| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, June 13, 2003
9:00am ET | |
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| • | FL State Univ. Trustees To Be Presented Today With Athletic Dept. Review |
| • | ACC Expansion: VA Attorney General Jerry Kilgore Joins Big East Lawsuit |
| • | MLB.com’s Digital Classic Service Allows Fans To Download Game Video |
| • | Spike Lee Wins Ruling Against Viacom Barring TNN Name Change To Spike TV |
| • | America’s Cup Organizers Narrow List Of Potential 2007 European Sites To Five |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
REVIEW TO RECOMMEND SWEEPING CHANGES TO FSU ATHLETICS
The AP reported that FL State Univ. trustees today will “hear recommendations for sweepingchanges in the athletic department and a shakeup of the school’s athletic boardin the wake of a gambling investigation.” Tallahassee-based education consulting firm MGT of America will delivera report with “more than 50 recommendations for operational changes,” and it isexpected that some university officials “will be reprimanded as a result of thereview,” which cost the school $37,000. One source said, “The major thrust of the report is the athleticdepartment has not been a part of the university. The idea is to bring it back into the university” (AP, 6/12).
NO DECISION ON ACC EXPANSION; SHALALA WORKING THEPHONES
ESPN.com reported that CT Attorney General RichardBlumenthal made another attempt yesterday “to thwart the ACC’s expansion by filing a motion inHartford Superior Court to expedite discovery in the lawsuit filed” by five BigEast schools. VA Attorney General JerryKilgore also added his name to the lawsuit, putting him “squarely on theside of Virginia Tech in a legal battle between two state universities” (ESPN.com, 6/12).
USATODAY reports that ACC presidents are “considering the possibility ofnot splitting into divisions in sports other than football.” Duke Univ. President Nan Keohane andUNC Chancellor James Moeser “expressed concerns in recent days thatexpansion would lead to longer travel and missed class time” (USA TODAY, 6/13).
The MIAMI HERALD reports that Univ. of Miami President DonnaShalala “has been working the phones lobbying for support.” Shalala is “worried an invitation to jointhe [ACC] might not come” (MIAMIHERALD, 6/13).
DIGITAL CLASSIC SERVICE OFFERS FANS DOWNLOADS OF MLBGAMES
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that MLB is offering a$3.95-per-game service on MLB.com, Digital Classic, which allows fans to“download video of an entire game to be viewed on their computer or burned to aCD.” The service got a trial runyesterday when 201 fans purchased video of the Astros’ six-pitcher no-hitteragainst the Yankees. The service willbe offered again when Yankees P Roger Clemens earns his 300thcareer victory, which could come today against the Cardinals. Fans can “pay in advance for the Clemensgame, and then be e-mailed when he wins; around 190 fans had done so by lateThursday afternoon” (WALLSTREET JOURNAL, 6/13).
SPIKE TV ON HOLD AS FILMMAKER WINS RULING AGAINST VIACOM
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports that Spike TV today will appeala ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub, who yesterday“issued a preliminary injunctionbarring parent company Viacom from changing TNN’s name to Spike TV onMonday.” Filmmaker Spike Leesued the network, charging that it “is trying to capitalize on his name.” Tolub: “What appears, at first blush, to bean exercise in egocentricity, becomes on closer review an earnest attempt by aprominent personality to limit what he regards as the commercial exploitationof his public persona.” Tolub “orderedLee to post a $500,000 bond to pay damages or costs incurred by Spike TV if thenetwork wins” the appeal (N.Y. DAILYNEWS, 6/13).
MORNING BRIEFS
MULTICHANNEL NEWS reported that Time Warner Cable will offerYES a la carte to its 1.2 million NY- and NJ-area subscribers as of July29. The option would “reduce by $1 thebill of any subscriber who wants to drop YES” (MULTICHANNELNEWS, 6/12).
The WASHINGTON POST reports that America’s Cup organizershave “narrowed the list of potential sites for the 2007 regatta to five, with adecision due by December 15 at the latest.” The finalists are Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Marseilles, France; Lisbon,Portugal; Naples, Italy; and Valencia, Spain (WASHINGTONPOST, 6/13).
The TORONTO SUN reports that CFL Argonauts Owner SherwoodSchwarz is “talking seriously” with two groups of local investors “aboutteaming up to stabilize the team’s financial future.” The partnership is likely to be announced “in two to threeweeks,” and sources said that the groups are “willing to put up at least $6[M]and plan to become heavily involved in the management of the [team]” (TORONTOSUN, 6/13).
