| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, November 29, 2001
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Romney Says IOC Must Hold Down Costs Of Olympic Games |
| • | Wooldridge Meets With Aldermen, Reiterates Louisville Leads Hornets Race |
| • | De La Hoya Could Reunite With Boxing Promoter Bob Arum |
| • | NBC Plans To Broadcast Olympic Events In High Definition TV |
| • | Speedvision, NASCAR Shift Into High Gear On “NASCAR TV” |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Articles Of Interest/Channel Surfing |
ROMNEY: COSTS OF GAMES GETTING OUT OF CONTROL
The AP reports SLOC President Mitt Romney today said that costs of the Olympic Games “are growing out of control, and the pageantry surrounding the games should be scaled back.” Romney, responding to a General Accounting Office report made public Thursday, said that he “plans to give International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge a series of recommendations to hold down costs” (AP, 11/29).
WOOLDRIDGE SAYS LOUISVILLE STILL LEADS RACE FOR HORNETS
The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reports that Hornets co-Owner Ray Wooldridge, while in KY today to meet with city officials, said this afternoon that Louisville “is still the top candidate to become the Hornets’ new home,” but added that there are “still a lot of details to be worked out in an arena plan that would lure the team.” Wooldridge: “We need to put some meat on the bones” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/29).
DE LA HOYA ENTERS NEGOTIATIONS WITH PROMOTER BOB ARUM
The L.A. TIMES reports that WBC champion Oscar De La Hoya “has entered into serious negotiations with promoter Bob Arum, which could result in the pair being reunited in the next few days” (L.A. TIMES, 11/29).
NBC GETS THE PICTURE, WILL BROADCAST OLYMPIC EVENTS IN HDTV
NBC, in association with HDNet, will broadcast selected events from the ’02 Winter Games in high definition, NBC Olympics Exec VP Gary Zenkel announced today. The HDTV broadcasts will be offered as a separate and distinct feed from NBC’s standard definition broadcasts of the Games on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC. The HDTV broadcasts will air portions of the previous day’s competition, and will be available to at least 32 NBC DTV affiliate stations, which currently cover over 42% of the country (THE DAILY).
LUPICA TAKES RIBBING ON “LATE NIGHT,” COMMENTS ON JORDAN
N.Y. Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica appeared on “Late Night” with Conan O’Brien early this morning. O’Brien, on the author photo in Lupica’s new book, Full Court Press: “This, I think, is the creepiest, weirdest one I’ve ever seen in my [life].” O’Brien, to Lupica: “Your mouth is open; you’re not smiling; you look like you’re up to something.” Lupica: “This is not helpful.” Meanwhile, Lupica said of Michael Jordan’s comeback: “I don’t think it’s going to end happily for him, and I’m sorry, because he’s the best ballplayer anyone has ever seen” (“Late Night,” NBC, 11/29).
BUZZER BEATERS
Speedvision cable network and NASCAR today announced the launch of “NASCAR TV,” the first channel-within-a-channel devoted to a single sport (THE DAILY).
The BOSTON GLOBE reports Killington, VT, “the first [ski] area to open, has canceled this weekend’s meeting of the Eastern Ski Writers’ Association,” due to unusually warm weather (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/29).
L.A.-based KMPC-AM, Sporting News Radio, will air “The Chris Myers and Bob Golic Show” weekdays between 3:00-7:00pm PT beginning in December (THE DAILY).
The AP reports that Italian sports official Mario Pescante “takes over Friday as head of Europe's powerful Olympic association.” Pescante is “the only candidate for the presidency of the European Olympic Committees, an umbrella body representing 48 countries” (AP, 11/29).
AT&T Wireless launches its Web site, Xplore the Games, which gives viewers a non-traditional perspective on the ’02 Winter Games (THE DAILY).
FL-based TicketAdvantage announced today the launch of its new Web site that matches season-ticket holders with single-game ticket buyers, focusing on premium seats (THE DAILY).
