| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, December 27, 2001
4:00pm ET | |
| • | MLB Asks Appeals Court To Overturn Ruling On Twins Lease |
| • | YES Network Inks Exclusive Radio Deal With Infinity Broadcasting |
| • | Orioles Ticket Prices For ’02 Include First Hike In Five Years |
| • | Nike Shox Global Launch To Include Europe, Asia And India |
| • | Hottest Ticket In Ottawa Gives Fans Chance For “Alexei Bashin’” |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/In Other News/Daily Stats/Channel Surfing |
MN COURT HOLDS CONTRACTION HEARING; RULING TO FOLLOW
The AP reports lawyers representing the Twins and MLB “told the Court of Appeals that a lower court went too far in ordering that the Twins honor their lease with the Metrodome by playing their 2002 season as scheduled,” during today’s hearing in front of the MN court. MLB seeks a ruling that would “clear the way” for MLB to eliminate two teams before next season. Today’s hearing “lasted less than an hour, and the three-judge panel … could rule any time” on MLB’s request to overturn the temporary injunction (AP, 12/27).
YANKEES REACH RADIO AGREEMENT WITH INFINITY BROADCASTING
Infinity Broadcasting and the YES Network announced today that they have reached a five-year exclusive agreement to broadcast Yankees games in both English and Spanish. The deal begins with Spring Training in ’02 and means that Yankees games will be broadcast in English on WCBS-AM in the N.Y. region. Sister station WFAN-AM will provide sales, marketing and production support for the broadcasts. The station that will carry the Spanish broadcast will be announced at a later date (THE DAILY).
ORIOLES ANNOUNCE FIRST TICKET HIKE IN FIVE YEARS
The Orioles announced today their ticket prices for the ’02 season, which include price increases ranging from $1 to $5 on over 37,000 seats. This marks the Orioles first ticket hike in five years and the fourth increase since the team moved into Camden Yards in ’92. The club was the only MLB franchise not to raise tickets from ’98-’01. While most tickets will see an increase, nearly 10,000 seats will remain the same or carry a lower price for ’02. Over 5,000 seats in the upper deck will cost $1 to $4 less than they did last season (THE DAILY).
A SHOX TO THE SYSTEM: NIKE LAUNCHES TOP PRODUCT IN INDIA
The FINANCIAL EXPRESS reports Nike India “has launched its top-of-the-line statement product Nike Shox in the Indian market.” The shoe, which “saw a limited debut in select markets in the US” last year, will also launch simultaneously in Europe and Asia. The Shox “is targeted at the … 21-36 year old male,” and while there is a model for women, the India launch will be “for a ‘discerning male audience.’” Ad agency Wieden & Kennedy has created a global commercial, which “will break in select film theatres this week and the online advertising next week” (FINANCIAL EXPRESS, 12/27).
YASHIN MAKES RETURN TO COREL CENTRE AFTER BITTER PARTING
The OTTAWA SUN reports Islanders C Alexei Yashin, who spent eight years with the Senators, makes his return to Ottawa tonight. The game “is a virtual sellout,” with the added prestige of Sportsnet “carrying the game nationally.” Yashin, who had a lengthy holdout with the Senators, “was booed almost every time he touched the puck” upon his return to the team last year. Yashin was dealt to the Islanders in the off-season (OTTAWA SUN, 12/27).
BUZZER BEATERS
Steelers WR Hines Ward has been fined $10,000 for “taunting,” the second time this season the NFL has cited him for that offense. Ward was fined for taunting Ravens S Rod Woodson during a December 11 game. Ward, on the fine: “It’s just amazing how talking to somebody in the world of playing football will get you a $10,000 fine” (AP, 12/27).
A worldwide poll of AP subscribers has found the selection of Beijing as host of the ’08 Olympics as the “top international sports story” of 2001. Second place in the poll went to the “record-setting season” of F1 driver Michael Schumacher. Third place was a tie between Michael Jordan’s return out of retirement and Tiger Woods securing all four majors with his Masters win in April (AP, 12/27).
IN OTHER NEWS….
Yahoo! said on Thursday that it has reached a “definitive pact” to buy HotJobs.com for $436M in cash. The deal beats an all-stock offer by HotJobs’ competitor Monster.com and it is “expected to close in the first quarter of 2002” (REUTERS, 12/27).