The Coyotes yesterday announced the halfway point onconstruction of Glendale Arena has been reached. With approximately seven months remaining until the arena opens,the team also reports that it is on track to set the record for the fastestbuilt arena of its kind in the country (THE DAILY).
The MLS Fire and AEG yesterday pared the list of potentialsuburban stadium locations in half, selecting four sites to join Chicago on thelist of communities who will discuss developing a 20,000-25,000-seatstadium. The selected sites are insouthwest suburban Bridgeview, west suburban Hanover Park, northwest suburbanHoffman Estates and Elgin (THE DAILY).
The PALM BEACH POST reports that NASCAR driver JeffGordon yesterday “regained his title as a single man … by paying anundisclosed share of his fortune in winnings and investments to end a bitterdivorce contest” with his ex-wife Brooke. While the union was “officially dissolved with a four-page finaljudgment” filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the separate settlementagreement “was not recorded with the court” (PALMBEACH POST, 6/13).
The DETROIT FREEPRESS reports that the obstruction of justice charges against Kings F ChrisWebber and his father, Mayce, were dropped because of the death offormer Univ. of MI booster Ed Martin. A July trial date was set for a perjury case against the Webbers (DETROIT FREEPRESS, 6/13).
The AP reports that preliminary figures released this monthby the National Ski Areas Association show that ski resorts nationwide areexpected to “tally 57.6 million skiers and snowboarders for the season,” afigure that would “best the record 57.3 million set in 2000-2001” (AP, 6/13).
Gatorade yesterday announced that it will present theinaugural Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year award to the nation’s bestoverall male and female high school athletes. The winners will be announced in Hollywood July 16, prior to the ESPYAwards (THE DAILY).
The ACHL yesterday announced that the Huntsville ChannelCats have joined the league. The teamwill begin play in the ’03-04 season at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL(THE DAILY).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- Last night’s AHL Finals Game Seven between the Houston Aeros and the Hamilton Bulldogs drew a crowd of a 17,428 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, the largest crowd ever for an AHL playoff game (THE DAILY).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
| | |
| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
WWE will host an 11:00am ET conference call to discuss itsfiscal Q4 ’03 results for the quarter ending April 30. Additionally, the announcement will be Webcast (THE DAILY).
The Devils will ring the NYSE Closing Bell at 4:00pm ET (THEDAILY).
WNSA-FM, Boulevard Mall and Marcel Dionne Enterprises, Ltd.will present the third annual WNSA Sports Symposium today and tomorrow inBuffalo. The symposium offers fans theopportunity to relive the area’s greatest sports moments, as well al listen tosports personalities talk about the present and future state of sports in theregion. WNSA is the Sabres’ flagshipradio station (THE DAILY).
The Eagles will host a job fair from noon-5:00pm ET at thePhiladelphia Marriott to recruit “seasonal employees to work during footballgames and other events” at Lincoln Financial Field. The fair continues tomorrow from 10:00am-5:00pm (PHILADELPHIAINQUIRER, 6/13).
Darlington Raceway President Andrew Gurtis and NorthCarolina Speedway EVP & GM Chris Browning will conduct a joint pressconference from Darlington Raceway at 12:15pm ET to announce the tracks’ ‘04NASCAR Winston Cup schedule (THE DAILY).
California Speedway President Bill Miller willconduct a press conference from the speedway in Fontana, CA, at 10:00am PT toannounce the track’s ‘04 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule (THE DAILY).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…..
Every Friday, the MorningBuzz highlights a video clip, chart or piece of information that might havefallen through the cracks. This week, although Miller Lite has canceled the “CatfightGirls” commercial series, stars Kitana Baker and Tanya Ballingerdid an admirable job last night promoting the brewer, in addition to displayinga bit of sports acumen on CBS’ “The Late Late Show” (THE DAILY).
INOTHER NEWS….
A TNS/Media Intelligence/CMR study revealed that total U.S.ad spending rose to $28.5B in Q1 ’03, an approximate 5% increase from the sameperiod last year. Cable ad spending sawan 18% increase to $2.5B (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 6/13).
