| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, July 9, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | While Miller Park Springs A Leak, Miller Brewing Wins Party Battle With A-B |
| • | Strike A Pose: No Date Set By MLBPA During Meetings In IL |
| • | Just The Beginning: Home Depot Inks $70M Naming Rights Deal |
| • | Alameda County Presents A's With Lease Extension Proposal |
| • | Fans Embrace Lockout In SC As Minor League Team Eyes Attendance Record |
| • | In Other News/Laugh Track/Final Jeopardy!/TV Monitor |
MLB ALL-STAR GAME ROUND-UP: MILLER PARK SPRINGS A LEAK
Miller Park hosted the Home Run Derby last night, with Yankees 1B Jason Giambi topping Cubs OF Sammy Sosa for the crown. The AP reported that during the final round of action, "thunder boomed, lightning crackled and water began streaming into the loge section behind home plate" as the park's roof sprang a leak. Brewers VP/Stadium Operations Scott Jenkins, on the wet conditions: "Of course, nobody ever wants to see a leak, but we are somewhat vulnerable depending on the direction of the wind and the rain volume. But the event went on and everybody had a great time, and a few people got a few drops" (AP, 7/8).
While MLB stars competed for the Home Run Derby inside of Miller Park, rival breweries competed outside. In Milwaukee, Kathy Flanigan noted that A-B hosted the official All-Star Game party, but Miller held a "decidedly bigger" bash with "twice the selection of food, Skyy vodka, four national-act bands and a bigger crowd" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/9).
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig today will host his second online Town Hall Meeting at MLB.com beginning at 1:00pm ET. Selig will start with opening remarks, then answer e-mail questions (THE DAILY).
Fox runs a full-page color ad in USA Today featuring Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Ichiro Suzuki and Barry Bonds to hype its coverage of the 73rd All-Star Game, which begins at 8:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
MLB also runs a full-page ad in USA Today to honor the late Ted Williams. The ad shows a photo of Williams swinging the bat and the tagline, "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived." The ad continues: "The entire baseball family mourns the loss of a man whose grace and dignity off the field matched his greatness on the field," and is signed by Commissioner Selig (THE DAILY).
NO STRIKE DATE SET DURING MLBPA MEETINGS ON MONDAY
The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL reports that the MLBPA "signaled Monday that it is not ready to set a strike date against [MLB], but it did set the wheels in motion to do so" during its exec board meeting in Rosemont, IL. The union leaders and player reps "agreed to go back to the clubs and ask their teammates for the authority to set a strike date if that's what the players desire" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/9).
HOME IMPROVEMENT: AEG'S COMPLEX GETS NAMING RIGHTS DEAL
The L.A. TIMES reports that the Anschutz Entertainment Group will announce today it has reached a ten-year, $70M agreement with The Home Depot for naming rights to the National Training Center in Carson, CA. The $130M complex, "which broke ground in February, will include a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, a 13,000-seat tennis stadium, a cycling velodrome and, it will also be announced today, a track and field stadium expandable up to 30,000 seats" (L.A. TIMES, 7/9).
A WINNING FORMULA? CREDITORS EYE KIRCH GROUP PRIZE
DAILY VARIETY reports, "Creditors of bankrupt media giant Kirch Group look set to pounce on one of its most precious properties, Formula One motor racing." Kirch lenders BayernLB, J.P. Morgan and Lehman Brothers "want a 75% stake in Formula One in return for $1.6 billion in loans" (DAILY VARIETY, 7/8).
ANOTHER TURN AT BAT: HAGGERTY TO PITCH NEW A'S EXTENSION
The OAKLAND TRIBUNE reports Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty has called an 11:00am PT press conference and "is expected to present a lease extension proposal" for the A's. A city source said, a five-year extension to keep the A's at Network Associates Coliseum "is on the table." Haggerty negotiated an earlier lease extension proposal that was ultimately rejected by the Oakland City Council (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 7/9).
METROSTARS GO TO COURT OVER GIANTS STADIUM LEASE
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports the MLS MetroStars' suit against the NJ Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA) "is scheduled to be heard today in Superior Court of (NJ)." The MetroStars claim NJSEA "breached the team's soccer-exclusivity clause in its lease" at Giants Stadium (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/9).
