| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, January 28, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Watkins Discusses Potential Future With Twins On CBS' “Early Show” |
| • | Bush Goes One-On-One With Lakers At Congratulatory Ceremony |
| • | NYSE Warns American Skiing Its Status On List In Jeopardy |
| • | Sprint To Continue Honoring Three Generations Of Sheas In Ad Campaign |
| • | Archaeological Appeals In Athens Are Rejected As Progress Is Urged |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/In Other News/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
WATKINS CONFIDENT HE'LL EVENTUALLY PURCHASE THE TWINS
With reports today in The Daily that a local ownership group will reorganize its efforts to purchase the Twins, Birmingham, AL-based business exec Donald Watkins, who has announced publicly that he is interested in buying the Twins, appeared via satellite on CBS' "The Early Show" today to discuss his plans. When asked what "the hold up" was in getting a deal done, Watkins said, "There is no hold up. We're operating at this time under confidentiality agreements. I cannot tell you exactly what we are doing now. But from my standpoint, I spend every day working on this matter. It has my undivided time and attention. I work with my investment bankers – I was working with investment bankers all day yesterday – (and) will be working with them all this week. I expect this transaction to be completed. I will not stop until it is" (CBS, "The Early Show," 1/28).
WEST (COAST) WING: LAKERS VISIT WITH BUSH AT WHITE HOUSE
President George Bush welcomed 13 Lakers and coach Phil Jackson to the White House today, a "belated congratulations" for the NBA championships they won in '00 and '01. Bush thanked the team before an audience that included NBA Commissioner David Stern and children from Boys and Girls Clubs, then challenged the players to "carry themselves as champions off the court … for the sake of children who want to be like them" (AP, 1/28).
AMERICAN SKIING FAILS TO MEET NYSE LIST STANDARDS
American Skiing Co. said the NYSE advised the company that it "no longer meets the exchange's rules for market capitalization, stockholders' equity and a continued listing on the exchange." But the company also said it asked the NYSE for 18 months to "get itself back in compliance with the rules." American Skiing failed to meet the NYSE's listing standard requiring total market capitalization of not less than $50M over a 30-day trading period, and stockholders' equity of not less than $50M (REUTERS, 1/28).
SHEA FAMILY LEGACY LIVES ON VIA POPULAR SPRINT ADS
Sprint today announced that it will "continue to run its popular television ad featuring skeleton athlete Jim Shea, Jr., following the recent death of his grandfather, Jack Shea, who is featured in the commercial along with Jim's father, Jim Shea, Sr." A slightly revised version of the TV commercial, with a tribute to the late Jack Shea, "is scheduled to air from January 28 through February 3" (THE DAILY).
PROGRESS URGED IN ATHENS AS ENVIRONMENTAL APPEALS DENIED
Greece Premier Costas Simitis, during a meeting between government ministers in charge of the Olympics today, urged his government and Olympic organizers to "work harder to make up for delays leading to the 2004 Games." In a related development, Greece's highest administrative court "rejected a number of appeals by archaeological and environmental groups seeking to stop construction of an Olympic rowing venue near the site of the ancient Battle of Marathon" (AP, 1/28).
OVERNIGHT NIELSENS SHOW JUMPS IN CHAMPIONSHIP RATINGS
As reported in The Daily today, the Patriots-Steelers AFC Championship game drew a 24.0/47 overnight Nielsen rating on CBS, and the Eagles-Rams NFC Championship game drew a 25.3/42 overnight on Fox. The AP reports that the average overnight Nielsen rating of 24.65 for both games was up 10% compared to the 22.4 overnight average in '01. Meanwhile, the ratings for the NFL's second-round playoff games, January 19-20, "were up 29% from '01 on that Saturday, and up 4% on Sunday." Average ratings for the prior weekend's four wild-card games were up about 1% (AP, 1/29).
The following lists overnight Nielsen ratings that were not available at press time for today's issue of The Daily (THE DAILY):
| ADDITIONAL OVERNIGHTS
|
| SHOW | DATE | NET | TIME | RAT/SHARE |
| "Phil Simms All-Iron Team" | 1/26 | CBS | 12:00-1:00pm | 1.7/4 |
| "Winter Exchange" | 1/26 | NBC | 2:00-2:30pm | 1.4/4 |
| World Sprint Speed Skating Champ. | 1/27 | ABC | 2:30-3:30pm | 1.2/2 |
| European Figure Skating Champ. | 1/27 | ABC | 3:30-6:00pm | 2.7/5 |
| |
BUZZER BEATERS
ESPN.com reports that Marty Schottenheimer has reached an agreement to become the Chargers coach, and that Chargers offensive coordinator Norv Turner "has exercised his option to get out of the final three years of his four-year deal with the team" (ESPN.com, 1/28).
Elton John will perform at the NBA All-Star Game on February 10 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. John will perform his classic song, "Philadelphia Freedom," as part of a choreographed introduction sequence (THE DAILY).
The Olympic Village will officially open for athletes and National Olympic Committee officials at noon on Tuesday. The Olympic Village will be home to more than 3,500 athletes and officials from over 80 nations (THE DAILY).
