The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, July 12, 2001
9:00am ET
| • | MLB’s All-Stars Twice As Popular Than NBA’s |
| • | Don’t Mess Around With Pat: Croce Eyes CEO Role |
| • | Is Chretien Promoting Toronto Or Disparaging China? |
| • | While American Clubs Raise Prices, Canadian NHL Clubs
Struggle For Renewals |
| • | Riding The Rapids With The Movers & Shakers |
| • | A Lighter Buzz |
MLB ALL-STAR GAME BUCKS TREND AND POSTS RATINGS GAIN
The MLB All-Star Game on Fox drew an 11.0/19 final Nielsen rating on Tuesday night, a 9% increase over a year ago when the game was on NBC. Fox estimates that 31.6 million Americans watched all or part of the contest. The average viewership also increased 9% over last year’s game, with 16 million viewers this year compared to 14.7 million in ’00. Fox notes that the MLB All-Star Game remains the top-rated All-Star event in sports, more than doubling the rating of this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which posted a 5.1 rating (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, CBS' David Letterman commented on the All-Star Game: "Mom and I get into this argument. I want to watch the baseball All-Star Game. Mom wants to watch A&E's biography of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin." Letterman: "It was nice to see that (Mets manager & National League All-Star manager) Bobby Valentine can lose even with a good team" ("Late Show," CBS, 7/11).
CROCE FINALLY SAYS WHAT IT IS HE WANTS: TRUE POWER
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reports that 76ers President Pat Croce met with Comcast-Spectacor Chair Ed Snider and "acknowledged his true intentions" by telling Snider he wished to run the company. Croce: "I believe I can add significant value to the entire Comcast-Spectacor company." Croce owns nearly 2% of Comcast. Croce, on how he envisions his new role, "I want to be the CEO with Ed Snider and [Majority Owner] Brian Roberts as my bosses" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/12).
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER OFFERS WARNING BEFORE SELECTION
The OTTAWA CITIZEN reports that Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien feels that China’s "abysmal human rights record will boost Toronto’s chances of beating Beijing" for the right to host the ’08 Olympics. Chretien, on China’s image problems, "It’s a factor for a lot of people. Of course, if you compare Canada to China, we have less problems with human rights than them" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 7/12).
CANADIAN NHL CLUBS FACE BATTLE WITH SEASON TICKET SALES
The OTTAWA SUN reports that the Senators "aren’t going to hold a gun at fans’ heads during a news conference about season-ticket sales this morning at the Corel Centre. Nor are they going to beg." But the club is faced "with only 60% renewals of the 11,300 season tickets the club had last year." The Corel Centre holds 18,500 and "could be looking pretty empty by October" (OTTAWA SUN, 7/12).
Meanwhile, the CALGARY SUN reports that the Flames extended their season-ticket "renewal deadline for the third time yesterday, hoping thousands of fence-sitters might still jump onside with the club." The team has scheduled a Monday press release about the state of ticket sales that apparently "will confirm another year of mediocrity and mismanagement frustrated enough fans to send the season-ticket count spiraling to an embarrassingly feeble figure" (CALGARY SUN, 7/12).
HERB ALLEN’S SUN VALLEY RETREAT ENTERS FULL SWING
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that "white-water rafting, golf and e-commerce were on the agenda" Wednesday at Allen & Co.’s annual investment retreat in Sun Valley, ID. Earlier, Amazon.com Chair Jeff Bezos and Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli gave talks on their respective businesses(HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/12).
Meanwhile, the N.Y. POST reports that Viacom President & COO Mel Karmazin was "in deep discussions" with NBA Commissioner David Stern yesterday, "sparking talk that he's trying to lure the hoop action from General Electric-owned NBC to Viacom-owned CBS and its sister cable networks" (N.Y. POST, 7/12).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
Mavericks President Terdema Ussery and Grizzlies Owner Michael Heisley "had a bite at the Palm downtown Tuesday" in Dallas before Ussery gave Heisley a tour of the new American Airlines Center (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/12)….N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani hosts the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction today at Gracie Mansion. Inductees are Lloyd Williams, Althea Gibson, Bill Gallo, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, Wilt Chamberlain and Don Cheadle (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/12)… German tabloid Bild is reporting that Steffi Graf is pregnant. Her mother, Heidi, reportedly told friends, "In November she's having a little boy" (BBC.com, 7/12)... Jaguar has become the title sponsor of Janet Jackson’s "All For You World Tour." Each of the 72 shows on the tour will begin with a video featuring Jackson with a black Jaguar X-Type (AD AGE, 7/11).
LAUGH TRACK
Last night's "Top Ten" list was "Top Ten George W. Bush Observations About New York City." ("Late Show," CBS, 7/11).
| 10) | "That rat's big enough to wear a saddle." |
| 9) | "You can get a cab from JFK to Midtown for only $250." |
| 8) | "When are they going to start drilling for oil in Central Park?" |
| 7) | "The city seems to have solved its King Kong problem." |
| 6) | "New York is the city that never sleeps and I'm the President who sleeps
15 hours a night." |
| 5) | "Too many Clintons." |
| 4) | "Giuliani gets rid of all the strip clubs and people say I'm dumb." |
| 3) | "Foreign guys always buy yellow cars." |
| 2) | "There's a giant lady with a torch! Run for your lives!" |
| 1) | "What a friendly town -- 5 ladies in Times Square asked if I'd like to have sex." |
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Contemporary British Authors."
"In May 1973 Sports Illustrated ran one of his short stories under the title of 'A Day of Wine And Roses.'"
WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
All three of the national news shows, FSN’s 10:30pm ET "National Sports Report," ESPN’s 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" and CNN/SI’s 11:00pm ET "Sports Tonight" led with the trade of Penguins RW Jaromir Jagr to the Capitals.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was Dick Francis?"
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