Party at Vince Wladika’s place! The boss man at VMW Communications didn’t win the lottery, but for him, it was next best thing. He was closest to the pin at the New Jersey Nets’ golf tournament and won beer for a year. “It couldn’t be better,” he said. “I love beer.” He’ll throw a party on Oct. 11 when cases of various kinds of Brooklyn Beer will be delivered.
In planning a golf fund-raiser with Donald Trump for later this week, Rudy Giuliani tells this story: I told my bride, Judith, she could pick anywhere on earth to honeymoon: Maui, Paris, Melbourne. She chose golfing at the Dave Pelz Golf School in Cordillera, Colo., where the emphasis is on the short game, chipping and putting.
Head in the game: Nets CEO Brett Yormark sent Jason Kidd to school.
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| Jason Kidd hits the books with first-grader Angelique Allen at ther school in Westfield, N.J. |
Literally. To first grade. He accompanied
Angelique Allen, whose parents,
Amy and
Keith Allen, won a season-ticket sweepstakes. Kidd said, “I was more nervous than Angelique.” … The NTRA is offering free admission to the 2005 Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park for anyone with a Loews theater ticket stub to the movie “Dreamer,” set to open eight days before the Oct. 29 races. … The Roxbury, N.J., store didn’t close when
Mia Hamm shot a Vitamin Shoppe commercial there, her first postretirement endorsement. Instead, she graciously signed autographs for a succession of customers who had inadvertently interrupted shooting. … “The Great American Baseball Box,” a four-CD set featuring baseball music, historic play-by-play and other on- and off-field audio, has been packaged for sale this month in a 12-by-12 box made to look and feel like a base. … The premiere episode of NBC’s “Three Wishes” featured FieldTurf, which donated a new football field to a California high school. It not only was great marketing; CEO
John Gilman called it “incredibly rewarding.”
ABC picked up “Emily’s Reasons Why Not,” and the sitcom, based on Carrie Gerlach Cecil’s best seller, will premiere in January. “Best of all,” said the sports PR princess, “is that Heather Graham plays me!” … NASCAR’s Greg Biffle drives in a lawnmower race in Wednesday’s episode of CBS’s “Yes, Dear.”
Artist Steve Allen, who created works for Olympic Games in Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City and Athens and was commissioned to produce “Torino Olympique,” the official poster for the Turin Games, will use some of his art in a collection of accessories he and gold medalist Bob Beamon will create and market for the 2008 Beijing Games.
It’s an iPod world, and NASCAR gets it. “We are now podcasting,” said Andrew Giangola, director of business communications, “posting NASCAR news for media downloads.” A Brian France-Jeff Gordon teleconference was podcast, and so was VP Jim Hunter explaining new rules. … Former driver Ned Jarrett said on “E! True Hollywood Story” that NASCAR creator Bill France Sr. “ruled things with an iron fist.” Dylan Ratigan used “iron grip” on CNBC’s “NASCAR Gold” to describe three generations of France rule.
The USTA’s Pat Freebody was looking for someone different this year to address the tennis teachers conference. She decided on Jim MacLaren, the 2005 Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipient at the 2005 ESPY Awards. The former Yale football player turned actor turned amputee triathlete was the inspiration for the title character in a coming documentary titled “Emmanuel.” Word is, he brought down the house. … Retired AP sportswriter Hal Bock was the speaker at a Long Island library. The emcee: “You all know Hal Bock as a great Civil War scholar, but I just found out he also is interested in sports. So he’ll be talking to us tonight about the history of baseball. I am sure he is very knowledgeable on the subject.”
Ryan Hollweg, older brother of Army assistant hockey captain Bryce Hollweg, was among the N.Y. Rangers who drilled at West Point last week. Hockey coach Brian Riley hosted the NHL team’s workouts.
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| A roomful of stars was honored at a New York dinner for Nick Buoniconti's Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. |
In the act:
Tony Dorsett is busy. He was in Dallas helping MasterCard kick off its “priceless” tailgating campaign, and the following week, he was honored at a New York dinner for
Nick Buoniconti’s Miami Project along with
Ray Bourque, Mike Richter, Bob Costas, Ozzie Smith, Lenny Wilkens, K.C. Jones, Hal Sutton, Gary Hall Jr., Don Garlits and
Phil Mahre. Tom Brokaw emceed, while
Jack Nicklaus and actor
Tommy Lee Jones received special awards. … Actor/comedian
Jay Mohr is writing columns for SI.com. … Lakers EVP
Jeanie Buss and boyfriend
Phil Jackson will headline the L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission’s Basketball 101. Also on the bill:
Marge Hearn, widow of
Chick Hearn, FSN’s
Bill Macdonald and Lakers coaches
Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw and
Tex Winter.
Contact John Genzale at jgenzale@nyc.rr.com.
