Swann had been invited to the Santa Barbara retreat but was not required to attendGETTY IMAGES
As USC trustees and senior leaders "were discussing university governance issues at a retreat in nearby Santa Barbara" on Saturday, USC AD LYNN SWANN "was more than 2,600 miles away, signing autographs for money" at a memorabilia show outside of DC. A USC spokesperson said that Swann "had been invited to the Santa Barbara retreat but was not required to attend, and that there was nothing critical on the agenda related to him." A different spokesperson from the USC athletic department said that Swann "booked the autograph show months ago, that his invitation to the retreat was a courtesy, and that he had discussed not attending" with former USC interim President WANDA AUSTIN (L.A. TIMES, 4/2).
ICE GAMES: Hockey HOFer SLAVA FETISOV is helping lead a new initiative with the UN called “North Pole: The Last Game,” a project designed to "draw attention to the threat of global warming." Fetisov "plans to visit 20 more countries in a campaign culminating in a game in Antarctica on April 20, 2020 -- Fetisov's 62nd birthday -- that global-warming activists caution could be the continent’s last contest due to increased erosion of the ice caps" (FREEP.com, 4/2).
NUMBERS NEVER LIE: In S.F., Connor Letourneau profiles Warriors Dir of Basketball Analytics & Innovation PABAIL SIDHU, one of the "most important members of the Warriors’ organization who maintains his anonymity." Sidhu has been a "one-man analytics department, overseeing long-term projects and daily reports." His "penchant for finding statistical trends is a key part" of Warriors coach STEVE KERR’s decision-making process. Sidhu: "I’m a basketball guy that does numbers, not a numbers guy that does basketball" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/2).
NAMES: Penguins D KRIS LETANG after the team's practice last Thursday presented 7-year-old IAN ROSENBAUM, who has a form of T-cell leukemia, and his family with a check for $58,000. Letang "met the family back in September" after he "learned of Ian's story" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 4/1)....Clippers Owner STEVE BALLMER in '18 donated $10M to the L.A. Parks Foundation for renovations at all of the city's public basketball courts (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/1)....Spurs F LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE will be “featured on the second edition of ‘SUPERSTAR RENOVATION’” on Sunday at 5:00pm ET. The CBS show “features celebrities as they journey to their hometowns to give the gift of a home makeover to people who have played a special role in their lives” (EXPRESSNEWS.com, 4/1)....Chargers DE JOEY BOSA is “scheduled to make a cameo appearance” in an upcoming episode of HBO’s “GAME OF THRONES” (NFL.com, 4/1)....MICHAEL PHELPS and his wife NICOLE are expecting “baby No. 3 to join their growing family” (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/1).