MULTICHANNEL NEWS reported that the National Cable &Telecommunications Association yesterday elected its BOD (MULTICHANNELNEWS, 6/12). The following arethe members:
| NCTA Position | |
| Chair | Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt |
| Vice Chair | Comcast President & CEO Brian Roberts |
| Secretary | Cablevision President/Cable & Communications Tom Rutledge |
| Treasurer | A&E TV Networks CEO Nicolas Davatzes |
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Museums.”
“The detail seen here is from a painting in this museum.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
CBS’ DavidLetterman: “Do you know what Sunday is? Father’s Day. It’s a lot of fun,but it’s a dangerous day for dad with that lethal combination of alcohol andnew power tools. Father’s Day is theday we thank dad for a lifetime of support by giving him another Tom Brokawbook. Do yourself a favor. Dad does not want a tie. Dad does not want one of those singingfish. Dad does not want the OldSpice. Here’s what you do. If you want to make dad really happy forFather’s Day, give him a $100 in singles and send him to a strip club. ...Women seem to love to buy Hillary’s book. As a matter of fact, even Winona Ryder paid for it. … Acouple of days ago here in New York, Hillary Clinton had a book signing atBarnes & Noble and like 1,200 people showed up. She signed so many copies of the book that she had a blister onher right hand, and it was so bad, that the next night she had to slap Billwith her left. Doctors told Hillary tosoak it in warm water, bandage it and rest it for a week. No, wait a minute. That’s what they told Bill” ("Late Show," CBS, 6/12).
NBC’ JayLeno: “The Los Angeles City Council is going to vote within the next weekwhether to ban lap dancing. These arethe kind of issues that effect Angelinos. They want to make lap dancing illegal, especially if you get a lap dancefrom an infected prairie dog. ... Bill Clinton said today he has read Hillary’sbook five times. This guy can’t tellthe truth to save himself. I didn’tread my own book five times. Maybe it’strue because he’s writing his own book. He has to make sure their stories are straight. ... According to arecent survey, 25% of women believe that Martha Stewart does all of herown housework. Martha said today shewould like to find out who these women are and get them on her jury. ... Iraqnow has their first boy band. I thinkwe stopped the bombing a little too early, apparently. I think they’re called N’ Sheep. ...According to the International Labor Organization, one half of the populationof the world lives on $2 a day. I hadno idea Nike was that big. ... Last night, a record was set when the Yankeeswere no-hit by six Houston Astros pitchers. The Yankees couldn’t get a hit off six separate guys. George Steinbrenner was so mad today,he called immigration and had the entire infield deported. In fact, you want to get those Yankees dadssomething for Father’s Day, you might want to try some corked bats. ... MajorLeague Baseball cut Sammy Sosa’s eight-game suspension for using acorked bat down to just seven, but the suspension starts immediately and today,the Cubs said without Sammy in the lineup, they’re just going to lean a littlebit more on their other superstar players like... I guess they’re screwed” ("TonightShow," NBC, 6/12).
LATENIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list was “Top Ten Things You Don’t WantTo Hear From Your Kids On Father’s Day” ("Late Show," CBS, 6/12).
| 10) “They were out of ties, so I got a prairie dog with monkeypox.” |
| 9) “We know you’re 39, but we’re still putting you in a home.” |
| 8) “I’d have gotten a card, but it turns out they’re like $1.98.” |
| 7) “Meet my new girlfriend, Harvey Fierstein.” |
| 6) “We all chipped in and got you a less humiliating hairpiece.” |
| 5) “Technically, we should be giving these gifts to the UPS guy.” |
| 4) “Last year’s World’s Greatest Dad mug has been recalled because of the lead paint.” |
| 3) “Maybe if you hadn’t drunk my tuition I wouldn’t be working at Radio Shack.” |
| 2) “With each passing year, you look more like David Letterman.” |
| 1) “I bought you mom’s book about your affair with Monica.” |
CBS’ CraigKilborn: “Former pop star Adam Ant arrested in a London pub forstripping off his pants. In a relatedstory, VH1 is starting a new show, ‘We Don’t Care Where They Are Now.” … Thisweek, Jennifer Lopez dumped both her manager and her agent. They never saw it coming because she didn’tmarry them first. … A beachside resort has opened in Cancun exclusively forobese people. In a related story,Cancun has a new slogan: ‘We’re out of cheesecake’” (“The Late Late Show,”CBS, 6/12).
THURSDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” led with the first roundof the U.S. Open, followed by Astros-Yankees and Braves-A's.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is the Prado?”
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