Closing Bell, October 10, 2003

The Closing Bellwill not publish Monday, October 13, in observance of Columbus Day.
We will returnTuesday, October 14.

SEVEN CORPORATE PARTNERS SIGNED FOR NBA GAME IN BARCELONA

The NBA is presenting an exhibition game in Barcelonatonight featuring the Grizzlies and FC Barcelona at Palau Saint Jordi,beginning at 9:00pm local time.  Corporate sponsors for the game includeAmerican Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, Champion, Foot Locker, Gatorade, Nike andSpalding.  The game is being broadcast in Spain on five stations, and alive U.S. broadcast began on NBA TV at 3:00pm ET (NBA).

NBA Commissioner David Stern met this morning withUnion of European Basketball Leagues President Eduardo Portela inBarcelona to exchange ideas about future professional basketball opportunitiesin Europe (UEBL).

MARLINS PREPARING FOR ABOUT 400 MEDIA FOR TONIGHT’S GAME

The Marlins host the Cubs tonight in Game Three of the NLCSat 8:00pm ET on Fox, and the Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL reports that the teamis “preparing for the influx of mediarepresentatives that could reach about 400, securing club seats in right fieldas an auxiliary press area, but the stadium will still be able to accommodateapproximately 65,400 fans.”  R&Brecording artist Ginuwine is scheduled to sing the National Anthem,Marlins Special Assistant to the President Tony Perez will throw out thefirst pitch, and the U.S. Army will perform the Color Guard (Ft.Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 10/10).

ACC STILL EYEING BOSTON COLLEGE; WILL TALK SUNDAY MORNING

The WASHINGTON POST reports that leaders of the nine currentACC schools “have scheduled a conference call for Sunday morning to discuss theleague’s pursuit of Boston College as its potential 12^thmember.”  There is “some urgency for theACC to pursue the Eagles because leaders of the Big East” will meet November 4in Philadelphia.  Big East Commissioner MikeTranghese has raised the possibility of “increasing the penalty for aschool to leave the Big East from the current $1[M].  If BC indeed decides to depart for the ACC, it would makefinancial sense to do so sooner rather than later” (WASHINGTONPOST, 10/10).

CHARGERS TO ELIMINATE TICKET GUARANTEE, REFUND CITY $3.6M

Chargers stadium consultant Mark Fabiani released thefollowing statement today regarding San Diego business leaders’ most recentproposal: “The Chargers accept without qualification the proposal made onOctober 9, 2003 by the leaders from labor, business and the community. The Chargers will eliminate the ticket guarantee for two years (this season andnext season), pay $1[M] in rent to the City for each of these two years, refundthe $3.6[M] that the city has already paid under the ticket guarantee thisyear, and submit the trigger and termination fee issue to binding arbitration”(Chargers).

HUNTER, GURTIS SPEAK TODAY AT SPORTS BUSINESS CONFERENCE

By Josh Rosen,Staff Writer, The Sports Business Daily

In a keynote address this afternoon at the Int’l Conferenceon Sports & Entertainment Business in Columbia, SC, NASCAR VP/CorporateCommunications Jim Hunter discussed the past, present and future ofNASCAR.  Hunter called financialfairness “crucial to NASCAR’s growth,” noting that every contract is structuredso that teams and tracks share in the revenues, and venues “receive nogovernment subsidies.”  Hunter said “we still have a lot of room to grow” domestically in the future, but the sportalso “resonates well abroad.”

In a separate session, Darlington Raceway President AndrewGurtis spoke of the past year’s track developments, calling ’03 the “mostsignificant year in the track’s history, save maybe for the track’sopening.”  ISC earlier this yearannounced that the track’s traditional Labor Day race date would be moved toCalifornia Speedway in ’04.  Gurtis, onDarlington’s marketing as “The Track Too Tough To Tame”: “We’re the only trackin the country that promotes people smacking into the wall.”  On the future of NASCAR under new Chair& CEO Brian France, Gurtis said, “I’m confident that the sport is ingood hands.”

ESPN SUNDAY TO BEGIN EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF PBA TOUR SEASON

ESPN on Sunday begins its coverage of the ProfessionalBowlers Association at 1:00pm ET with the PBA Banquet Open from Omaha, NE,marking the fourth straight year of exclusive coverage.  The 20-tournament schedule features 19 liveand one tape-delayed Sunday telecast.  RandyPederson will continue in his dual role as tour participant and telecastanalyst, joining play-by-play announcer Dave Ryan for the secondconsecutive year.  An alternate analystfills in when Pederson qualifies for semifinal and final rounds (ESPN).

ACTIVISION TECHNOLOGY TO BE USED BY NBC FOR GRAVITY GAMES

Activision today announced that it will be an exclusivesponsor of the ’03 Gravity Games and that NBC will use the company’s “Tony HawkUnderground” game technology to illustrate the street and vert competitionsduring its broadcasts the next three Sundays. The company will also run a national online sweepstakes around the event(Activision).  NBC will air thebike vert finals on Sunday from 4:00-6:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

BUZZER BEATERS

The FINANCIAL EXPRESS reported that Reebok Int’l “plans todevelop cricket as a category within its product portfolio.  And the Indian subsidiary, Reebok IndiaCompany, will have a big role to play in developing, designing andmanufacturing a global line of cricket products that will be exported to othercountries.”  Exports of the new line“are likely to begin by November” (FINANCIALEXPRESS, 10/9).

