Morning Buzz, December 31, 2002

This is our last Morning Buzz for '02, as we prepare to bring you even more news, stats and laughs in '03. Our first Morning Buzz for the New Year will be Thursday, January 2. Have a safe and enjoyable New Year!

SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC COULD DRAW AS FEW AS 12,000 TODAY

There are six college bowl games today, matching tomorrow's schedule of six games.  ESPN will televise three games today, ESPN2 will have two and CBS will have one. The complete schedule and ticket notes follow:

The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reported that "just over 40,000 tickets have been sold" for the Sun Bowl at 50,426-seat Sun Bowl Stadium (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 12/30).

The OAKLAND TRIBUNE reports that the Silicon Valley Classic, which "barely secured a bank loan in time to put on the game, … is expecting by far its smallest crowd in its short history." Exec Dir Chuck Shelton: "Based on ticket sales, if we have a good walk-up crowd, we probably can have 15,000-17,000 (fans). Without it, it could be as (few) as 12,000" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 12/31).

The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reported that the Peach Bowl "has sold out for the sixth consecutive year and the tenth time in the past 12 years." Tickets, however, are still available as the participating schools had yet to sell out their allotments. Any unsold tickets will be donated to charity (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 12/29).

ABC Sports runs two full-page ads in USA Today supporting its bowl coverage. The first depicts a football signed by bowl sponsors Circuit City, Dodge, Ford, FedEx, Nokia, Playstation 2 and Tostitos, with the text: "Not every player in this year's BCS is on the field. We'd like to thank the players on our sponsorship team." The second, which wishes all viewers a Happy New Year, serves as a reminder for ABC's January 26 telecast of the Super Bowl (THE DAILY).

PARCELLS WOULD FACE SOME FAMILIAR FOES IF HE LANDS IN BIG D

The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that the Cowboys hope to announce as early as today that Bill Parcells has agreed to a four-year contract that will pay him $16-18M and "give him the authority to hire and fire assistant coaches, as well as have a strong say in personnel" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/31). Parcells, however, told the Newark STAR-LEDGER last night, "There's nothing to it and nothing's imminent. Things are proceeding along, but who knows?" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 12/31).

Meanwhile, the TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that the NFL could hold a hearing as soon as today "to determine whether the Bucs should be compensated for losing Parcells." The hearing would involve reps of the Bucs, Parcells and the league (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 12/31).

Should Parcells eventually land in Dallas, he'll be coaching in front of a few familiar crowds next season as the Cowboys are scheduled to visit the Giants, Jets, Patriots and Bucs (THE DAILY).

In San Antonio, Buck Harvey offers excerpts from Parcells' '00 book, "The Final Season," in which the coach offers his opinions on working for someone like Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/31).

LOOKING AHEAD TO '03, LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR THAT WAS

With our final installment of '02, the Morning Buzz compiles a round-up of the media's top moments in sports business in '02 and their predictions for the New Year:

ESPN.com's Darren Rovell offers his top ten trends to watch for in sports business for '03. His top two: The NBA and MLB will experience "exponential" int'l growth and "more teams will institute variable ticket pricing" (ESPN.com, 12/30).

In N.Y., Robert Lipsyte will keep an eye on women's issues in '03: "There are a number of pressing women's issues. The recruitment of stars for high school teams and the WNBA makeover in the NBA mode are harbingers of the masculinization of the conduct of women's sports. There is the struggle to save Title IX, the return of the Women's World Cup (was it a one-shot?) and the subtle shift in women's thinking about sports from fitness to competition" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/29).

Several columnists look back at '02 and offer their highlights and lowlights:

USA TODAY's Christine Brennan: "The temptation is to call 2002 the year of the sports controversy and forget about everything else. But then we'd be ignoring the Patriots, the Lakers, the Angels and Sarah Hughes. Annika and Tiger, Serena and Pete, Mia and Nomar" (USA TODAY, 12/26).

ESPN.com's David Halberstam: "My vote for the best – or at least the most positive -- sports story of the past year is an easy one ... indeed, a very, very easy one. It's Tyrone Willingham and what he did at Notre Dame, rehabbing the most storied football program in the country, and far more importantly, trying to save the dinosaurs of college football from themselves" (ESPN.com, 12/26).

ESPN.com's Jim Caple: "Some years provide historic feats (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998). Some give us extraordinary performances (Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters). Some even deliver miracles (the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team against the Soviets). Not so 2002, which should have been should have been sponsored by 24-hour talk radio. Instead of providing reason to stand to applaud, the past 12 months mostly left us reaching for the cell phone" (ESPN.com, 12/24).

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Frank Deford: "Some sports years have something of a pattern to them, but 2002, like the year itself – which can be read the same backward and forward – went in all directions" (CNNSI.com, 12/25).

Last night's edition of ABC's "World News Tonight" featured the "Top Five Sports Spectacles" from '02. ABC's Elizabeth Vargas noted that it was a "strange year for the sporting world." Vargas: "There was an unusually high number of scandals, controversies and oddball moments" ("World News Tonight," ABC, 12/30).

In DC, Patrick Hruby: "From Cheech and Chong-shaming marijuana busts to the shame of USA Basketball, 2002 was far and away the most dubious year in sports history, a one-way trip to the bottom of Najeh Davenport's laundry basket" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/26).

In Toronto, Ken Fidlin: "The most significant event of 2002 in pro sports was the labour agreement reached by the people who run baseball and the people who run the players union. It provides significant economic deterrents for teams who spend outrageously and we are already seeing the moderating results" (TORONTO SUN, 12/30).

In Richmond, Jerry Lindquist said goodbye to Martha Burk and Hootie Johnson, and noted that they are "inexorably linked forever" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 12/26).

