| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
9:00am ET | |
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| • | USOC President Marty Mankamyer Abruptly Resigns Late Last Night |
| • | Senators Chair Rod Bryden Could Announce Financing Plan As Early As Today |
| • | U.S. Senate Committee Today Will Discuss State Of Professional Boxing |
| • | Several Events Planned Today For National Girls And Women In Sports Day |
| • | Suspended MLB Umpire Told To Stay Away From Dodgers' Baseball Camp |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
MANKAMYER SAY NO CHANCE OF USOC PEACE UNLESS SHE RESIGNED
The L.A. TIMES reports that USOC President Marty Mankamyer "abruptly resigned Tuesday, saying there 'seemed to be no possibility for peace' within the USOC 'unless I stepped aside.'" Mankamyer, who was elected President in August, "had fought off calls for her resignation for several weeks." In a telephone interview, Mankamyer said, "I give up. I quit. … Maybe Congress can fix [the USOC]. I hope so" (L.A. TIMES, 2/5). Read Mankamyer's resignation letter sent to USOC officials and members of the media last night.
BRYDEN APPEARS TO HAVE CONVINCED CREDITORS TO ACCEPT BID
The OTTAWA SUN reports that the "long wait could be over as early as today" for Senators Chair Rod Bryden, "who appears to have finally convinced reluctant creditors to accept his bid" for the Senators. An announcement this afternoon "would put an end to weeks of speculation and non-stop negotiations." A source close to the negotiations said, "It looks like it will happen (today)" (OTTAWA SUN, 2/5). However, the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the negotiations "are still not over … (as) some final details remain" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/5).
HBO SPORTS' GREENBURG AMONG WITNESSES IN SENATE DISCUSSION
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will conduct a hearing at 9:30am ET today to discuss the state of professional boxing. The tentative witness list includes HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, boxing historian Bert Sugar, "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times" author Thomas Hauser and unified middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who has been a longtime advocate of reforming boxing, chairs the committee (THE DAILY).
TORINO DELEGATION CONTINUES FACT-FINDING TRIP IN UTAH
The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reports that a 16-member delegation from Torino, Italy today continues "a three-day series of meetings with Salt Lake County and state officials and business and religious leaders." The meetings are "designed to exchange information about Olympic preparations and make contacts that could lead to future business deals." The trip to UT follows a similar trip last September to Torino by a Salt Lake County delegation (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/5).
"SUCCEED IN SPORTS, LEAD IN LIFE" IS THEME OF NATIONAL DAY
"Succeed in Sports, Lead in Life" is the theme of the 17th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) celebration to be held today in DC and across the country. Women's Sports Foundation Founder Billie Jean King, '96 Olympic Gold Medalist gymnast Dominique Dawes, Women's Sports Foundation President Dawn Riley, two-time Olympic softball Gold Medalist Lisa Fernandez and U.S. national women's soccer team member Julie Foudy are among the women scheduled to attend the events in DC. Among the events planned:
- Olympic Gold Medalist hurdler Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco will be awarded the Flo Hyman Memorial Award at a Congressional luncheon.
- Former U.S. Sen. & Title IX author Birch Bayh and actress Holly Hunter will introduce a national campaign in support of Title IX.
- WNBA President Val Ackerman, Mystics G Stacey Dales-Schuman and Fever G Nikki McCray will speak on Capitol Hill about the importance of Title IX.
- Storm Adia Barnes, Amanda Lassiter and Felicia Ragland will speak to students at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma about the benefits of playing sports from 1:30-2:15pm PT.
NGWSD is jointly organized by Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the Women's Sports Foundation and the YWCA of the USA (THE DAILY).
MORNING BRIEFS
NHL GMs conclude their three-day meetings today in FL, and the TORONTO SUN reports that "a few fairly irrelevant 'housecleaning issues'" will be resolved (TORONTO SUN, 2/5).
Today is national letter-of-intent signing day, the "first opportunity under NCAA rules for high school (football) players to make an official commitment to a college" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/5).
The AP reports that MLB umpire Bruce Froemming "has been told to stay away" from the Dodgers' adult baseball camp, which begins Thursday. Dodgers Senior VP Derrick Hall: "We informed Bruce late last week that we thought it would be highly inappropriate for him to take part." Froemming was suspended for derogatory comments concerning MLB Umpiring Senior Coordinator Cathy Davis (AP, 2/5).
The HONOLULU ADVERTISER reports that while Annika Sorenstam "mulls two invitations to play on the PGA Tour," 13-year-old Hawaiian Michelle Wie "has accepted offers to play in two men's events on the Canadian Tour this summer," the Bay Mills Open from August 21-24 and the Greater Vancouver Classic from July 31-August 3 (HONOLULU ADVERTISER, 2/5).
The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER reports that Lakers G Kobe Bryant "is set to shoot an ESPN commercial today" in Bristol, CT, as part of the "This is SportsCenter" series. Anchors Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen will also appear in the commercial (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/5).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The L.A. TIMES reports that a "near sellout crowd of more than 70,000" attended last night's Argentina-Mexico exhibition soccer match at Memorial Coliseum (L.A. TIMES, 2/5).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was a guest of Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban at last night's Kings-Mavericks game (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/5).
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson was a guest analyst on the Pacers' radio network during last night's Lakers-Pacers game, and he "wasn't caught off-guard by the fast-paced action" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/5).
The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that USA Track & Field has adopted the World Basketball Championship mascot, "Bounce," and changed his name to "Spike" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/5).
