| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, July 15, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | Women's Day: WNBA Makes Appearance On Capitol Hill On All-Star Night |
| • | USOC Presidential Nominations Due Today: de Varona To Announce Bid? |
| • | Selection Site Committee To Conclude S.F. Visit After Hold Over In Houston |
| • | Potential Bidders For Continental Airlines Arena Project To Be Heard Today |
| • | Keeneland's Annual Yearling Sale Gets Underway In Lexington |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Box Office |
FOLLOW THE LEADER: WNBA, CONGRESS HOLD WOMEN'S DAY
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that the WNBA and the White House Project "will come together this morning on Capitol Hill to recognize the importance of sports in developing leadership ability in girls and women." The Women's Leadership Through Sports Day was created by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). WNBA President Val Ackerman and White House Project President Marie Wilson will be the featured guests. Later this evening, the WNBA holds its annual All-Star Game at the MCI Center. The game is a sellout and will be televised at 7:30pm ET on ESPN (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/15).
DEADLINE FOR USOC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS IS TODAY
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reports that while today is the deadline for nominations USOC president, a new leader "might not be in place until November." The nominations are due by 5:00pm MT, and the USOC exec committee "will select one candidate to present to its [BOD], possibly by the end of this month." USOC VPs Marty Mankamyer and Paul George have already announced their bids, while former Gold Medalist Donna de Varona is also a potential candidate (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/15). A report over the weekend had de Varona formally submitting her nomination for the post (THE DAILY).
AFTER DELAY, USOC BID CITY COMMITTEE WRAPS UP BAY AREA VISIT
The 14-member USOC '12 site selection task force will conclude its two-day tour of S.F. today with a morning Q&A, followed by an afternoon press conference. The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that on Sunday, the committee "was unable to make its scheduled flight" to S.F. due to weather delays at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. But the holdup had "no impact on the real thrust of the panel's visit" to the Bay Area, as the group had "private meetings with representatives of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee [later that day] to ask about plans to host the 2012 Games across a wide swath of Northern California" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/15).
CONTINENTAL ARENA DEVELOPMENT BIDS GET FIRST PITCH TODAY
The N.Y. TIMES reported that the "idea of redeveloping the site of Continental Arena will get its first test [today], when the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority holds a conference for bidders." The agency sent out requests for development plans to 150 bidders on June 30 with "only the broadest of guidelines, asking for 'creativity' and insisting that proposals be financed without public funds and with no burden to taxpayers" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/14).
HORSE SENSE: ANNUAL KEENELAND SALE TO BE HELD THIS WEEK
The 59th annual July Selected Yearling Sale will take place today and tomorrow in Lexington, KY. The LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER reports that Keeneland in July "has traditionally been the highest flying, big-money throw-down in the business." Last year, 89 yearlings "sold for about $63.2 million, a record average price of $710,247 each" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 7/15).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The BOSTON HERALD reported that FleetBoston Financial "has extended its contract as title sponsor of the Senior PGA Tour's FleetBoston Classic through 2008." An official announcement is expected today (BOSTON HERALD, 7/14).
The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue "stopped by Valley Ranch to visit with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and players" on Sunday. Tagliabue was in Dallas for the NFL's officials symposium. When asked what advice he would give fellow Commissioner Bud Selig about a potential work stoppage, Tagliabue replied, "Be patient, I guess" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/15).
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reported that the Texans on Saturday "sold out all of their single-game tickets for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in less than 20 minutes." Single-game sales began on Saturday, and in one day the Texans sold approximately 14,000 tickets (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/14).
The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER reports "a race-day attendance of 51,317 and a weekend total of 111,438" attended the CART Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 7/15). Meanwhile, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports "with 75,000 pulses nicely quieted and 150,000 eyelids drooping," Kevin Harvick easily won the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/15).
Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent appeared Sunday on ESPN Radio and talked about the decision to cancel the All-Star Game after 11 innings. Vincent: "The whole thing made baseball look like a joke. Nobody was thinking. The quality of intellectual effort was very, very low" (ESPN.com, 7/14).
The Nuggets held an open tryout for their Rookie/Free Agent Camp on Sunday. The team planned to bring three players into camp, but instead ended up selecting four participants. One of the players will end up on the Nuggets' summer league team in Salt Lake City (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Eagles CB Troy Vincent and K David Akers are among the players expected to greet fans and sign autographs at the ACME Eagles Summer Blitz in Phoenixville, PA, from 4:00-9:00pm ET. The event continues through Thursday, with stops scheduled in King of Prussia, PA, Voorhees, NJ, and Newtown, PA (THE DAILY).
The Chiefs will open single-game ticket sales for the '02 season to all taxpayers from Jackson County, MO – home of Arrowhead Stadium – at 8:00am CT. General public sales will begin tomorrow at 8:00am CT (THE DAILY).
The Predators will host their fourth annual youth hockey camp, being held today through Friday, at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville (THE DAILY).
The N.Y. Fire Department (NYFD) and the Toronto Professional Firefighters Association will play a 12:30pm ET exhibition baseball game at the SkyDome. The NYFD, from Engine 286, Ladder 125, will attend tonight's game and accept a donation to the N.Y. Firefighters Fund from the Blue Jays (THE DAILY).
The Wellness Channel, a new service from iVillage, launches today in 1,100 hospitals across the country. WNBA Comets F Rebecca Lobo and Thrashers D Chris Tamer are among the athletes included in the channel's six-hour programming block (THE DAILY).
EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Below are this week's confirmed earnings announcements for sports-business related companies (THE DAILY).
| | DATE | TICKER | COMPANY | QUARTER |
| | 7/16 | HUF | Huffy | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/17 | KO | The Coca-Cola Co. | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/17 | TBL | Timberland | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | ELY | Callaway Golf | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | FTS | Footstar | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | FO | Fortune Brands | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | OO | Oakley | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | RACN | Racing Champions | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | RCI.B.TO | Rogers Communications | Q2 2002 |
| | 7/18 | VANS | Vans | Q4 2002 |
| | 7/19 | PEP | PepsiCo | Q2 2002 |
| | | | | | | | |
IN OTHER NEWS….
This week's cover of TIME examines hormone-replacement therapy under the headline, "The Truth About Hormones." Meanwhile, this week's issue of NEWSWEEK also features a story on estrogen and hormone treatments under the headline, "Beyond Hormone Therapy" (THE DAILY).
USA TODAY reports that WorldCom "is expected to file the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. corporate history this week" (USA TODAY, 7/15).
The L.A. TIMES reports that Herb Allen's annual retreat for media moguls in Sun Valley "ended Saturday with attendees noting it was one of the most low-key events in years" (L.A. TIMES, 7/15). The N.Y. TIMES reported that the mood this year "was more chastened and anxious than during the merger-minded gatherings of years past. Conversation centered on the cash squeeze gripping the media industry and the new scrutiny of its accounting techniques" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/13).
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reported that AOL-Time Warner co-COO Robert Pittman "is on his way out" as head of the company's America Online unit, "and it looks like he'll soon be gone from AOL Time Warner altogether" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/13).
According to Nielsen SoundScan, total music sales in the U.S. for the first six months of the year are "down nearly 13% from the same period last year." Meanwhile, concert grosses "are up, but a shrinking number of people are paying higher prices to attend shows" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/15).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Friday's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "English Literature."
"Literary history was shaped in 1905 when this female author moved from 22 Hyde Park to 46 Gordon Square."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "We got a great crowd here (last Friday). The entire balcony is filled with drunken America West pilots. ... Commercial airline pilots will now be able to carry guns, but for safety they must keep them locked up in the cockpit liquor cabinet. ... Former Attorney General Janet Reno is hosting a dance party at a Miami dance club. Not only is she the guest of honor, she's also the bouncer." Letterman, on CBS' fall lineup: "We're all very excited. ... This is a high concept show. It's about a rap artist, who's also a cop. He's like a rapper and also a cop and the title of the show is 'NY P Diddy'" ("The Late Show," CBS, 7/12).
NBC's Jay Leno, on the hot weather in CA: "People were sweating like Allen Iverson watching 'America's Most Wanted.'" More Leno: "What's going on with ... Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia Six-Shooters? ... (Iverson) threw his wife out of the house naked and then grabbed his gun and went looking for her. That's not something you see everyday. An NBA player who wants to spend a little time with his wife. ... (CA) is now in a stage two power alert. So please, if you're planning on freezing any (HOF) baseball players, wait until the off-peak hours. ... Let (John Henry Williams) save Ted Williams' DNA, as long he agrees to destroy his own DNA. We could use more Ted Williams'. It's the sleezeball kid we don't want reproducing. ... The poll numbers do not look good for (MLB Commissioner) Bud Selig. He is now five points behind Osama bin Laden. ... I went to a new $0.99 store (last Friday) -- Wall Street. Every stock is $0.99. It's a hell of a deal. ... More problems for Martha Stewart. (Last Friday), she was caught on videotape beating a black kid with a spatula. ... Anna Nicole Smith is getting ready to star in her own new reality show on the E! Network called 'Sex and the Cemetery.' ... (Richard Simmons) celebrated his (54th) birthday the usual way, having a quiet dinner at home with an undisclosed member of the (NY) Mets " ("Tonight Show," NBC, 7/12).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last Friday's "Top Ten" was "Top Ten Perks Of Being Saddam Hussein's Stepson" ("The Late Show," CBS, 7/12).
| 10) | "For your birthday, you get the head of an infidel." |
| 9) | "People never refer to you as 'the crazy one in the family.'" |
| 8) | "On weekends, you get to bring home weapons of mass destruction." |
| 7) | "Don't want to clean your room? Well, threaten to tell the United States dad's exact location." |
| 6) | "Play your cards right and in ten years, you'll be torturing the Iraqi people." |
| 5) | "Unique chance to observe a tyrannical madman up close." |
| 4) | "Big inheritance when U.S. troops finally kill your stepfather." |
| 3) | "Father-son bonding over 3:00am prank calls to U.N. weapons inspectors." |
| 2) | "You can get first pick of the police auction's seized and repossessed camels." |
| 1) | "You get to call bin Laden 'Uncle Osama.'" |
SUNDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 12:00am ET "SportsCenter" led with D'Backs-Dodgers.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the overall box office this weekend "continued its blazing summer," as the top 12 films earned an estimated cumulative gross of $130.8M. That figure represents a 19.7% increase from the same weekend last year (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/15).
| Title | This Weekend | Cumulative |
| Men In Black II | $25M | $133.3M |
| Road to Perdition | $22.1M | $22.1M |
| Reign of Fire | $16M | $16M |
| Halloween: Resurrection | $12.3M | $12.3M |
| Mr. Deeds | $11M | $94.1M |
| The Crocodile Hunter | $10M | $10M |
| Like Mike | $7.62M | $32.6M |
| Lilo & Stitch | $7.6M | $118M |
| Minority Report | $7.4M | $110.3M |
| The Bourne Identity | $5.8M | $99M |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who is Virginia Wolfe?"
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