In Denver, Bernie Lincicome wrote that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig "best defined sports in 2002 by stopping the baseball All-Star Game while no one was ahead" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 12/28).

In N.Y., George Vecsey offered his "Postcards From 2002" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/29).

In L.A., Mike Penner offers his year in review, under the header, "What A Wonderfully Wacky Time It Was" (L.A. TIMES, 12/31).

In K.C., Mechelle Voepel wrote that her top women's sports story from '02 was Annika Sorenstam's 11-victory LPGA season (K.C. STAR, 12/28).

In Detroit, Michael Rosenberg honored the Williams sisters, and wrote, "Welcome to the world of Venus and Serena – or as we learned this year, Serena and Venus. We have not seen their like before, and we might not see their like again" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/26).

Meanwhile, sports media columnists offered their best and worst from '02:

In Houston, David Barron called ESPN's "Pardon The Interruption" the best show of '02: "I fear I'm a year late endorsing 'PTI,' which debuted in the fall of 2001. So let me compensate by saying that if I were limited to one sports news or entertainment show each day, this would be it" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/30).

In Orlando, Scott Andrea called ESPN's "Around the Horn" the worst new show of '02: "The network that already had 'The Sports Reporters' and 'The Sports Reporters II,' both good shows, decided we needed to see even more of the nation's columnists bickering with one another. Then, for good measure, ESPN put the pompous, annoying Max Kellerman in charge and had him keep score, based on what he thinks of an idea" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/27).

In Ft. Worth, Richie Whitt praised TNT's "Listen Up!": "Charles Barkley, unlike Trent Lott, got to say whatever came to his mind" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/27).

In Toronto, William Houston writes the "most important player in Canadian sport" in '02 was the media for advancing many of the most significant stories of the year. He writes that the "voices in the booth and writers in the press box really did make a difference" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/31).

Finally, in looking at advertising, ADAGE.com's Bob Garfield assessed the best and worst TV spots of '02, and wrote, "Although the state of advertising quality around the globe is a sorry one, in our opinion, the 2002 average AdReview score of 2.5 stars once again isn't all that harsh. It's down from 2.57 stars in 2001, but still far ahead of the dismal 2.42 rating of a year earlier." Garfield gave his top marks to spots from GM's Saturn via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, S.F., Nike's "Tag" campaign via Wieden & Kennedy, Portland and Pepsi's Super Bowl spot with Britney Spears via BBDO Worldwide, N.Y. (ADAGE.com, 12/30).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reports that Univ. of VA (UVA) President John Casteen is expected to issue an apology today for the halftime performance of UVA's pep band in the Continental Tire Bowl against WV Univ. (WVU). The performance "prompted more than 200 complaints to (UVA) administrators" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/31). The AP reports that the pep band "staged a parody of 'The Bachelor,' with a male UVA student choosing between two female contestants. One female, purported to be from (WV), had blue overalls, pigtails, a talent for square dancing and a dream to move to Beverly Hills" (AP, 12/31).

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel comments in February's issue of Playboy on recent interactions with NFL players: "Last year I wanted to tape a bit with the Patriots. [Former Patriots QB Drew] Bledsoe could not have been a bigger p--." Kimmel also added that Dolphins WR Cris Carter is "a self-absorbed piece of s--" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/31).

The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that the Bengals "gave players their white jerseys but said players had to buy their black game jerseys or helmets." A note posted on the locker-room bulletin board before the team's trip to Buffalo this past weekend read, "Merry Xmas" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 12/31).

The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that Wizards F Michael Jordan gave Magic G Tracy McGrady the Nikes he wore in last night's Wizards-Magic game. Jordan wrote the following message on the side of one of the shoes: "Enjoyed the challenge. Stay healthy and good luck – Michael Jordan." McGrady: "I might look at these shoes every day before I go out of the house" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/31).

The Santa suit that Lakers C Shaquille O'Neal wore for some NBA on ABC spots is being auctioned on eBay by the net. As of presstime, the top bid was $2,025 (THE DAILY).

TODAY'S EVENTS

The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that tonight's Bucks-Rockets game at 9:00pm CT in the Compaq Center will be followed by a Lil' Romeo concert as "part of the efforts by the Rockets to start a traditional family night out on New Year's Eve" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/31).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Business Giants."

"Highly diversified, it's the only company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average that was included in the original index of 1896."

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

NBC's Jay Leno: "Last week, we had the (Univ. of OK) Sooners here, and I had to talk so slowly. ... Washington State is located in beautiful Pullman, Washington. ... It's kind of like Barstow, but with fog. Beautiful, beautiful trailers. ... I don't want to say there's not a lot to do in Pullman, but when players get a pulled muscle up there, it's self-inflicted. … They say this first cloned human baby is a baby girl named Eve, and they say she has blonde hair and three beautiful blue eyes. ... They say the mother is now living in Florida. Hey, forget the moral implications of cloning just for a minute. Just the fact that they're going to clone another Florida voter, right there that makes it wrong. ... USC is down there right now preparing for the Orange Bowl. You know who paid a surprise visit to the team over the weekend? O.J. Simpson. How creepy is that? He gave the team a pep talk. He said, 'Go out there and kill 'em, but don't get caught.' ... Kentucky announced today they're getting a new license plate next year with a smiling sun that says, 'Kentucky, it's that friendly.' It narrowly beat out the other slogan, 'No shirt, no teeth, no problem.' ... A woman just graduated from the University of Florida at age 76. It took her 57 years to finish college. You know what you call people who take 57 years to finish college – linemen" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 12/30).

MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 12:00am ET "SportsCenter" led with the Cowboys' firing of coach Dave Campo and a report that Bill Parcells will be named his successor.

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is General Electric?"

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