| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, May 7, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Michael Jordan Out As Wizards President Of Basketball Operations |
| • | Trail Blazers President & GM Bob Whitsitt Set To Resign Today |
| • | NBC Today Announces That Mary Carillo Will Join Tennis, Olympic Broadcasts |
| • | NFL Today Announces Participants, New Start Time For American Bowl |
| • | Greg Norman Today Enters Into Agreement With GPS Technology Supplier |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
JORDAN LEAVES 30-MINUTE MEETING “ANGRY AND IN A HURRY”
Wizards Owner Abe Pollin today announced that the franchise will not retain Michael Jordan as President of Basketball Operations. The search for Jordan’s replacement will begin immediately (THE DAILY). The WASHINGTON POST reports that the 30-minute meeting between Jordan and Pollin resulted in Jordan leaving the MCI Center “angry and in a hurry.” Wizards GM Wes Unseld “will run basketball operations through the June 26 draft but plans to take an indefinite leave of absence after that” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/7).
TRAIL BLAZERS PRESIDENT & GM BOB WHITSITT TO RESIGN TODAY
The Portland OREGONIAN reports that Trail Blazers President & GM Bob Whitsitt will resign today, but “will stay with the team until July 1.” Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks was “given a vote of confidence from team owner Paul Allen and is expected to help lead the search for Whitsitt’s replacement” (OregonLive.com, 5/7).
CARILLO TO REPLACE CHRIS EVERT ON NBC TENNIS BROADCASTS
NBC today announced that Mary Carillo will join the net as an analyst for its French Open and Wimbledon coverage, succeeding Chris Evert in that role. Furthermore, Carillo will co-host ’04 Olympic coverage on one of NBC’s cable networks, and will serve as men’s and women’s Olympic tennis play-by-play announcer. Carillo will continue her work as an analyst on CBS’ coverage of the U.S. Open (THE DAILY).
JETS-BUCS TO SQUARE OFF IN PRIMETIME AMERICAN BOWL IN JAPAN
Despite some questioning if the game would be canceled due to the SARS outbreak, the NFL today announced that this year’s American Bowl in Japan will feature Jets-Bucs on Saturday, August 2 in the Tokyo Dome at 6:00pm local time, marking the first-ever primetime kickoff for the game in Japan. Previous games in Tokyo were played on Sunday mornings at 11:00am. ESPN2 will televise this year’s game live at 5:00am ET, offering a rebroadcast at 8:00pm ET on ESPN (THE DAILY).
THE SHARK TO PITCH GPS SUPPLIER INFORETECH WIRELESS
GPS-technology supplier Inforetech Wireless Technology today announced that it has entered into an endorsement agreement with golfer Greg Norman, under which the company will be granted exclusive rights to Norman’s name, voice, likeness and other identifiers in connection with the advertisement, promotion and sale of Inforetech products. Norman has also accepted a seat on the company’s BOD. Terms of the deal were not disclosed (THE DAILY).
ESPN TODAY ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF ENTERPRISE TEAM
ESPN today announced the formation of a cross-media Enterprise Team to report and produce investigative stories and publish them in a coordinated effort across ESPN Magazine and ESPN.com. The unit will also contribute to ESPN’s TV and radio broadcasts. ESPN.com VP & Exec Editor John Marvel will lead the group, while ESPN Magazine Deputy Editor Roxanne Jones will coordinate efforts with ESPN TV, particularly stories that will appear on “Outside The Lines Nightly,” which debuts Monday. Team members include ESPN.com Senior Writer Tom Farrey and Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell, ESPN Magazine Senior Editors Luke Cyphers and Jon Pessah, Senior Writer Shaun Assael and Contributing Writer & Editor Chad Millman (THE DAILY).
FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF MIKE PRICE’S PENSACOLA VISIT
This week’s Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands today, offers an investigative report on former Univ. of AL (UA) football coach Mike Price’s now infamous Pensacola jaunt for a celebrity pro-am. The following is a sampling of quotes and accounts from involved parties and witnesses:
- Arety’s Angels stripper Lori “Destiny” Boudreaux: “He asked me to take him to the semiprivate dance area. He got a little bad there.” Boudreaux, on Price asking her to meet him at his hotel room later that night: “He was asking in ways that told me he’d done this before.”
- Two witnesses said that Price “was sitting at the bar kissing and fondling a waitress until a reminder from the deejay prompted him to stop.”
- Arety’s Angels Owner Arety Kapetanis, on Price’s tips: “I’m told he tipped well. We’re used to local celebrities coming around, but not someone quite like him.”
