| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Friday, July 26, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Baseball Hall Of Fame Weekend To Be Highlighted By Ozzie Smith Induction |
| • | Warriors Prepared To Name Eric Musselman Team's Head Coach |
| • | Gart Sports Recruits Local Athletes For Grand Openings Of Two Stores |
| • | San Diego State Univ. Plans Logo Switch After Minority Groups Complain |
| • | Critics Weigh In: Groovy "Austin" Attempts To Power Past "Country Bears" |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/ Daily Stat/Weekend Events/Channel Surfing |
HALL TOGETHER NOW: COOPERSTOWN BRACES FOR MLB WEEKEND
The '02 Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend takes place in Cooperstown, NY, today through Monday. The highlight will be the induction of SS Ozzie Smith, and city officials expect a crowd of 20,000 or more to visit Cooperstown during the extended weekend. ESPN.com reported that last year's induction ceremony, which featured four players, including Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, being inducted, drew 30,000 fans to Cooperstown. Of those, 20,000 attended the HOF museum, about 5% of its total crowd for the year. In '01, the museum had "a $10 million direct economic impact on Cooperstown, which is only one square mile" (ESPN.com, 7/28).
ESPN Classic will cover the '02 Induction Ceremony live on Sunday from 1:00-2:30pm ET. Karl Ravech, Harold Reynolds and Buck Showalter will serve as announcers for the event. Additionally, ESPN Classic will follow the ceremony with a Dick Schaap interview of Ozzie Smith on "Classic Schaap" (THE DAILY).
View a complete list of Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend events.
MUSSELMAN POISED TO BECOME NBA'S YOUNGEST COACH TODAY
The Warriors will make Hawks assistant coach Eric Musselman the NBA's youngest head coach at a news conference scheduled for 1:00pm PT, and the S.F. CHRONICLE writes that Musselman "has stepped into a sinkhole eight years in the making, a franchise that swallows accomplished coaches and then spits them out as diminished men." However during their search, the Warriors "learned that they couldn't be picky, and by their standards, Musselman is a prize" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/26). Musselman will appear on FSN's "The Last Word" tonight to discuss his new role (THE DAILY).
CABLEVISION TO MEET CASH FLOW DESPITE DROP IN SUBSCRIBERS
REUTERS reports that Cablevision today announced its basic subscriber count "would decline in the second quarter, but also said it would meet its 2002 cash flow expectations first announced six months ago." The company said that it lost 10,000 subscribers in Q2 "on top of a 7,000 decline in the first quarter" (REUTERS, 7/26).
ATHLETES ON HAND FOR GRAND OPENING OF GARTS SPORTS SHOPS
Gart Sports will open new stores in Englewood, CO, and Folsom, CA, today, with Grand Opening festivities continuing through the weekend. Former Broncos players Rich Karlis and Billy Thompson will be at the Englewood location on Saturday from 1:00-2:00pm MT. Meanwhile, Kings G Bobby Jackson and fishing expert Steve Carson will be at the Folsom location on Saturday beginning at 11:00am PT (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
The Tacoma NEWS-TRIBUNE reported that advance skins game ticket sales to the Merrill Lynch Invitational "are up more than 25 percent over a year ago," with nearly 2,500 tickets sold. The tournament benefits the Children's Hospital in Seattle and festivities begin Sunday with a dinner and auction at the Paramount Theatre. Mariners manager Lou Piniella will be the guest host and country music star Vince Gill will perform after the auction (Tacoma NEWS-TRIBUNE, 7/25).
The AP reports that San Diego State Univ. is "replacing its logo of a red-faced profile of an Aztec warrior with a red and black monogram reading SD State" in an effort to "improve the university's image following complaints from the school's Native American Student Alliance and Latino groups that the university's mascot, Monty Montezuma, and logo were culturally offensive" (AP, 7/26).
Responding to a WNBA survey about "dream jobs," Mystics F Chamique Holdsclaw tells the WASHINGTON POST she'd like to be a lobbyist and says, "I was a political science major [at the University of Tennessee], so I'm always trying to look into things involving government. I think it would be fun to go and meet with congressmen and talk with these important people and persuade them to change their minds. I think I'm a persuasive person and I have a way with words" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/26).
Two-time F1 champ Mika Hakkinen confirmed today that he "is retiring and the McLaren-Mercedes team will continue with drivers David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen into next year." Hakkinen: "I have been through so much in my Formula One career and achieved a lot and I just didn't think it was worth it to push things any further" (AP, 7/26).
