SPORTS AT THE OSCARS: WHOOPI GOLDBERG, hosting the
Oscars: "Americans spent more than $7 billion dollars this
year to see our movies. That's as much as the average
OLYMPIC official takes home every week" (ABC, 3/21)....FSN's
KEITH OLBERMANN covered the Oscars for the L.A. TIMES and
writes on the Academy Awards' version of "that bane of
sports broadcasting: the exclusive Pre-Game Show." ABC had
a 30-minute preview show: "Sure it was only thirty minutes.
But trust me ... half an hour will beget an hour, an hour
will beget two, and after that they'll go directly to each
day of the week proceeding the Oscars" (L.A. TIMES, 3/22).
OTHER NAMES: British newspaper The Observer reported
that author DAVID YALLOP "claims" in his book "How They
Stole The Game" that FIFA shared a $1M "bribe" that helped
gain SEPP BLATTER the FIFA presidency over LENNART JOHANSSON
last year (THE OBSERVER, 3/21).....After DON KING announced
on Fox News Channel that both LENNOX LEWIS and EVANDER
HOLYFIELD have agreed to a rematch in September that would
guarantee each fighter $15M, HBO Senior VP LOU DIBELLA said
that the net has "no deal struck" for a rematch (N.Y. TIMES,
3/22)....WIOD-AM Florida radio personality PHIL LATZMAN
landed a sportscaster role in OLIVER STONE's "ANY GIVEN
SUNDAY" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/21)....GARTH BROOKS broke an 0-for-
10 slump with a pinch-hit single during yesterday's Padres
game (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/22). Padres GM KEVIN TOWERS:
"We took a lot of heat for inviting Garth Brooks to spring
training. But everytime we play a road game, the other club
calls and asks if we're bringing him" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/21).