The Bergen RECORD reports that a NJ couple filed suitagainst the NFL, “accusingthe league of causing a drunken-driving accident that paralyzed theirdaughter.”  The complaint says the NFL“promotes the type of drunken behavior that led a fan to down 14 beers at a[‘99] Giants game and slam his truck into the couple’s car” (BergenRECORD, 10/10).

The AP reports that Akron business exec Joe Marshyesterday filed a breach of contract suit against the family of LeBron James,“contending he was not repaid a loan of more than $115,000.”  Marsh said that he “lent the money to EddieJackson and Gloria James” during James’ last two years at St.Vincent-St. Mary High School (AP, 10/10).

USA Hockey today announced the renewal of an official sponsorshipagreement with hockey equipment manufacturer ITECH Sports Products, which runsthrough August ’06.  Under the deal,ITECH continues its status as an official equipment supplier of USA Hockey, adesignation it has held since ’86 (USA Hockey).

The DETROIT NEWS notes that a “spanking-new drive-in openstoday on the Pontiac Silverdome’s vast parking lot” (DETROITNEWS, 10/10).

ESPN will air Notre Dame-Pittsburgh college footballSaturday ay 6:00pm ET, and analyzing the game will be former Irish coach BobDavie, who was fired in December ’01 (CHICAGOTRIBUNE, 10/9).

WEEKEND EVENTS

The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports that “about 60,000 fansare expected” for the Michigan-Minnesota Big Ten football game at 7:00pm CT,which was rescheduled due to a potential Metrodome conflict with the Twins,“but only 1,000 tickets have been sold on campus to people other thanseason-ticket holders” (Minneapolis STARTRIBUNE, 10/10).

PompanoPark Harness Track opens its 40^th season with a new 7:05pm ET posttime, and the ORLANDO SENTINEL reported that the 129-night meet will also see “thestart of high-stakes poker every live race day, … a 20[%] increase in pursesand a nightly drawing to win a $400 betting voucher” (ORLANDOSENTINEL, 10/9).

Thecommittee formed to revive the WUSA will meet this weekend in L.A. (USATODAY, 10/10).

USAWeekend Magazine names Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, figure skater MichelleKwan, and girl’s basketball coach Jenelle Spearmon of Chicago andyouth football coach Marcus Borden of East Brunswick, NJ, as the MostCaring Athletes & Coaches for ’03.

The Celebrity Players Tour’s Mohegan Sun Team Championshipwill be played at the Pautipaug Country Club in Baltic, CT.  The event, which features Mike Schmidt,Jim McMahon, and Mike Eruzione among others, will be followed bythe Sportscasters Super Ball that evening (HARTFORDCOURANT, 10/9).

CHANNEL SURFING

NBA TV will premiere its new reality show, “Real Training Camp: Denver Nuggets,” at 6:00pm ET.

Fox will air Cubs-MarlinsNLCS Game Three at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN will air NCAA football: Michigan-Minnesota at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air NCAA football: TCU-South Florida at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Reggie Jackson at 8:00pm ET.

“MNF” sideline reporter LisaGuerrero guest stars on ABC’s “GeorgeLopez Show” at 8:00pm ET.

Discovery Channel’s “VitalScan” will examine NASCAR owner JackRoush’s ’02 small plane crash with a re-enactment at 10:00pm ET.

Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will be on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” with JayLeno at 11:35pm ET.

ESPNwill air “College GameDay” from FL State Univ.’s Doak Campbell Stadium at10:30am ET.

ESPN2will air the Women’s World Cup third-place match: U.S.-Canada at 3:30pm ET.

USA Network will air third round coverage of the PGA Tour Las Vegas Invitational at 3:00pm ET.

Fox will air Yankees-RedSox ALCS Game Three at 4:00pm ET and Cubs-MarlinsGame Four at 7:30pm ET.

NBC will air third round coverage of the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championships at 4:00pmET.

NBC will air the NASCAR Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 at 7:00pm ET.

Showtime will air an encore presentation of the James Toney-Evander Holyfield bout at10:00pm ET.

Sunday

ABC will air the Women’s World Cup Final: Germany-Sweden at 12:30pm ET.

NBC will air final round coverage of the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championships at 2:30pmET.

ABC will air final round coverage of the PGA Tour Las Vegas Invitational at 3:00pm ET.

ESPN will air the IRLIndyCar Series Chevy 500 at 3:30pm ET.

Fox will air Cubs-MarlinsGame Five at 4:00pm ET and Yankees-RedSox Game Four at 7:30pm ET.

NBC will air coverage of the Gravity Games at 4:30pm ET.

Tennis coach BradGilbert will be on Tennis Channel’s “CenterCourt with Chris Myers” at 7:30pm ET.

ESPN2 will air Blues-Avalanche at9:00pm ET.

TODAY’S TEASER…

General: Name the ’93 QuentinTarantino-scripted flick that features memorable performances by JamesGandolfini and Michael Rapaport.

CRITICS WEIGH IN: “KILL BILL VOLUME 1” & “INTOLERABLE CRUELTY”

Quentin Tarantino offers “Kill Bill Volume 1,” starring UmaThurman as a nearly-murdered assassin who awakes years later to wreakrevenge on the former co-workers responsible for attacking her and her (dead)fiancé:.  Meanwhile, George Clooney and CatherineZeta-Jones star in “Intolerable Cruelty,” a Coen Brothers romanticcomedy about a divorce lawyer who findshimself attracted to a woman famous for marrying and divorcing wealthy men.

…TODAY’S ANSWER

“True Romance”

If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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