| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | YES-Cablevision Deal Completed Less Than Thirty Minutes Before First Pitch |
| • | MLS To Announce TV Deal With Fox Sports World Today In N.Y. |
| • | Manchester United Announces Increased Sales Today |
| • | MD House Of Delegates To Conduct Hearing Today On Slots At Racetracks |
| • | Melnyk’s Bid For Senators Reportedly A Take-It-Or-Leave-It Price |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
YES-CABLEVISION DEAL COMPLETED WITH ELIOT SPITZER’S HELP
NEWSDAY reports that less than a half-hour before the first pitch of the Yankees’ season-opener in Toronto last night, Cablevision President James Dolan and YES Chair & CEO Leo Hindery “signed a one-year agreement that was largely but not exactly the same as the one forged 19 days earlier.” NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer “mediated the negotiations that began in earnest Saturday and continued Sunday in Spitzer’s Fifth Avenue apartment.” Hindery: “All the credit in the world goes to Eliot Spitzer. If it hadn’t come together just when it did, Roger [Clemens] would have kept throwing warm-up pitches” (NEWSDAY, 4/1). For more on the deal, see today’s issue of The Daily.
FOX SPORTS WORLD DEAL WILL TELEVISE ALL MLS PLAYOFF GAMES
MLS COO Mark Abbott and Fox Sports World/Fox Sports en Español GM David Sternberg are among those expected to participate in an 11:30am ET press conference at the News Corp. building in N.Y., and the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reported that a “multiyear TV deal with Fox Sports World and Fox Sports en Español” is expected to be announced. The TV package would feature MLS game coverage every Saturday and “is expected to include ancillary game-highlights shows.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/31 issue). With the agreement, which supplements the ABC/ESPN deal, all playoff games will be televised (AP, 3/31).
MANCHESTER UNITED REPORTS INCREASED OPERATING PROFIT
The FINANCIAL TIMES reports that Manchester United today reported a 34% drop "in interim pre-tax profit reflecting the absence of any significant player sales during the period and amortization of player registrations following the purchase of Diego Forlan and Rio Ferdinand last year." However, stripping out effects of player trading, operating profit rose [32% US$49.16M] from the previous year as the club "benefited from its merchandising deal with Nike." While Manchester United has "recently been the subject of takeover speculation by high profile investors who are also its largest shareholders," it played down the prospect of a possible hostile bid (FINANCIAL TIMES, 4/1).
SPEAKER HOLDING SLOTS HEARING MOSTLY TO PUT ISSUE TO REST
The WASHINGTON POST reports that MD House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch “will allow a committee to hold a hearing today on a proposal to legalize slot machines in [MD] but predicted that the measure ultimately would fail.” Busch, who opposes the slots bill proposed by MD Gov. Robert Ehrlich, “indicated that he was [holding the hearing] mostly to put the issue to rest.” While Ehrlich’s aides welcomed the hearing, “few were predicting that Ehrlich would win in the end” (WASHINGTON POST, 4/1).
Meanwhile, 49ers WR Terrell Owens and Rams coach Mike Martz will testify before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations at 9:30am ET as part of the 15th annual Alzheimer’s Association Public Policy Forum. Owens’s grandmother currently suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, while Martz’ mother suffered from it before passing away in ‘97 (THE DAILY).
MORNING BRIEFS
GamePlan LLC Chair Bob Caporale said “more than two” bids were submitted yesterday for the Senators. Among them is Biovail Corp. Chair Eugene Melnyk, who “refused to disclose his offer, but it made it clear it’s a take-it-or-leave-it price.” Melnyk: “I do not wish to be part of a bidding process that will further delay the purchase of the team and potentially artificially inflate its value” (OTTAWA SUN, 4/1).
The Rockies announced that Charlie Monfort has been promoted from Vice Chair to Chair & CEO, succeeding Jerry McMorris, who will serve as Vice Chair and continue to be a Managing General Partner (THE DAILY).
The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “made a quiet appearance at Great American Ball Park for Opening Day and raved about the new stadium but offered no new information on Pete Rose’s progress regarding reinstatement” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 4/1). A sellout crowd of 42,343 attended the Pirates-Reds game (THE DAILY).
The WASHINGTON POST reports the U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA) Exec Board announced that “it supports the principles” of the newly-formed World Skating Federation: athlete and coach representation, geographic representation, ethics and accountability. USFSA President Phyllis Howard: “Those principles are pretty universal and we supported them before. But we do not support the organization” (WASHINGTON POST, 4/1).
The AP reported that Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) school presidents will meet today in DC to discuss “whether the conference will take further action” against St. Bonaventure Univ. since the A-10 presidents in early March stripped the men’s basketball team of six league victories and barred it from the season’s playoffs for using an ineligible player (AP, 3/31).
The CP reported that the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders will “get a [C$2.8M] loan from the provincial government” (CP, 3/31).
FIFA announced that the Iraq-Vietnam Olympic preliminary matches April 5 and 19 have been postponed (THE DAILY).
The N.Y. TIMES reports U.S. military officials said that allied aircraft “bombed a complex that serves as the office of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee. … The lower four floors of the nine-story Olympic building were severely damaged” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/1).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The AKRON BEACON JOURNAL reports that a crowd of 19,678 attended last night’s EA Sports Roundball Classic, featuring LeBron James, at the United Center in Chicago (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 4/1).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz appeared on last night’s episode of CBS’ “Yes, Dear” as himself. Nantz, who was broadcasting the Final Four in New Orleans on the show, walked into a bar and started taking notes from show characters Jimmy and Billy for his fictional on-air broadcast. Nantz: “Sportscasters today think they’re stand-up comics. Everybody’s got to employ a little humor in their broadcast. It used to be enough just to try and call the game, but with the short attention spans and all. … You know what I mean” ("Yes, Dear," CBS, 3/31).
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 |
TODAY’S EVENTS
College Sports Television (CSTV) President & CEO Brian Bedol will discuss distribution and programming initiatives during a 1:00pm ET conference call (THE DAILY).
The WUSA will hold a media-only conference call at 4:00pm ET to preview the ’03 season. Commissioner Tony DiCicco, President & CEO Lynn Morgan, Freedom F Mia Hamm and Spirit MF Aly Wagner will participate (THE DAILY).
Mario Andretti will deliver the keynote speech at the Noria Corp.’s Lubrication Excellence 2003 conference, held at the Westin Galleria in Houston, beginning at 8:00am CT (THE DAILY).
Women’s Sports Foundation Exec Dir Donna Lopiano will deliver the keynote address at Texas Wesleyan Univ.’s annual Faye C. Goostree Women’s Symposium at 11:00am CT (THE DAILY).
Quiksilver will Webcast an investor presentation from the Banc of America Consumer Conference in N.Y. at 9:40am ET (THE DAILY).
Galyan’s Trading Company will Webcast an investor presentation from the Banc of America Consumer Conference in N.Y. at 2:30pm ET (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The Art Directors Club in N.Y. announced the winners of its 82nd annual awards, to be presented June 5. For the second consecutive year, DDB Worldwide, Chicago, part of the Omnicom Group, won the most awards, followed again by Wieden & Kennedy, Portland. DDB Chicago won six awards for work for Budweiser. Wieden & Kennedy won five for work for Nike and Miller High Life (N.Y. TIMES, 4/1).
The AP reports that AOL Time Warner has “completed its restructuring of Time Warner Entertainment, paying Comcast Corp. $3.6[B] in stock and cash for full control of assets” including Warner Bros. and HBO (AP, 4/1).
