 |
|
Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters took the most hardware at Stars For Stars, the professional tennis awards celebration in Miami, but Richard Branson stole the show. His limo was the longest in the parking lot, much longer than Federer’s Mercedes-Benz Maybach. Many competed for Branson’s attention; Maria Sharapova won. She served at the Taste of Tennis with Branson, the founder of the Virgin brand. While Amelie Mauresmo chatted up two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan got music tips from Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band, a tennis fan who recorded the soundtrack for ESPN2’s coming Wimbledon coverage. Almost for the highlight reel: Clijsters snapped a strap on her gown, but a safety pin averted a wardrobe malfunction. … Guests at Sotheby’s in New York for a USTA fundraiser tried to stump ESPN’s Howie Schwab on tennis trivia. He knew the president of the USTA Tennis and Education Foundation, Patrick McEnroe, won a French Open doubles title in 1989. McEnroe challenged: Who was my partner? Schwab: Jim Grabb, and you beat Mansour Bahrami and Eric Winogradsky. Patrick was speechless, but not brother John McEnroe: “Wow, that was some tough competition.”
 |
Carmen Electra deals at the opening of a new
World Poker Tour-branded room at Foxwoods. |
The Phoenix Suns’
Amare Stoudemire, sidelined for the season after a brief comeback from knee problems, toured the Arizona Cardinals’ new stadium with director of premium sales
Brandon Perle. Earlier he opened a restaurant with
Eddie Matney and
Bill Smith near
Dan Majerle’s place and Alice Cooper’stown. Matney is a chubby chef who likes to drive the lane on his full-size backyard court chomping a lit cigar stub. … It rained on
Kurt Warner’s Ultimate Football Experience, but the first Phoenix rain in 143 days didn’t spoil a day of flag football at the Cardinals’ training facility for 10 corporate teams, each with a celebrity quarterback. Roth Capital Partners with
Rodney Peete edged Pro Sports Realty with
Larry Fitzgerald 46-42. Current and former NFL players
Anquan Boldin,
Warren Moon,
Donovan McNabb and
Dave Krieg helped raise funds for Warner’s First Things First Foundation. …
Tara Taylor, associate media director at
Omnicom’s
PHD media group, was the MVP at the annual Sporting News-MLB Alumni softball game.
Brooks Robinson and Sporting News publisher
Pete Spina coached the winners.
Jim Leyritz and Sporting News CEO
Rick Allen coached the losers. Taylor’s three hits earned her a trip to a Phillies-Twins training game, where she threw out the first pitch.
Great gig: Mike Hersom, EVP at Ignition, an Atlanta-based marketing agency that Coke hired to shepherd the World Cup on a 100-day, 31-city tour, said from Singapore, “I’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime job. FIFA allowed Coca-Cola to take the World Cup on its first-ever tour. We started in Ghana where the newly elected president, John Agyekum Kufuor, raised it to a delighted crowd, proud of Ghana’s first World Cup qualification.” Hersom said taking the Cup, redesigned in 1974 by Italy’s Silvio Gazzaniga, to five continents showed him how much people have in common. “No matter what color, they love soccer and they love the World Cup.” The moment he’ll tell his grandchildren about: At a rock concert on the beach in Rio, 1994 Brazilian captain Carlos Dunga came on stage with the Cup. “Do you know what it sounds like when 250,000 Brazilians go berserk?”
Baseball cards of four women who played in the All-American Girls Baseball League — Blanche Schachter, Anita Foss, Thelma Eisen and Margaret Wigiser — were included in this year’s 55-card update set issued by Jewish Major Leaguers. But Wigiser is Catholic and not happy. Embarrassed creator Martin Abramowitz respectfully replaced it with a “correction” card.
Orlando radio play-by-play man Dennis Neumann was particularly moved by a Magic promotion “Seats for Soldiers” honoring the military. Neumann’s son Brad is a helicopter pilot in Iraq. … The Knicks hooked up with minor league baseball teams for one promotion and the Hall of Fame for another, bringing back scores of stars, including Dick Barnett, Jumpin’ Johnny Green, Richie Guerin, Dick McGuire and Dolph Schayes. … Courtside seats at MSG go for $2,100, but Raymund Lim paid five grand for a pair in an auction by SI swimsuit model Petra Nemcova for tsunami relief. Nemcova and another swimsuit model, Brooklyn Decker, joined him courtside.
Desiree Ficker says tips from veteran ironman Normann Stadler helped her finish second in her first professional triathlete competition. Tony DeBoom, director of Sportif/Athlete Liaison for the Tri-Dubai team, said, “Triathletes are ‘lone wolves’ by nature, but they do appreciate the value of teammates.”
Carmen Electra dealt the ceremonial first hand at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s poker room while actress Shannon Elizabeth and poker ace Mike Sexton hung out. The country’s largest casino-based poker room will bear the brand of the World Poker Tour, whose founder, Steve Lipscomb, said it may be a template for others.
Bob Der replaces Neil Cohen as managing editor of SI For Kids after SI managing editor Terry McDonell named Cohen AME. … Dean Bonham established a new London office of his Denver-based Bonham Group. … CBS podcast the entire NCAA tourney, $1.99 a game or $19.99 for all 63. … Billie Jean King and John McEnroe eulogized Eugene Scott, who died of heart disease. He had been a world-ranked player, Arthur Ashe’s roommate and confidante, an agent and a member of the USTA board, and in 1974 he founded Tennis Week.
John Genzale can be reached at johngenzale@gmail.com.
