| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Friday, August 16, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
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| • | MLBPA Confirms August 30 As Strike Date If No CBA Is Achieved |
| • | Analyzing Nielsen Ratings Trends For The Past Two PGA Championships |
| • | Del Taco Strikes Deal To Advertise With Moto Cross Rider Tommy Clowers |
| • | Shaq Back In Central FL For First Annual Celebrity Basketball Tournament |
| • | Critics Weigh In: It's Ladies' Night, With “Blue Crush” And “The Good Girl” |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Daily Stat/Weekend Events/Channel Surfing |
MLBPA SETS AN AUGUST 30 STRIKE DATE: LEAGUE REACTS
MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr announced that the MLBPA exec board has set Friday, August 30, as the date a strike will begin if no CBA has been reached with the major league clubs. This announcement follows a conference call this morning among the members of the MLBPA exec board. Fehr said in a statement, "The players are committed to reaching a fair and equitable agreement, one which takes into account their views, and not just those of the owners. Needless to say, we are prepared to meet and bargain with the owners' representatives until an agreement is reached." The MLBPA said the board's action today was unanimous, with 57 players participating in the discussion (MLBPA).
MLB's negotiating team will conduct a press conference this afternoon at 4:00pm ET at MLB's N.Y. office. Participating will be President & COO Bob DuPuy, MLB Exec VP/Labor Relations Rob Manfred, Orioles Owner Peter Angelos and Cubs President Andy MacPhail (THE DAILY).
The AP reports that the date "was set by the board during a 90-minute conference call." Cubs OF Sammy Sosa: "They set a strike date because I think things have been tough. We have to do what we've got to do. I think that's the only way we can get something done" (AP, 8/16).
Asked this afternoon in Crawford, TX, about the strike date, President Bush said, "The baseball owners and baseball players must understand that if there is a work stoppage, a lot of fans are going to be furious, and I'm one. It is very important for those people to get together. The can make every excuse in the book not to reach an accord. It is bad for them not to reach an accord. They need to keep working" (MSNBC, 8/16).
The following tracks the previous eight work stoppages in MLB (ESPN.com):
| YR | EVENT | DAYS | GAMES LOST |
| '72 | Strike | 14 | 86 |
| '73 | Lockout | 12 | 0^ |
| '76 | Lockout | 17 | 0^ |
| '80 | Strike | 8 | 0^ |
| '81 | Strike | 50 | 712 |
| '85 | Strike | 2 | 0 |
| '90 | Lockout | 32 | 0^ |
| '94-'95 | Strike | 232 | 938 |
|
| ^ = occured during spring training |
WHEEL DEAL: DEL TACO DISCOVERS NEW AD SPACE IN MOTO CROSS
At the '02 Summer X Games today, Del Taco regional restaurant chain today announced that the company has become the Moto Cross industry's first wheel advertiser. Del Taco will sponsor moto cross rider Tommy Clowers and use his wheels to display the company's logo (THE DAILY).
WILL TIGER HELP REBOUND THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP'S RATINGS?
With the PGA Championship being held at Hazeltine National Golf Club this weekend, the Closing Bell reviews a Nielsen ratings trend for the tournament. While CBS' '00 coverage rose dramatically with Tiger Woods' victory, the '01 event did not fare as well. For a longer Nielsen ratings trend on the PGA Championship, see The Daily's Ratings and Research:
| YR | SAT
RAT/SHR | % +/- | SUN
RAT/SHR | % +/- | TWO – DAY AVG.
RAT/SHR | % +/- |
| '01 | 4.1/12 | -21.2% | 6.3/15 | -28.4% | 5.2/14 | -26.8% |
| '00 | 5.2/15 | 18.2% | 8.8/21 | 27.5% | 7.1/19 | 26.8% |
| '99 | 4.4/13 | 0.0% | 6.9/18 | 21.1% | 5.6/16 | 12.0% |
| '98 | 4.4/13 | 0.0% | 5.7/15 | 3.6% | 5.0/14 | 0.0% |
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INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS AT LSU UNCOVER NO VIOLATIONS
The AP reports that LSU's internal investigation into academic misconduct "found no major violations," but the university admitted "secondary" violations of NCAA rules in a report released today. LSU reported that some athletes "received improper study help and help with typing, and contended those constitute 'secondary' violations," but called allegations of cheating and plagiarizing "unfounded" (AP, 8/16).
BUZZER BEATERS
Kappa USA and Dean's Milk Chug will work in conjunction with MorSports to present the first live TV broadcast of an A-League Indiana Blast game this Saturday on Fox Sports World from Kuntz Memorial Stadium at 7:05pm CT. The first 500 kids to enter the stadium will receive Blast t-shirts from Kappa (THE DAILY).
The Sprite StreetJam, a traveling basketball showcase, arrived in Toronto today after launching its tour in Calgary in June and visiting five cities across Canada (THE DAILY).
Student Sports today announced the launch of RecruitClearingHouse.com, an online site designed to help student-athletes find athletic scholarships (THE DAILY).
WEEKEND EVENTS
Friday
The Atlanta Braves Foundation will host their 7th annual "Weekend of Caring" today through Sunday, with proceeds benefiting various Atlanta-based organizations. Among the events are "Going to Bat Against Cancer" and "Stepping Up to the Plate for Persons with AIDS" (THE DAILY).