WEEKEND EVENTS
Friday
The Cowboys will host a free 7:30pm CT concert featuring country-western singer Pat Green, to kick off training camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio (THE DAILY).
In recognition of Breast Health Awareness night, Sears will donate $0.50 to the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations for each ticket sold to the WNBA Mercury-Starzz game (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/26).
Saturday
The Yahoo Sports NBA Rhythm 'n Rims tour will stop at South Street Seaport in N.Y. from noon-10pm ET. The event will continue on Sunday from noon-4:00pm (THE DAILY).
Wizards G Larry Hughes and C Jahidi White join Warriors F Antwan Jamsion and track and field star Jackie Joyner Kersee in the first annual "Bowling Among the Stars – Red Carpet Gala" benefiting The Larry Hughes Foundation. The event, which raises funds for families of patients undergoing organ transplants, runs from 3:00-7:00pm CT at the North Oaks Bowl in St. Louis (THE DAILY).
Bulls G Jalen Rose at 4:30pm CT will host the first Chicago All-Star Basketball Game at the United center. Rose along with fellow Bulls Eddy Curry, Marcus Fizer, Jamal Crawford and Jay Williams are scheduled to play along with Kings F Chris Webber, Celtics F Antoine Walker, Mavericks F Michael Finley, Nuggets F Juwan Howard, G Tim Hardaway and T'Wolves F Kevin Garnett (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/26).
The 49ers will host Football 101 from 6:00-9:00pm PT at their training facility in Stockton, CA (THE DAILY).
The Redskins will host Fan Appreciation Day, an event that includes performances by the Redskins cheerleaders and a marching band and a 4:00pm ET autograph session (THE DAILY).
The Sparks will host the 2nd Annual Sparks Academic Workshop and Basketball Skills Clinic from 9:30am to 4:00pm PT at the Crenshaw Christian Center (THE DAILY).
Twins CF Torii Hunter, P Mike Jackson and 3B Corey Koskie will discuss their life in baseball and their faith in Jesus Christ at a 10:30am CT baseball clinic at the Metrodome (THE DAILY).
The Phillie Phanatic's costume will be donated into the HOF's permanent collection at a 3:00pm ET ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, NY (THE DAILY).
The MLS Wizards will give a Tony Meola bobblehead to the first 5,000 fans for their 7:00pm CT match against the Earthquakes (THE DAILY).
Sunday
Detroit News columnist Joe Falls will be presented the J.G. Taylor Spink Award during induction ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. Also at the ceremony, Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas will be presented the Ford C. Frick award for broadcast excellence (Mult., 7/26).
The Single A South Atlantic League Delmarva Shorebirds will give a Frank Perdue bobblehead to the first 1,000 people through the game for their 1:05pm ET game against the Charleston (WV) Alley Cats (THE DAILY).
The USL A League Seattle Sounders' 8:00pm PT game against the Vancouver Whitecaps will be the first competitive event in the newly complete Seahawks Stadium (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S DAILY STAT: NIELSEN//NETRATINGS SPORTS SITES FOR JULY
The following are the top sports Internet properties accessed from home and work, ranked by Nielsen//NetRatings in terms of unique audience the week ending July 14, 2002. "Unique audience" = the number of people who access a site, with each person counted only once. "Active Reach %" = the number of unique Web users viewing a Web site one or more times, expressed as a percentage of the total active Web population for this week (i.e. 3.8% of Web users accessing the Internet from home viewed a site on ESPN at least once this time period). "Average Time Spent" = the average amount of time a visitor has spent at that property for the month. The data is based on audience measurement of more than 50,000 U.S. panelists who have Internet access at home and 7,000 U.S. panelists who have Internet access at work. Traffic to these sites are the predominant URLs, and are grouped to include commonly-owned sites (NetRatings):
| TOP SPORTS SITES – WEEK ENDING 7/14/02 |
| AT HOME |
| RK | BRAND OR CHANNEL | UNIQUE
AUD (000) | ACTIVE
REACH % | AVERAGE
TIME SPENT
(HH:MM:SS) |
| 1) | ESPN | 2,953 | 3.8% | 0:17:05 |
