Morning Buzz, October 21, 2002

FOUR MORE YEARS: FORD TO RE-SIGN WITH SENIOR TOUR EVENT

The DETROIT NEWS reports that Ford Motor Co. today will announce that it has signed a four-year extension as title sponsor of the Senior PGA Tour's Senior Players Championship in Dearborn, MI. Tournament execs will also announce today that the event, to be played July 7-13 in '03, the will move to CBS from ABC (DETROIT NEWS, 10/21).

FOX WINS NIGHT DESPITE ALL-TIME PRIMETIME LOW FOR GAME ONE

Game One of the Giants-Angels World Series Saturday night earned an 11.2/19 overnight Nielsen rating on Fox, down 5% from an 11.8/20 for last year's Yankees-D'Backs Game One (THE DAILY). The L.A. TIMES notes that while it was the "most-watched show on Saturday night, it brought the lowest overnight ratings for a primetime" World Series Game One in history (L.A. TIMES, 10/21).

WILL MICHAEL JORDAN HELP WIZARDS CASH IN ON GUARANTEE?

The WASHINGTON POST reports that Michael Jordan, who has not played in the Wizards' first five preseason games, "could see action this week," possibly as early as tonight in Denver. The Nuggets have "offered the Wizards a $200,000 incentive if Jordan plays." Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe told the Denver Post, "I expect him to play. Knowing him, he'll want to play" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/21). But Wizards Public Relations Coordinator Nick Brown said yesterday, "Michael continues to say that he will not play in the preseason as he prepares himself for the regular season" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 10/21).

PITTSBURGH PREPARES TO HOST “MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”

The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE reported that Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy and Allegheny County CEO Jim Roddey "will welcome ABC broadcasters John Madden, Al Michaels and Melissa Stark at a 'pep rally' in Market Square at noon" on Monday to give the broadcasters "a key to the city and will declare it 'Black and Gold Day' in Pittsburgh" in recognition of tonight's Steelers game against the Cots. The rally is being sponsored by WTAE-ABC. Former Steelers expected to attend the event include Dwayne Woodruff, Robin Cole and Andy Russell (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 10/20).

Meanwhile, "for the first time since he retired following the 1983 season – a generation and 17 quarterbacks ago – [Terry Bradshaw] will make a recognized appearance at a Steelers home game Monday night when he serves as their honorary co-captain before the game against the Indianapolis Colts." Bradshaw's appearance "coincides with his whirlwind book-signing tour" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 10/19).

ALI FETED IN TORONTO AS PART OF PARKINSON'S EVENT

As noted in Friday's Closing Bell, the CFL Toronto Argonauts held a tribute to Muhammad Ali during halftime of Sunday's game versus the Ottawa Renegades to help raise money for Parkinson's research. The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports the game "drew a season's high though still disappointing crowd of 24,932." Among those in attendance were former heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes. The Garth Drabinsky-created ceremonies "were more dignified than the notion of football a halftime show would suggest" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/21).

Drabinsky, on the crowd for the event: "It obviously would have been even better to see another 10,000 people here, but it was a complex day. There was the (Canadian International) marathon in Toronto (yesterday) and there was all sorts of aggravation for people wanting to get downtown" (TORONTO SUN, 10/21).

The TORONTO SUN reported that Ali's family "will be paid $100,000 for his charity appearance" at Sunday's game (TORONTO SUN, 10/20).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

Multiple reports have that the Dolphins today will announce that Cris Carter, who has been working as an analyst for HBO's Inside The NFL, will join the team. But HBO's Ray Stallone said, "We are not letting Cris out of his contract. We expect him to be on Inside The NFL Thursday, and then we'll figure out the rest" (USA TODAY, 10/21).

The AP reported that F1 Chair Bernie Ecclestone today will sign a seven-year deal to hold a grand prix race at a new $244M circuit in Shanghai, China, beginning in '04 (AP, 10/19).

NY-based New Era will bring its 30-foot mobile merchandising vehicle to S.F. today to coincide with the World Series shifting to the city. The trailer will offer World Series Authentic Collection and other caps (THE DAILY).

