AT&T and DirecTV planned to meet today "to approve a combination of the two companies," with AT&T paying "almost" $50B, according to sources. The deal was expected to be announced "as soon as Sunday afternoon" (WSJ.com, 5/18).
adidas Chair & CEO Herbert Hainer said that preparing the company "for a change at the top when his contract ends in 2017 will be among his biggest priorities" (REUTERS, 5/17).
Walt Disney Studios' "Millon Dollar Arm" opened this weekend and "failed to attract a broad audience," bringing in $10.5M at the U.S. box office (LATIMES.com, 5/18).
The Twins today held a pregame ceremony to honor Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman. The team announced that a renovated north Minneapolis baseball field will be named in Hartman's honor (STARTRIBUNE.com, 5/17).
Last night's Juan Manuel Marquez-Mike Alvarado welterweight bout drew "a raucous pro-Marquez crowd of 12,090" to The Forum in Inglewood, Calf. It was the "first fight at the refurbished Forum, which had not hosted a boxing card since 2001" (ESPNLA.com, 5/18).
NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson yesterday "won the 35-39 age group at the Over The Mountain Triathlon" in Kings Mountain, N.C., prior to competing in the Sprint Cup All-Star Race last night. He "finished 11th overall out of 119" male participants (AP, 5/17).
Massachusetts elevator inspectors "were at Fenway Park Saturday, trying to determine how a 22-year-old woman fell two stories down an elevator shaft late Friday night" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/18).