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 |
TODAY'S EVENTS
Advertising Age will host the Madison + Vine conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel in CA from 8:30-12:30pm PT. Coca-Cola COO Steven Heyer, Arnell Group Chair & CEO Peter Arnell and TBS Chair & CEO Jamie Kellner are among the panelists (THE DAILY).
The Lions will conduct a 4:00pm ET news conference to officially announce the hiring of new coach Steve Mariucci. Mariucci's contract calls for him to earn $25M over five years (ESPN.com, 2/4).
IN OTHER NEWS….
Ted Turner will appear tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes II," and will tell Mike Wallace that "he could not possibly buy CNN back because he could not afford it," having lost $7-8B in AOL Time Warner stock (N.Y. TIMES, 2/5).
Meanwhile, AOL Time Warner Chair Richard Parsons has asked the heads all of the divisions of his company "to meet at a three-day meeting starting next Wednesday" at the Ritz Carlton hotel in N.Y. Around 150 execs "from across the country are expected to attend" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/5).
The Aaron Brown watch continues after CNN confirmed that Brown "spent around $13,000 of his own money to charter a private jet from Washington so he could make his Wednesday morning tee time" to play in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Brown is under fire for not leaving the event to rush back and cover the space shuttle Columbia tragedy on Saturday (WASHINGTON POST, 2/5).
The Portland PRESS-HERALD reports that L.L. Bean yesterday "announced the second-largest round of layoffs in its 91-year history, … saying it will slash 300 jobs in the next two months despite turning a higher profit last year." The round of layoffs "is likely to hit hourly workers … harder than salaried workers" (Portland PRESS-HERALD, 2/5).
DAILY VARIETY reports that Fox "dominated primetime" during the week of January 27 – February 2. Overall, Fox "was so strong in the key demos (and teens) that it was able to move ahead in total viewers – the first time in network history it has captured an in-season week without the help of sports" (DAILY VARIETY, 2/5).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "International Geographic."
"By size, it's the largest country that borders only one other country."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "I'm not the kind of guy that likes to whine and complain about a lot of stuff, but here in (N.Y.), if you want to make a local call ... I now have to dial one, then I have to dial the area code, then I have to dial the entire number. I have to dial eleven digits just to make a local call. Paul (Shafer) and I live in the same city. I have to dial eleven digits now. That's it, I'm joining a gym. ... Happy Chinese New Year, ladies and gentlemen. It's the Year of the Ram and I'm thinking, 'Boy, time really flies,' and then I got a little worried about it. I don't have to worry because my contract here at CBS does not expire until the Year of the Gibbon. ... Courtney Love, the singer, was on a transatlantic flight and went crazy or something, and beat up the entire flight crew. When they landed, they got her under control, and she said she was just filling in for Diana Ross. ... Record producer Phil Spector is accused of shooting an actress at his home. That's sad, isn't it? At least Robert Blake will take the woman out for a meal before he shoots her" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/4).
NBC's Jay Leno: "It looks like the UN weapons inspectors may have finally found the smoking gun. It turns out it was at Phil Spector's house. ... He was charged with murder, and then released on bail. He didn't even have to spend the night in jail. Well, all they have is the body, the murder weapon, the motive, the prime suspect. You can't hold a celebrity in L.A. with just that! You need proof! ... Former President Bill Clinton is going to appear on-stage this Thursday night with the Rolling Stones at the big Global Warming Awareness concert at the Staples Center here in L.A. The Stones' tour, it's the '40 Licks' Tour, so you know Clinton is going to be at that one. ... Here's the weird part. Clinton is the youngest guy on-stage. Isn't that amazing? In fact, today Clinton said he may stand next to Keith Richards, but he will not inhale. ... The latest statistics show that the airline industry had fewer complaints last year. Well duh, that's because there are fewer airlines. They're all out of business. ... Michael Jackson is getting weirder. He told a reporter he would like to adopt two kids from each continent. What kind of weird Noah's Ark is he putting together?" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 2/4)
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten Things Dumb Guys Think The U.N. Does" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/4).
| 10) "Hosts the Miss World pre-pageant cocktail party." |
| 9) "Puts inspection tags in new pants." |
| 8) "Decides when a model officially becomes a supermodel." |
| 7) "Determines which world problems require a call to Batman." |
| 6) "Produces General Foods International Coffees." |
| 5) "On Tuesday nights, broadcasts 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer.'" |
| 4) "Provides steady employment for guys named Blix." |
| 3) "Makes globes." |
| 2) "Assigns grades of 'mild,' 'medium' or 'hot' to salsa." |
| 1) "I don't know, but go Cornhuskers!" |
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Bucs head coach Jon Gruden appeared on last night's edition of CBS' "Late Show" where David Letterman asked him, "What's (Raiders Owner Al Davis) all about? Is he nuts? Is he a psycho?" Gruden: "I got a lot of respect for him, and he helped me get better. We didn't go to Lakers games every night, but I think we all know what he's about. He's one of the great ambassadors of football." Gruden said the Raiders "called a couple" of plays that "surprised" him during the Super Bowl "but it was late in the game." Gruden: "Nobody, I don't think, picked us to beat Philadelphia, and I don't think a lot of people picked us to win the Raider game, but that's the great thing about America. Isn't it ladies and gentlemen?" Gruden said Bucs DL Warren Sapp "has legitimately got his own drummer, but he is a great football player." Bucs WR Keyshawn Johnson is the "same way. I just saw Keyshawn. He was on the Regis show. I said, 'I'm going to Letterman, man. See you later.'" Letterman: "Are you tired of that Chucky nonsense?" Gruden: "Yeah, a little bit. ... I don't see (the resemblance)" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/4).
TUESDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Lakers-Pacers.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is Canada?"
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