America West Airlines is offering 10% off of Internet fares to "select ski destinations in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, the Coast Mountains or the Cascade Mountains." Tickets must be purchased from now through February 3 at www.americawest.com for travel from January 28 through April 30, 2002 (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT has produced a multi-part guide to the upcoming Winter Games:
Two reports from the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando:
ESPN Magazine's Jeff Bradley on five storylines for MLS in '02.
CNNMONEY.com's Jake Ulick on the "Super Bowl Indicator," and how the outcome of the February 3rd game could impact the stock market.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
IN OTHER NEWS…..
American Express today said its Q4 net income "fell 56 percent as a global travel slump and the U.S. recession hurt its charge card, travel and money management units." The financial services company also took a previously announced $279M pretax charge for the quarter to "restructure operations and fire thousands of employees in the tough business environment" (REUTERS, 1/28).
CBS MarketWatch reports that shares of Toys "R" Us jumped as much as 8% today after the company said it will "slash 1,900 jobs and take a $213 million pre-tax charge against fourth-quarter results." As part of its two-year makeover strategy, Toys "R" Us "is closing 64 stores and consolidating five support centers located in New Jersey into one" (CBS MarketWatch, 1/28).
Popular Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, creator of the "freckle-faced, free-spirited Pippi Longstocking," died today in her downtown Stockholm apartment at the age of 94 (REUTERS, 1/28).
TODAY'S EVENTS
The Pacers will host the 100 Black Men Awards Ceremony honoring youths from eight Indianapolis Public Schools at Conseco Fieldhouse from 4:30-5:45pm CT. Pacers F Jalen Rose and Fever F Tamika Catchings will distribute medals to 12 students from each school (THE DAILY).
NBC basketball analyst Bill Walton will be a guest at the 98th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers banquet at the Cherry Hill (NJ) Hilton. Walton's former Trailblazers coach, and current ESPN basketball analyst, Jack Ramsey will receive the Living Legends Award at the ceremony (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 1/18).
NBC basketball analyst Jayson Williams' charity basketball team "All For One" will play its first game at Hunterdon Central Regional High School Fieldhouse in Flemington, NJ, at 7:00pm ET. Williams will coach himself, along with former NBAers Walter Berry, Eric Murdock and Lloyd Daniels (THE DAILY).
The USOC will host a teleconference with snowboarders Rosey Fletcher, Peter Thorndike, Lisa Odynski and J.J. Thomas at 3:30pm MT (THE DAILY).
THE DAILY STAT: WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERS
The following lists this week's Wall Street Journal Bestsellers in the hardcover categories of Non-Fiction and Fiction for the week ending January 19 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/26):
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION |
| 1) | BIAS, Bernard Goldberg (Regnery) |
| 2) | WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?, Spencer Johnson (Putnam) |
| 3) | BODY FOR LIFE, Bill Phillips (HarperCollins) |
| 4) | GET WITH THE PROGRAM, (Bob Greene) Simon & Schuster |
| 5) | JOHN ADAMS, David McCullough (Simon & Schuster) |
| 6) | JACK: Straight From the Gut, Jack Welch with John A. Byrne (Warner Business) |
| 7) | PRAYER OF JABEZ, Bruce Wilkinson (Multnomah Publishers) |
| 8) | ONE NATION, Life Magazine (Little, Brown) |
| 9) | THE FINAL DAYS, Barbara Olson (Regnery) |
| 10) | THEODORE REX, Edmund Morris (Random House) |
| |
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER FICTION |
| 1) | JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS, Mattie J. T. Stepanek (VSP Books) |
| 2) | UNDER FIRE, W.E.B Griffin (Putnam) |
| 3) | HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, J.K. Rowling (Scholastic) |
| 4) | THE MILLIONAIRES, Brad Meltzer (Warner Books) |
| 5) | BASKET CASE, Carl Hiaasen (Knopf) |
| 6) | SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, John Grisham (Doubleday) |
| 7) | THE CORRECTIONS, Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) |
| 8) | ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN, Dean Koontz (Bantam) |
| 9) | CAT WHO WENT UP THE CREEK, Lillian Jackson Braun (Putnam) |
| 10) | DIARY OF ELLEN RIMBAUER, Joyce Reardon (Hyperion) |
| |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN2 will air the Rams' first Super Bowl XXXVI press conference at 6:30pm ET.
ESPN will air men's college basketball: Syracuse-Georgetown, at 7:00pm ET, and Missouri-Kansas at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air men's college basketball, St. Joseph's-Villanova, at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN will air men's college basketball, BYU-Utah, at midnight ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Brett Favre at 8:00pm ET.
Mike Tyson will appear on CNN's "Larry King Live."
Falcons DB Ray Buchanan will be on FSN's "The Best Damn Sports Show Period."
Saints OT Kyle Turley and WR Joe Horn will be on ESPN's "Unscripted."
Chargers DE Marcellus Wiley, Horn and Bears WR David Terrell will be on FSN's "The Last Word."
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile LaToya Jackson at 8:00pm ET.
A&E's "Biography" begins football week with a profile of Frank Gifford at 8:00pm ET.
HBO will air "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble" at 10:00pm ET.
Fox NFL analyst Jimmy Kimmel will be on CBS' "Late Show" with David Letterman at 11:30pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Julie Bowen |
| "The Tonight Show" | Sissy Spacek |
| "The Late Late Show" | Mandy Moore |
| "Late Night" | Martin Lawrence |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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