| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | U.S. Figure Skating Association Officials Visit Cleveland Today |
| • | Just Win Baby: Raiders Awarded New Trial In $1.2B Lawsuit Against NFL |
| • | Paul Sunderland Expected To Sign Contract Today To Replace Chick Hearn |
| • | Wild Expected To Announce They Have Been Awarded '04 All-Star Game |
| • | Disney's BOD To Meet Today To Discuss Long-Range Goals, Governance |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
CLEVELAND EYES '06 FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA) will visit Cleveland today and the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER reports that the city "is one of four finalists to host" the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in '06. USFSA officials "will tour Gund Arena and Strongville's new Ice Land USA rink, visit downtown hotels and meet with city officials" while in Cleveland. The other cities vying to host the event are St. Louis, Cincinnati and Minneapolis. The USFSA is expected to pick a host site by November 2 (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 9/24).
RAIDERS RULING COULD COMPLICATE NFL'S EFFORTS IN L.A.
The L.A. TIMES reports that L.A. Superior Court Judge Richard C. Hubbell late yesterday awarded the Raiders a new trial in their $1.2B lawsuit against the NFL because of "juror misconduct during deliberations." The ruling "may once again inject the team into calculations involving the future" of the NFL in L.A., as it could "complicate and delay efforts to persuade another NFL team" to move to the city (L.A. TIMES, 9/24).
MILWAUKEE SUBURB TO REVEAL PLANS FOR $22M ICE RINK FACILITY
Representatives of Cudahy, WI, Powerade, Iceport LLC and Sportsites LLC today will reveal plans and architectural drawings of the Powerade Iceport, a 200,000-square-foot ice sports facility in the southeastern WI city. The press conference will be at 11:00am CT and reports have the $22M facility featuring five rinks, making it one of the largest such facilities in the U.S. The facility is scheduled to open in June '04 (THE DAILY).
SUNDERLAND TO SIGN ONE-YEAR DEAL TO DO LAKERS PLAY-BY-PLAY
The L.A. TIMES reports the Lakers could announce as early as today that they have "agreed in principle" on a one-year deal with broadcaster Paul Sunderland, making him the Lakers' second play-by-play announcer since the team moved from Minneapolis in '60. Sunderland will replace Chick Hearn, who died August 5 (L.A. TIMES, 9/24).
WILD TO ANNOUNCE WEDNESDAY PLANS FOR '04 NHL ALL-STAR GAME
The Wild have scheduled a press conference prior to tomorrow's exhibition game against the Flames and are expected to announce that the team will host the '04 NHL All-Star Game. The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports the Wild "applied to be the host" of either the '04, '05 or '06 game, but was hoping to get the '04 contest because with the league's CBA coming to an end at the end of the '04 season, "a work stoppage might alter the dates and sites of future All-Star Games" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/24).
CINCINNATI RECOGNIZES PETE ROSE AT CINERGY FIELD FINALE
Cinergy Field hosted a celebrity softball game last night, the final event at the 32-year-old facility, which is being torn down to make way for the Great American Ball Park. The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that a crowd of 41,092 gave former Reds star Pete Rose, who was banned from participating in the official ceremonies on Sunday, a standing ovation that was "three minutes long" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 9/24).
The DAYTON DAILY NEWS reports that proceeds from the game will be split "among several charities with the bulk of the money going to the Johnny Bench Scholarships fund." Fans last night "received Pete Rose bobblehead dolls and they could get autographs from the players – some Hall of Famers, some soon-to-be Hall of Famers – as long as they bought a $5 program and stood in horrendously long lines" (DAYTON DAILY NEWS, 9/24). The AP reported fans paid $20 or $30 for the event (AP, 9/23).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
ESPN's Harold Reynolds said he recently spoke with President George Bush and "We got a chance to talk a little baseball and I was saying, 'Hey, break down the (MLB) playoffs for me.' He didn't really want to do it because he didn't want to hedge anybody out, but he did say he likes the Cardinals an awful lot. ... The big surprise to him was Oakland. ... He broke [the playoffs] down better than we did" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN, 9/23).