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig thanked Twins fans in a full-page ad Sunday in both the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The text read, "Thank you, Minnesota, for your patience and enthusiasm, and congratulations Twins, for a most memorable season! We look forward to building our future … together" (AP, 10/20).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The crowd of 63,363 for yesterday's Redskins-Packers game was a Lambeau Field record (WASHINGTON POST, 10/21).

• The 61,316 attending yesterday's Galaxy-Revolution MLS Cup at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, "was greater than the previous record soccer crowd for the New England area, 57,407 for the April 20, 1997, U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifier at Foxboro Stadium." The crowd was also the largest for an MLS Cup, breaking the previous mark of 57,431 for the '97 final at RFK Stadium (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/21).

• The Ravens held a ceremony yesterday to honor the late Johnny Unitas. The Baltimore SUN reports, "A sellout crowd of 69,173 watched on the SmartVision boards as Unitas' grandchildren unveiled [a] statue on the north side of the stadium. There were more cheers when the cover was pulled away from two new plaques on the team's ring of honor" (Baltimore SUN, 10/21).

TODAY'S EVENTS

The Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of the Year will be awarded during a 10:00-11:30am ET ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in N.Y. Nominees include Sue Bird, Kelly Clark, Sarah Hughes, Tiffeny Milbrett, Annika Sorenstam and Serena Williams. Among the other awards to be presented will be the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award, the Billie Jean King Contribution Award and the Int'l Women's Sports Hall of Fame inductions (THE DAILY).

Knicks F Latrell Sprewell and his attorneys will hold an 11:00am ET news conference at the N.Y. Palace Hotel to discuss recent circumstances surrounding conflicting accounts of his injury (THE DAILY). ABC Radio's Keith Olbermann, on Sprewell's outreach: "Why do I think this has disaster written all over it? With his luck, Spree will go for the throat of a reporter, and break his other hand while doing it" (ABC Radio, 10/20).

Many NBA teams are kicking off the league-wide Read To Achieve initiative today. In Philadelphia, the 76ers will hold a reading event at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for first and second graders from William B. Mann Elementary School beginning at 10:00am ET. 76ers players, Sixers Dance Team members, and 76ers Ambassador of Basketball World B. Free will attend (THE DAILY).

Magic C Steven Hunter will announce the team's partnership with the LeapFrog SchoolHouse Company in donating literacy-aid products to seven Orlando area schools at a press conference at the Lake Weston Elementary Media Center from 1:30-2:30pm ET (THE DAILY).

Hornets G Baron Davis, G David Wesley, F Jamal Mashburn and F P.J. Brown will participate in a reading event at the Landry Learning Academy in Algiers, LA, beginning at 2:00pm CT (THE DAILY).

EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Below are this week's confirmed earnings announcements for sports-business related companies (THE DAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

This week's cover of TIME shows a bundle of wired dynamite - with headline, "Al-Qaeda: Alive And Ticking." Meanwhile, NEWSWEEK examines the diaries of late rock star Kurt Cobain (THE DAILY).

William Anzer, former high school sports and turf editor for the Cincinnati Enquirer died Saturday from pneumonia at the age of 76 (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 10/21).

The N.Y. TIMES reports that Time Inc.'s "traditionally lavish holiday parties have been canceled," and execs said the decision will save the company over $1M. Time CEO Ann Moore: "We are not going to do big holiday parties and big lunches. We are going to try to do things a little differently. We are telling people to go home and be with their families. ... It is not all about cost cutting; we are just in a different mode" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/21).

ADAGE.com reported that an "estimated 500 attendees" arrived on Sunday as the American Magazine Conference kicked off its annual four-day event at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. A conference spokesperson said that this year's attendance is "down a bit from last year's conference" and down from "peak levels of approximately 700, which was more the norm just two years ago" (ADAGE.com, 10/20).

WORLD SERIES TRIVIA

Giants OFs Barry Bonds and Reggie Sanders have each hit home runs in Games One and Two of the '02 World Series. Who is the only player to hit home runs in the first three games of a World Series?

