Readorama: Sports columnist Rick Reilly to speak at Village Shalom fundraiser

Few writers have spent more time on the bad side of big sports stars than Rick Reilly.

In his latest collection of columns, “Tiger, Meet My Sister … and Other Things I Probably Shouldn’t Have Said,” Reilly settles accounts with Lance Armstrong, whom he defended for years after the winner of seven Tour de France titles repeatedly denied he had used performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong eventually admitted the truth, but not to Reilly.

Reilly also goes after Tiger Woods, the same athlete who has passed the $1 billion mark in earnings and endorsements and yet, according to Reilly, has ignored the plight of his half-brother Kevin, who has financial issues and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009.

Then there’s Michael Jordan, who for weeks disparaged Reilly’s scoop that he was going return to the basketball court with the Washington Wizards, which Jordan did in 2001. When Reilly later approached Jordan in a locker room, Jordan declined to apologize.

His job description, Reilly said recently, doesn’t include carrying water for the nation’s most celebrated athletes.

“The guy I always have been trying to please is the guy in Peoria who just got done with a hard day’s work and who just wants to be entertained,” Reilly said.

Although Reilly’s sense of humor is well-known, his sense of fair play and decency likely is why he is appearing Thursday at the annual Ages of Excellence fundraiser for Village Shalom, the nonprofit retirement community in Overland Park.

Thursday’s event at the Overland Park Convention Center represents the first public outreach by Village Shalom since April, when three area residents died after being shot, one of them in the retirement community’s parking lot and two others outside the Jewish Community Center.

“Going with something on the more humorous side was not our first thought,” said Jim Klein, event co-chair.

But, he added, “the more we thought about a speaker, the better the idea of something a little more lighthearted sounded as a balance and reminder that it’s OK to move on and even have a laugh.”

The program will begin with a video that addresses the shootings while also expressing gratitude to the greater Kansas City community for the “extraordinary” support received by the Village Shalom staff, residents and board of directors, Klein said.

“We’re trying to strike the right tone as we honor those impacted by this tragedy and provide an uplifting evening that makes people feel good for coming,” he said.

To inquire about ticket availability, call 913-266-8469 or send email to mpontarelli@villageshalom.org.

This story was originally published November 14, 2014 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Readorama: Sports columnist Rick Reilly to speak at Village Shalom fundraiser."