| 2) | Yahoo! Sports | 1,600 | 2.1% | 0:23:23 |
| 3) | SportsLine.com | 1,417 | 1.8% | 0:12:08 |
| 4) | CNNsi | 1,174 | 1.5% | 0:06:31 |
| 5) | MLB.com | 1,140 | 1.5% | 0:14:20 |
| 6) | NASCAR.com | 1,025 | 1.3% | 0:11:06 |
| 7) | NFL Internet Network | 776 | 1.0% | 0:10:12 |
| 8) | World Wrestling Entertainment | 443 | 0.6% | 0:07:58 |
| 9) | NBA Internet Network | 412 | 0.5% | 0:08:45 |
| 10) | Sportingnews.com | 289 | 0.4% | 0:13:33 |
| | | | | |
| AT WORK |
| RK | BRAND OR CHANNEL | UNIQUE
AUD (000) | ACTIVE
REACH % | AVERAGE
TIME SPENT
(HH:MM:SS) |
| 1) | ESPN | 3,465 | 9.0% | 0:34:46 |
| 2) | CNNsi | 1,587 | 4.1% | 0:08:13 |
| 3) | Yahoo! Sports | 1,365 | 3.5% | 0:30:07 |
| 4) | SportsLine.com | 1,266 | 3.3% | 0:10:01 |
| 5) | MLB.com | 929 | 2.4% | 0:09:02 |
| 6) | OCSN | 463 | 1.2% | 0:07:39 |
| 7) | NFL Internet Network | 449 | 1.2% | 0:05:06 |
| 8) | NASCAR.com | 434 | 1.1% | 0:13:53 |
| 9) | Lycos Fox Sports | 355 | 0.9% | 0:03:55 |
| 10) | iWon Sports | 354 | 0.9% | 0:04:31 |
CRITICS WEIGH IN: "AUSTIN POWERS" & "THE COUNTRY BEARS"
This weekend's a real mixed bag, baby, as both "Austin Powers" and "The Country Bears" received middle-of-the-road reviews:
| | ——— Movie ——— |
| | Austin Powers in
Goldmember | The Country Bears |
| Chicago Sun-Times | 
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| Hollywood Reporter |
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| L.A. Times | 
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| N.Y. Times | 
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| USA Today |
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CHANNEL SURFING
FRIDAY
ESPN will air WNBA Lynx-Fever at 7:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Bobby Hull at 8:00pm ET and Roger Clemens at 8:30pm ET.
Kevin Frazier will debut as a SportsCenter host at 1:00am ET.
Warriors new head coach Eric Musselman will be on FSN's "The Last Word."
Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ryan Newman, Hornets G Baron Davis and boxer Montell Griffin will be on "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
ABC's "UpClose" will profile Lance Armstrong at 12:05am ET.
SATURDAY
ESPN will air NASCAR Craftsman Truck Michigan 200 at 1:00pm ET.
Fox will air regional MLB coverage at 1:15pm ET: Phillies-Braves, Reds-Mets or Cubs-Cardinals.
NBC will broadcast third round coverage of the Sybase Big Apple Classic from 1:30-3:30pm ET.
NBC will air NASCAR BGN NetZero 250 at 3:30pm ET.
Fox will air regional MLB coverage of Dodgers-Giants at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air MLS MetroStars-Fire at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN will air the final weigh in of the Bassmasters Classic at 7:00pm ET.
SUNDAY
John Saunders, Bill Conlin, Tony Kornheiser and William C. Rhoden will be on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" at 10:00am ET.
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" will examine two Hall of Fame issues, including players entering Cooperstown having played for multiple teams. Players believe they should decide which cap to wear for induction, but the Hall of Fame says it makes that decision. Meanwhile, players, managers, owners and broadcasters are recognized as individual inductees by the Hall, while scouts are not.
Callaway CEO Ron Drapeau will appear on"The Business of Sports" on The Sports Network at 11:00am ET.
NBC will air NBA Entertainment's "This Is Who I Am," an in-depth look into the lives and accomplishments of WNBA players, including Sparks C Lisa Leslie and Storm G Sue Bird. The one-hour special begins at 1:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
TNT will air NASCAR Winston Cup Pennsylvania 500 at 1:00pm ET.
NBC will air WNBA Comets-Liberty at 2:00pm ET.
ABC will air IRL Michigan Indy 400 at 3:00pm ET.
CBS will air the PGA John Deere Classic, final round, at 3:00pm ET.
NBC will broadcast final round coverage of the Sybase Big Apple Classic from 4:00-6:00pm ET.
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" will feature Cubs-Cardinals at 8:00pm ET.
Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, Jack LaLanne and Deepak Chopra will guest star on HBO's "Arli$$" at 9:30pm ET.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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