Posts Tagged ‘Tiger Woods’

Basketball Hall of Famer Meadowlark Lemon strode to his seat at Tony’s spry as a teenager with unquenchable enthusiasm and at peace with the world.  He spoke eloquently of his 22 years with the Harlem Globetrotters and of the year he shared a room with teammate Bob Gibson before Gibson turned to baseball.  Lemon, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, spoke of the mysterious amalgam that keeps him going at 77. “At 4:45 this morning, I worked out at the Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale,” he said.  The conversation turned to another athlete – Tiger Woods – and his recent misfortunes. He opined, “When Tiger and his wife’s moms were in the house, one of them should have done what (Olympic Gold Medalist) Charles Barkley‘s mom did. She would smack him against the head.”  Then, Lemon’s host Tom Spitzer added, “Any man, who says ‘I’m just human’ is guilty. An NBA analyst said Tiger will lose millions at venues, but he doesn’t care.” Spitzer is the affable former sports agent, who with Rich Sauget, owns the Gateway Grizzlies. On his opinion of President Obama, Lemon softly confided, “He’s good, but he’s surrounded by strange people. They’ll eventually be weeded out.”  Pleasant, gracious and relaxed , Lemon turned to his Lemon Ministries in Scottsdale, where he serves as minister  He preaches, “It’s all about joy. Avoid happiness.  Happiness is a whimp. When adversity comes in, happiness disappears. Joy comes from deep within the belly.”  Lemon was in town for the Albert Pujols fundraiser Saturday night and was joined over dinner by Howard Mallott, retired bossman of Schneithorst’s.

Hometowner Jeffrey Fort says that Tiger Woods is getting all the attention in L.A. “Is there a new pre-nupt?” wondered people at a wine-tasting, according to Fort. He continued, “Paparazzi and agents are hounding talk shows, boasting they will fork over $200,000 each for new photos of Mrs. Tiger and the children.” And over at the International Auto Show, Fort claims that execs are moaning that “Tiger wrecked an Escalade – not a Buick – in the pricey sponsorship pact.” But the big news from Fort is that his post-production movie trailer operation, Motive Creative/Hollywood, steams along with co-owner Billy Michelson of HBO fame forcing Fort to set up an office in The London Hotel in West Hollywood. That’s where his favorite eatery, Gordon Ramsay, is located.

Despite the death of Metro Sentinel’s publisher Jane E. Woods Miller, and the divorce of her daughter, Judy Woods-Williams from Mike Williams, Mike continues the newspaper under the banner of Sentinel Journals and he and his sis, Gwen Pennington, continue with the dream of Howard Woods‘ annual salute to the captains of industry as minority role models for minority students. A crowd of 500 attended at the paper’s Yes, I Can Dinner at the Polish Heritage Center in north St. Louis. Dr. Henrietta Scott of the St. Louis Community College focused on the African-American male at about the same time as the Tiger Woods was embroiled in escapades in Florida. Putting aside polics were: Mike McMillan, who served as general chairman; Mo. Rep. Allen Icet, who repped Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and mayoral chief Jeff Rainford. Seen in the crowd were: Renita Perry; Mohammed Salameh; Michael Yarborough; Judy Bentley; Daryl Jones; Rev. Dr. Williams Gillespie; Steve Warmack; Ald. Quincy Troupe; Apil Ford Griffin; Donald Calloway; Jared Boyd; Greg F.X. Daly; Robbie “Sweetie Pies” Montgomery; Ruth Smith; La Shonda Clay; Rita McMillan and Clarice Poindexter.

Before the plane left, do-gooder Jeffrey Fort challenged this columnist to try to get a table at Gotham’s Il Mulino. Even his barrister Chet Pleban and produce guy Charlie Gallagher couldn’t manage it.  Neither could the columnist. But, that turned into a mitzvah. The Stage Deli’s Steve Auerbach and Paul Zolenge had not only a table for me, but also put in the works a Jerry Berger sandwich of smoked salmon on a bialy. So, the columnist will soon join the real upper crust: the ranks of those whose namesake sandwiches appear on the Stage Deli’s menu.  Others? The tongue/swiss cheese and corned beef given the name of Larry King; Larry David’s corned beef and turkey; Howard Stern’s pastrami; A-Rod’s turkey, chopped liver lettuce, tomato and onion; Ben Stiller’s hot roast beef; Aretha Franklin’s pastrami and turkey and Dolly Parton’s twin rolls of pastrami and corned beef; and Tiger Woods’ Rueben … The columnist’s favorite alumnus of the Non-Partisan Judicial Selection Plan, Mo. Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff, is clearly truthful, enlightened and so cool!  Has he ever smoked a joint? “It was a youthful indiscretion,” said Wolff over brunch at the Chase-Park Plaza.  “Unlike some others of my generation, I did inhale.”Wolff said he is a voracious reader and among his faves are: The Riverfront Times, New York Wired, Washington Monthly and the papers in and around Jefferson City.  The 64 year-old judge said that after mandatory retirement at 70, he’ll go back to teaching. Any hint where? Of Saint Louis University uber-president he says, “He’s transformed SLU and the city by making that gorgeous campus. I even like his engaging (the columnist thinks that is judicialese for “nude”) artwork on the campus.”  He looked back on his career on the bench and commented, “As a judge, it’s hard to get away from thinking about how law affects ordinary people, how it affects the average person. People with money can take care of themselves.”  Does the cool judge hit the casinos?  “It’s entertainment for five or ten minutes, but I do spend two dollars a week on my Powerball habit,” he admitted,  As to Judge Wolff’s family, he said, “My mother was a typical Irish Catholic – I don’t forget that!” We were joined by the Chase’s exemplary French Chef, Brian Hale, who hails from the whine region of St. Louis County. Brian Hale … Recession?  Mike Lordo says “not so much.”He and his brother have each just sold a 12-carat yellow and 13-carat emerald cut diamond rings at Lordo’s on Clayton Road … First there were Buster May, then Desmond Lee. Now, it’s Rex Sinquefeld who’s the outstretched hand from our town’s charity types. Who he? A zillionaire grad of Bishop DuBourg High (just like Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter), who wrote the definitive book on stock market returns and was co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors.