HORNETS TO ANNOUNCE TIX TOTAL, BUT WILL IT ENSURE MOVE?

The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER notes the Hornets will announce total ticket sales today, with Hornets co-Owner Ray Wooldridge telling reporters Thursday that he is "confident" the team has met its goal of selling 8,000 season tickets, 2,450 club seats and 54 luxury suites.  But national sports finance experts are saying that even if the team has met those totals, there is "no guarantee the league will let the Hornets leave Charlotte."  Sports exec Marc Ganis noted the numbers "were not extraordinary targets to begin with."  And Grizzlies Owner Michael Heisley said that it will take "more than ticket sales to win over the owners and NBA Commissioner David Stern."  Heisley: "I know that David Stern does not like to see franchises relocate.  I think everyone associated with the NBA sees it as a failure."   NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said that the league will "audit the ticket numbers announced by the Hornets today" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/15). 

ESPN AGREEMENT WITH NCAA FOCUSES ON WOMEN'S TOURNEY

The NCAA women's college basketball tournament tips off today with a 4:00pm ET game between FL Int'l and Creighton.  Meanwhile, the men's college basketball tournament continues today, leading off with a 12:15pm ET game between NC State and MI State (THE DAILY).

The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports that, a few months after discussions in Indianapolis, ESPN and the NCAA "announced an agreement on an 11-year contract that is valued at more than $200 million and includes television rights to 21 various collegiate national championships -- the key being the women's tournament."  ESPN's Robin Roberts: "I give all the credit to the players and the coaches.  They have created a product that people want to see. … For the first time, I feel people finally realize women's basketball is part of March Madness" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/15).

STIFF COMPETITION: HAYATOU TO CHALLENGE FIFA'S BLATTER

The FINANCIAL TIMES reports that African soccer boss Issa Hayatou "intends to challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency of Fifa."  Hayatou told the FT that he would "await the endorsement of senior colleagues at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tomorrow before finally deciding to run" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 3/15).

CALLAWAY GOLF GETS SET TO TEE UP THE LAUNCH OF NEW BALLS

Callaway Golf launches its new HX Blue and HX Red golf balls today in selected golf shops around the world.  The company has partnered with UPS to ensure that the participating shops will receive their shipments of the new balls by March 15.  The one-day coordinated launch is the culmination of a broad-based effort to raise public awareness about the new ball, which was first introduced to the golf industry last October (THE DAILY).

OHNO MAKES ROUNDS IN POST-OLYMPIC APPEARANCES

The Seattle POST-INTELLIGENCER reports that Gold Medal-winning speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, in Seattle today for "Apolo Anton Ohno Day," will "do a video conference call with a class of elementary-school kids in Hawaii.  He also has a new partnership with Drug Free America."  Yesterday, Ohno visited the WA Capitol in Olympia, where senate pages "whipped out fake soul patches they had made of fur and double-sided tape" (Seattle POST-INTELLIGENCER, 3/15).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

Negotiations on financing the tentative June fight between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis have reportedly resulted in musician Sean "P. Diddy" Combs being asked to invest as much as $13M to back the fight.  Combs confirmed the negotiations, adding that he has "not made a decision."  But Tyson's manager Shelly Finkel said that he was "not aware of Combs' involvement."  Finkel previously said this week he had lined up a "corporate entity" with local ties as an investor (WASHINGTON POST, 3/15).

AP boxing and horse racing reporter Ed Schuyler Jr. will retire today.  Schuyler, who first joined the AP in '60, has covered 2,250 bouts in seven Olympics and sat ringside for about 100 heavyweight title fights (EL PASO TIMES, 3/12).

The Angels have added Rancho Cucamonga-based KMXN to their radio network, with broadcasts starting on opening day (Riverside PRESS-ENTERPRISE, 3/15).

Heat play-by-play television commentator Eric Reid will call his 1,000^th regular season Heat game tonight (THE DAILY).