ADWEEK reported that Cablevision has “earmarked $100[M] for a marketing budget to support a December launch” of its planned satellite provider, Rainbow DBS. The assignment would “involve everything from traditional advertising and media buying to public relations, direct marketing, corporate identity and digital marketing” (ADWEEK, 3/31).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that HealthSouth has fired Chair & CEO Richard Scrushy, and “moved to replace its outside auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, as federal prosecutors made deeper inroads into the group of executives they say are responsible for massive criminal accounting fraud” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/1).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Ancient Egyptian Customs.”
“When a Pharaoh died, his heart was carved out and replaced with a stone rendering of this tiny creature.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “My name is Dave and I am back from my annual bypass. ... I had the shingles and boy those things are painful. Thirty days it took me to get over the shingles, and according to Donald Rumsfeld, that’s right on schedule. ... I was in horrible shape. I looked like Nick Nolte’s mug shot. ... There’s nothing you can do. You got to stay in the house, and so I’m in the house for like 30 days in a row, and I’m not the kind of a guy that likes hanging around the house 30 days in a row. I want to tell you something. You know you spent too much time at the house when Dr. Phil starts making sense. ... You know how they got rid of the shingles for me? Duct tape. ... Before we get any farther into the show, I want to thank Steve Martin for guest hosting the Academy Awards for me” ("Late Show," CBS, 3/31).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “Ninety degrees here in L.A. ... People were sweating like Donald Rumsfeld trying to explain his battle plan. ... Today, NBC fired pinhead Peter Arnett. He criticized the U.S. military, saying their battle plan was all wrong. But the good news is, after he said that, today he was given an honorary Oscar. ... I don’t think NBC should have made fired Peter Arnett. To teach him a lesson, they should have made him cover Arena Football. ... On Friday, the U.S. bombed Saddam Hussein’s personal luxury yacht. They blew up his yacht. See, that’s when you know Republicans are out to get you, when they blow up your yacht. ... The U.N. has decided to restart the oil for food program with Iraq. You know what you get when you combine heavy crude oil with food? Kentucky Fried Chicken. ... Marlon Brando is involved in a lawsuit. In the lawsuit he claims he has no money. He’s broke. According to court papers, three reasons were given for Brando’s lack of money: breakfast, lunch and dinner” ("Tonight Show," NBC, 3/31).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s “Top Ten” list was “Top Ten Good Things About Having Shingles” ("Late Show," CBS, 3/31).
| 10) “There’s nothing good about the (expletive) shingles. The (expletive) suckers are so (expletive) damn painful, every minute you pray some giant son-of-a-bitch will shove a red-hot poker up your ass.” |
| That was the only listing on the “Top Ten” list. |
Rangers SS Alex Rodriguez appeared on last night’s edition of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” where Leno asked him, “People make a big deal of this highest-paid player thing. You seem like a modest guy. Is that embarrassing to you?” Rodriguez: “It is embarrassing, but it’s cool. ... I’m exactly where I want to be.” Rodriguez said he’s “teamed up” with Hewlett Packard and Microsoft in “this really cool RBI program. So for each RBI that I drive in a local Boys & Girls Club will benefit by getting computers and software.” Leno: “So if you don’t get a run in, some kid will go up to you, ‘I could have gone to college, but you screwed up’” ("Tonight Show," NBC, 3/31).
Leading up to CBS’ coverage of the Final Four, CBS’ Craig Kilborn hosted his show from New Orleans last night: “Today, 500 angry protesters gathered in New Orleans, but we’re still going to do the show. … The U.S. Army kicked Geraldo Rivera out of Iraq. Why didn’t someone tell us we can kick out Geraldo? Watch this, anything I say is funny. … Sphincter. … It’s being reported that Sean Penn has his very own private biohazard suit. It was left over from when he was married to Madonna” (“The Late Late Show,” CBS 3/31).
MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 11:30pm ET “SportsCenter” led with Yankees-Blue Jays, followed by Yankees SS Derek Jeter injuring his shoulder and Red Sox-Devil Rays.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What was a scarab beetle?”
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
The Morning Buzz provides an early update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Morning Buzz, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.