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

NBC's Jay Leno: "Are you excited about the World Series tomorrow? Angels fans, I have a warning: If you are going to Game One down here in Anaheim, if a Giants fan asks to hold your Thunderstick, it's not what you think. … Folks, before we begin, I'm sorry if I'm a little under the weather today, this morning I went across the street to the hotel, I thought I ordered the continental breakfast, it turns out I ordered the Continental pilots' breakfast: Four Bloody Marys, two Mimosas. … President Bush is in Florida this week trying to help his brother win re-election, because, you know, the President owes him one. They say Bush now has an even bigger problem, bigger than Saddam Hussein. North Korea has admitted they've been developing nuclear weapons. Bush's solution: Start a war between North Korea and Iraq. … Toyota announced today a new device that can teach you driving skills while you are driving. Don't we have this already? It's called a spouse. … In a London newspaper, Madonna said she'd like to be more involved in bringing about world peace. Hey, anything that distracts her from acting. … Some exciting news, (Saturday night) our good friend Sen. John McCain will be hosting 'Saturday Night Live.' And next week, Sen. Strom Thurmond will be appearing on 'Six Feet Under'" ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 10/18).

CBS' David Letterman: "Man, I'm telling you. A couple of minutes ago backstage, I got some terrible news. Turns out I get a phone call, it's bad. My mom, God bless her, is engaged to Kid Rock. … Good news here at CBS. In the morning over on NBC you have 'The NBC Today Show,' on ABC you have 'The ABC Today Show,' or whatever they call it, and here at CBS we have The Early Show and there's been some upheaval over the last two decades with that show, so now, everyone's gone. Bryant Gumbel, they pissed him off, and he took a hike, and one by one they've gotten rid of everybody, and they are starting all over, they have four new people. Harry Smith, who used to be on 'The Early Show' years and years ago, is back, and this is good news, to have Harry Smith back on CBS because it means I am no longer the dullest man on CBS. … Here's another one of these stories, this is a great thing or a scary thing; I guess it's both. Continental Airlines yanked a pilot off a flight because he was drunk. Doesn't it seem like this is happening all too frequently? It is not as if they caught him at the house drunk, or the hotel. The crew knew something was wrong when the pilot couldn't find the keys to the plane. The passengers knew something was wrong when they made the announcement that the pilot's liver could be used as a flotation device. … It is autumn in (N.Y.); the first sign of autumn hit Chappaqua earlier today, the first sign of frost. Hillary Clinton came home for the weekend" ("Late Show," CBS, 10/18).

Friday night's "Top Ten" was "Top Ten Ways To Mispronounce 'P. Diddy.'"

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

CBS' Craig Kilborn: "I don't know if you heard, everyone is getting ready for Halloween. Only in West Hollywood can you see a man in heels and a dress on his way to get a costume. … Madonna is also very excited about Halloween; this year she's going as an actress. … A new survey has found that 90% of people lie during job interviews. The other 10% don't get the job. … It happened again: A pilot for Continental Airlines has been fired after reporting to work drunk. Officials became suspicious when they caught him trying to write his name in the clouds." Fox broadcaster Joe Buck appeared Friday as a guest announcer on the Late Late Show. Buck: "Tonight it's a very special World Series edition of the `Late Late Show.' You know, in my career I have been fortunate enough to cover both the World Series and the NFL, but tonight, this sportscaster gets to live out the fantasy of a little boy who used to stand in front of his mirror with a hairbrush and say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, this is Pauly Shore.' Folks, I have been asked to be the announcer tonight for the 'Late Late Show,' so excuse me if I seem a little emotional." Giants P Kirk Rueter and SS Rich Aurilia also appeared on the "Late Late Show" and answered Kilborn's "Five Questions" ("Late Late Show," CBS, 10/18).

SUNDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

Last night's 11:00pm ET 90-minute edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" led with Redskins-Packers.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER reports, "The weekend's top 12 films dropped 20% from last weekend's holiday numbers; however, the golden dozen were still up 2.2% from last year's comparable frame." The top 12 films this weekend earned an estimated $74.2M (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/21).

TRIVIA ANSWER

Yankees OF Hank Bauer, in 1958, against the Milwaukee Braves.

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