The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, October 5, 2001
9:00am ET
| • | Racing World Rocked As Earnhardt Family Member Involved In Fatal Wreck |
| • | A Record Day In MLB As Bonds, Henderson Share Spotlight |
| • | Will Ted Turner Soon Take A Critical Stance Against AOL Time Warner? |
| • | Hornets Initial Meeting With VA Officials In N.Y. Goes Well |
| • | Security Concerns Prompt FIFA To Cancel Game In Israel |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
PUBLISHING NOTICE:
There will be no Morning Buzz on Monday, October 8, in observance of Columbus Day. The Buzz will return on Tuesday, October 9. Have a nice weekend.
TRAGEDY HITS RACING WORLD AGAIN AS FATALITY HITS ARCA RACE
The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reports that Blaise Alexander Jr. "died Thursday of severe head injuries sustained in an accident during an Automobile Racing Club of America event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway." With four laps remaining in the race, Alexander passed Kerry Earnhardt for the lead and the two collided. Earnhardt survived the accident "unharmed" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/5).
BONDS, HENDERSON REACH MAJOR MILESTONES
Giants LF Barry Bonds tied Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire’s single-season HR mark last night "by slamming a mammoth shot into the upper deck in right-center" off Astros P Wilfredo Rodriguez for his 70th long ball of the season. Bonds has three games remaining to establish a new season-best (ESPN.com, 10/5).
To see Bond's 70th HR click here
Additionally, Padres LF Rickey Henderson broke HOFer Ty Cobb’s career mark for most runs scored by scoring the 2,246 run of his career by hitting a HR off Dodgers P Luke Prokopec. Henderson fulfilled an earlier promise by recording the record-setting run by sliding into home, despite hitting a shot over the fence (CNNSI.com, 10/5).
TURNER REPORTEDLY WON’T EXTEND AOL TIME WARNER CONTRACT
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that AOL Time Warner Chair Ted Turner "isn’t expected to renew his employment contract … when it expires at the end of this year." Speculation has Turner becoming "more of a critic of the media giant" once his deal has expired (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/5).
HORNETS MEET WITH VA OFFICIALS ABOUT RELOCATION
The VIRGINIAN-PILOT reports that yesterday’s meeting between Hampton Roads officials and the Hornets "went well, but … a number of obstacles remain in trying to lure the region’s first major sports franchise." The next step in the process is for the city of Norfolk to "decide if it wants to seriously go after the troubled NBA team, then try to fashion an acceptable deal to build the Hornets a new arena" (VIRGINIAN-PILOT, 10/5).
FIFA CANCELS GAME OVER SECURITY CONCERNS
REUTERS reports that FIFA has "called off" the World Cup European Group 7 qualifier between Austria and Israel in Tel Aviv on Sunday. FIFA President Sepp Blatter and an emergency committee postponed the match after a plane departing from Tel Aviv was shot down yesterday into the Black Sea with an estimated 78 people on board (REUTERS, 10/5).
STRINGER AGENT HIRES LAWYER TO INVESTIGATE CAUSE OF DEATH
The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that James Gould, the agent for the late Vikings OT Korey Stringer, hired wrongful-death lawyer Stanley Chelsea "to look into the death" his former client. Gould: "The family needs to be taken care of. That’s why we are doing this, but the decision to sue has not been made" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/5).
ROGGE AND POUND MEET IN PARIS BUT NO DECISION MADE
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that IOC President Jacques Rogge met with IOC VP Dick Pound in Paris yesterday "to begin the rapprochement for the Canadian who quit his posts as marketing chief and TV-rights negotiator last July" after he lost the Presidency to Rogge. While no decision on Pound’s future was reached, Rogge "said he would meet with Pound again in December" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/5).
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND: BOURQUE HONORED IN BOSTON
The Bruins honored Ray Bourque last night at the FleetCenter and retired his No. 77. During last night’s ceremony, FleetCenter President Richard Krezwick "donated a customized black-and-gold snowmobile on behalf of the organization" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/5).
