NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE, on the death of former
Cowboys coach TOM LANDRY: "Tom Landry's familiar presence on
the Dallas Cowboys' sideline for three decades represented
the NFL at its best. ... He will be remembered for many
special reasons, including his record as a coach, the
innovations he brought to our game, and the personal
integrity he displayed" (AP, 2/13)....Author ED LINN, who
co-authored BILL VEECK's book, "VEECK -- AS IN WRECK,"
passed away last week. He was 77 (N.Y. TIMES, 2/13).
AIR TIME FOR JORDAN: USA TODAY's Martha Moore reviews
MICHAEL JORDAN's ad endorsing BILL BRADLEY and writes, "In
keeping with his determinedly uncontroversial image, Jordan
doesn't say anything in this ad that anyone is likely to
take issue with" (USA TODAY, 2/14). Meanwhile, in N.Y.,
William Rhoden writes that maybe Jordan's ad "reflects" that
NBA players are "beginning to see themselves ... not just as
entertainers but also as advocates or intermediaries,
entrepreneurs with a window of opportunity." Rhoden:
"Jordan may have inadvertently sparked a curiosity among
athletes to move beyond prescribed boundaries to take more
active roles in their world" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/12).
NOTES: In N.Y., Deborah Mitchell wrote that MIA HAMM
"is charging up to $50,000 per appearance these days even
when she's promoting the [USOC]." Mitchell noted a year
ago, Hamm did USOC events "for $4,500." One source: "Mia's
gone commercial. But the USOC might get a discount, don't
you think?" Neither Hamm nor her manager "could be reached
for comment (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/13)....T'Wolves F KEVIN
GARNETT leased out BOB DYLAN's lear jet to fly him, some
friends and some Wolves employees to the NBA All-Star Game
in Oakland (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/12)....SAMMY SOSA
dropped out of ESPN's made-for-TV home-run hitting contest
this past weekend after being taken to a Las Vegas-area
hospital with "flu-like symptoms." Sosa was scheduled to
compete against Dodgers OF SHAWN GREEN (Mult., 2/13)....A
German newspaper report has STEFFI GRAF and ANDRE AGASSI
reportedly planning a June 14 wedding in Las Vegas (N.Y.
DAILY NEWS, 2/14)....In Hartford, Deborah Petersen Swift
profiles ESPN Senior VP/Marketing LEE ANN DALY and writes
that Daly is the "gatekeeper" of ESPN's ad and promotion
strategy. Swift: "Every one of the 50 major promotional
campaigns of the year need her OK, then she takes it to the
network's higher echelon for final approval" (HARTFORD
COURANT, 2/14)....The N.Y. TIMES' Jane Wolfe profiled SCA
PROMOTIONS, the Dallas-based company that serves as insurer
for promotional contests. SCA has paid out $65M in prizes
since its '86 founding, less than 1% of the $10B it has
underwritten. SCA Founder & CEO ROBERT HAMMAN, on the
sports-based promotional contests: "To have a viable
business, we need winners. But what we really root for are
close misses, because the customer thinks it was almost
going to happen and yet we didn't have to reach for our
checkbook." Hamman "expects" company revenue to grow by
"one-third this year -- to $37 million" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/13).
