Morning Buzz, March 17, 2003

YAHOO PLATINUM TO FEATURE NCAA MEN'S TOURNEY COVERAGE

The N.Y. TIMES reports that Yahoo today will launch Yahoo Platinum, its first subscription video service.  Among other sports offerings, the service will feature "live broadcasts and replays" of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  While SportsLine owns the Internet rights to the tournament, it completed a deal with Yahoo "to get them to the market."  For next year, SportsLine "will consider setting up its own service."  Yahoo Platinum costs $9.95 per month (N.Y. TIMES, 3/17).

INT'L MEN'S TENNIS ASSOCIATION TO RIVAL ATP PLAYERS' COUNCIL

REUTERS reported that the "proposed breakaway International Men's Tennis Association (IMTA) will be formed when a group of players meet during the Miami Masters," which begins today.  More than 20 players are expected to sign on to the IMTA, which is led by Wayne Ferreira and Laurence Tieleman.  But ATP Players' Council VP Todd Woodbridge last week said, "They don't have enough support.  It's unlikely they'll get off the ground because what they are proposing is already in place" (REUTERS, 3/16).

VOTAW TO DISCUSS "FIVE POINTS OF CELEBRITY" PROGRAM TODAY

The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reported that LPGA Tour Commissioner Ty Votaw today will deliver a one-year report to LPGA players on the "Five Points of Celebrity" program.  Votaw also plans to show a binder of articles written on Annika Sorenstam over the past two months, when the LPGA Tour was not playing.  Votaw indicated that the point "won't be to admonish other players to do more but to show what can happen and is happening with the tour."  Votaw: "Absolutely I will give them credit and thank them for what has been achieved in the last year."  Players are in AZ for this week's Safeway PING in Phoenix (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/16).

THE CROWN COUNCIL TO SPONSOR MLB PITCH, HIT & RUN

By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large, The Sports Business Daily

The Crown Council, an association of dental professionals, could announce as early as today that it has purchased a one-year associate sponsorship of the MLB Pitch, Hit & Run youth skills competition, which begins April 1.  While terms were not disclosed, the Council will have a presence at the various regional competitions, including the regional finals at MLB stadiums.  The Council will also donate up to $30,000 in dental services to Boys & Girls clubs in MLB markets.  Pepsi is the title sponsor of the event (THE DAILY).

NBPA EXEC DIR BILLY HUNTER LOOKING TO BAN EPHEDRA

The N.Y. POST reports that the NBA and the NBPA "are on course to banning the use of ephedra," as NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter "sent a page-long letter to each player warning them of the risks of weight-loss herbal stimulant" five days after Orioles P Steve Bechler's death.  A source said the "ultimate goal is for ephedra to be banned in the Collective Bargaining Agreement" (N.Y. POST, 3/17).

IOC EVALUATION COMMISSION PLEASED WITH SALZBURG VISIT

The AP reported that the IOC Evaluation Commission "was impressed with its visit to Salzburg, completing [Sunday] its inspection of the three candidates for the 2010 Winter Games."  IOC Evaluation Commission Chair Gerhard Heiberg said he and his colleagues "had a fantastic reception in Salzburg and were confronted with an excellent presentation by the bid committee."  The IOC will decide between Salzburg, Vancouver and Pyeongchang on July 2 in Prague (AP, 3/16).

The AP also reported that construction delays could "force the cancellation of swimming, volleyball, gymnastics and soccer events for the upcoming Pan-American Games" in the Dominican Republic.  Officials also have "warned that track, cycling, rowing and equestrian events were at risk" (AP, 3/16).

MORNING BRIEFS

The WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL reports network TV officials say that they "wouldn't be at all surprised if next season's Winston Cup tour has as many as 18 night races."  The turning point came in N.Y. "with the ratings for the Saturday night Bud Shootout, which drew an outstanding rating for a relatively insignificant event" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 3/17).

The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reported that the 26 publicly traded companies led by Augusta National members are "on par with the rest of America's corporate giants" in three key measurements of gender diversity – representation of women among directors, corporate officers and top-paid executives (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/16).

GOLF WORLD BUSINESS announced that Ping Golf laid off approximately 30 employees on March 6, most of whom held administrative positions (GOLF WORLD BUSINESS, 3/14).

FIFA will experiment with the use of a two-way high-frequency radio communication between match officials.  The first test will likely be conducted during the FIFA Confederations Cup June 18-29 in France (THE DAILY).

Reds COO John Allen, on the opening of the Great American Ball Park: "It'll be ready. But that doesn't mean the last person sweeping the seats won't be walking out the back door while the fans are walking in the front" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 3/16).

The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reported that sources believe Pete Rose would stay away from the opening of the Great American Ball Park to "avoid the possibility of saying anything that might jeopardize his chance of reinstatement" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/16).