- One of Price’s alleged sexual partners from that evening: “We started screaming ‘Roll Tide!’ and he was yelling back, ‘It’s rolling, baby, it’s rolling.’”
- Kapetanis, on the media coverage: “I guess at least two people figured out this week how big Alabama football is. Mike Price and me” (Sports Illustrated, 5/12 issue).
- One UA student, who was in Buffalo’s American Grille in Tuscaloosa at the same time as Price: “I heard him tell several girls who he was buying drinks for that his wife was still back in Washington and he wanted them to come to his room at the GameDay Condos.”
The BIRMINGHAM NEWS reports that Price said that he “never bought alcoholic drinks for students in Tuscaloosa bars.” Price denied the SI report, saying that he “never propositioned any female students or had sex in the Pensacola hotel room. He did acknowledge that on the night in question in Pensacola, he was ‘too drunk to really know’ about some of his other actions” (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 5/7).
YAO MING TO HOST SARS TELETHON; NBA DOING ITS PART TO HELP
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that Rockets C Yao Ming will host a live telethon Sunday night in Shanghai to benefit SARS research and treatment. Ming’s reps are “working on involvement from a variety of celebrities in and out of basketball, and they have been in talks with representatives of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.” Shanghai TV will televise the telethon and “make it available via satellite to every Chinese [TV] network.” NBA TV is also “in talks about televising the telethon in some form.” The three-hour broadcast will include taped messages from the following:
| NBA Commissioner David Stern | Nets C Dikembe Mutombo |
| Lakers C Shaquille O’Neal | Lakers coach Phil Jackson |
| Magic G Tracy McGrady | NBA analyst Bill Walton |
| 76ers G Allen Iverson | Magic Johnson |
| Spurs F Tim Duncan | T’Wolves VP/Basketball Operations Kevin McHale |
| Mavericks G Steve Nash | Rockets G Steve Francis |
| Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki | Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich |
Additionally, NBA and Upper Deck have “provided a variety of signed memorabilia items from Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and other stars. The NBA also donated a pair of airline tickets from China to Houston for next season’s Rockets season opener” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/7).
BUZZER BEATERS
Sporting News this week follows Yankees P Roger Clemens and “The Road To 300 … Inside Stories From Rocket’s Ride Of A Lifetime.”
Sports Illustrated this week offers an action shot of Kings G Bobby Jackson, under the header, “Sacramento’s Secret Formula … Bobby + Bibby = Perfect Point Guard.”
| | |
| Sporting News | Sports Illustrated |
The NHL announced today that through an agreement with Hong Kong Cable, more than 600,000 households in Hong Kong will be able to see ‘03 Stanley Cup playoff games, including complete Conference Final and Final rounds. A league-record 217 countries and territories now broadcast NHL programming worldwide, a 20% increase from last season’s int’l distribution (THE DAILY).
The Newark STAR-LEDGER reports that Yankees SS Derek Jeter tonight at 7:00pm ET “will begin a five-game rehab stint” with the Double-A Eastern League Trenton Thunder’s game against the Birmingham Mets. The largest crowd in Thunder history was approximately 8,600 (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 5/7). Additionally, YES today announced that it will televise tomorrow night’s game at 7:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
The GREENVILLE NEWS reports that U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie has ordered William Haskell Farmer to pay $3.4M in restitution to Nike and $110,000 to Tommy Hilfiger for trafficking in counterfeit clothing. Farmer was also sentenced to seven years in prison and “ordered to forfeit $577,000 and several vehicles” (GREENVILLE NEWS, 5/7).
ISC today announced that it has filed a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary equity offering of 3,477,621 shares of its Class A Common Stock. Citigroup Global Markets, Wachovia Securities and Raymond James will act as the underwriters for the proposed offering (THE DAILY).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
Last night’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” aired the “Top Ten Things Michael Jordan Could Do Next” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 5/6).
| 10) “White Sox Head of Security.” |
| 9) “Commissioner of Baseball.” |
| 8) “Singer.” |
| 7) “Play last year of eligibility at UNC.” |
| 6) “Draft card runner for Vikings.” |
| 5) “Actor.” |
| 4) “Meet the Mets.” |
| 3) “Practice for the Champions Tour.” |
| 2) “Compete in World Series of Poker.” |
| 1) “Work in Bulls front office.” |
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
The Chicago Chapter of the National Sports Marketing Network will host a discussion, “The Art of the Deal: Chicago White Sox & U.S. Cellular,” from 6:00-9:00pm CT at U.S. Cellular Field. Panelists are White Sox Senior VP/Marketing & Broadcasting Rob Gallas and U.S. Cellular VP/Marketing Alan Ferber (THE DAILY).