The 18th Annual March of Dimes Sports Luncheon was held yesterday at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in N.Y. The event, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, honored NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for Sports Leadership, Giants Chair & co-CEO Robert Tisch for Corporate Leadership, and tennis star Jennifer Capriati as Sportswoman of the Year (THE DAILY).
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
The Knicks will be lauded by PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement In Learning) for their public education efforts. G Allan Houston and F Kurt Thomas will accept the award during a benefit at the Hammerstein Ballroom in N.Y. (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 11/29).
The Montreal GAZETTE reports the NLL’s Montreal Express will play its inaugural home game versus the Calgary Roughnecks at 6:30pm ET. The contest “will be the first pro lacrosse game played in Montreal since John Ferguson’s Quebecois folded 26 years ago” (Montreal GAZETTE, 11/29).
The Blue Jackets and the NLL Columbus Landsharks are teaming up on a ticket deal. Fans who purchase tickets for the Blue Jackets’ game tonight versus the Blues will be eligible for a free ticket to the Landsharks’ season opener against the NJ Storm on December 1 (THE DAILY).
The NFLPA and the Academic Distinction Fund will hold the “Score One For Our Kids” raffle tonight at 6:30-9:00pm ET in Baton Rouge, LA (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 11/25).
IN OTHER NEWS……..
Steven Brill, the founder of Court TV, “American Lawyer” magazine and the now-defunct “Brill's Content” magazine, has been hired as a columnist for “Newsweek” (AP, 11/29).
The AP reports that U.S.-based Sotheby's entered the Paris market today “with French flair,” as items on the auction block included “manuscripts and early editions by authors such as Andre Gide, Marcel Proust and Guy de Maupassant, a collection estimated at up to $2.7 million” (AP, 11/29).
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The DENVER POST’s Ray McNulty reports on Anna Kournikova’s roster of lucrative endorsement deals (DENVER POST, 11/29).
See The Daily Insider’s Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links, including the Daytona Beach News-Journal's report on Dale Earnhardt’s death and the impact it had on the ’01 NASCAR season, and the San Jose Mercury News’ article on the surprising success of this year’s Silicon Valley Bowl.
THE DAILY STAT: NBA’S TOP SALARIES
The following lists the ten highest-paid NBA players for the ‘01-02 season. Salary figures have been rounded up (USA TODAY, 11/15):
| RK | PLAYER, TEAM | SALARY |
| 1) | Kevin Garnett, Min. | $22.40 million |
| 2) | Shaquille O'Neal, LAL | $21.43 million |
| 3) | Alonzo Mourning, Miami | $18.76 million |
| 4) | Juwan Howard, Dal. | $18.75 million |
| 5) | Scottie Pippen, Por. | $18.10 million |
| 6) | Karl Malone, Utah | $17.50 million |
| 7) | Rasheed Wallace, Por. | $14.40 million |
| 8) | Dikembe Mutombo, Phi. | $14.32 million |
| 9) | Gary Payton, Sea. | $12.93 million |
| t10) | Allan Houston, N.Y. | $12.75 million |
| t10) | Chris Webber, Sac. | $12.75 million |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN2 will air college football, Southern Miss.-Alabama, at 7:00pm ET.
ESPN will air Eagles-Chiefs at 8:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Penguins-Sharks at 10:30pm ET.
ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Pete Maravich at 8:00pm ET.
HBO will air “Inside The NFL” at 8:00pm ET.
Chargers DE Marcellus Wiley and S Rodney Harrison will be on ESPN's “Unscripted.”
Free agent 1B Jason Giambi will be on FSN’s “The Last Word.”
E!’s “True Hollywood Story” will profile “Hogan’s Heroes” star Bob Crane at 8:00pm ET.
A&E’s “Biography” will profile Oprah Winfrey at 8:00pm ET.
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon will be on CBS’ “The Late Show” with David Letterman at 11:30pm ET.
Tomorrow, Katarina Witt will be on both NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “The View.”
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “The Late Show” | Julia Stiles |
| “The Tonight Show” | Cindy Crawford |
| “The Late Late Show” | Michael Rapaport |
| “Late Night” | Matthew Modine |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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