Weekend Hot Reads....

The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER's Luke DeCock writes an open letter to the NCAA Tournament under the header, "The Romance Is Gone, Replaced By Greed." The tournament is "a financial arrangement, and let's not pretend it isn't." It is "all about the money," and "always was, but things were still rough enough around the edges to pretend that it wasn't" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/7).

The N.Y. TIMES' Ben Strauss examines White Sox Vice Chair Eddie Einhorn's role in pioneering the broadcast of college basketball under the header, "College Games On Television? That Might Work." Einhorn, a TV consultant with the U.S. Figure Skating Association, "remains genial, talkative and ever the dealmaker" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/7).

Ahead of The Masters this week, the N.Y. POST's George Willis delves into Augusta National Chair Billy Payne's role at the world-famous golf course. Payne has "enhanced Augusta National's reach globally and ushered it into the digital age" since taking the position in '06 (N.Y. POST, 4/7).

Elsewhere:

• Former UCF student turns his his interest in athletic socks into a $1.5M business.
• A look into the logistics of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon.
• Jackie Robinson's biopic an example of art not accrrately imitating life.
• Georgia Southern Univ. wants to emulate FGCU's recent success as it goes to the FBS.
• Recent program cuts at Towson Univ. have led some to scrutinize aspects of Title IX.
• Dodgers Special Advisor to the Chair Tommy Lasorda is the team's greatest salesman.
• USA Today Sports Weekly in its ballpark preview ranks Tropicana Field the worst in MLB.