Oilers CEO Pat LaForge, on an Oilers regular-season game in Commonwealth Stadium: "I'd say it's 98[%] now.  It's all but a done deal. … I don't see any hurdles."  A Canadiens-Oilers alumni game featuring Wayne Gretzky is also being planned (EDMONTON SUN, 3/16).

The Newark STAR-LEDGER reported that Yankees P David Wells' autobiography, "Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches, and Baseball," is "only trickling off the shelves."  Early last week, the book "ranked as high as 15^th on Amazon.com's list, but by (Saturday) had fallen to No. 51.  Meanwhile, it was 57^th on Barnes & Noble's Web site" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/16).

The KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL reported that the American Bowling Congress rejected a proposal to merge with three other organizations and form the U.S. Bowling Congress by a 630-628 vote.  However, the voting wasn't as close as the numbers suggest, as a two-thirds majority is needed to pass a proposal (KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL, 3/15).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• MLB.com reported that a two-day crowd of 37,758 attended Saturday and Sunday's Dodgers-Mets games at Estadio Foro Sol in Mexico City (MLB.com, 3/16).
  
  
• The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reported that Friday night's Lakers-T'Wolves games was the first sellout of the season at the 19,006-capacity Target Center (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/15).
  
  
• As NASCAR prepares to revamp its schedule next season, Sunday's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 could have been the last spring race at Darlington Speedway, prompting the LONGVIEW (TX) NEWS-JOURNAL to note, "It remains a mystery why an estimated 15-20[%] of Darlington's 60,000 bleacher seats were empty" (LONGVIEW NEWS-JOURNAL, 3/17).  Meanwhile, the ROANOKE TIMES estimates a crowd of 55,000 (ROANOKE TIMES, 3/17).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL reports that CBS basketball reporter Bonnie Bernstein did a Q&A with FHM this month, but "did not pose for any Jill Arrington-type photos" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 3/17).

Stephen King was interviewed in Sunday's Boston Globe and discussed his new movie, "Dreamcatcher," which opens Friday.  King was asked, "You're well known as a diehard Boston Red Sox fan.  There's a pivotal scene in 'Dreamcatcher' where the person trying to save the planet from evil aliens is wearing a Red Sox jacket.  Is it a stretch to see the alien leader as a stand-in for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner?"  King: "While I hadn't thought about it, you're right.  Don't you think if it came down to that, it would be a Red Sox fan who saved the Earth?" (BOSTON GL0BE, 3/16).

The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that Red Wings Owners Mike and Marian Ilitch presented Red Wings RW Brett Hull with a gold hockey stick before yesterday's Senators-Red Wings game.  The NHL also presented Hull two crystal trophies, one commemorating his 600^th career assist and another for his 700^th career goal.  During a stoppage in the first period, taped comments from Gordie Howe, Gretzky and the CBC broadcasting team of Don Cherry and Ron MacLean were shown on the video board.  Hull responded with a hat trick in a 6-2 Red Wings victory (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 3/17).

WEEKEND RAP…

The following are excerpts from the panelists' "parting shots" on Sunday's edition of ESPN's "The Sports Reporters":

• Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan: "Frank Deford gives us a cautionary tale this week in Sports Illustrated.  It turns out Kirby Puckett wasn't the well-meaning jolly, little chubby guy so many of us held up as an example of the way all pro athletes should be."
  
  
• N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, on UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma's response to a student reporter's question about the NCAA tournament following the team's loss to Villanova: "Auriemma responded by this bit of wisdom.  'You ask a lot of questions that really tick me off and you're too young to ask those questions.'  He went to say it was just a game and not the end of the world.  Right.  Except by overreacting to a reasonable question from a student reporter, Auriemma's the one who acted way too young, at least for a great basketball coach."

• ESPN's Len Elmore: "Once upon a time winning conference tournaments was the only road to an NCAA Tournament berth. ... Coaches of ranked teams with at-large bids safely tucked away wailed that the conference tournament is only about the money and that student-athletes are missing class or exams.  Well, of course it's about the money."
  
  
• ESPN's John Saunders: "The mess at (the Univ. of GA) has missed one major point.  The people most hurt by the scandal are the people who had the least to do with it.  The players didn't hire Jim Harrick.  The players didn't send money to Tony Cole.  Still, it's the players who have been banned from playing in the NCAA Tournament. ... Vince Dooley and President Michael Adams sold out the players to cover their mistakes" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/16).

Heard elsewhere over the weekend:

• Comedian Chris Rock: "My top sports moment is Doug Williams winning the Super Bowl for the Washington Redskins.  One of the happiest moments of my life. ... It's bigger than anything I've ever done.  I've never been that happy for myself" ("Maad Sports," BET, 3/14).
  