The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports Pontiac Silverdome attorneys "will begin sifting through proposals today after developers submitted five bids to become the next owner of the 27-year-old landmark and its adjacent land" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/24).
Wizards F Michael Jordan, on criticism of his decision to continue his pro career: "I'm going to do what I want to do. If people express opinions that I shouldn't be playing basketball, I'm not listening to those opinions. Everything's going positively. I feel great" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/24).
Maxim magazine's October issue hits newsstands today and features a photo shoot of the "Ten Hottest Cars of '03," which was shot at Nazareth Speedway and includes '02 Daytona 500 runner-up Elliott Sadler and model Kylie Bax (THE DAILY).
Meanwhile, GQ's "Sports" issue hits national newsstands today and features Patriots QB Tom Brady and T'Wolves F Kevin Garnett on the cover. It also features profiles and photo spreads of a number of athletes, as well as a story on the 11 worst trades of all time (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Rams LB Robert Thomas will read to children at 2:00pm CT at the St. Vincent Home for Children in St. Louis. Additionally, the Rams will announce a $50,000 commitment to literacy programs in the area (THE DAILY).
Vikings TE Byron Chamberlain will host an 11:00am CT golf tournament at Crystal Lake Golf Course in Lakeville, MN, to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (THE DAILY).
Lions K Jason Hanson and FB Cory Schlesinger will visit the Children's Hospital of MI at 2:00pm ET and have a video conference with various Saints players who will be at the Children's Hospital, N.O. (THE DAILY).
The 8th Annual Sports Business, Marketing & Sponsorship Forum continues today at the Helmsley Hotel in N.Y. at 9:00am ET. The event is presented by Strategic Research Institute. Discussions will include: "ROI and Sponsoring Sports: Making Your Investment Pay Off"; "The State of the Sports Business Job Market"; "Leveraging & Maximizing Brand Awareness"; and "Naming Rights: New Challenges, New Opportunities." THE DAILY is a media partner of the forum (THE DAILY).
The Thrashers host the Predators in an exhibition game at 10:30am ET at Philips Arena. All tickets for the "Kids Game" were donated to schools throughout GA who participate in the team's "Score For Schools" program (THE DAILY).
The Sharks are holding a season-ticket holders only practice today at HP Pavilion, and each fan in attendance will receive a C Mike Ricci bobblehead doll (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The L.A. TIMES reported that Disney's BOD will meet today at the company's Burbank HQs to consider the "company's long-range goals, its governance and responsiveness to shareholder concerns." Some members of the BOD have grown "increasingly restless" over Disney's sliding stock price and "lackluster" earnings performance (L.A. TIMES, 9/23). Meanwhile, DAILY VARIETY reports that the meeting "could yield clues" about how Disney will "shrink" its BOD and notes that a subplot revolves around whether CEO Michael Eisner will "minimize board foes in the process" (DAILY VARIETY, 9/24).
AD AGE reported that Jerry Seinfeld will return "to pitch for American Express" in a campaign launching its Rewards Green and Rewards Gold cards (AD AGE, 9/23).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that staff members of the Justice Department "have recommended that the government block" the proposed $11.2B merger of DirecTV and EchoStar because it would be "anticompetitive" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/24). Meanwhile, the WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that EchoStar CEO Charles Ergen will meet with FCC Chair Michael Powell tomorrow "to head off rising regulatory opposition" to the merger (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/24).
The WASHINGTON POST reports that NBC's telecast of the Emmy's on Sunday scored a "good but not brilliant" 19.8 million viewers, which "came nowhere near matching" the 22 million in '00 (WASHINGTON POST, 9/24). Meanwhile, the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the telecast earned an 8.0/19 Nielsen rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, "down 9% from the 8.8/21 that the show averaged two years ago" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/24).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Inaugural Addresses."
"A New Deal Democrat in his youth, this President stated, 'Government is not the solution to our problem.'"
