Brewers players after last season's run to the NLCS "voted to give" a full playoff share to radio announcer BOB UECKER. The move is "basically unheard-of in baseball but showed once again that 'Ueck' is considered one of the boys." Uecker: “I said, ‘I don’t believe it. Really?’” Uecker gave the $123,000 bonus to "some of his favorite charities." He said, "I would never keep the money, but I sure appreciated what they did." He is "preparing for his 49th season as the Brewers’ radio voice," but still has "no plans to call it a career." Uecker: "I’ll know myself when it’s time (to quit). You’re not going to have to tell me. I’ll know" (JSONLINE.com, 3/10).
BREAKING UP ISN'T EASY: An Austin financial adviser had a "messy split" with the NFLPA two years ago over "allegations that he embellished his credentials and made false claims." JOEY FESTE was "indefinitely suspended" from a program the union "controls to protect athletes from bad financial advisers, with the intention of his affiliation being revoked, on May 12, 2017." Feste said the allegations against him were “minor administration errors” that did not cause anyone harm. After the case went to mediation, he and his lawyer said that the NFLPA "offered money to settle the dispute and invited Feste back into the program, but he refused" (STATESMAN.com, 3/10).
THE GOOD STUFF: SeatGeek donated $200,000 in scholarship money to Flatiron School for women pursuing tech education (SeatGeek)....A $30,000 scholarship awarded by STEPHEN and AYESHA CURRY's foundation to college-bound female students from the Bay Area was "inspired by 9-year-old RILEY MORRISON," who wrote Curry a letter in November asking why his namesake Under Armour shoes were not available for girls on the company's website. The UA ICON Curry 6 United We Win colorway was "released Friday to mark International Women’s Day" (SANFRANCISCO.CBSLOCAL.com, 3/9)....Former NFLer DEMARCUS WARE donated $10,000 to "help cover funeral costs" for the 23 people killed in Beauregard, Ala., after tornadoes hit the area last week. Ware played collegiately for Troy Univ. (ESPN.com, 3/8).
INSIDE STORY: “SCREWBALL,” a documentary about the '13 MLB doping scandal, "won the Audience Award for Best Feature" at the Miami Film Festival. The documentary, which "employed child actors to chronicle the infamous Biogenesis scandal that roped 14 MLB players and shuttered a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic, was directed by BILLY CORBEN and produced by ALFRED SPELLMAN of the Miami-based Rakontour production company." It will be "released by Greenwich Entertainment and make its premiere in Miami theaters on March 29" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 3/9).
NAMES: Warriors F ANDRE IGUODALA “joined the board of directors” for African ecommerce startup Jumia, which “became the continent’s first unicorn” in ’16 (TECHCRUNCH.com, 3/10)....Blackhawks D DUNCAN KEITH was profiled by the N.Y. TIMES as part of its “My Workout” series, where he shared his “workout and wellness secrets, and why he is obsessed with infrared therapy lights.” Keith said that he reads a lot of books, and listens to podcasts like the BEN GREENFIELD fitness podcast (N.Y. TIMES, 3/10)....MAGIC JOHNSON “helped kick-off a multi-million-dollar renovation” of an L.A. County park “bearing his name Saturday morning.” Johnson “participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the 120-acre Magic Johnson Park,” which will include a 20,000-square-foot “community events center, an outdoor wedding pavilion, a splash pad, children’s play areas, increased security lighting, walking paths and parking lots” (DAILYNEWS.com, 3/9)....Golfer MICHELLE WIE and her boyfriend, Warriors Dir of Basketball Operations JONNIE WEST, got engaged over the weekend. West is the son of Basketball HOFer JERRY WEST (GOLF.com, 3/11)....ALEX RODRIGUEZ and JENNIFER LOPEZ got engaged after having been dating since early ’17 (NYTIMES.com, 3/9).
