| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, February 4, 2003
9:00am ET | |
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| • | LeBron James Appears Today On CBS' "The Early Show" To Discuss Ruling |
| • | General Mills To Release Today "Richard Petty 43s" Breakfast Cereal |
| • | Atlanta Police And City Officials Gearing Up For NBA All-Star Weekend |
| • | NHL GMs Continue To Meet in FL To Discuss Potential Rule Changes |
| • | USOC President Marty Mankamyer Comments On Upcoming USOC Meeting |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
LEBRON WAS REWARDED WITH JERSEYS FOR BEING ON HONOR ROLL
LeBron James was interviewed by Deion Sanders during the 7:30-8:00am ET block on this morning's edition of CBS' "The Early Show." James, on whether he knew he was violating any state rules by accepting two free retro jerseys from an OH sports store: "If I had known I was violating anything, I would've never done it. I would've never jeopardized my eligibility. I would never jeopardize my team. … The guy said, 'I'll give you a couple of jerseys as a reward for being on the honor roll.'" Asked if he felt sorry about the incident, James said, "Yes, I'm sorry. There's nothing I'm more sorry about, you know, than disrespecting my teammates" ("The Early Show," CBS, 2/4).
Meanwhile, ESPN.com reported that unauthorized James jerseys "were being sold on eBay over the weekend," with prices reaching $350 (ESPN.com, 2/3). There are currently 28 items listed on the auction Web site when the search term "LeBron James jersey" is entered (THE DAILY).
GENERAL MILLS TO RELEASE RICHARD PETTY CEREAL TODAY
USA TODAY reports that General Mills today "will introduce 'Richard Petty 43s,' a sweet rice-and-corn cereal shaped in 4s and 3s in honor" of Petty's No. 43 car. The limited-edition cereal "features two collectible metallic designs." One has Petty with his 1970 Plymouth Superbird, the other with his 1984 Pontiac Grand Prix. General Mills "will donate $43,000 to the Petty family's Victory Junction Gang Camp" (USA TODAY, 2/4).
ATLANTA POLICE TO ANNOUNCE ALL-STAR SECURITY PLANS TODAY
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that Atlanta police and city officials today will announce plans to handle the "more than 65,000 people … expected this weekend" for the NBA All-Star Game. Helicopters "will patrol Peachtree Street from downtown to Buckhead to monitor traffic" and will relay any sign of trouble "to ground officers, who will travel on motorcycles to clear up 'hot spots'" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/4).
Meanwhile, TNT will hold an All-Star Game preview teleconference at 1:00pm ET featuring Exec Producer Mike Pearl, '03 NBA All-Star broadcaster Marv Albert and analysts Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson (THE DAILY).
NHL EXECS DISCUSS OVERTIME SHOOTOUTS FOR REGULAR SEASON
NHL GMs will continue meeting today in Sunrise, FL, and the TORONTO SUN reports that they will present recommendations based on yesterday's discussions, "but aren't likely to suggest anything radical." Yesterday's session included four breakout groups that discussed "video review, officiating interpretations (diving, instigators etc.), players' equipment" and the CBA negotiations (TORONTO SUN, 2/4). The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the GMs "even spent some time debating the merits of using a shootout to settle overtime games in the regular season" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/4).
CAPITALS TO UNVEIL REDESIGNED WEB SITE TODAY
The Capitals today will unveil a redesigned Web site that "seeks to lessen significantly the time needed to access information." After a six-month evaluation, the Web site now "will allow users to reach message boards and statistics … with a single click of the mouse" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 2/2).
MORNING BRIEFS
Dismissing speculation that her job is in jeopardy at this weekend's USOC meeting in Chicago, USOC President Marty Mankamyer told the N.Y. TIMES, "The meeting is intended to be held for business and programs. … I'm trying so hard after being in front of those senators to have us present the very best face we can" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/4).
The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that former Reds Owner Marge Schott "filed a lawsuit (yesterday) in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court against Great American Insurance Co. in which she says the company did not honor an agreement for seats and use of a private box at the new Reds stadium" Great American Ball Park (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/4). Read the entire letter of sale agreement .
The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that despite "criticism from Johnnie Cochran, the Lions say they're hoping to hire Steve Mariucci as the team's new head coach today." The five-year deal is expected to be worth $3.5-4M per year (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/4).
Dave Winder, Special Assistant to UT Gov. Mike Leavitt, on the state's chances of hosting another Olympics: "As soon as it's time to rotate it back [to North America], we should be able to get it. Maybe 2018. Realistically, we aren't going to get it until 2022" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/4).
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll of taken January 23-25 of 588 football fans shows that 50% favored maintaining the system where the NFL's on-field officials are part-time personnel, while 41% favor full-time referees (USA TODAY, 2/4).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports sponsors of "The World's Famous Players Ball" yesterday vowed that they "would not back down to mounting criticism that the event glorifies pimps." Instead, the show will go on as scheduled Saturday night, "replete with men in furs and rhinestones the size of lemons." But Atlanta City Council member Derrick Boazman said, "We don't intend for the event to go forward" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/4).
The Portland (ME) PRESS-HERALD reports that the Cumberland County Civic Center sound system went out about one hour before the AHL All-Star Game was scheduled to begin last night. It "was silent until 2:58 remained in the second period when the sound – music and game information – returned." AHL President Dave Andrews: "It was an interesting experience. I thought the fans handled it extremely well" (Portland PRESS-HERALD, 2/4).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of the nation's major metropolitan tabloids:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
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| Philadelphia Daily News | Boston Herald |
TODAY'S EVENTS
The Braves Caravan begins its out-of-state tour with a stop in Birmingham, AL. The Caravan continues through Thursday, with stops in Chattanooga, TN, and Greenville, SC (THE DAILY).
