| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Friday, October 11, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Hornets To Be Featured Property Of Cox Communications' New Regional Net |
| • | Fund-Raising Issues Reason Behind USOC-IOC Marketing Meeting In N.Y. |
| • | Gadhafi's Son Agrees To Buy 33% Stake Of Italian Club For Estimated $4M |
| • | New Wizard Jerry Stackhouse To Lead NBAers At National Book Festival |
| • | Critics Weigh In: “Brown Sugar,” “The Transporter” and “White Oleander” |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Daily Stat/Weekend Events/Channel Surfing |
The Morning Buzz will not publish on Monday, Oct. 14 in honor of Columbus Day. We will return on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Have a safe, enjoyable Columbus Day.
COX COMMUNICATIONS TO LAUNCH REGIONAL SPORTS NET
Cox Communications today announced the launch of its own regional sports net, Cox Sports Television. The net will feature a package of 65 regular-season Hornets games and the first two rounds of Hornets playoff games within its coverage area of LA, southern MS and AL, and the FL panhandle. Additionally, the net will offer thirty-minute pregame and postgame wrap-up shows, as well as magazine shows and documentaries about the Hornets. The net will also carry live collegiate sports (THE DAILY).
USOC CONTINGENT DISCUSSES FUND-RAISING ISSUES WITH IOC
AROUND THE RINGS reports that USOC CEO Lloyd Ward, President Marty Mankamyer and Dir of Global Marketing Toby Wong spent two days in N.Y. this week meeting with IOC marketing execs "to sort out the next steps on a number of fund-raising issues." Included in the discussion is "an event that may be known as the Titan Games," a weekend-long competition in martial arts and boxing "that would be packaged for TV coverage." The event is tentatively scheduled for February '03 in San Jose. Also discussed was an expanded Olympic Torch Relay for '04. Besides the IOC, "NBC will have a lot of say-so" in whether the events will be feasible (AROUND THE RINGS, 10/11).
UNIV. OF MD TO OPEN NEW ARENA DURING MIDNIGHT MADNESS
The AP reports the Univ. of MD will formally open the new $101M Comcast Center tonight during Midnight Madness, "the official start of practice for the college basketball season." Midnight Madness is a "big event at a lot of schools, one that draws capacity crowds, celebrities and most important for some, high school recruits on campus visits" (AP, 10/11).
Meanwhile, "Best Damn Sports Show Period" co-host Tom Arnold will tape a segment at the Univ. of AZ basketball team's Midnight Madness festivities, to be broadcast Monday, October 21 at 8:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
SON OF LIBYAN LEADER TO BUY 33% STAKE IN ITALIAN SOCCER CLUB
The AP reports Al Saadi, son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, "agreed [today] to buy a 33% stake in Italian second-division club Triestina" for an estimated $4M. Al Saadi "recently took over a minority stake" in Italian league champion Juventus of Turin. Al Saadi "was also in talks to buy a stake" in Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki, as well as other European clubs (AP, 10/11).
BUZZER BEATERS
To mark the beginning of the season, the NHL ASSIST (Assist Skaters and Shooters In Succeeding Together) program distributed $100,000 in total grants to 13 youth hockey programs, including Ice Hockey in Harlem. The program has distributed $600,000 in grants since its inception in '97 (THE DAILY).
The Nashville TENNESSEAN reports that "less than 1,000 tickets remain" for the Predators' home opener against the Oilers tomorrow (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 10/11).
The VA Baseball Stadium Authority formally announced today that it has selected HKS Inc. to design a new MLB ballpark in Northern VA (THE DAILY).
The AP reports the recent string of sniper shootings in the D.C.-area will not cause a postponement of Sunday's Saints-Redskins game, and that "police aren't saying much about security plans." Prince George's County Police spokesperson Joseph Merkel: "Security measures will be in place, but I can't say what they will be" (AP, 10/11).
UEFA ruled today that Dutch club Utrecht and Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi "must play their next home match in empty stadiums because of the violent behavior of their fans." Three other clubs were fined "as part of [UEFA's] campaign to curb racism among crowds" (AP, 10/11).
Former President Bill Clinton will introduce Muhammad Ali via a taped message during a tribute to Ali at SkyDome in Toronto on October 20 (THE DAILY).
The PBA Tour's '02-03 season will open Sunday with ten consecutive weeks of Sunday afternoon programming on ESPN, beginning at 1:00pm ET. ESPN's coverage of the '01-02 season earned a 0.84 Nielsen cable rating for 20 telecasts, up 18% over the prior season's 0.71 rating for 16 telecasts. Additionally, viewership was up 26%, from 570,080 HHs to 715,794 HHs (THE DAILY).
The af2 Bossier City Battle Wings announced today that former Univ. of OK RB Marcus Dupree has been named GM (SCHREVEPORT TIMES, 10/11).
WEEKEND EVENTS
Friday
Bucs head coach Jon Gruden and LB Derrick Brooks, along with Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White and Wade Boggs will attend the DeBartolo Family Foundation's inaugural All-Star Charity Spectacular at 6:00pm ET at A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa. ESPN's Chris Berman will be the keynote speaker, and all proceeds will benefit Tampa Bay-area charities and non-profit groups (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/2).
MetroTV will broadcast the two-hour documentary "Amazing Forty Years: The New York Mets," as part of their "Metro Sports Legends" series, at 8:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
Saturday
Baseball Tomorrow Fund Exec Dir Cathy Bradley will participate in a 10:00am ET ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the James W. Beckum Indoor Baseball Practice Facility at Carver Park in Milwaukee (THE DAILY).
