| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, October 7, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | TAG Heuer To Announce Today Endorsement Contract With Tiger Woods |
| • | NYC 2012 Continues Filming Today For USOC Presentation Video |
| • | Queen Elizabeth Drops Puck Prior To Canucks Exhibition Game |
| • | NHL Rangers Initiate 12,000-Strong Youth Hockey Program |
| • | Scottsdale To Review Four-Year Fiesta Bowl Deal Today |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Box Office |
TIGER TO ENDORSE TAG HEUER FOR AN ESTIMATED $2M PER YEAR
The London TIMES and the WALL STREET JOURNAL both report that TAG Heuer is set to announce today a new multi-million dollar endorsement contract with Tiger Woods, who will switch his timepiece allegiance from Rolex. The London TIMES reports that Woods is "believed to be in line to receive" $2M a year for the next five years as an "international ambassador" for TAG Heuer (London TIMES, 10/7). The WALL STREET JOURNAL has TAG Heuer paying an estimated $2M annually for three years (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/7).
TICKER-TAPE PARADE HIGHLIGHTS NYC 2012'S VIDEO SHOOT TODAY
The N.Y. TIMES reports that filming continues today for an NYC 2012 video that will "serve as part of the city's presentation" to the USOC on November 2, in its attempt to secure the U.S nomination for the 2012 Summer Games. Today's filming features a "ticker-tape segment in the Canyon of Heroes downtown," that is open to the public. The video, which features a mock torch relay, also includes shots of the Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, the United Nations and other sites (N.Y. TIMES, 10/7).
AROUND THE HORN: MLB PLAYOFFS RESULT IN SURPRISING STORIES
The S.F. CHRONICLE notes that Sunday's Twins-A's Game Five drew 32,146, "a good 10,000 fewer than they had hoped for on a Sunday afternoon, especially after low 30,000's crowds" for Games One and Two. But the A's "were up against" a 49ers' home game and the Giants' late-afternoon playoff game at Pac Bell Park. Additionally, some fans "expressed displeasure with the ticket prices for the Division Series; the A's had the highest postseason hike in baseball, with $35 the cheapest tickets available" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/7).
Meanwhile, the crowd for Sunday's Braves-Giants Game Four "broke the Pac Bell record of 43,043 set Saturday" (AP, 10/7).
Previewing the Twins-Angels ALCS, Twins IF Denny Hocking said, "I tell you what, it's TV's worst nightmare." But Twins OF Torii Hunter said, "I think the country wants to see two low-budget teams win. Everyone I talk to is tired of the Yankees – I'm tired of them – they've got the salary, the big names, and they can play. We're just making minimum wage, but we're doing the job." While Twins' players were cautious in their remarks about MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's plans to contract the team before the start of the season, Selig said yesterday, "I'm delighted for them. It's a great story, just because of the way they're playing. I'm enjoying watching them" (L.A. TIMES, 10/7).
Twins Owner Carl Pohlad, asked if felt guilty about possibly contracting a potential World Series team, said yesterday, "I don't feel guilty about anything. Why should I? If you had to pay the bills and they were $15 million to $20 million a year, you would make the same decision, too" (ESPN.com, 10/6).
QUEEN HONORS CANADA'S NATIONAL SPORT WITH ROYAL FACEOFF
The CP reports Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Sunday night "made royal history by dropping a ceremonial puck between the captains" of the Canucks and Sharks during a preseason game at GM Place. The 76-year-old Queen "seemed to enjoy the moment as she made her way to the faceoff spot … acknowledging fans witnessing an event most imagined they would never have thought possible – a British monarch paying tribute to Canada's favourite sport with such a tangible gesture" (CP, 10/7). After the faceoff, the Queen watched the first period, and spent most of her time "leaning forward in her seat, occasionally asking questions" of Wayne Gretzky or BC Premier Gordon Campbell. Gretzky, on what the Queen asked him: "She was curious about why penalties were being called. She also talked about the goaltenders and how quick they were" (CP, 10/7).
