| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments In Nike v. Kasky This Morning |
| • | WNBA Yet To Confirm New CBA; Draft Date Announcement Premature |
| • | Rick Alessandri To Be Promoted To ESPN Enterprises Senior VP & GM Today |
| • | Minor League Hockey Team Owners To Announce Columbus Plans Today |
| • | NBA Commissioner David Stern Comments On New Arena For Nets |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
NIKE V. KASKY RULING COULD HAVE WIDE-RANGING IMPLICATIONS
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning in Nike v. Kasky, which asks, "Can a company be sued for alleged commercial deception because of allegedly false statements it made in response to charges about its treatment of overseas workers?"
The WASHINGTON TIMES reported that a key issue "is whether a private citizen can assume a government role, squelch speech and seek damages when he is not personally injured by the comments." The justices will vote this afternoon in a closed-door conference, and "the opinion announcing their decision is expected to be made public in late June." Constitutional lawyer Laurence Tribe leads Nike's legal team (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/21).
The HARTFORD COURANT reported that the suit "has alarmed nearly every major business group in the country. They worry that if a [CA] Supreme Court ruling supporting Kasky is upheld, corporations will be hauled into court every time someone disagrees with a comment they make about an issue in the news." Nike has the support of a group of 40 new organizations that say attempts "to include Nike's statements under the definition of corporate speech are misguided" (HARTFORD COURANT, 4/20).
Reclaim Democracy Campaign Coordinator David Cobb: "If you allow a corporation to claim constitutional protection from government, then you basically say, we the people can't control our own economics because the corporation has become the dominant institution of our time" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/20).
Nike Dir of Global Issues Management Vada Manager: "This case for us is really about a corporation's right to free speech, pure and simple. The issue boils down to the same right that individuals who criticize the company's practices have to engage in free and open debate" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/20).
WNBA REMOVES DRAFT DATE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM WEB SITE
The WNBA has yet to confirm the new five-year CBA, but the HARTFORD COURANT reports that an announcement, "originally expected Tuesday, could come today" (HARTFORD COURANT, 4/23). The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports that despite the delay, WNBPA Communications Dir Dan Wasserman said "nothing has changed" since Friday, when the union announced the two sides had an "agreement in principle." WNBA Strategic & Corporate Communications Senior Dir Traci Cook said that league lawyers are working on getting an agreement completed, but would not say whether there is an agreement in principle. While the league yesterday issued a release and posted a tentative draft date on its Web site, it was later removed without explanation (SportsBusinessJournal.com, 4/23).
RICK ALESSANDRI TO MANAGE ESPN ENTERPRISES IN NEW ROLE
ESPN will announce today that VP & Assistant to the President Rick Alessandri has been promoted to ESPN Enterprises Senior VP & GM, allowing him to focus full-time on the management of ESPN Enterprises, the initiative dedicated to extending ESPN's brand into new businesses. Alessandri will report to ESPN Exec VP John Skipper, who also oversees ESPN.com and ESPN Magazine. Alessandri had served in his most recent position since November '00 (THE DAILY).
AOL TIME WARNER TO REPORT Q1 FINANCIAL RESULTS TODAY
DAILY VARIETY reports that AOL Time Warner "will have more than first quarter earnings questions on its hands when it reports financial results today" as rumors about "imminent deals for sports teams and possibly the book publishing division have also been running high" (DAILY VARIETY, 4/23). The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that none of the prospective buyers for the sports teams "has been willing to comment on the process." Turner Sports Senior VP/Communications Greg Hughes: "We're not going to comment on specific bids, but we're still talking to a number of interested parties" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/23).
NEW MINOR LEAGUE HOCKEY TEAM EXPECTED IN COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST reported that the new owners of a minor league hockey team based in Columbus, OH, today "expect to make their plans public at a press conference." The team reportedly will play in the 5,400-seat Fairgrounds Coliseum at the Ohio Expo Center, former home to the minor league Chill, Owls and Checkers. The state already has five minor league hockey teams, as well as the NHL Blue Jackets, also based in Columbus (COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST, 4/18 issue).
MORNING BRIEFS
The U.S. Military and Naval Academies today will announce the sites of the annual Army-Navy football game for '04-08, and the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS reports that Philadelphia "is expected to hear good news." Other bidders for the games include Giants Stadium, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Baltimore. This year's game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/23).
NBA Commissioner David Stern, on the plans of Bucks Owner Herb Kohl: "He's an exacting seller. It's not about him selling the team. It's about him getting a buyer in Milwaukee. He's in no hurry" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL, 4/23).
The OTTAWA SUN reports that Biovail CEO Eugene Melnyk last night confirmed that he is "bidding in the neighborhood of [C$130M for the Senators] and the Corel Centre in two parallel negotiations which he hopes will conclude early next month." Melnyk met with Senators President Roy Mlakar and GM John Muckler yesterday to "get some details on how the Senators' operation is run" (OTTAWA SUN, 4/23).
White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who yesterday supported a proposed state law increasing the punishment for fans who enter the field of play from a $100 fine to $2,000 and mandatory jail time: "This is not a White Sox problem. It's a problem at all facilities across the country that has to be addressed. It's very, very important that we get [the number of incidents] down to zero" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/23).
The SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS reports that Cowboys reps met with San Antonio City Council members Bobby Perez and Toni Moorehouse as well as other city officials yesterday "to examine a one-year deal" for the Cowboys training camp in the Alamodome. Officials said that a new contract "could provide the city with more benefits than a prior one-year deal" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 4/23).
The Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL reports that Rosemary Homeister, Jr. will "become only the fifth woman in 129 years to ride in the Kentucky Derby" as she will ride Supah Blitz (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 4/23).
