD: MATT DAMON and JIMMY KIMMEL were "spotted in the stands repping 'I'm with Stupid' T-shirts -- complete with arrows pointed at each other -- in their respective team colors" at Game 5 of the World Series. Joining Damon and Kimmel was BEN AFFLECK, who also was in attendance for Game 4. CONAN O'BRIEN, PAT SAJAK and ANDY GARCIA also were "in attendance" for Game 5 (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 10/29). KOBE BRYANT was also at Game 4 (OCREGISTER.com, 10/27). Other athletes "sprinkled throughout the stands" for Game 4 included former U.S. figure skater MICHELLE KWAN, USWNT F ALEX MORGAN and Clippers C BOBAN MARJANOVIC. UFC President DANA WHITE was also at the game "wearing a navy blue Red Sox jersey." TV host STEVE HARVEY, actor ANTHONY ANDERSON and MLB Network's BOB COSTAS were also at Game 4 (BOSTON.com, 10/28).
NAMES: Former Twins Int’l Scouting Coordinator HOWARD NORSETTER filed an “age discrimination” suit against the team last week. Norsetter was dismissed in ’17 and the “dismissal was not due to performance.” Older scouts around MLB have been “dismissed from teams, who are moving toward more analytical ways to evaluate talent” (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 10/27)....MIKE TYSON is “shopping a new TV show, based on the boxer’s life as a marijuana grower and marketer.” Tyson will star in the scripted comedy, called “ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES” (NYPOST.com, 10/26)....WWE star JOHN CENA’s book “ELBOW GREASE” was the top selling children’s picture book during the week of Oct. 7-13 (N.Y. TIMES, 10/28)....Golfer STACY LEWIS “gave birth to a daughter,” CHESNEE LYNN CHADWELL, on Thursday (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/28).
