| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, December 13, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | Baseball Winter Meetings Open Today In Nashville; Heavy Activity Expected |
| • | International Automobile Federation World Council To Meet Today in Monaco |
| • | Univ. Of AZ Symposium On Racing Ends Today In Tucson |
| • | Vancouver City Council Decides On Exact Wording Of '10 Olympics Vote |
| • | AZ Tourism & Sports Authority Trims Phoenix Municipal Stadium Budget |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
WHILE FREE AGENT MARKET HAS BEEN SLOW, ACTIVITY EXPECTED
The baseball winter meetings officially begin today at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, and the Baltimore SUN reports that the "free-agent market will be open, … but the economics of the sport clearly changed with the signing of the new collective bargaining agreement. Few teams seem willing to take on additional payroll, which is making it hard for agents to create a competitive market for their players" (Baltimore SUN, 12/13). While the free agent market has been slow to date, the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports that the "volume of activity is expected to be heavy as usual, if not greater" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/13).
Rangers Owner Tom Hicks, who pledged to keep payroll below the luxury tax threshold: "Certainly, from our point of view, how we're approaching this off-season is very different. We're going to have to pay a lot more in revenue-sharing, and that is less money we would have to put into payroll" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/13).
Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Jim Beattie: "It's not a quickly developing market, that's for sure. Even with the Dec. 7 deadline [for offering players salary arbitration], I didn't think there was much urgency. People are still tiptoeing into the water. There is a lot of consideration among teams not to be the one to set the market" (Baltimore SUN, 12/13).
D'Backs GM Joe Garagiola Jr.: "I think that you are seeing teams who have budgets that are pretty firm. They might like some players and think that a particular free agent might be a good fit, but if the money is not there, it is not there" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/13).
The N.Y. TIMES notes that the Expos' MLB-approved budget of $40M, up only $2M from last season, should make Expos GM Omar Minaya the "most popular person" in Nashville (N.Y. TIMES, 12/13).
Meanwhile, the Nashville TENNESSEAN reports that Pete Rose's "potential reinstatement to baseball – and his possible placement on a future Hall of Fame ballot – had the media workroom buzzing" yesterday (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 12/13).
FUTURE OF F1 EVENTS IN EUROPE THREATENED BY LEGISLATION
REUTERS reported that the during today's International Automobile Federation (FIA) World Council meeting in Monaco, the future of F1 events in Europe "could be threatened … when the sport's governing body examines recent European anti-tobacco legislation." The FIA, "which is working towards a global ban on tobacco sponsorship from late 2006, is expected to examine in detail the European Commission's outlawing of cigarette advertising in a wide range of media from mid-2005." A statement is "due to be issued after the meeting and it could be hard-hitting." The concern appears to be real, given the cancellation of next year's Belgian Grand Prix (REUTERS, 12/12).
NTRA APPROVES $60M BUDGET, HIGHEST IN HISTORY
The 29th annual Symposium on Racing presented by the Univ. of AZ Race Track Industry Program ends today in Tucson, and the THOROUGHBRED TIMES reports that the NTRA yesterday "approved a preliminary 2003 budget that will total more than $60[M], highest in the organization's history." The budget includes $57M for administrative costs, marketing and other activities, and approximately $3.4M "to fund the racing industry's efforts to analyze totalizator security systems" in the wake of the Breeders' Cup betting scandal. Members also voted to "review information on the recent Great State Challenge before deciding whether to conduct the event again" (THOROUGHBRED TIMES, 12/13). Several speakers yesterday at the symposium said that leaders of the sport "must become more active and savvy in dealing with legislators at both state and federal levels" (THOROUGHBRED TIMES, 12/13).
DO YOU SUPPORT OR DO YOU OPPOSE? THAT IS THE QUESTION
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the Vancouver City Council yesterday decided "on the exact wording of the question voters will have to answer in an upcoming plebiscite on hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics." The question will read, "Do you support or do you oppose the city of Vancouver's participation in hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Para-olympic winter games?" While the result of the February 22 vote "will not be binding on bid organizers," a negative decision is expected to have an impact on the IOC (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/13).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER reports that USA Baseball officials were in Durham, NC, yesterday to "work on the organization's move to offices in Durham and Cary and to talk with members of the (USOC) about the future of the sport" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/13).
