| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, July 25, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Addresses Sabres Situation In Buffalo |
| • | American Express Announces Multi-Year Extension Of Sponsorship With WGC |
| • | Jim Courier Joins McEnroe, Austin In USA Networks Booth For U.S. Open |
| • | Desperados, Desperate To Sell Playoff Tickets, Plan Emmitt Smith Promo |
| • | Puma Watches Stock Soar After Stronger-Than-Expected Q2 Reports |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/In Other News/Articles Of Interest/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
BETTMAN: FIVE GROUPS INTERESTED IN BIDDING ON SABRES
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman visited Buffalo today and met with reporters for the first time since the league took over the Sabres from the Rigas family, telling the media that "five different groups are in various due diligence stages as a prelude to making a bid for the team." No timetable has been set for when the bids must be submitted to the NHL or when the league's BOG will decide who will end up with the team. Bettman: "Deadlines tend to be artificial. There's no magic in getting it (the sale) done by the beginning of the (NHL's 2002-2003) season." More Bettman: "This is an NHL town. We're not, and I'm not, interested in talking about contraction or relocation of franchises" (BUFFALO BUSINESS FIRST, 7/25).
AMEX EXTENDS AGREEMENT WITH WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
American Express today announced an extension of its agreement with the International Federation of PGA Tours to remain an umbrella sponsor of the World Golf Championships (WGC), which the company has sponsored since '99. The American Express Championship, part of the WGC, will be held in Thomastown, County Kilkenney, Ireland from September 17-22, and will be the third of four WGC events held in '02 (THE DAILY).
AND COURIER MAKES THREE: TENNIS VETERAN TO CALL U.S. OPEN
USA Networks announced that Jim Courier will join the announce team for the '02 U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Courier joins John McEnroe and Tracy Austin as the third analyst in the USA Network broadcast booth for the event (THE DAILY).
AFL DALLAS DESPERADOS LATCH ON TO EMMITT BANDWAGON
The FT. WORTH STAR TELEGRAM reports that the AFL Dallas Desperados "got a late start on ticket sales" for Saturday's home playoff game against the Indiana Firebirds and are "trying to make up for it in a hurry" with a "Tribute to Emmitt Smith" promotion. The first 10,000 fans into Reunion Arena will receive a Smith No. 22 tribute T-shirt, and a Smith highlight video will be shown at halftime. Desperados Dir of Ticket Sales and Promotions Joel Finglass: "It's a new experience for us because we've never had an Arena Football League playoff game" (FT. WORTH STAR TELEGRAM, 7/25).
PUMA BOOSTS STOCK PRICE WITH STRONGER Q2 RESULTS
REUTERS reports that Puma AG "leaped ahead" in Q2, drawing strength from "its trendy lifestyle products and visibility boosted by" the World Cup. Puma's stock climbed more than 11% after the company reported "better-than-expected second quarter results and forecast 75 percent growth in the full-year pre-tax profit" (REUTERS, 7/25).
TRACKING NFL VETERAN FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
The NFL announced today that 75 veteran free agents re-signed with their teams this year during the unrestricted free agency signing period, while 130 signed with new teams. The expansion Texans signed the most unrestricted free agents from other teams (16), followed by the Saints (10), Vikings (9) and Patriots (8) (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
PAINT BOOTH: Each week, some auto racing teams display different paint schemes on their cars to reflect a different sponsor, brand, promotion or special cause. This week, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series visits Pocono Int'l Raceway for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500, and Mobil 1 will replace Alltel as the featured sponsor on Ryan Newman's No. 12 Penske Racing Ford, and Coors will promote its Coors Original brand on Sterling Marlin's No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge (THE DAILY).
PARTY CRASHERS: MNR Productions returns to the track with a nod to the '80s hair band Poison on Derrike Cope's No. 37 Quest Motor Sports Ford (THE DAILY).
Audi of America will return as the official vehicle of the JPMorgan Chase Open. This year's Sanex WTA tour event will take place August 4-11 at the Manhattan Country Club (THE DAILY).
Tour de France followers can receive live updates on cell phones, PDA, or pagers, as Outdoor Life Network, which has the U.S. broadcast rights to the Tour, has begun offering mobile text message updates and results from the race (THE DAILY).
The CBC will begin its Commonwealth Games coverage tonight with a telecast of the opening ceremony from Manchester, England. The Games "rank below the top international events" such as the Olympic Games and, therefore, "will not receive live coverage on the CBC." Still, the network "expects the BBC host broadcast to provide Olympic-calibre pictures." CBC Producer Mike Brannagan: "They've gone top notch all the way. … It may be slightly below the Olympics, but still very good" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/25).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Rick Reilly writes under the headline, "It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World."
The BOSTON GLOBE's Bill Griffith remembers former Red Sox radio announcer Ned Martin.
The WASHINGTON TIMES' Gabriella Boston on technological advances in golf club design.
The N.Y. TIMES' David Kushner on sports video games.
The SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL's W. Scott Bailey on Momentum Sports Group's focus on morally grounded athletes.
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE's Mickey Herskowitz writes that the "integrity of the game" is a potential casualty if MLB has its ninth work stoppage.
The FLORIDA TIMES-UNION's Vito Stellino offers a Q&A with Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
TONIGHT'S EVENT
The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) will honor the "Best of the Best" for their good sportsmanship efforts on and off the field at the fourth annual CTSA Awards Dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis at 7:00pm CT (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
REUTERS reports that the problems at AOL Time Warner's online division "have sent the floundering media giant's stock plunging to near four-year lows and analysts do not expect the woes to end anytime soon." Shares of AOL Time Warner slid $2.60, or nearly 23%, to $8.80, dropping below the "key $10 level." It was the "most actively traded stock" on the NYSE (REUTERS, 7/25).
The AP reports that Oprah Winfrey, Don Imus, Kelsey Grammer and CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer are among this year's inductees into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. They'll be honored at a black-tie gala set for November 11 at the Marriott Marquis in N.Y. (AP, 7/25).
THE DAILY STAT: BILLBOARD CHARTS
The following lists Billboard Magazine's top-selling CDs for the week ending July 18 (BILLBOARD, 8/3):
| RK | | ALBUM | ARTIST | LABEL |
| 1) | | Busted Stuff | Dave Matthews Band | RCA |
| 2) | | Nellyville | Nelly | Fo' Reel |
| 3) | | The Eminem Show | Eminem | Web/Aftermath |
| 4) | | By The Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 5) | | Let Go | Avril Lavigne | Arista |
| 6) | | Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. | Various Artists | Murder Inc./Def Jam |
| 7) | | A Gangster And A Gentleman | Styles | Ruff Ryders |
| 8) | | Ashanti | Ashanti | Murder Inc./AJM |
| 9) | | Hard Candy | Counting Crows | Geffen |
| 10) | | Josh Groban | Josh Groban | 143/Reprise |
| |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN2 will air '02 NBA SummerHoops, Bulls-Grizzlies, at 10:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Jim Plunkett at 8:00pm ET.
Pete Rose, Hornets G Baron Davis and comedian Norm MacDonald are scheduled to appear on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
Eagles DE Hugh Douglas and DT Hollis Thomas will be on FSN's "The Last Word."
A&E's "Biography" will profile Tony Curtis at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile John Belushi at 8:00pm ET and John Candy at 10:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Chazz Palminteri |
| "The Tonight Show" | Mike Myers |
| "The Late Late Show" | Natasha Henstridge |
| "Late Night" | Martin Lawrence |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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