| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, August 9, 2002
9:00am ET | |
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| • | Lakers To Hold Public Tribute For Chick Hearn, Private Funeral Held Today |
| • | MLB Readies Drug Testing Counter Offer After Productive Negotiating Session |
| • | Insurance Policy: Holiday Bowl Wraps Up New Title Sponsor In Pacific Life |
| • | Keep The Fire Going: UT Plans To Keep Olympic Momentum Alive |
| • | In Case You Missed It: Mike Myers Loves Hockey, Just Not The Hurricanes |
| • | In Other News/Today's Events/TV Monitor/Lighter Buzz/Final Jeopardy! |
LAKERS TO HOST PUBLIC TRIBUTE FOR CHICK HEARN
The SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE reported that the Lakers will hold a public tribute for late broadcaster Chick Hearn at Staples Center today from 8:00am-6:00pm PT. Inside will be an exhibit featuring Hearn's "headphones, game notes and other personal items." Additionally, there will be "a tribute book for fans to sign" (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 8/8). Lakers spokesman Bob Steiner said that a private funeral service will take place at 11:00am at St. Martin of Tours Church in Brentwood (AP, 8/7). FSN and FSN 2 will break into regularly scheduled programming at 10:30am for live coverage of the Hearn funeral (THE DAILY).
MLB READIES COUNTERPROPOSAL ON UNION'S STEROID PLAN
The AP reports, "A day after baseball players ended decades of opposition to mandatory drug testing by agreeing to be checked for illegal steroids, management worked on a counterproposal it intended to present" today. Yesterday, the two sides "made more progress on minor issues as labor negotiations head into a key weekend." There will be an increase in the minimum salary to $300,000, an increase in the benefits plan and a shortening of the period for teams to fund deferred salaries. The main issues of revenue sharing and a luxury tax still remain unsolved (AP, 8/9).
HOLIDAY BOWL GETS NEW TITLE SPONSOR IN PACIFIC LIFE
The SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reports that the Holiday Bowl today "will introduce Pacific Life Insurance Co. as its fifth title sponsor." The new four-year contract covers the length of the Holiday Bowl's deal to match the Pac-10 runner-up with a team from the Big 12. There also are "four years remaining on ESPN's contract to televise the game." The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl will be played this year on December 27 at Qualcomm Stadium (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/9).
UT PLANS EFFORT TO CAPITALIZE ON WINTER OLYMPICS
The DESERET NEWS reported that UT Gov. Mike Leavitt "unveiled plans Thursday to have a few organizations work with the state to coordinate efforts to capitalize on the success of the Winter Games." UT plans "domestic and foreign trade missions and a first-anniversary Olympic festival in Salt Lake City." Events are planned for Greece and Italy, as well as the proposed Moscow Youth Games. U.S. Olympic athletes and Olympians from the "destination countries will be invited to participate." Revenues to fund the events "are expected to come primarily from private money," as public costs "will be limited to current travel budgets" (DESERET NEWS, 8/8).
UNIV. OF CO REGENTS APPROVE CONTRACT EXTENSION FOR BARNETT
The DENVER POST reports that Univ. of CO regents approved an $8M, five-year contract for head football coach Gary Barnett on Thursday "by an 8-1 vote." The new deal extends Barnett's contract from January '06 to July 31, 2007. The contract includes "income from Nike, media appearances and promotional earnings and a $2 million retention incentive paid at the completion of the contract" (DENVER POST, 8/9).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The AKRON BEACON JOURNAL reports that 10,000 fans attended the Browns Prime Time Preview last night, which featured giveaway items and entertainment. Earlier, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue addressed the Browns and thanked them for how they responded after the September terrorist attacks (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 8/9).
- The N.Y. POST reports that 70,635 attended the Real Madrid-AS Roma exhibition soccer match at Giants Stadium last night, which proved that "if you book powerhouses like this, fans will come. In droves" (N.Y. POST, 8/9).
Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and INF Carlos Baerga yesterday helped launch the Boston Area Church Little League in a ceremony at Fenway Park. Over 400 kids showed up and received "uniforms, bats, gloves and other equipment" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/9).
Singer Enrique Iglesias will perform live at the "NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square" event on September 5 (THE DAILY).
The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that NASCAR "has donated four driving simulators to the Fire Department of New York to train fire and ambulance drivers in hopes of reducing response times and accidents" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/9).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that "it took a pair of police officers and a half-dozen unarmed security people to shepherd" Dale Earnhardt Jr. through his appearance at the Herald Square Macy's yesterday. Earnhardt: "It's really overwhelming. You never get used to it. It's hard to believe all this is just because I'm here. I'm taken aback every time. Every time" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/9).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT….
Every Friday, the Morning Buzz will highlight a video clip, chart or piece of information that might have fallen through the cracks. This week, the age-old conflict between Canada and North Carolina finally comes to a head … on Comedy Central (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Reds fans can bid on autographed team jerseys at Gate 13 inside Cinergy Field to benefit the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund. Four jerseys of current Reds will be in the silent auction. Bidding will begin once tonight's home game opens and ends when the seventh inning begins (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/9).
The Univ. of CT will unveil new uniforms, made by Aeropostale. The uniforms will have a blue and gray color scheme and will feature an interlocking "UC" on the helmets (NEW HAVEN REGISTER, 8/1).
IN OTHER NEWS….
Charter Communications Chair Paul Allen confirmed rumors Thursday that he "was considering taking the MSO private in a filing" with the SEC. Allen had been rumored for weeks to be "trying to engineer a buyout of the St. Louis-based MSO – whose stock has declined more than 70 percent since the beginning of the year" (MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 8/9).
Shares of Clear Channel Communications "climbed more than 6 percent Thursday despite the news that co-founder and board member B.J. “Red” McCombs had pledged to sell more than half his shares in the company." McCombs' move is seen by the financial industry as a "vote of confidence in Clear Channel by both McCombs and the buyer of the stock." Clear Channel stock closed at $25.97 on Thursday (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 8/9).
Lesley Visser joins Jane Clayson on CBS' "Early Show" next week (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 8/9).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "American Literature."
"John Steinbeck originally called this 1937 short novel 'Something That Happened.'"
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
NBC's Jay Leno: "Boy, what a crowd! You sound like Anna Nicole Smith when they call her number at Baskin Robbins. ... For the third day in a row, the Dow Jones (had) a triple-digit gain. ... In fact, according to analysts, the only thing that could hurt the market is maybe (President) Bush coming home early from his vacation. ... Starting (today), they announced they are tightening security around the White House. Trucks and all parking will be banned anywhere near the White House. That's got to make the President feel good, huh? He goes on vacation, now they tighten security. ... Yesterday, while (VP) Dick Cheney was giving a speech in (S.F.), a heckler shouted out, 'Dick Cheney is a corporate crook.' ... Good to see Al Gore getting back into politics. Yeah! ... Things are not looking good for Martha (Stewart). It just gets worse and worse. Anybody see her program (yesterday)? She showed how to make a pinecone into a decorative electronic ankle bracelet cover. ... A judge in (NY) has ruled that a college professor who referred to a female student as Monica Lewinsky is not guilty of sexual harassment. The judge said the most they can get him for is maybe wishful thinking. ... A platform collapsed at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, dumping ten people into the shark tank. That's pretty scary. No one was injured. Aquarium officials said at no time were the people in danger because the sharks had already been fed. Apparently, another group fell in an hour earlier. ... You know how (76ers G) Allen Iverson does his hair in those corn rows? Well (yesterday) morning, he woke up (with a) mysterious crop circle" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 8/8).
THURSDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Cubs-Giants.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is 'Of Mice and Men?'"
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