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports that the AZ Tourism & Sports Authority (TSA) said that the city "can expect $1[M] less than the $5.3[M] it requested" for the remodeling of Phoenix Municipal Stadium. TSA President Ted Ferris said that the "city's request will be trimmed … because some of the work the city wanted the authority to pay for already has been done" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 12/13).
The K.C. STAR reports that USBL St. Joseph (MO) Express Owner Jay Harris "has suspended operations after losing $200,000 last year." The Express had sold only 33 season tickets for this season (K.C. STAR 12/13).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that a season-low crowd of 15,691 attended last night's Pistons-Bulls game at the United Center (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/13).
TODAY'S EVENTS
Former Red Sox LF Carl Yastrzemski will be honored by Sara Lee Foods, for his longtime sponsorship of Kahn's hot dogs, at a press conference at Boston's Omni Parker House Hotel (THE DAILY).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…..
Every Friday, the Morning Buzz highlights a video clip, chart or piece of information that might have fallen through the cracks. This week, Jimmy Fallon of NBC's "SNL" is the first to wish the net's broadcast rivals – CBS, ABC and Fox – a Merry Christmas (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES reports that Publicis Groupe Worldwide Creative Dir Lee Garfinkel will become Chair & CCO of DDB Worldwide, N.Y. Garfinkel is expected to start his new job sometime in Q1 '03 (N.Y. TIMES, 12/13).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Oscar-Winning Directors."
"He's the last person to win the Best Director Oscar for a film in which he also starred."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "It's cold here in (N.Y.). It's been really nasty cold today and yesterday. It's been so cold here lately, I'm really very grateful for that lukewarm reception. ... Does it seem to you Christmas begins earlier and earlier every year? ... I'll give you an example what I'm talking about. You know those Christmas lights over there on 5th Avenue? ... They're for next year. ... This just in. U.N. inspector Hans Blix has declared Trent Lott's mouth a biological weapon. ... I'm very excited because our President this year is mailing out a million Christmas cards, so I'm thinking maybe I'm (getting one) and I saw in advance a copy of the card, and it's a beautiful winter scene. It depicts Santa Claus, and he's there in his workshop with the elves, and it's snowing and he's at the North Pole, and it's surrounded by oil rigs. ... A million Christmas cards. Think about that. That's a lot of work. ... It's not as much fun at the White House when all the interns are doing is licking stamps" ("Late Show," CBS, 12/12).
NBC's Jay Leno: "The U.S. Supreme Court this week is going to decide once and for all whether to outlaw cross-burning when it is used to intimidate and threaten people as opposed to the fun family cross-burnings we all went to as kids. ... They may outlaw cross-burnings. More bad news for Trent Lott. ... One Republican leader said what Trent Lott did was a mistake of the mouth and not of the heart and today (Bill) Clinton said, 'Why didn't I think of that?' ... The Honda motorcar company has come out with a kid-size robot that speaks in a child's voice, and today the Boston Archdiocese bought 200 of them. ... Jennifer Lopez has a new holiday album out called the '12 Days of Marriage'" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 12/12).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten Signs Santa Hates You" ("Late Show," CBS, 12/12).
| 10) "Your stocking is ticking." |
| 9) "Every kid gets a candy cane, you get a ball of rusty barbed wire." |
| 8) "He brings you a new car – right through the living room wall." |
| 7) "His expression doesn't seem to be 'jolly' so much as 'seething and vengeful.'" |
| 6) "The FBI bursts into your house saying, 'We got a tip from Santa Claus you're hiding Mullah Omar.'" |
| 5) "You're being stalked by an elf hit man." |
| 4) "You spend ten minutes telling him what you want. He says, 'Oh, I'm sorry, were you talking to me?'" |
| 3) "Only item he leaves: a note reading 'Your wife was great.'" |
| 2) "'Gift' he just gave you – two weeks on a Disney cruise with Trent Lott." |
| 1) "His distinctive laugh: 'Ho, ho, ho, go screw yourself.'" |
ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, on Sylvester Stallone starring in "Rocky VI": "Who's he going to fight? Is he going to fight Mary Tyler Moore on an AARP cruise? ... As ridiculous as that is, it is not as ridiculous as Sylvester Stallone at this age – in his late 50's – coming out of retirement. ... He's got to fight against a very short woman" ("PTI," ESPN, 12/12).
THURSDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 12:00am ET "SportsCenter" led with Oak Hill Academy-St. Vincent- St. Mary high school basketball, which featured LeBron James.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was Mel Gibson?" ("Braveheart")
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