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Mets’ Owners Engulfed in Madoff Scandal Fallout
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)

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In the months after it became public that Mets owner Fred Wilpon and his company were investors with Bernard Madoff in the largest Ponzi scheme in history, Wilpon lamented being victimized and betrayed by Madoff, who had been a friend for 25 years. But a lawsuit against Wilpon and his associates seeking recovery of funds for Madoff victims alleges the Mets’ owners reaped $300 million in profits and ignored numerous warning signs that Madoff was a fraud.  The suit asserts that Wilpon and company should not be considered victims and should therefore have to pay up to $1 billion. Seeking an infusion of cash to deal with the lawsuit, the Mets announced that a 25 percent stake in the team is for sale.   T.J. Quinn reports there are now serious doubts about whether the Mets’ owners can hold onto the team.

“He had his children’s money with Madoff. He had his family money with Madoff.  He wouldn’t have risked his family money if he had any inclination that Madoff was a fraud. “— Jerry Reisman, an attorney for more than 30 Madoff victims (not Wilpon), on whether Wilpon knew or ignored signs that Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme

“You can say that you’re an owner of the Mets, but that’s about all you can say.  You will have nothing whatsoever to say about the operation of the team. You may have some access, you may have a nice parking spot, you might even be able to get some extra tickets if they get to the World Series.” — Michael Cramer, former president of the Texas Rangers, now director of the Univ. of Texas Program in Sports and Media, on what an investor would get for a limited share in the Mets

Enduring Legacy
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m., ESPN)
The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (Friday, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)
ESPN.com (posted Tuesday, Feb. 15)

On February 15, 1961, the United States Figure Skating Team was on its way to Prague for the World Championships when the plane crashed on approach to Brussels’ Zaventem airport. Everyone on board was killed, including all18 team members and more than a dozen officials, judges, and family members. The loss devastated the skating community and the World Championships were canceled. Now, a half a century later, the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame honors them as the sole inductee of 2011.  Jeremy Schaap reports.

Former Padre Anticipates Donning Red Sox
ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m.)
Reportajes Especiales piece (ESPNDeportes.com)

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Reportajes Especiales spent time with former Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as he rehabilitates his right shoulder in San Diego after last October’s surgery. The two-time Gold Glove winner is looking forward to joining the tradition rich, perennially powerful Red Sox, and speaks candidly of being excited to join new teammate David Ortiz, and of his bittersweet feelings of leaving behind Padres fans who supported him from Mexico to his native Southern California.

Slow and Steady Wins the Planet
ESPN the Magazine (on newsstands Friday)

Senior writer David Fleming extrapolates on the “Running Man” theory popularized by the recent book “Born To Run,” whose basic premise is that man evolved into today’s species because of the ability to run long distances. While humans are among the slowest species of mammal on earth over short distances – the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, would be caught by a lion in 20 seconds – their advantage is as “persistence hunters” who can run, breathe and cool themselves simultaneously over long periods of running and tracking, unlike short-distance-favoring animals. Scientists believe that the most beneficial distance running traits have been passed on over many generations, and are rethinking what the limits are of human speed and endurance.

“It might sound silly, but I do feel a connection to some ancient, Neolithic warrior spirit in these races. That connection to our primal self is drawing people to ultrarunning. I mean, it’s pretty damn cool, if you think about it, that we adapted as humans to a point where we could run down animals.” – Scott Jurek, American ultrarunner, seven-time winner of the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run

“We have to explain all these amazing features that make us good at running, and persistence hunting is the most obvious. Nobody had ever thought that running was all that important in human evolution. But no one else was making this argument, so we kept asking ourselves, ‘Are we crazy? Are we missing something?’” – Dan Lieberman, Harvard evolutionary anthropologist

Inspiration From the Bench
College Gameday (Saturday, 10 a.m., ESPNU; 11 a.m., ESPN)

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Frank Kineavy and Nick Gaynor have more in common than being the student manager of the Villanova University men’s and women’s basketball teams, respectively. Both men were born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination.  Kineavy and Gaynor bring their infectious passion for basketball to the court and in turn, they inspire their teams. Tom Rinaldi has the story.

They Grow Up So Fast
ESPN the Magazine (on newsstands Friday)

Contributor Samantha Shapiro examines how the sport of competitive cheerleading is getting younger and younger, even as its stunts and routines are becoming more and more intricate. This story chronicles 7- and 8-year-old members of the Raleigh, N.C., Glitter Stars and their families as they prepare for a regional tournament in Richmond, Va., revealing all that the world of youth competitive cheerleading entails.