| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, January 13, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Discusses Sabres' Chapter 11 Filing Today |
| • | Got Milk? To Title 3v3 Soccer Shootout National Tour For Third Straight Year |
| • | San Diego City Council To Review Two Chargers' Measures Tonight |
| • | British Prime Minister Tony Blair Supports 2012 London Bid |
| • | Venezuelan Winter League Today Cancels Remainder Of Season |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Daily Stat/Articles of Interest/In Other News/Channel Surfing |
HAMISTER AND BERMAN STILL HAVE EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman today spoke with the media regarding the Sabres' Chapter 11 filing. Excerpts from the press conference are below:
Bettman, on the filing: "When people look at the terms bankruptcy proceedings or Chapter 11, the initial instinct is to get more worried, more concerned, speculate, even get a little hysterical. None of that's necessary. The club will continue to operate in the ordinary course under the league's supervision. … We now have the funds to ensure that the club can continue its operations unabated."
On the sale of the team: "We want to take this club to a new owner, but right here in Buffalo. Our commitment in that regard has not wavered, and we're doing everything we can because we know this is a great market for the NHL. And it will be again when new ownership is in place."
On the team's financial security: "We have enough money, into the many numbers of millions, to ensure that the budget we have in place will be met. It's in excess of $20[M] if necessary."
On the bid to buy the team led by Mark Hamister and Todd Berman: "As far as we're concerned in our dealings, we're treating them as if they have exclusive rights. Under some formulation, it's possible that a bankruptcy court will insist on a procedure where someone might try to come in and bid on the franchise. My own belief is, based on the amount of work that Mark and Todd have put into this effort, based on the amount of work it would take anybody to even try and catch up to what's going on, I don't think that there can realistically can be another bidder that would be able to effectuate a closing for this franchise" (THE DAILY).
3v3 SOCCER NATIONAL SHOOTOUT TOUR TO TRAVEL TO 65 CITIES
Host Communications and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board today announced that got milk? has committed to title the 3v3 Soccer Shootout National Tour in '03, its third consecutive year as title sponsor. The tour travels to 65 cities in 35 states before concluding with the national finals at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex next January. Sponsorship benefits include the got milk? logo appearing on all collateral, advertising and media, as well as on-site event scoreboards and banners. The '02 national finals will be held in Orlando January 17-19 (THE DAILY).
CONTRACTS WILL GOVERN CHARLOTTE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH TEAM
The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reported that the Charlotte City Council and the Coliseum Authority will vote tonight "on 11 total contracts that will govern the relationship" between the city, the Coliseum Authority and NBA expansion franchise Owner Robert Johnson (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/11).
TRIGGER CLAUSE DELAY, SAVING AGREEMENT ON COUNCIL AGENDA
The SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reported that the San Diego City Council tonight will review two items related to the Chargers. The first issue involves the request of a citizens task froce for the Chargers to postpone triggering the clause that allows the team to renegotiate their lease for Qualcomm Stadium with the city because the task force is "still studying options to keep the team in San Diego." While the task force endorsed the delay, the city council has yet to discuss it. Secondly, the city council "will be asked to approve a side deal – called a saving agreement," that would "bind the council to accept a trigger notice automatically if anyone successfully challenges the delay with a lawsuit or referendum" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/12).
THE GOLF CHANNEL TO DEBUT NEW "GOLF TALK" HOST TONIGHT
The Golf Channel tonight unveils a new studio for "Golf Central" at 7:30pm ET, and will introduce Vince Cellini as the new host of "Golf Talk" at 8:00pm. Cellini will interview Arnold Palmer (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
In his first public comments on a possible bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that he "supports a London bid for the 2012 Olympics, but only if the city has a good chance of winning" (AP, 1/13).
The AP reports that the Venezuelan Winter League (baseball) "canceled the rest of its season Monday because it can't guarantee security, supplies and media coverage during an anti-government strike," which has cost the league $4M. The league is considering joining the Puerto Rico-based Caribbean Series to be played next month (AP, 1/13).
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reported that Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis will join ESPN Radio's "GameNight" to provide analysis on a semi-regular basis beginning tonight through the Super Bowl (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/12).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The WASHINGTON TIMES noted that NHL Panthers D Sandis Ozolinsh "vaulted from fourth to first (in NHL All-Star voting), in a 24-hour period," accumulating 50,606 votes during that span. The reason for the jump was a contest held by the Panthers Booster Club that awarded an autographed stick to the person who "filled out and delivered to the league the most votes" for a Panther. The winner filled out 47,500 ballots (WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/12).
