High five: The New Orleans Saints will play in an extra preseason game this year—the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5—a league source confirmed to The Times-Picayune. As first reported by FOXSports.com, the Saints volunteered to play in this year’s annual preseason opener because it will coincide with offensive tackle Willie Roaf’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that weekend. The Saints’ opponent is not yet known. Being in the game means the Saints will play five preseason games this year, instead of the usual four. The rest of their preseason schedule will be announced at a later date. The Saints last played in the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off the 2007 exhibition season.
Above the rim: In a recent interview on NBA-TV, NBA Commissioner David Stern indicated a possible March 1 date to reach a deal with a new owner for the New Orleans Hornets, but sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations tell The Times-Picayune that timetable might be a bit ambitious. Stern confirmed to the league’s network what has been reported regarding the team’s lease-extension negotiations with the state of Louisiana: that the new owner would be agreeing to a deal with no escape clauses, which keeps the Hornets in New Orleans for the duration of the new agreement. Stern did say the list of potential owners or groups has been whittled to a front-runner with another in reserve. Read the full story here.
A slam dunk: Basketball and media phenom Jeremy Lin filed last week to trademark the term “Linsanity,” CNNMoney.com reports. The move, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, would give the overnight NBA sensation exclusive rights to put the signature term on a variety of products, including clothing, mugs and even action figures. The New York Knicks basketball star burst into public consciousness three weeks ago, an undrafted Asian-American Harvard graduate who went from benchwarmer to star pointguard and led the Knicks on a seven-game winning streak. While the streak has come to an end, his stardom has not, making the term “Linsanity” one of the hottest in New York tabloids, sports networks and Twitter posts. But Lin isn’t the only one who’s filed for a trademark on the term. Check out the full story here.