The '03 Padres Winter Caravan begins today, including a meet and greet session at Petco Park featuring GM Kevin Towers. The Caravan will continue through Saturday with stops throughout San Diego County (THE DAILY).
Fitch Ratings will host a 2:00pm ET conference call to discuss the current credit environment facing the U.S. professional sports industry, including projections for future sports sector bond issuance (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES reports that McDonald's execs are "anxiously hoping that a meeting focus on advertising and marketing, scheduled to begin today, will generate some sorely needed ideas to help the company reverse a crippling decline in revenue growth and profit" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/4).
The L.A. TIMES notes that CNN's lead anchor Aaron Brown was playing golf in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Saturday when he was informed of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. Brown continued to play at the event instead of flying back to cover the story, and sources at CNN said Brown "told the network he wasn't available to come to work," a decision that "infuriated some executives as well as some on his staff" (L.A. TIMES, 2/4).
DAILY VARIETY reports that a "major battle could be brewing between cable operators and networks, if ominous signs from Time Warner Cable about programming cost increases are indicative of the industry as a whole." A JPMorgan report concluded that "rising programming costs and slowing digital growth have major ramifications for the cable industry's structure, long-term profitability and current valuations" (DAILY VARIETY, 2/4).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Historic Americans."
"Elizabeth Shoumatoff was sketching his portrait when he fell unconscious April 12, 1945; he died two hours later."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "How many folks get a big kick out of Groundhog Day? Yeah, if I want to see a giant rodent pop out of a hole, I'll just go to Dunkin' Donuts. ... Last night was Chinese New Year. Over on 55th Street, Dick Clark was on top of Shun Lee Palace. ... The U.S. is trying to force Saddam Hussein into exile. So far, the only offer he has is two weeks on Sean Penn's couch. ... Sad news. The world's oldest living man passed away. He was 122. That moves Michael Douglas right up into the top ten. ... Michael Jackson says that he wants to live forever. Wants to live forever. He wants to be able to dangle his great-, great-grandchildren out of a window" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/3).
NBC's Jay Leno: "Latest word is that Saddam Hussein is now creating a buffer zone in Northern Iraq to defend against a northern invasion. Experts say if he's successful, this could extend the length of the war by up to seven minutes. ... A man with a gun took a female postal worker hostage, commandeered her truck and immediately, the truck was surrounded by dozens of heavily armed sharpshooters, many of which were non-postal employees. ... According to a new survey, the number one snack food in America ... is potato chips. You know what America's least favorite snack is? There isn't one! That's why we're so fat! ... The UCLA basketball team has now lost eight games in a row. It's gotten so bad, I understand a lot of the players now are skipping practice to go to class. ... If Rusty Wallace wins the Daytona 500 this month, each fan in attendance 21 or older will get a coupon good for a free six-pack of Miller beer, and believe me, if there's one thing NASCAR fans need, it's more beer. ... HBO announced this week they are coming out with a new reality show set in a trailer park. It's going to be called 'Joe Hundredaire.' It's from the producers of 'Six Feet Under.' It's called 'Three Feet Off The Ground.' To show you how realistic it is, each week the trailer park will get hit by a different tornado" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 2/3).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten Cool Things About Living On An Aircraft Carrier," read by sailors via satellite from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis ("Late Show," CBS, 2/3).
| 10) "It combines all the excitement of going on a cruise with the fun of living at the airport." |
| 9) "There's no more pleasant wake-up call than the roar of an F-18 Super Hornet." |
| 8) "On weekends we turn the deck into the world's largest roller disco." |
| 7) "Feel like lasagna? Send a pilot to Italy for takeout." |
| 6) "When everyone's asleep, you can climb in one of the planes and pretend you're Tom Cruise." |
| 5) "Who else gets to describe their home as 'Nimitz-class?'" |
| 4) "The weekly shuffleboard tournaments." |
| 3) "All-you-can-drink jet fuel." |
| 2) "If you ever have an aircraft that needs carrying, you're in luck." |
| 1) "You can get both seasick and airsick at the same time." |
CBS' Biff Henderson aired his report last night from the Super Bowl, where he talked to players and fans on the field and in the parking lot. Henderson asked Carlos Santana, "Wouldn't you like to see Warren Sapp kick the crap out of Dr. Phil?" Santana: "Who's Dr. Phil?" Henderson asked ESPN's Steve Young, "Wouldn't the Super Bowl be more fun if the ball was filled with pudding and whoever wins gets to eat the pudding?" Young: "I'm not a fan of pudding, Biff." Henderson asked the Dixie Chicks, "When you're singing on-stage, do you ever think about me?" Henderson, in the locker room after the Buccaneers victory, asked Bucs Owner Malcolm Glazer, "I just saw Warren Sapp coming out of the shower naked. What do you think about that?" Glazer: "That's okay. He can do whatever he wants." Henderson asked Bucs WR Keyshawn Johnson, "Any chance you want to come back to the Jets?" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/3)
MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Georgetown-Syracuse NCAA men's basketball, followed by Univ. of CT men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun leaving the team to have prostate surgery.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt?"
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