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "I had a big weekend. I took mom to see 'The Banger Sisters.' But you know, it wasn't all laughs. Right after that, I had to drive up to Buffalo because my Uncle Earl was picked in an FBI sweep. ... (N.Y.) Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Afghanistan and he's meeting with Afghan officials and he's also hoping to pick up some primo weed." Letterman said the "Late Show" received an Emmy Award for "Best Television Show Ever." Letterman: "I'm very proud. I'm going to put that on the shelf right next to my Latin Grammy. I hosted an awards show once, and halfway through the show, I was beaten by a shirtless father and son team" ("Late Show," CBS, 9/23).
NBC's Jay Leno: "How many watched the Emmy's? ... I think NBC stands for 'Nothing But Cleavage' apparently. I was there and I don't want to say there was a lot of plastic surgery, but the only people with real breasts in the room were Oprah and Dr. Phil. ... Arnold Schwarzenegger is hiring consultants to predict his chances of being elected governor of (CA) as a write-in candidate. Write-in candidate? Voters in this state can't even punch the hole in the right place. Good luck spelling Arnold Schwarzenegger on the ballot! ... In Santa Cruz, (CA), last week they held a marijuana giveaway at City Hall. They were giving people free marijuana. Only 25 people showed up – the Mets. ... Apparently, seven members of the Mets have been 'suspected' of smoking marijuana. Only seven? Have you seen the way they've been playing? I think the whole team's been smoking. ... That's not a good combination – marijuana and steroids. Now the players will be huge and lazy. ... I don't think the players need marijuana. Now, the umpires, they're the ones with glaucoma. Give them the marijuana. ... Scientists are now saying that the hole in the ozone could close by the year 2050. The bad news – the hole in the Detroit Lions defense may never close. ... A female shark in the Detroit Aquarium has given birth to three baby sharks, but hasn't been near a male shark in six years. I tell you, one of those aquarium keepers has a lot of explaining to do. ... The man who started the Dunkin' Donuts chain has passed away at the age of 87. Doctors said they knew he was gone when his eyes just glazed over. 380,000 people showed up at his funeral and that was just police officers" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 9/23).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Leno: "As I mentioned in the monologue, several members of the Mets were reportedly seen smoking marijuana and Mets manager Bobby Valentine said he saw signals, but nothing definitive." Leno offered some of the signs to look for: "They look up for a pop fly, but get distracted by cloud formations; You realize the slow motion instant replay isn't in slow motion; They giggle uncontrollably when someone says, 'Pitcher's mound'; Only sign the third base coach knows is the peace sign; Mike Piazza denies ever touching another player's joint; and, they make an average of $2(M) a year, and they threaten to go on strike" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 9/23).
Last night's "Top Ten," read by Miss America Erika Harold, was "Top Ten Little Known Responsibilities Of Miss America" ("Late Show," CBS, 9/23).
| 10) "Protecting human race from diabolical Miss Universe." |
| 9) "Promoting crown wearing among America's youth." |
| 8) "Maintaining a smile for the next twelve lousy months." |
| 7) "Color consultant for national alert system." |
| 6) "Greeting each new immigrant with a moist towelette." |
| 5) "Responsibilities? Heck, I sit around all day eating Cheetos." |
| 4) "When the Secretary of State is sick, guess who's in charge?" |
| 3) "Picking up litter along Interstate 95." |
| 2) "Blowing scholarship money in Las Vegas." |
| 1) "Car repossession." |
CBS' Craig Kilborn: "Last night, I was with my new lady friend, and I had Lionel Richie singing to get her in the mood. It worked out great, but there was one snag: Lionel wouldn't stop staring at us. … According to a new poll, more and more young people are mixing Ecstasy with Viagra. You know, kids, there is such a thing as having too good a time. … In an upcoming episode, Anna Nicole Smith goes to a nightclub in South Central (L.A.) and dances to hip-hop. Afterwards, the rappers give Anna a new rap name: Busta Dance Floor. … Regarding Iraq, the White House issued a statement saying that in the absence of partners, they will act alone. What a coincidence, that was my policy in high school" ("The Late Late Show," CBS, 9/23).
MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 12:00am ET "SportsCenter" led with D'Backs OF Luis Gonzalez injuring his shoulder during last night's D'Backs-Cardinals game, followed by the D'Backs postseason chances.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was Ronald Reagan?"
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.