Shares in Adolph Coors Co. “fell for a third straight trading day” today as Wall Street “continued to question if the plan to buy Carling and other assets from Interbrew is a good move for the No. 3 U.S. brewer.” The planned deal has received “lukewarm” reception in the U.S. as analysts fear the company’s “long-term growth rate could slow further with the deal” (REUTERS, 12/27).
N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered a 55-minute farewell address to the city today. Near the end of his speech, Giuliani, who is scheduled to leave office December 31, said he believes the site of the collapsed World Trade Center should be turned into a “soaring, beautiful memorial” to victims of the attack. Giuliani: “We shouldn’t think of this site as a site for economic development.” Giuliani leaves his post on the “highest note of his administration” after much applause for his handling of events following the September 11 terrorist attacks (AP, 12/27).
THE DAILY STATS
The following lists this week’s N.Y. Times Bestsellers in the hardcover categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction and Advice for the week ending December 30 (N.Y. TIMES, 12/27):
| THIS WEEK | HARDCOVER FICTION | WEEKS ON LIST |
| 1) | SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, John Grisham
(Doubleday) | 6 |
| 2) | VIOLETS ARE BLUE, James Patterson
(Little Brown) | 4 |
| 3) | JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS, Mattie Stepanek
(Vacation Spot) | 8 |
| 4) | HE SEES YOU WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING, Mary and Carol Higgens Clark
(Simon & Schuster) | 4 |
| 5) | THE CORRECTIONS, Jonathan Franzen
(Farrar) | 15 |
| 6) | THE BEST LOVED POEMS OF JAQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS, Caroline Kennedy
(Hyperion) | 11 |
| 7) | LAST MAN STANDING, David Baldacci
(Warner) | 6 |
| 8) | DESECRATION, Tim Lahaye, Jeremy Jenkins
(Tyndale) | 7 |
| 9) | JACK DAWS, Ken Follett
(EP Dutton) | 2 |
| 10) | BLACK HOUSE, Steven King & Peter Straub
(Random House) | 13 |
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION | WEEKS ON
LIST |
| 1) | THE NO SPIN ZONE, Bill O'Reilly
(Broadway) | 9 |
| 2) | JOHN ADAMS, David McCullough
(Simon & Schuster) | 30 |
| 3) | THEODORE REX, Edmund Morris
(Random House) | 4 |
| 4) | JACK, Jack Welch
(Warner Books) | 14 |
| 5) | ONE NATION, Life Magazine
(Little Brown) | 5 |
| 6) | THE FINAL DAYS, Barbara Olson
(Regnery) | 9 |
| 7) | CHRISTMAS IN PLAINS, Jimmy Carter
(Simon & Schuster) | 2 |
| 8) | THE UNIVERSE IN A NUTSHELL, Stephen Hawking
(Bantam) | 6 |
| 9) | NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 11, Magnum Photographers
(PowerHouse) | 4 |
| 10) | WHEN CHARACTER WAS KING, Peggy Noonan
(Viking) | 5 |
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER ADVICE | WEEKS ON
LIST |
| 1) | THE PRAYER OF JABEZ, Bruce H. Wilkinson
(Multnomah) | 43 |
| 2) | HOW I PLAY GOLF, Tiger Woods
(Warner) | 10 |
| 3) | GUINESS WORLD RECORDS 2002
(Guiness) | 11 |
| 4) | I HOPE YOU DANCE, Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sellers
(Rutledge Hill) | 6 |
| 5) | CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL CHRISTMAS TREASURY, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
(Health Communications) | 3 |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air the ‘01 Seattle Bowl, featuring Georgia Tech-Stanford at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN will air the ’01 Independence Bowl, featuring Alabama-Iowa at 7:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Avalanche-Blackhawks at 8:00pm ET and Mighty Ducks-Kings at 10:30pm ET.
TNT will air Jazz-Trail Blazers 9:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “The Late Show” | Rudy Giuliani |
| “The Tonight Show” | Billy Bob Thornton |
| “The Late Late Show” | Mark Paul Gosselaar |
| “Late Night” | Tom Everett Scott (r) |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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