RANGERS PARTNER WITH POWERADE ON YOUTH HOCKEY PROGRAM
The NHL Rangers will kick off the inaugural season of the Junior Rangers Youth Hockey program today at Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in N.Y. The program, presented by Powerade and Hebrew National, will have nearly 12,000 skaters participating annually in various competition levels at 17 hockey arenas throughout the N.Y. metropolitan area. Today's event at Chelsea Piers will feature an on-ice clinic and autograph session for approximately 40 children between the ages of six and ten (THE DAILY).
SCOTTSDALE TO REVIEW FIESTA BOWL AGREEMENT TODAY
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports that the Scottsdale City Council today will consider an agreement with the Fiesta Bowl "that would cost the city $435,000 in cash and services." The proposed four-year deal would give the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau the "exclusive rights to provide hotel reservation services for Fiesta Bowl events." Additionally, the deal would list the city in the Fiesta Bowl's ads, game program and in two 30-second spots on video screens during the game (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/7).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The Rockets are expected to announce a TV deal today with KNWS-IND for the '02-03 season (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/7).
The S.F. CHRONICLE reported that the trial to determine who owns Giants OF Barry Bonds' 73rd HR ball from the '01 season begins today. The court case is expected to last two weeks (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/6).
The EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE reported that KUPD-FM "had suspended" the radio personality who asked Flynn Kile, the widow of Cardinals P Darryl Kile, for a date as part of on on-air prank. In response to the incident, St. Louis-based A-B "said it no longer would advertise on the station's morning show" (EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, 10/6). The suspension was "for one week" and KUPD ran an apology on its Web site, which read in part: "We would like to extend a most sincere apology to everyone who was offended by an error in judgement which was not intended to be hurtful or malicious in any way" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/5).
While the Jaguars worked last week to discourage no-shows, the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION reports the team "announced a season-high crowd of 65,005" for their game Sunday versus the Eagles, although "there were at least 7,000 no-shows" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 10/7).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Predators D Andy Delmore, LW Andreas Johansson, G Tomas Vokoun, RW Vladmir Orszagh and D Kimmo Timonen will visit with children at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville from 1:30 to 3:30pm CT (THE DAILY).
U.S. Canoe & Kayak board members will make a final visit to Charlotte today as it decides between Charlotte and Raleigh as the site of its new HQs (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/5).
Breeders' Cup Ltd. President & NTRA Vice Chair D.G. Van Clief Jr. will speak to the Int'l Federation of Horseracing Authorities about global marketing alliances today in Paris (THE DAILY).
EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Below are this week's confirmed earnings announcements for sports-business related companies (THE DAILY).
| DATE | TICKER | COMPANY | QUARTER |
| 10/8 | PEP | Pepsico | Q3 2002 |
| 10/10 | ISCA | International Speedway | Q3 2002 |
IN OTHER NEWS….
This week's cover of TIME offers looks "Inside the New American Home." Meanwhile, NEWSWEEK examines the plan to fight smallpox (THE DAILY).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that Cablevision is "nearing an agreement to sell the Bravo entertainment channel" to NBC for about $1.2B (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/7).
USA TODAY reports the FCC as early as today is "expected to reject the proposed merger of the nation's two main satellite TV providers," EchoStar and DirecTV (USA TODAY, 10/7).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that Blockbuster "has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the Hollywood Christmas Parade." The parade, tentatively scheduled for December 8, will be aired on NBC for the first time (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/7).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that HBO execs and the creative team behind "The Sopranos" are pondering "how best to seize the moment for a series that is now a cultural phenomenon on par with the most successful television programs of all time" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/7).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Friday's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "U.S. Presidents."
