WNBA: In Orlando, Shannon Rose reports that the WNBA
will announce today that the Miracle will host the third
WNBA All-Star Game next July (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 10/17).
MLB: In N.Y., Murray Chass cited an MLB club exec who
"expressed concern with the focus" Commissioner Bud Selig
"places on payroll disparity," feeling the "constant"
discussion of the issue "is not positive for the game."
Selig: "I worry about that all the time. I understand it's
sensitive. People don't want to hear about it. ... But
wherever I go, even big markets, that's the first question
people ask me. But I'm very careful" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/15).
NFL: CBS SportsLine's Len Pasquarelli reported that
Atlanta has "very quietly dropped out of the bidding" for
Super Bowl XXXIX. Pasquarelli: "Of course, it had nothing
to do with the ice storm that stopped this city cold this
January. ... Right" (CBS SportsLine, 10/14)....FSN's Sean
Jones, on Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and Chiefs TE Tony
Gonzalez shooting a jump shot through goal posts with
footballs after scoring touchdowns: "I'm looking at all the
things [the NFL is] outlawing, they're promoting basketball.
Something's wrong. Someone's going to get a phone call that
they're not allowed to do any [jump] shots anymore. They're
competing against the NBA" ("Football Today," FSN, 10/16).
WPFL: About 600 people attended the WPFL's Barracudas-
Fury season opener at the Orange Bowl on Saturday (MIAMI
HERALD, 10/15). ABC's Dan Harris profiled the WPFL: "Many
sports marketers are quite skeptical about the prospects for
women's professional football. They say if the league is to
succeed, it needs to attract ... hard-core football fans who
come out to NFL games on Sunday. But women's football has
been tried before and failed to capture such fans." Burns
Sports President Bob Williams: "You have a bunch of no name
athletes right now that are going to be trying to compete
for people's entertainment dollar, and it's going to be very
difficult" ("World News Tonight," ABC, 10/15).
NO CAN 'DO': Pacers F Sam Perkins was told by the NBA
that he "couldn't wear a do-rag during a preseason game"
last week. In Charlotte, Rick Bonnell wrote that the league
considers it "a safety hazard" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/15).