  
• FSN's Chad Little, on the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning on Winston Cup drivers: "It's good that NASCAR is starting to allow drivers to volunteer to test" ("NASCAR This Morning," FSN, 3/16).
  
  
• Ryan, on whether the recent NCAA men's basketball scandals will overshadow March Madness: "Absolutely not.  That's a lot of moralizing for columnists.  It makes for great copy" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/16).
  
  
• Lupica, on the same issue: "It is impossible after the three weeks of headlines, we've just had to not at least have it be clouds and a gathering storm" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/16).

• Elmore, on the same issue: "This is about celebration, and I think people are going to put the scandals on the shelf for those three weeks" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/16).

• Saunders, on Dodgers P Guillermo Mota throwing at Mets C Mike Piazza's head: "I know I'm a hockey guy, but to me, two guys going toe-to-toe and fighting is not as bad as somebody throwing a 90 (mph) fastball at a guy's head" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/16).

THE BACK PAGES

The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of the nation's major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post	N.Y. Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News	Boston Herald

TODAY'S EVENTS

Nike Golf will kick off its "Spring Swing" by visiting golf courses around the country and setting up on-course demos of equipment and footwear.  The campaign will also provide golfers with the chance to win daily product prizes over a seven-week period, in addition to two first-prize winners and one grand prize that will be announced on FSN's "BDSSP" on May 2 (THE DAILY).

The AHL Philadelphia Phantoms will host the first Philadelphia Sports & Entertainment Seminar for high school and college students at the First Union Center from 9:00am-2:00pm ET.  Representatives of the Phantoms, 76ers, Flyers and Comcast-Spectacor will host presentations on ticket sales and corporate sales, marketing, fan development & community relations, public relations, broadcasting, building operations, human resources and game operations.  All participating students will receive two tickets to the March 19 Phantoms game (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 offers "When Mom Goes To War."  Meanwhile, NEWSWEEK examines "Why America Scares The World" (THE DAILY).

The CHICAGO TRIBUNE notes that the average price of a 30-second spot on the Oscars is roughly $1.4M, up from $1.29M last year. The Super Bowl's 30-second ad spots, by comparison, averaged more than $2M.  Pepsi, J.C. Penney, Yahoo and AOL are breaking new ads during the telecast  (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/16).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that MTV's "WWE Heat" will move to Viacom-owned net TNN, effective April 6 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/17).

BLOOMBERG NEWS reported that U.S. Spanish-language TV net Univision Communications told Standard & Poor's that "it would not close a proposed $2[B] purchase of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp." (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/15).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "The Movies."

"The DVD of this 1961 film includes 'picture-in-picture commentary on how to make the trick shots.'"

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES: 

Megan Mullally was the guest host for last Friday's edition of CBS' "Late Show," where she did a short monologue.  Mullally: "I can't believe I am guest hosting the 'Late Show.'  Finally, sleeping with Dave has paid off. ... Paul, I'm a little confused.  Dave got hit in the face with a shingle?  Was he cleaning the gutters? ... It's really different being here without Dave, though.  For one thing, I don't have to worry about him 'accidentally' coming into my dressing room while I'm changing.  That was refreshing. ... There are a lot of responsibilities subbing for the great Dave Letterman and I just want to say, Dave, if you're watching, I watered the plants and fed both of the cats, so please stop calling me.  What more can I do?  Although I'm hosting the show I haven't let it go to my head, I promise.  I've been here about three hours and I've only fired six people. ... One thing that's really different about working at CBS instead of NBC is here you get hit on by Morley Safer.  But you know what, I have to say I did like his opening line.  'Do you believe in Safer sex?'" ("Late Show," CBS, 3/14).

NBC's Jay Leno: "Robert Blake has been granted bail.  He's getting to go home and people are being warned to keep your distance, don't approach him and for God sake's whatever you do, don't marry him. ... (President) Bush did have some success today.  He now has the support of two out of the three Dixie Chicks. ... It doesn't look good for Tony Blair.  According to the latest popularity poll in England, he is now two points below dentistry. ... In northern Iraq, a suspected suicide bomber blew himself up outside the home of a prominent Kurdish politician.  There were no casualties.  Just this one guy blew himself up. ... This is an embarrassing problem for a lot of suicide bombers they don't like to talk about: premature detonation. ... Do you know why basketball players at the (Univ. of GA) are excited when they get their grades?  Well, they can't wait to see what courses they took" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 3/14).

SUNDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Kentucky defeating Mississippi State to win the SEC Tournament, followed by the Midwest Region bracket, highlighted by UK's No. 1 seeding.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the national box office for the week ending March 13 "was up nearly 5% from the comparable seven-day period last year" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/17).

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is 'The Hustler?'"

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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