Meanwhile, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman "provided some comic relief when the mere mention" of his name "caused jeers and catcalls from every corner" of the FleetCenter. Bettman "figuratively broke the ice by delivering the wisecrack" of the night by joking, "I come bearing gifts, so it's OK." Bettman "offered up a silver stick as a carry-over gift until Bourque receives a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame." Former teammate, and current Bruin, Don Sweeney "presented Bourque with a marble bench with the names of every player who shared the pine with him during his 20-plus years in Boston" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/5).
Click here to read Bourque's speech to the fans last night.
A LIGHTER BUZZ
Coyotes Managing Partner Wayne Gretzky and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Sr. are the "headliners" in a group of 90 torchbearers selected to carry the Olympic flame across America prior to the start of the ’02 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/5).
CNN "Headline News" anchor Denise Dillon, who works the network’s 7:00am-2:30pm shift, will participate in Saturday’s Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii (USA TODAY, 10/5).
Moses Malone will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today along with college coaches Mike Krzyzewski and John Chaney. The ceremony will be held at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, MA (ESPN.com, 10/4).
IN OTHER NEWS....
NBC’s special edition of "The West Wing" on Wednesday night became the "most-watched episode of the show ever." The program averaged 25.2 million viewers (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/5).
Sales of the Koran "have quintupled in the United States since Sept. 11." The book’s U.S. publisher, Penguin Books, "is attempting to airlift reprints of the Koran in from the United Kingdom to meet demand" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/5).
Several major airlines "tried to lure leisure travelers back into the air yesterday with a four-day super sale featuring fares an estimated 20 percent to 40 percent lower than normal to destinations across the globe" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/5).
AOL "plans to begin using anonymous Web bugs and cookies for the first time to enable the company to better target advertisements to its members." The change "was disclosed in a recent revision to AOL's privacy policy, posted on the proprietary online service" (L.A. TIMES, 10/5).
The BOSTON HERALD reports that MA-based children's shoemaker Stride Rite Corp. "will ax another 120 jobs as it struggles with declining sales and earnings." Stride Rite "has struggled in a tough retail climate. Cautious department store chains and other merchants have been slow to reorder shoes" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/5).
CHARITY EFFORTS IN THE SPORTS WORLD
The Rockets will dedicate to the Twin Towers Fund a portion of ticket sale proceeds and all proceeds raised at a special silent auction during the October 11 Clutch City Classic. The event, which is the team’s preseason home opener, will be called the Clutch City Classic-Spirit of America in Houston in recognition of the victims from the September 11 terrorist attacks (Rockets).
The Wives of MLB Players are conducting an online auction of team and player memorabilia to benefit the September 11 fund. Alisa Figueroa, wife of Phillies P Nelson Figueroa, Rena Millwood, wife of Braves P Kevin Millwood and Ronelle Remlinger, wife of Braves P Mike Remlinger, coordinated the event with the help of other players’ wives. To date, over 100 items have been accumulated for the auction (MLBPA).
Manchester United player David Beckham will honor the victim’s of last month’s terrorist attacks by wearing a Stars and Stripes armband when he captains England against Greece tomorrow (ESPN.com, 10/5).
LAUGH TRACK
Last night's "Top Ten" list was "Top Ten Words" ("Late Show," CBS, 10/4).
| 10) "Biscuit." |
| 9) "Yak." |
| 8) "Epiglottis." |
| 7) "Seersucker." |
| 6) "Lozenge." |
| 5) "Welterweight." |
| 4) "Boysenberry." |
| 3) "Meat." |
| 2) "O'clock." |
| 1) "Toyotathon." |
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Exploration."
"In February 1962 he said, 'The sunset was beautiful, it went down very rapidly.'"
THURSDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
FSN’s 10:30pm ET "National Sports Report" led with Giants-Astros.
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Giants-Astros.
FRIDAY MORNING’S TV MONITOR
NBC's "Today" show led its 7:00am hour with Barry Bonds' 70th HR and had a report from George Lewis at 7:20am ET.
ABC’s "GMA" interviewed Charles Murphy, who caught Bonds’ 70th HR ball with his son Max at 7:15am ET.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was John Glenn?"
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