| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, June 25, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | Will The Eighth Wonder Of The World Make History Again? |
| • | Will Early Debt Retirement Be The Real Legacy Of The SLOC? |
| • | WNBA Shock Throw Open Doors To Fans For Free Practice |
| • | South Korea Hopes Soccer Fever Helps Tensions Along The 38th Parallel |
| • | World Cup Headquarters: Latest Headlines, Schedules & Sites Of Interest |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/Final Jeopardy!/TV Monitor |
PLAN HAS ASTRODOME BEING CONVERTED TO TRACK & FIELD ARENA
In a front-page story, the HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that as part of the city's Olympic bid, Houston 2012 Foundation officials will announce today a plan that would convert the Astrodome "by 2007 into the world's first full-scale enclosed track and field arena." The plan calls for the Astrodome to "be converted at a cost of $87 million" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/25).
EARLY RETIREMENT: SLOC PAYS OFF STADIUM DEBT AHEAD OF TIME
The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reports that the SLOC is "paying off another debt ahead of time, turning over a $7.9 million check today to the University of Utah for use of Rice-Eccles Stadium." The payment was not due until January of '03. The SLOC used incoming revenue from television contracts and corporate sponsorships in order to retire the debt early (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/25).
GRASS-ROOTS EFFORTS A SHOCK FOR WNBA FANS IN DETROIT
The DETROIT FREE PRESS reported that the WNBA Shock will hold a free open practice for fans from 1:30-4:00pm ET today at the Palace. It is the "second open practice of the season," and part of the WNBA's "mission to be a grass-roots league." A third will be scheduled later in the year (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/24).
WORLD CUP DAY 26: WILL WORLD CUP RUN HELP REUNITE KOREA?
The FINANCIAL TIMES reports, "North Korean soldiers will be able to follow South Korea's historic World Cup semi-final clash with Germany live today, when match commentary is broadcast through loudspeakers across the divided peninsula's sealed border." The government in Seoul hopes the broadcast will "promote Korean reunification by allowing North Koreans to share in the football fever engulfing the South" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 6/25).
Meanwhile, the KOREA TIMES reports that while domestic breweries "are seeing their sales soar by 30-40 percent" during the World Cup, sales of other foreign beer brands "have stagnated." However, Heineken "is enjoying a 15 percent hike in sales" during the tournament, and Heineken importer ICM Korea said that sales of Heineken "have increased by 15-20 percent in June." Heineken is the second most popular imported beer after Miller, and even ICM Korea "is astonished by the sudden sales hike" (KOREA TIMES, 6/25).
Today's Headlines:
- FIFA Kicks In With Praise For Ticket Agency (LONDON TIMES, 6/25).
- North Korean TV Shows South Playing Italy (INT'L HERALD-TRIBUNE, 6/25).
- South Korea's Soccer Victory Touted In North (INT'L HERALD-TRIBUNE, 6/25).
- FA Slow On The Ball Over Party For England Squad (LONDON TIMES, 6/25).
- Nigerian Players Are No-Shows At President's Banquet (L.A. TIMES, 6/25).
- Donovan Wastes No Time Getting Back To MLS (N.Y. TIMES, 6/25).
- High Tech Aid Could Put Bad Refs Offside (LONDON TIMES, 6/25).
- Taking A Byte Out Of World Cup Soccer (L.A. TIMES, 6/25).
Soccer Sites of Interest:
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that the Univ. of MI will sell football tickets online beginning today for the first time ever. Tickets to all seven home games will be available at the University's Web site, ranging from $44-58, plus an added fee of $9 per ticket purchased online (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/25).
Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Coordinator Mike Tranghese today will announce today changes to the BCS formula, which determines the matchup in college football's national championship game. USA TODAY reports "there has been discussion about possibly adding an oversight committee that could step in if there was a problem identified with the final standings" (USA TODAY, 6/25).
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports that the AZ Tourism and Sports Authority meets today "to let the city know if it will stick with" Mesa's stadium bid for the NFL Cardinals, "despite a looming voter referendum to kill the plan, back out or postpone a decision, possibly until July 8" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/25).
NBC's "Today" showed the marketing of former Duke G Jay Williams before tomorrow night's NBA Draft. Williams was on the set of the show for most of the morning. See today's issue of THE DAILY for the full report (THE DAILY).
With the U.S. World Cup run over, stars from the team are making the TV rounds to promote the sport. Players and coaches from the squad will appear today on CBS' "The Early Show," NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "Live! With Regis & Kelly," MTV's "Total Request Live" and NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly." For a complete roundup of last night's World Cup visits, read today's Laugh Track (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper will host the 2nd annual Daunte Culpepper Celebrity Golf Classic at the Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake, MN. The event, which includes a 1:00pm CT shotgun start and a 6:00pm CT dinner and silent auction, benefits the African American Adoption Agency (THE DAILY).
Celtics Gs Tony Delk and Omar Cook will join Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in accompanying 25 eighth-grade students from Sarah Greenwood Middle School in Dorchester, MA, to Washington, DC, for a field trip. The students won the trip by coming in first place in the "Assists" Community Service Contest created by Southwest Airlines and the Celtics (THE DAILY).
ISC will participate in the William Blair & Company 22nd Annual Growth Stock Conference, running today through Thursday in Chicago (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES reports that a public service campaign encouraging kids to stay in school "is, in a first for such efforts, aimed at parents rather than children." The commercials, coordinated by the Advertising Council in N.Y. on behalf of the Army, "were created free by Bates USA in New York and carry the theme 'Don't drop out on your kids.' The ads show adults in a classroom exaggeratedly practicing parenting skills" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/25).