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL reports that Fresno State Univ. men's basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian will announce his retirement today at a press conference.  Tarkanian will remain in the school's athletic department "as a special projects consultant for the next couple of years at an estimated $100,000 per year."  The school is building a new on-campus arena and Tarkanian "wanted to be with Fresno State when the building opens in 2003" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/15).

TODAY'S EVENTS

Reggie Jackson and Steve Garvey will autograph and play the new Mattel Classic Baseball Game at L.A.'s FAO Schwarz at the Grove from 10:00-11:30am PT (THE DAILY).

"The Poetry of Sport" will be presented today by the Int'l Poetry Forum at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland, PA.  Pittsburgh sports figures Myron Cope, Andy Russell, Bill Hillgrove, Jay Caufield, Phil Bourque, Nellie King, Nellie Briles, Ellis Cannon, Orlando Antigua, Craig Wolfley, Bruno Sammartino and Lynn Swann are among the scheduled readers (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 3/14).

Kroger grocery stores presents Predators Ladies Night.  The first 5,000 women in attendance for tonight's game against the Coyotes will receive a "Men of Steel" poster featuring some Predators players (THE DAILY).

The Harlem Globetrotters will visit Trotter Alley in Philadelphia today at 1:00pm ET to teach the team's traditional "Magic Circle" to young school children (THE DAILY).

Kings F Chris Webber will be at the NBA Store in Manhattan at 11:00am ET to discuss his new role as President of the basketball division of DaDa Footwear (THE DAILY).

Rockers G Jennifer Rizzotti will answer fan questions in a live Web chat on WNBA.com and Clevelandrockers.com at 5:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

REUTERS reported that a federal grand jury has indicted accounting firm Arthur Andersen "for obstruction of justice tied to probes of Enron Corp.'s collapse," prompting Andersen to say its business "was damaged but it had no plans for bankruptcy" (REUTERS, 3/14).

The BOSTON GLOBE reports that long-time Globe editor Thomas Winship "died yesterday of lymphoma in Massachusetts General Hospital.  He was 81" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/15).

The FCC, in a 3-1 vote, "sided with cable companies yesterday in a ruling that will allow them to offer high-speed Internet service without being forced to open their networks to rival Internet providers" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/15).

Fox scored some of its highest ratings of the year Wednesday night with the network's "Celebrity Boxing."  About 15.5 million viewers tuned into the special, "more viewers than watched almost any other entertainment show on Fox this television season" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/15).  CBS, however, "still won the night in the adults 18-49 demo on the strength of 'Survivor: Marquesas.'  NBC took the total viewers crown, even with 'The West Wing' and 'Law & Order' in reruns" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/15).

The MIAMI HERALD reports that the Miami City Commission, reacting to the announcement that the 65-year-old Orange Bowl Parade had been canceled, "committed itself to putting on a parade or an alternative event in downtown Miami on New Year's Eve" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/15).

FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Recent Films." 

"The name of this title character means 'fear' in Yiddish."

LAUGH TRACK

NBC's Jay Leno: "All the signs of a new baseball season are in the air. ... You've got spring training in full swing.  The ground crews are out grooming the fields.  Darryl Strawberry's back in jail."  Leno, on Fox' "Celebrity Boxing" match: "Of those of you who watched, how many were upset there wouldn't be any real celebrities in it?  I don't want to accuse that thing of being white trash, but did you see who sponsored it?  Slim Jims and Bubble Up."  Leno, on Tonya Harding knocking out Paula Jones: "She was able to successfully use her 'Rope-A-Ho' strategy."  Leno said Jones "kept turning away and getting hit in the back of the head," which was the "same strategy she used with (former President Bill) Clinton."  Leno, on Harding's breast implants: "Her breasts were almost as big as Todd Bridges'" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 3/14).  

THURSDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with College of the Holy Cross-Univ. of KS NCAA men's basketball.

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is Shrek?"

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