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Rapper Jay-Z and Red Sox Star David Ortiz Square Off Over '40/40 Club' Name

By Bruce Carton

I have long thought that rapper Jay-Z's sports bar, the 40/40 Club, had an inspired name. After all, what more exclusive "club" is there than baseball's 40-40 club, which refers to the four players in all of baseball history (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano) who have accumulated a total of 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season? The New York Daily News reports that, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz agrees with me and Jay-Z about the name -- so much so, in fact, that he named his new club in the Dominican Republic "Forty-Forty." Jay-Z's lawyer says the name is no coincidence, as Ortiz has visited Jay-Z's club "at least twice, and certainly knew of it." The lawsuit includes photos of Ortiz partying at the 40/40 Club, and seeks $5 million for Ortiz "blatantly trad[ing] on the goodwill and fame" Jay-Z and his partners have built up. For the record, Ortiz is no threat to ever enter the baseball version of the 40/40 club, as he has a grand total of 10 stolen bases in his 14 seasons in the major leagues.

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on April 19, 2010 (boomark / email).