| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, March 21, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | Golf Fans Can Attend PGA Tour Event From Comfort Of Office, Home |
| • | Two To Go: Astros To Remove Second Of Four Enron Signs Today |
| • | Delay Of Game: NFL Cardinals Stadium Site Decision Postponed |
| • | Just The Beginning: The Home Depot To Hire More Olympic Athletes |
| • | Poor Q3 Forces Vans To Lower Estimates For Next Quarter |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/TV Monitor/Laugh Track/Final Jeopardy! |
WEB TAKES GOLF FANS BEHIND ROPES AT PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
USA TODAY reports that, beginning at 8:30am ET today, fans "can watch every shot of every player" on the 17th hole of the PGA Tour's The Players Championship by visiting www.pgatour.com. The site will continue to broadcast on Friday (USA TODAY, 3/21).
SECOND ENRON SIGN DUE TO COME OFF ASTROS' BALLPARK
Continuing a process they started on Tuesday, the Astros will dismantle the second of four Enron signs from the exterior of their Houston ballpark. The media is encouraged to attend the event, which will begin at 9:00am CT (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, the HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that Compaq Computer Corp. CEO Michael Capellas said the firm created by the merger of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq "will remain interested in acquiring the naming rights of sport facilities in Houston." Capellas: "We have a very strong belief that you have to be a great local citizen. Naming rights is good business, and it's a way to contribute to the community" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/21).
DELAY LEAVES NFL CARDINALS STILL WITHOUT STADIUM SITE
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports the AZ Tourism and Sports Authority "decided midday Wednesday to give both Mesa and the Gila River Indian Community another week to work on plans" for a stadium for the NFL Cardinals. A decision was expected today for the $350M domed stadium, but "Mesa asked for the delay, and Gila River consented" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/21).
USOC & HOME DEPOT ANNOUNCE OLYMPIC HIRING PLAN
The USOC and The Home Depot announced this morning that the home improvement company will increase its hiring of Olympic and paralympic athletes, aiming to employ a total of 204 by the '04 Games in Athens. Eligible athletes will be able to apply through an online career management resource offered by the USOC and Monster.com. Currently, Home Depot employs 140 athletes through the USOC's Olympic Job Opportunities Program (THE DAILY).
VANS EXPERIENCES DIFFICULT Q3, LOWERS QUARTER FORECAST
The L.A. TIMES reports that Santa Fe Springs-based Vans Inc. reported late yesterday a 76% drop in net income for its fiscal Q3 and lowered its expectations for Q4. Vans' net income fell to $483,000, or $0.03 a share, which was "in line with analysts' forecasts." However, total sales were up 1.6% to $82.2M. The financial news was released after yesterday's close, which had Vans up $0.06 a share to $13.25 (L.A. TIMES, 3/21).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The AP reported that MLB President & COO Robert DuPuy completed his second day of testimony Wednesday in the contraction grievance hearing, which is now recessed until April 8. Lawyers for the MLBPA "have not yet completed their questioning of DuPuy, who began his testimony Tuesday" (AP, 3/20).
IT services company SchlumbergerSema takes out a full-page ad in today's Financial Times, which includes a quote from IOC President Jacques Rogge, trumpeting its success at the '02 Winter Games (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Jennifer Capriati will receive Fila's inaugural R.E.A.C.H. award at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL, at 10:00am ET. R.E.A.C.H. stands for "Realizing Extraordinary Accomplishments with Courage and Humility" (THE DAILY).
49ers players, coaches and management will compete against Olympic skiers and celebrities at the San Francisco 49ers Foundation Celebrity Ski-Classic, which begins today and runs through Sunday (THE DAILY).
The Redskins will hold a sale at the Hall of Fame Store at FedEx Field featuring team jerseys, apparel, hats, sideline gear and more. The store will be open from 9:00am-6:00pm ET daily, from today through Sunday (THE DAILY).
Celtics F Paul Pierce will join MA acting Gov. Jane Swift, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Celtics COO/CFO Rich Pond and more as they read to students at the Mozart School in Roslindale as part of the NBA's "Read to Achieve" program (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
USA TODAY reports that "Early Show" co-anchor Bryant Gumbel is in talks with CBS about a new contract. Opinion is split on the nature of the discussions, with some insiders "saying the tough negotiations raise questions about whether Gumbel, whose deal ends in May, will stick around" (USA TODAY, 3/21).
A survey by Research.Net for Forbes.com found that C-level execs spend more time online, an average of 16 hours per week, than on any other medium (AD AGE, 3/20).
NBC announced yesterday that it was ending a three-month old experiment that would have brought the first liquor advertisements onto national broadcast TV (N.Y. TIMES, 3/21).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes, "ABC execs told media buyers this week that the third-place network had 'lost its way' during the past few years and promised a return to its traditional programming style next season" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/21).
USA TODAY reports that Anheuser-Busch (A-B) became the exclusive beer sponsor of the Oscars "by buying only three commercials, [versus] the 10 or so spots to have the Super Bowl all to themselves." A-B will break new ads during the Sunday telecast, and the show will also have new creatives from MasterCard, McDonald's, J.C. Penney, American Express, M&M's, Morgan Stanley and Salton (USA TODAY, 3/21).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Famous Americans."
"The most requested photo in the history of the National Archives is of the 1970 meeting of these two men."
LAUGH TRACK
During last night's edition of TNT's "Inside The NBA," Charles Barkley made his Oscar predictions. Barkley picked Denzel Washington for Best Actor in "Training Day." Barkley: "I didn't really like the movie, but they jobbed him on 'Malcolm X' and 'Hurricane,' so they're going to give him the Oscar this year." Barkley picked Halle Berry for Best Actress in "Monsters Ball." Barkley: "Can you believe that Halle Berry had the audacity to make a love scene with Billy Bob Thornton? … He's a nice guy, he's a good actor, but he's ugly" (TNT, 3/20).
Barkley, on "Paul Pierce Bobblehead Night" in Boston last night: "Do you remember when guys could really play and had good teams, [and] we didn't have to give away stuff for people to come to the games?" (TNT, 3/20).
Last night's "Top Ten" list was "Top Ten Signs [N.Y. Mayor] Michael Bloomberg Doesn't Like Being Mayor" ("Late Show," CBS, 3/20).
| 10) | "Often begins press conferences by saying, 'Holy crap, did I make a mistake!'" |
| 9) | "Demanded a recount to see if maybe Mark Green won after all." |
| 8) | "He's gobbling Prozac like M&M's." |
| 7) | "Missed most recent City Council meeting to watch 'Baby Bob' on CBS." |
| 6) | "Asked advisors, 'How many interns would I have to sleep with to get impeached?'" |
| 5) | "Heard muttering, 'I spent $70(M) for this?'" |
| 4) | "Wants to move Mayor's office to the Bahamas." |
| 3) | "Keeps asking, 'Is it 2006 yet?'" |
| 2) | "Called Knicks' coach offering to swap jobs." |
| 1) | "Answers every policy question with, 'Why are you bothering me with this bull?'" |
WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Wizards-Nuggets.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who are Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley?"
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
The Morning Buzz provides an early update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Morning Buzz, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.