A LIGHTER BUZZ: RIVERDOGS GO FOR ZERO
The Class A South Atlantic League Charleston RiverDogs held "Nobody Night" last evening, a promotion developed by team President Mike Veeck designed to set the record for pro baseball's lowest attendance by locking the gates and denying entrance to the park. The AP reports the game's attendance was listed as "0": "Only media, scouts and employees were allowed into the game. Fans were turned away and sent just outside the ballpark to a party offering discounted food and beer" (AP, 7/9). Meanwhile, the "absence of paying customers didn't deter the RiverDogs and Riley Park game day staff from carrying on business as usual through the first five innings. Between-inning promotions continued as usual, but nobody won." When the game "was officially in the books and the gates were opened, approximately 1,800 fans streamed in to find T-shirts, candy and foul balls waiting for them in the empty seats" (Charleston POST & COURIER, 7/9). The Beatles' "Nowhere Man" was the theme song for the evening (USA TODAY, 7/9).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Former Chiefs QB Todd Blackledge will be the featured speaker at the SportsInk '02 Northeast Ohio Sports Media Workshop in Green, OH. The workshop is designed for teens 14-18 years of age to explore career opportunities in sports writing, broadcasting, TV production, and other related fields (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that AOL Time Warner "finalized two new credit lines totaling $10 billion." The move was aimed to assure "investors about its liquidity at a time of growing skittishness about the financial prospects of media companies" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/9).
The L.A. TIMES report that Mattel "is expected to unveil today a major licensing agreement with Warner Bros. to make toys stemming from films and TV shows featuring the studio's Batman, Superman, Justice League, Looney Tunes and Baby Looney Tunes characters" (L.A. TIMES, 7/9).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "American History."
"When (George) Washington took office on April 30, 1789, it was the largest state in area, covering what is now three states."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES: CBS' David Letterman: "Here's how hot it is. Today, Martha Stewart was using her stock certificates as dress shields. ... Mom and I had kind of a wild weekend. Mom is fine. I was slightly gored, but we had a pretty nice time running from the bulls. ... We had the big Letterman Fourth of July family picnic, and listen to this. Here's what happened. I doze off and one of my family members tries to have me cryogenically preserved" ("The Late Show," CBS, 7/8).
NBC's Jay Leno: "I was over at the big Michael Jackson 'Down With Whitey' rally. ... Over the weekend, Michael Jackson was in (N.Y.) protesting his record company, which he says, steals money from black artists like himself. Doesn't he own The Beatles? ... A spokesman from Sony Records said they were shocked. They couldn't believe it. Michael's black? ... In fact, Michael Jackson is so mad, he actually had his plastic surgeon put an outraged look on his face. ... I was on a flight over the weekend. It was unbelievable. There were these two obnoxious drunks in front of me. Loud, boisterous. I hate it when America West leaves the cockpit door open. ... For the first time in nine years street crime is up in America. Actually, just one street – Wall Street. ... In fact, earlier (yesterday), President Bush held a surprise press conference about the economy. He said, 'Sell!' ... Next week, India is expected to choose as their new president, the man who created their nuclear missile system. What better way to show the world you're for peace than to elect as president the guy who invented your atomic bomb. That's the difference between India and America right there. Here in America, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to be president. ... This week a Federal judge has ruled that sodomy is legal in (AR). So Bill Clinton, you can go home. ... The Pope has called on teenagers throughout the world to practice chastity. He said if it works for the young people, they may try it with the priests too. ... Did you know this was Nude Recreation Week? ... This is also the week of the Running of the Bulls. You don't want to get these two confused. ... Baseball great Ted Williams passed away last week. ... According to one report, his body was shipped to a cryogenic storage facility in Scottsdale, (AZ), (and) will be frozen indefinitely. I'm no scientist, but if you're going to freeze things, is Scottsdale, (AZ), the best place? ... He was a tremendous athlete, Ted Williams. He had the ability to do what no other baseball player has been able to do for years. Pass a urine test. ... The Spice Girls showed up for the grand opening of Britney Spears' new restaurant in (N.Y.), but they were turned away. Apparently, they said we got all the waitresses we need" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 7/8).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's "Top Ten" was "Top Ten Thoughts Going Through This Guy's Mind." Letterman aired footage of a person getting gored by a bull during the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain ("The Late Show," CBS, 7/8).
| 10. | "Hey look, intestines." |
| 9. | "Is it 'feed a cold, starve a puncture wound?'" |
| 8. | "This is still better than being in Delaware." |
| 7. | "I wonder what Spanish emergency rooms are like." |
| 6. | "I guess this will be funny when Marv Albert shows it with that blooper music." |
| 5. | "Remember – the bull is more afraid of you than you are of him." |
| 4. | "Como se dice, 'Owwwww!?'" |
| 3. | "Things could be worse...ah, who am I kidding? This is miserable." |
| 2. | "At least no one back home will know." |
| 1. | "I'm an idiot." |
MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with the Home Run Derby.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is Virginia?"
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