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS noted that former Univ. of CO DB Ryan Sutter, a client of Denver-based All-Pro Sports,is "one of the 15 bachelors who made the cut" on ABC's "The Bachelorette" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 1/11).
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
The Canadiens will give C Saku Koivu bobbleheads to the first 5,000 fans in attendance for the team's 7:00pm ET game against the Flames (THE DAILY).
The '03 CBA All-Star Fan Jam begins at 4:30pm CT at the Sioux Falls Arena and Convention Center, with the Slam Dunk Championship scheduled to begin at 5:30pm. The event is free to the public (THE DAILY).
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air NCAA men's basketball, Missouri-Syracuse at 7:00pm ET, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State at 9:00pm ET and New Mexico-Colorado State at midnight ET. Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight will serve as a guest analyst during ESPN's "Chalk Talk Live" segment throughout the evening.
ESPN2 will air Penguins-Bruins at 7:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air the Australian Open at 9:30pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Brian Piccolo at 8:00pm ET.
Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith, recent baseball HOF inductee Gary Carter and "The Gong Show" creator Chuck Barris are scheduled to appear on FSN's "BDSSP."
The Golf Channel's "Golf Talk" will feature Arnold Palmer at 8:00pm ET.
Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban will be on CBS' "The Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn at 12:35am ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile late adult film actress Savannah at 8:00pm ET.
ABC will air the "30th Annual American Music Awards" at 8:00pm ET.
VH1 will air "100 Greatest… Moments That Rocked TV: 100-81" at 10:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "Late Show" | Jimmy Kimmel |
| "The Tonight Show" | Salma Hayek |
| "The Late Late Show" | Estella Warren |
| "Late Night" | Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (r) |
TODAY'S TEASER…
Which team opened up the '02 NFL season with a loss, becoming the first team to lose 600 games?
IN OTHER NEWS…
USA TODAY reports that Coca-Cola's first "new ad campaign in nearly two years" kicks off tonight with a 90-second commercial featuring Mya and Common on ABC's 8:00pm ET broadcast of the American Music Awards (USA TODAY, 1/13).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that CNN Chair & CEO Walter Isaacson "is quitting the cable network to join the Aspen Institute, a prominent think tank." An announcement is expected shortly, but a permanent replacement may not be named to fill Isaacson's job (ONLINE.WSJ.com, 1/13).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
TENNIS WEEK prints a copy of the USTA Blue Ribbon Commission's report, the purpose of which was "to conduct a thorough assessment of what can be done to help restore greater unity, candor and trust" to the USTA family. In explaining its motivation to run the report, the magazine is abiding by the Commission's own recommendation to "minimize secrecy, maximize transparency, communicate that fact and deliver on commitments – thereby demonstrating accountability" (TENNIS WEEK).
The L.A. TIMES' Alan Abrahamson writes, "Tumult at the top of the United States Olympic movement – a parade of leadership changes, incessant political infighting, allegations of doping scandals and, most recently, ethics-related controversies – is triggering fear that American athletes will win fewer medals in 2004 and beyond." Abrhamson notes that the turmoil "appears to be chipping away at the organization's credibility and may threaten funding that is the lifeblood of its athletes" (L.A. TIMES).
The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS' Aron Kahn writes on the Twins' and Vikings' lobbying efforts, noting that "the Vikings spent $53,310 on stadium lobbying over the 12 months ending June 30," while the Twins "spent far more money than any other organization, sporting or otherwise, for the period at $826,489" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS).
See The Daily Insider's Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.
THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION
The following presents bestselling nonfiction books for the week ending January 4 (N.Y. TIMES):
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION |
| 1) | PORTRAIT OF A KILLER, Patricia Cornwell (Putnam) |
| 2) | BUSH AT WAR, Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster) |
| 3) | LEADERSHIP, Rudolph W. Giuliani with Ken Kurson (Miramax/Hyperion) |
| 4) | JOURNALS, Kurt Cobain (Riverhead) |
| 5) | STUPID WHITE MEN, Michael Moore (Regan-Books/HarperCollins) |
| 6) | THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS VISUAL COMPANION, Jude
Fisher (Houghton Mifflin) |
| 7) | THE CONQUERORS, Michael Beschloss (Simon & Schuster) |
| 8) | LIVE FROM NEW YORK, Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (Little, Brown) |
| 9) | MY LOSING SEASON, Pat Conroy (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) |
| 10) | BIBLE CODE II: THE COUNTDOWN, Michael Drosnin (Viking) |
…TODAY'S ANSWER
Cardinals (Chicago, St. Louis, Arizona)
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