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reports that the CO Supreme Court ruled Monday in a case involving a teenager blinded in a skiing accident that parents "cannot waive their child's liability rights by signing release forms." The court sent back to trial a lawsuit filed by David Cooper and his parents against the Aspen Skiing Co., the Aspen Valley Ski Club, ski coach John McBride Jr. and the U.S. Ski Association (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 6/25).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Government & Economics."
"Though a legal requirement in 49 states, it failed in the '90s as an amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "I tell you how hot and uncomfortable and unpleasant it is (in N.Y.). I'm driving to work (yesterday) and my cab driver – this is a true story – stopped three times to wring out his turban. ... (Last Friday) morning, I got up to watch (the U.S. national team) play Germany and sadly, they lost by one goal. ... But in Germany, back in Berlin, they partied like it was 1939. ... Doctors are saying now that nuts lessen your chance of getting heart disease, and I'm thinking this is great news for the guy who married Anne Heche. ... (Former President Bill Clinton) got a brand new dog. You know he loves dogs ... and they had a kind of confusing thing over the weekend. Hillary is in the house and she hears Bill talking to the dog, and she doesn't know the dog's in there, and Bill is saying, 'Beg, rollover, fetch, sit up.' You know for a second, she thought he was dating again" ("The Late Show," CBS, 6/24).
NBC's Jay Leno: "I tell you, it was hot (yesterday). I was sweating like a Gospel singer trying to buy a single seat on Southwest Airlines. ... NASA scientists say an asteroid the size of a football field just missed the earth last week. It passed within 75,000 miles of the earth, which is very close and here's the scary part. It turns out we don't even have collision insurance. All we have is liability. If that thing had hit us, we're screwed. ... In fact, the asteroid is so wide, Southwest actually charged it for two asteroids. ... President Bush said (yesterday) he was not concerned about that plane that accidentally entered into the White House airspace last week. He said the guy was obviously confused. The man was disoriented and somehow just found himself in the White House. Just like Bush. ... This past weekend, President Bush kicked off his new program promoting physical fitness. Bush participated in a three-mile run with several hundred White House workers over the weekend. Bush finished in 26th out of 400 runners. Well, after a quick recount by some (FL) officials, it turns he won the race." Leno, on Martha Stewart being investigated for insider trading: "I guess the price of Martha's stock really plummeted. 26% or something. Went way down. In fact, she's lost so much money, instead of selling her stuff at Kmart, she might actually have to start buying stuff there." Leno, on the World Cup: "Americans don't really understand soccer because in Europe it's like a religion. It's worshipped like a religion. The men who play it are treated like religious figures. Okay, they don't have sex with young boys." More Leno: "At Wimbledon, players must wear white at all times ... and officials were shocked to see Anna Kournikova practicing in black shorts. It wasn't the black shorts. It was just the fact that she was practicing" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 6/24).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
During last night's edition of CBS' "The Late Show," M Claudio Reyna, F Clint Mathis, F Brian McBride, D Greg Berhalter, D Tony Sanneh and D Jeff Agoos of the U.S. national team appeared on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater to kick soccer balls across the street, in an attempt to hit a water tank near an adjacent building. All the players were wearing Philips Nike shirts and Nike shorts and sneakers and used a Nike soccer ball. Letterman, on the World Cup success of the U.S. national team: "Until like a month ago, nobody in this country played soccer at all. ... Over the weekend, we've been thinking, 'Well, it'll be great to have them here, what will we do with them?'" Letterman said trying to hit the water tank is "a fantastic idea because in the middle of the drought, they can dislodge the water tank and waste about 80,000 gallons of precious, precious, precious drinking water." Letterman told the players on the roof, "Hey, did you hear the good news? Practice has been called off" ("The Late Show," CBS, 6/24).
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U.S. men's soccer national team F Landon Donovan appeared in-studio with CBS' David Letterman last night, and the host discussed the popularity of the late-night games: "Of course you were aware it was something that people were staying up all night to watch, and thousands of people were going to stadiums. All of that was apparent to you guys, wasn't it?" Donovan: "We got a little bit of feedback and we know a lot of people jumped on, and we hope they stay on. But there were people from the beginning. The U.S. soccer people, the Nike people, all our friends and family were constantly helping us out" ("The Late Show," CBS, 6/24).
CBS' Craig Kilborn: "In (AZ), the wildfires have forced the evacuation of thousands of elderly residents. As of show time, over three-dozen homes have been destroyed by out of control Cadillac's. … Playing saxophone at the grand opening of the Mohegan Sun casino was, yeah, yeah, Bill Clinton. (Clinton) was doing it, or as the Indians call him, 'Dances with Cows'. … Advice columnist Ann Landers has died at the age of 83. Ann Landers is dead. She is survived by Bereaved in Brooklyn, Dumped in Duluth, and Knocked Up in Knoxville" ("The Late Late Show," CBS, 6/24).
Jon Stewart: "Just in time for national 'Holy Crap, We Still Do What?' Day, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 (last) Thursday that states may not execute the mentally retarded. The ruling represents a major victory for anti-death penalty forces and supporters of the rights of mentally ill inmates. But it comes as a severe blow to supporters of executing … retarded people. The ruling will supercede existing state standards for executing the retarded, such as (GA) and (TX), which offer no special protection to retarded inmates. As well as (MA), which only extends protection to the 'wicked retarded'" ("The Daily Show," Comedy Central, 6/24).
MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Braves-Mets.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is the Balanced Budget Amendment?"
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