"A Civil War general, he was the last man to go directly from the House of Representatives to the Presidency."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "Earlier tonight (Friday) out in Anaheim, Game 3 of the American League Divisional Playoffs, the Yankees and the Angels. You know, whenever there is a sporting event in L.A., there are a lot of celebrities. For example, sitting right behind the Angels' dugout for the game is a frozen Ted Williams. Mayor Bloomberg and the mayor of Anaheim, whoever that is, have one of those little friendly wagers about the outcome of the game, and here's how it works. If the Yankees win, we get (CA) oranges. If the Angels win, they get sex for two at St. Patrick's Cathedral. … Here's a bizarre story, it turns out that this American Taliban guy, John Walker Lindh, might be a homosexual. They think that he may have been a gay Taliban member. Apparently, he was the only Al-Qaeda member to ever say, 'I can't face Mecca like this.' … The Iraqi government has said that George Bush and Saddam Hussein can settle their differences with a duel… The White House just laughed and said, 'What about sudden death Tee Ball?' George W. Bush said he wouldn't mind the duel, he just doesn't want to debate" ("The Late Show," CBS, 10/4).
NBC's Jay Leno: "Democrats said (Friday) they want President Bush to put the same emphasis on the economy as he's putting on Iraq, which I think is wrong. I think it's just the opposite. I mean if Bush can destroy Iraq as much as he's destroyed the economy, this whole thing will work out great. … A member of Saddam Hussein's cabinet made this bizarre statement (last) week. He said he thinks Saddam Hussein and George Bush should settle their differences by a duel with pistols. … Bush is from (TX). Bush knows how to handle a pistol. Now, a game of Scrabble? … Did you hear about those (terrorist) arrests up in Portland, (OR)? … For the first time, Tonya Harding was not involved. … (U.S.) and Mexican authorities have dismantled North America's largest illegal distributor of the club drug, Special K. … It's very dangerous. Don't fool with this. … In fact, experts say to get the high of one dose of Special K, you have to eat 12 bowls of Ecstasy. … Anna Nicole Smith has joined a dating service to try and meet a guy. For the kind of guys she likes, I'm surprised she didn't join a carbon dating service. … She did have a date the other night. She said she went out for dinner, dinner, dinner and a movie" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 10/4).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Friday night's "Top Ten" was "Top Ten Things Every Principal Knows," as read by NY-NJ area school principals ("The Late Show," CBS, 10/4).
| 10) "Half the stuff teachers say is completely made up." |
| 9) "Buy Tums in bulk." |
| 8) "After a long day, a principal's best friend is Professor Jim Beam." |
| 7) "Tell them it's for extra credit and students will wash your car." |
| 6) "Don't waste your time on that female gym teacher." |
| 5) "If the shirtless father was a problem student, chances are his shirtless son will be too." |
| 4) "Kids spend too much time on homework and not nearly enough on video games." |
| 3) "Whenever I need some time alone, I pull the fire alarm." |
| 2) "I should have become an astronaut." |
| 1) "Nobody knows the difference if you make P.A. announcements nude." |
SUNDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with ALDS Game Five, Twins-A's.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that "Red Dragon" surpassed "Meet the Parents" as the "biggest October opening in history." Overall, "it was another outstanding weekend at the box office in North America as the strong openings and solid holdovers" of the weekend's top 12 films grossed $103.2M, "up a staggering 61% from last year's comparable weekend" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/7).
| Title | This Weekend | Cumulative |
| Red Dragon | $37.5M | $37.5M |
| Sweet Home Alabama | $21.6M | $65.6M |
| The Tuxedo | $10.1M | $28.1M |
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding | $8.5M | $147.9M |
| Barbershop | $6.8M | $60.1M |
| Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie | $6.5M | $6.5M |
| The Banger Sisters | $3.6M | $24.4M |
| The Four Feathers | $2.0M | $15.5M |
| Moonlight Mile | $2.0M | $2.4M |
| One Hour Photo | $1.7M | $28.7M |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was James Garfield?"
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.