CHANNEL SURFING
FSN’s “54321” will profile BMX rider Jerry Bagley and surfer Shane Beschen.
ESPN will air the Stanley Cup playoffs: Wild-Canucks Game 6 at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Rockies-Braves at 7:00pm ET and Yankees-Mariners at 10:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Allen Iverson at 7:00pm ET and Bo Jackson at 8:30pm ET.
TNT will air the NBA playoffs: Celtics-Nets Game 2 at 7:00pm ET and Lakers-Spurs Game 2 at 9:30pm ET.
Former MLBer Jose Canseco, MLB HOFer George Brett, Warriors D Gilbert Arenas and race car drivers Philip and Tom Gill are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.” It is Canseco’s first televised interview since his prison release six weeks ago.
Mighty Ducks F Paul Kariya and G Jean-Sebastien Giguere will appear on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Boxer Mike Tyson will be on NBC’s “Last Call” with Carson Daly at 1:35am ET.
HBO will air the tenth installment of its boxing series, “Legendary Nights” at 10:00pm ET, featuring the ’96 Riddick Bowe-Andrew Golota bout.
A&E’s “Biography” will profile Diana, Princess of Wales at 8:00pm ET.
E!’s “True Hollywood Story” will profile Anna Nicole Smith at 8:00pm ET.
E!’s “Revealed” will profile Yasmine Bleeth at 10:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “Late Show” | David Hyde Pierce |
| “The Tonight Show” | Dr. Phil McGraw |
| “The Late Late Show” | James Marsden |
| “Late Night” | Steve Zahn |
| “Jimmy Kimmel Live” | Paula Abdul |
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL’s Michael Grange writes, “Winning is a cure for almost everything when it comes to a sports franchise, except possibly the selling price. The Anaheim Angels won their first World Series last year, and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks have enjoyed the best playoff run in team history. But that hasn’t affected their value on the open market” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL).
In a USA TODAY Money section Cover Story, David Lieberman writes, “Who does TiVo CEO Michael Ramsay think he is? Doesn’t he know that giants such as AOL Time Warner, Comcast and Sony are supposed to control the products and services aiming to help consumers manage their ‘digital convergence’ – the torrent of entertainment and information flooding homes via cable, satellite and broadband? Apparently not” (USA TODAY).
See The Daily Insider’s Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.
TODAY’S TEASER…
Mindbenders: Here on Earth it’s almost always true, that tomorrow will follow today. Yet there is a place where yesterday always follows today. Where is this place?
IN OTHER NEWS……
REUTERS reports that German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG today “agreed to sell Jim Henson Co., the producer of the Muppets, to the children of their creator – the late Jim Henson – for $89[M],” ending a nearly two-year search for a buyer (REUTERS, 5/7).
The Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association today announced that combined advertising revenues for ABC, NBC and CBS were down 11% for Q1 ’03, based on figures compiled by Ernst & Young. The results, compared to the year earlier period, represent a smaller decline of 8%, reflecting the overall impact that carriage of the Olympics had on ’02 revenues. Total net revenues for Q1 ’03 were down $339M from approximately $3B in the year-earlier period, and by $234 when compared to the Q1 ’01 results (THE DAILY).
THE DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS
The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of April 28-May 5. Also provided are the weekly viewership averages for each net (USA TODAY, 5/7).
| RK | PROGRAM | NET | DAY | RAT/SHR | VIEWERS
(IN MILLIONS) |
| 1) | CSI | CBS | Thu | 14.6/22 | 22.7 |
| 2) | American Idol | Fox | Tue | 12.4/20 | 20.4 |
| 3) | American Idol | Fox | Wed | 11.8/19 | 20.2 |
| 4) | ER | NBC | Thu | 13.1/22 | 19.5 |
| 5) | Friends (8:00 pm) | NBC | Thu | 12.8/21 | 19.0 |
| 6) | Law & Order | NBC | Wed | 12.1/20 | 18.1 |
| 7) | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | Mon | 11.9/18 | 17.9 |
| 8) | Survivor: Amazon | CBS | Thu | 10.8/18 | 17.6 |
| t9) | CSI: Miami | CBS | Mon | 11.6/19 | 17.2 |
| t9) | Friends (8:30 pm) | NBC | Thu | 11.6/18 | 17.2 |
| |
| NET | VIEWERS |
| CBS | 11.8 |
| NBC | 11.4 |
| Fox | 9.7 |
| ABC | 8.7 |
| WB | 4.1 |
| UPN | 3.4 |
…TODAY’S ANSWER
In a dictionary.
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