THOROUGHBRED TIMES reported that the Singapore Turf Club has "canceled the $3[M] International Cup (Sin-G1), which was slated to be the second leg of the World Series Racing Championship, over concerns" of SARS (THOROUGHBRED TIMES, 4/21).
Hollywood Park opens its four-month long meet today at 1:20pm PT, and the L.A. DAILY NEWS reports that the "starting time fits the staggered simulcast schedule" for other Churchill Downs-owned tracks – Calder Race Course in Miami, Arlington Park in Chicago and Churchill Downs – as "crosstown and interstate betting accounts for an ever-larger share of the revenue." Last year, on-track betting "accounted for fewer than [$0.20] on each dollar bet" at Hollywood Park (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 4/23).
The Baltimore SUN reports that Bob Oler, who caught Cal Ripken, Jr.'s last home run ball in Camden Yards, is auctioning the ball via IL-based auction house MastroNet. Sports memorabilia experts "have pegged its value at around $30,000" (Baltimore SUN, 4/23). As of press time, the high bid for the ball was $8,054 (THE DAILY).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- USA TODAY reports than a crowd of 36,879 attended last night's Expos home opener in Montreal against the D'Backs, the "largest Olympic Stadium crowd since 45,183 came to the 2001 home opener" (USA TODAY, 4/23).
- European professional basketball league Euroleague announced an 11.53% increase in average attendance this season from the year prior. Overall, 958,392 attended Euroleague games during the '02-03 season (THE DAILY).
- The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that T'Wolves coach Flip Saunderslisted the televised Wild-Avalanche game "as one reason Target Center failed to sell out again Tuesday, despite the fact no one knew until late Monday that the Wild would play Tuesday" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/23). Attendance for the game was 17,132 at the 19,006-seat arena (THE DAILY).
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 |
TODAY'S EVENTS
The Lions will unveil new home and road uniforms today during a 2:00pm ET press conference at Ford Field. President & CEO Matt Millen, FB Cory Schlesinger and DE Kalimba Edwards will attend (THE DAILY). For more on the Lions' new uniforms, see today's Closing Bell.
Callaway Golf will release Q1 '03 earnings this afternoon, followed by a 2:00pm PT conference call with investors and analysts (THE DAILY).
The first piece of sod will be planted at The Home Depot Center at 10:00am PT. MLS Galaxy VP/GM Doug Hamilton will be in attendance (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The L.A. TIMES reports that the Oscars will be held February 29, 2004, a "move that plops the show down right in the traditional timing territory" of the Grammy Awards. Subsequently, the Grammys are "moving up themselves, going to early February." While Billboard has reported the date as February 8, organizers said that plans "have not been finalized" (L.A. TIMES, 4/23).
NEWSDAY reports that former Cablevision Corporate Security Dir Robert Astarita yesterday "filed a $2[M] lawsuit against the company, saying [CEO] James Dolan reneged on a special retirement deal for him and then fired him" (NEWSDAY, 4/23).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that O.J. Simpson will be the feature of a 13-week reality series from TX-based Urban America TV Network that will reach the net's 75 "independent broadcast TV station affiliates starting in June. The series will chronicle Simpson's daily life in Miami using footage collected over several months of filming" in '01 and '02 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/23).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Musicals."
"The two longest running musicals in Broadway history; Cameron MacKintosh produced both of them."
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
NBC's Jay Leno: "It looks like the war with Iraq is just about over. Our troops are coming home, which is great news because we can start making fun of Bush again. ... Earlier today in Baghdad, 2,000 chanting people held an anti-George Bush rally where they accused him of colonialism and being a puppet of the American oil companies. No, I'm sorry, those are celebrities in Malibu. ... According to the Arab Times – which I get everyday – posters of Harrison Ford, Sharon Stone and George Michael were found in the headquarters of Saddam Hussein's secret police. The Sharon Stone and Harrison Ford pictures were in the main lobby and the George Michael one was in the men's room. ... American troops in Baghdad found almost $700(M) in cash stacked in a building. I didn't even know Iraq had a Starbucks. ... Here's another sign the economy is not doing well. Plastic surgery is down 12% this year. ... See, that's what they mean when they say the economy could turn ugly. ... USAir announced today they are laying off 890 flight attendants, and it was kind of cruel how they did it. They told the flight attendants to leave out the front, back or two side exits. ... A man named Robert Cheruiyot from Kenya has won the Boston Marathon. Only one American even finished in the top ten and he was driving an SUV. ... (According to the N.Y.) Daily News today, after each time Mike Piazza makes love to his Playboy playmate girlfriend, he confesses to a priest. ... Nothing to do with being Catholic. He just likes telling people he did it with a playmate. ... To celebrate his 77th birthday, Hugh Hefner took all seven women he is currently dating out to dinner. He thinks they're his girlfriends. They're six registered nurses and a paramedic" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 4/22).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
CBS' Craig Kilborn: "Happy Earth Day today. Everybody is doing their part for Earth Day. Today, Billy Joel drove an electric car into a tree. … There is some really, really bad news for Syria today. Apparently, they struck oil. … They reported that Luciano Pavarotti took his girlfriend to a restaurant and popped the question, 'Are you going to finish that?' … Madonna's new CD went on sale today, which could be her biggest seller ever. It's called, 'Buy this or I'll make another movie'" ("The Late Late Show," CBS, 4/22).
TUESDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
Last night's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" (late due to Wild-Avalanche Game 7) led with Wild-Avalanche, followed by Lakers-T'Wolves Game 2 and Maple Leafs-Flyers Game 7.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What are 'Cats' and 'Les Miserables?'"
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