Lakers C Shaquille O'Neal will host the first annual Shaquille O'Neal Tampa Celebrity Basketball Weekend beginning today and running through Sunday (THE DAILY).
Saturday
WNBA Monarchs G Ticha Penicheiro will participate in a live online chat at noon ET (THE DAILY).
The MLS Earthquakes and TheraLife will host Health Day prior to the 1:00pm PT United-Earthquakes game at Spartan Stadium (THE DAILY).
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will host a microbrew festival and chili cook-off on the track's infield during the day's race card. Following the last race, at approximately 6:30pm PT, the Violent Femmes will perform (THE DAILY).
TNT racing analyst Wally Dallenbach will drive in the NASCAR Busch Series race at MI Int'l Speedway in Tommy Baldwin's Pepsi-sponsored car. With Dallenbach in the car, TNT will be able to show viewers the footwork and movements required by drivers to navigate the two-mile course (THE DAILY).
Joe Montana will be the honored guest at a 7:00pm ET banquet to benefit the Mon Valley YMCA at the Hilton in Southpointe, PA (THE DAILY).
The MLS MetroStars will host "NASL Reunion Weekend" during their 7:30pm ET game against the Burn, in which both teams will wear retro-style uniforms. Giorgio Chinaglia, Hubert Berkenmeier and Andranik Eskandarian are among the former NASL players expected to attend (THE DAILY).
Author and Orioles investor Tom Clancy will answer questions regarding his new novel "Red Rabbit" from 6:00-6:30pm ET at Camden Yards (THE DAILY).
Sunday
M&M's will announce their '03 motorsports plans at a 9:30am CT news conference at MI Int'l Speedway (THE DAILY).
The Phillies will give away a dual bobblehead doll, featuring broadcaster Harry Kalas and the late Richie Ashburn, to all fans at their 1:35pm ET game against the Cardinals (THE DAILY).
Parkville, MO, resident Rick Gavin will attempt to kick a soccer ball and hit a designated target during halftime of the MLS Crew-Wizards game as part of the AT&T Wireless "$50,000 Kick for Cash" contest (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S DAILY STAT: LYCOS' MOST-SEARCHED GOLFERS
The following are the most-searched golfers by Lycos search engine users for the past five weeks (Lycos):
| RK | | ATHLETE |
| 1) | | Tiger Woods |
| 2) | | Jack Nicklaus |
| 3) | | Carin Koch |
| 4) | | David Duval |
| 5) | | Annika Sorenstam |
| 6) | | Ernie Els |
| 7) | | Arnold Palmer |
| 8) | | Sergio Garcia |
| 9) | | John Daly |
| 10) | | Phil Mickelson |
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CRITICS WEIGH IN: “BLUE CRUSH,” “THE GOOD GIRL” & “POSSESSION”
Girls, girls, and more girls! In "Blue Crush," the ladies hit the waves. In "The Good Girl," Jennifer Aniston hits the road to infidelity. And in "Possession," Gwyneth Paltrow hits the books as a scholar tracking a century-old murder mystery::
| Movie
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| Blue Crush | The Good Girl | Possession |
| 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
"Fox NFL Sunday" analyst Howie Long, FL State football coach Bobby Bowden, NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip and actor Peter Boyle will be on "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
Keith Olbermann will appear on CNN's "Crossfire" at 7:00pm ET to discuss the MLB strike date.
Women's Entertainment will continue its 13-week sports documentary series "Winning Women" at 7:00pm ET.
Fox will air NFL preseason, Bears-Rams, at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN will air WNBA Playoffs: Liberty-Fever at 7:00pm ET, and Comets-Starzz at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air the Little League World Series at 7:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Andre Agassi at 8:00pm ET.
SATURDAY
TNT will air the PGA Championship at 11:00am ET.
ESPN will air the Little League World Series at noon ET.
ESPN2 will air WNBA Playoffs, Mystics-Sting, at noon ET.
Fox will air regional MLB coverage at 1:00pm ET: Cardinals-Phillies or D'Backs-Cubs.
TNT will air NASCAR BGN Cabela's 250 at 1:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air the Little League World Series at 2:00pm ET.
CBS will continue PGA Championship coverage at 2:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air MLS United-Earthquakes at 4:00pm ET.
NBC will air WNBA Playoffs, Storm-Sparks, at 4:00pm ET.
Fox will air regional MLB coverage of Yankees-Mariners at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN will air the Little League World Series at 8:00pm ET.
CBS will air NFL preseason, Eagles-Patriots, at 8:00pm ET.
SUNDAY
Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan, William C. Rhoden and Sal Paolantonio will be on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters."
TNT will air the PGA Championship, final rounds, at 11:00am ET.
NBC will air WNBA Playoffs, Fever-Liberty, at noon ET.
ESPN will air the Little League World Series at 1:00pm ET.
ABC will air X Games coverage at 1:00pm ET and 7:00pm.
TNT will air NASCAR WC Pepsi 400 at 2:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air WNBA Playoffs, Starzz-Comets, at 4:30pm ET.
ABC will air the AFL ArenaBowl '02 at 3:00pm ET.
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" will feature Red Sox-Twins at 8:00pm ET.
Kings G Mike Bibby and A's P Barry Zito will appear 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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