 |
|
Kate Mara, the great-granddaughter of New York Giants founder Tim Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, has been cast in “We Are Marshall,” a Warner Bros. film in pre-production about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 Marshall University football players, coaches and boosters. Matthew McConaughey stars as coach Jack Lengyl, charged with rebuilding the program. The film is not scheduled for release until early in 2007. Mara has had roles in three films since appearing in “Brokeback Mountain” and often sings the national anthem at Giants home games. … Beating an old horse with Sylvester Stallone, more than a dozen boxing people will appear in “Rocky Balboa” (aka Rocky VI), including Marc Ratner, outgoing executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and James Binns, Ron Borges, Michael Buffer,Joe Cortez, Stitch Duran, Bernard Fernandez, Kevin Iole, Max Kellerman, Brian Kenny, Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Jim Rome and Antonio Tarver. The Sony film — not to be confused with the awful 1986 Rocky VI (not Stallone’s), which director Aki Kaurismäki described as “my revenge on Mr. Stallone, who I think is an asshole” — is set for a December release.
 |
New UNICEF goodwill ambassador Roger Federer
joined fellow ambassador Shakira in New York City. |
It was “one heck of a week” for former AFL director of partnership sales
Renie Anderson, said the league’s SVP of communications,
Chris McCloskey. She joined the NFL’s business development department, but not before marrying McCloskey. Commissioner
David Baker, COO
Ed Policy, properties President
Glenn Horine and Atlanta Falcons VP
Reggie Roberts were among those attending the ceremony at the River Cafe in Brooklyn.
When the Billies are awarded in Los Angeles later this week, Elton John, Geena Davis and Peggy Fleming will be among the stars in attendance. But the real stars will be the nominees for the first-ever awards, given by the Women’s Sports Foundation and named after its founder, Billie Jean King. Welch Suggs was nominated in the media excellence category. “I’m astounded,” said Suggs, a Ph.D. candidate in education policy at Georgia. “Being the only male nominee is an incredible honor, and I can’t believe my book [“A Place on the Team: The Triumph and Tragedy of Title IX”] is nominated alongside the work of Christine Brennan and Sally Jenkins.” Suggs, an original SBJ writer who now works for the Knight Commission, said his book argues that “Donna Lopiano and the women who led the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women had it right and the NCAA has it wrong about how to run college sports.” When King announced the awards at Tiffany, Beverly Hills, in February, Marcia Cross of “Desperate Housewives” and Olympic softball gold medalist Jessica Mendoza were at her side. … The Warsaw Center at the University of Oregon named former ESPN marketing EVP Lee Ann Daly its Sports Woman of the Year and will honor her at an April 27 symposium featuring Nona Lee, Diamondbacks VP and general counsel; Lisa Gil, Professional Bowlers Association SVP; Angela Batinovich, Portland LumberJax (lacrosse) owner and managing partner; Renee Baumgartner, Oregon senior associate AD; and ESPN reporter Shelley Smith.
Fat cats in the best seats in sports: Marriott’s Bill Marriott, former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines, Revolution Health Group’s David Golden and Time Warner Venture’s Tige Savage have been guests of AOL co-founder Steve Case, who had told Wizards President Susan O’Malley to keep an eye out for great seats. She sold him four courtside, between the players and the midcourt table, for the last 10 games. At $2,500 a pop, that’s a hundred grand and tops the $2,100 seat-tag of Jack Nicholson (Lakers) and Spike Lee (Knicks).
Sports Illustrated President Mark Ford and Time Inc. COO John Squires joined Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Joe Biden and Rep. Tom Davis at a news conference for Oregon Health and Science University’s ATLAS and ATHENA steroid and drug prevention programs for high school athletes, the first recipient of the SI Champion Award. … UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman announced that Roger Federer will join David Beckham and Shakira as goodwill ambassadors. The Grammy-award-winning singer’s plane was delayed a couple of hours, but not enough to interfere with Federer’s trip to Bristol to film a pair of ESPN “This is SportsCenter” commercials. … Richard Jefferson and the Nets staff blitzed sponsors, ticket customers, vendors, friends, family and close business relationships selling tickets, a portion of which goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Record-book integrity is perplexing baseball in the steroid age. Former Yankee publicist Marty Appel sent an idea to the commissioner, suggesting Bud Selig write an introduction to the record book citing various periods that led to fluctuations in performance: dead-ball, wartime, segregation, expansion, the DH, now steroids. The idea is gaining some steam. Bob Costas made reference to it in an Opening Day feature on the Jim Lehrer show.
Bookshelf: Longtime Houston Astros radio voice Milo Hamilton is the subject of “Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Milo’s Microphone” (Sports Publishing) co-written by Dan Schlossberg and Bob Ibach. Hamilton’s hunting buddy Nolan Ryan wrote the foreword. … Pete Williams, whose book is “The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL’s Search for Talent” (St. Martin Press), did 35 radio interviews during the four days of this year’s combine.
John Genzale can be reached at johngenzale@gmail.com.