The third annual NASCAR Memorabilia Auction will take place at Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World in Concord, NC. The auction is scheduled to begin following the BGN race at Lowe's Motor Speedway at approximately 4:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
The Celtics will hold a free "Meet the Celtics" open practice at 6:00pm ET at Salem State College in Salem, MA (THE DAILY).
Wizards G Jerry Stackhouse will lead an NBA contingent to meet with First Lady Laura Bush for the second National Book Festival in D.C. (THE DAILY).
Comets Fs Tina Thompson and Rebecca Lobo and Fever G Nicki McCray will appear individually at San Antonio area H-E-B grocery stores and together at the Wurzbach location to help promote the city's efforts to attract a WNBA team for the '03 season. At present, the Spurs have sold 5,300 season tickets for a prospective WNBA team, "closing in on the goal of 6,000" by November 15 (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 10/9).
The ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones will honor Pete Rose as part of their opening night festivities. Rose will have his jersey hung from the rafters at U.S. Bank Arena (THE DAILY).
Sunday
Eagles QB Donovan McNabb will open the MISL Force-Kixx game at the First Union Spectrum with a ceremonial first kick (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/11).
The Univ. of WA will host an event to benefit breast cancer research at 2:00pm PT at Key Arena in Seattle, being held in honor of former Storm G and breast cancer survivor Edna Campbell. Celebrity guests Will Ferrell, Frankie Muniz, Matthew Lillard and Jeff Ament will join the SuperSonics, Magic Johnson and Storm G Sue Bird in a scrimmage (THE DAILY).
Dodge officials have scheduled a press conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway to announce Penske Racing's switch from Ford, beginning next season (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/5).
TODAY'S DAILY STAT: LYCOS MOST-SEARCHED ATHLETES
The following are the most-searched athletes on Lycos search engines for the week ending October 5 (Lycos).
| RK | ATHLETE |
| 1) | Anna Kournikova |
| 2) | Michael Jordan |
| 3) | Serena Williams |
| 4) | Allen Iverson |
| 5) | Tiger Woods |
| 6) | David Beckham |
| 7) | Martina Hingis |
| 8) | Tony Hawk |
| 9) | Jeff Gordon |
| 10) | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| |
CRITICS WEIGH IN: “BROWN SUGAR” SWEETEST WEEKEND RELEASE
During a weekend that features a number of movie releases, the critics wonder if "White Oleander" is more beautiful than poisonous, and if "The Transporter" is worth the shipping costs?:
| Movie |
| | “Brown Sugar” | “The Transporter” | “White Oleander” |
| Chicago Sun-Times | | | |
|
| Hollywood Reporter | | | Not Reviewed |
|
| L.A. Times | | | |
|
| N.Y. Times | | | |
CHANNEL SURFING
FRIDAY
Fox will air ALCS Game Three, Twins-Angels, at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Stan Musial at 8:00pm ET.
SATURDAY
ESPN will air "College Gameday" from the TX State Fair in Dallas at 10:30am ET.
TNT will air NASCAR BGN Little Trees 300 at 1:00pm ET.
Fox will air NLCS Game Three, Cardinals-Giants, at 4:00pm ET.
Fox will air ALCS Game Four, Twins-Angels, at 7:30pm ET.
| Game | Network | Time |
| Michigan St.-Iowa | ESPN | noon ET |
| Clemson-Virginia | ESPN2 | noon ET |
| Florida St.-Miami | ABC | noon ET |
| Pittsburgh-Notre Dame | NBC | 2:30pm ET |
| Penn St.-Michigan | ABC | 3:30pm ET |
| Texas-Oklahoma | ABC | 3:30pm ET |
| Oregon-UCLA | ABC | 3:30pm ET |
| Tennessee-Georgia | CBS | 3:30pm ET |
| South Carolina-Kentucky | ESPN2 | 6:30pm ET |
| Texas Tech-Iowa St. | TBS | 7:00pm ET |
| LSU-Florida | ESPN | 7:45pm ET |
| BYU-Air Force | ESPN2 | 10:00pm ET |
| |
SUNDAY
ESPN will air "NFL Countdown" at 11:00am ET. Kenny Mayne visits will Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith for "The Mayne Event."
NBC will air NASCAR Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 at 12:30pm ET.
Fox will air ALCS Game Five, Twins-Angels, at 4:00pm ET.
Fox will air NLCS Game Four, Cardinals-Giants, at 7:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Red Wings-Mighty Ducks at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN's "Outside The Lines" examines the risks of wearing enemy colors to a sporting event at 9:30am ET.
| Game | Network | Time | Coverage |
| Ravens-Colts | CBS | 1:00pm ET | N/A |
| Steelers-Bengals | CBS | 1:00pm ET | N/A |
| Jaguars-Titans | CBS | 1:00pm ET | N/A |
| Bills-Texans | CBS | 1:00pm ET | N/A |
| Packers-Patriots | Fox | 1:00pm ET | 60% |
| Saints-Redskins | Fox | 1:00pm ET | 7% |
| Falcons-Giants | Fox | 1:00pm ET | 12% |
| Panthers-Cowboys | Fox | 1:00pm ET | 13% |
| Lions-Vikings | Fox | 1:00pm ET | 7% |
| Raiders-Rams | CBS | 4:15pm ET | N/A |
| Chiefs-Chargers | CBS | 4:15pm ET | N/A |
| Browns-Bucs | CBS | 4:15pm ET | N/A |
| Dolphins-Broncos | ESPN | 8:30pm ET | National |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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