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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz, July 1, 2003

The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, July 1, 2003
9:00am ET

Four Teams Have Major Cap Space As NBA Free Agency Period Begins Today

Potential Labor Strife To Be A Factor As NHL Free Agency Period Opens Today

NCAA To Announce Host Cities For Bevy Of Final Fours Today

MLB Officials To Meet Today With DC Council Member Jack Evans On Expos

Univ. Of Miami Cites Financial, Geographic Reasons For Big East Defection

Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy!


NBA PLAYERS MIGHT HAVE TO ACCEPT PAY CUTS AS FREEAGENTS

The NBA free agency negotiation period begins today withplayers allowed to sign contracts July 16, and the Portland OREGONIAN reportedthat the league’s financial landscape“has changed dramatically in the past two years, and the cold realities of thesalary cap and luxury tax will force many free agents – including a few bignames – to accept hefty pay cuts.” Onlyfour teams – the Nuggets, Clippers, Spurs and Jazz – have “enough money underthe salary cap to make a run at marquee players. How those teams decide to spend their money will have a rippleeffect on the remaining free agent market” (PortlandOREGONIAN, 6/30).


NHL OWNERS HAVE CAUSE TO AVOID LONG-TERM FREE AGENT DEALS

The NHL free agency signing period begins today, and theL.A. TIMES notes that NHL owners “may be keeping their checkbooks closed thistime around. … With the NHL looking at potential labor strife, once theleague’s [CBA] expires in September 2004, teams have good reason to avoidlong-term deals. Especially if the NHLgets its way and imposes a $35[M] salary cap” (L.A.TIMES, 7/1).

The WASHINGTON POST notes that a “weak economic climate isexpected to cause several teams to decline to issue qualifying offers, thuscreating an unusual bulk of unrestricted free agents, including many youngerthan the normal 31-year-old cutoff” (WASHINGTONPOST, 7/1).


TOTAL OF SEVEN FINAL FOURS TO BE AWARDED BY NCAA TODAY

The NCAA today will conduct a 2:00pm CT conference call toannounce the host cities for the ‘08-11 Men’s Final Fours and ’08-10 Women’sFinal Fours. Vying to host the fourmen’s events are Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, St. Louis and SanAntonio. Tampa, Denver, St. Louis andSan Antonio are finalists for the three women’s events (THE DAILY). The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE notes thatNew Orleans is not competing for the ’11 Men’s Final Four “because of acitywide convention already scheduled” (NewOrleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/1).


DC COUNCIL MEMBER TO MEET WITH MLB OFFICIALS TODAY

The WASHINGTON POST reports that three MLB officials,including Exec VP/Administration John McHale Jr., will meet today withDC Council member Jack Evans to discuss relocation plans for theExpos. Evans last week “vowed to blockany vote on the $339[M] ballpark construction plan proposed” by Mayor AnthonyWilliams unless the league designates DC as “its preferred choice for theExpos’ new home” (WASHINGTONPOST, 7/1).


BECKHAM’S MEDICAL EXAM TO BE SPONSORED BY HEALTH COMPANY

DavidBeckham arrived todayin Madrid for his medical exam with Real Madrid, and the London SUN reportsthat Spanish private health company Sanitas has “paid an incredible [$413,229]for the privilege” of sponsoring the workout. The exam will be “screened on Real’s own TV station this afternoon andhas been arranged to coincide with primetime in the Far East, a market the club[is] desperately trying to crack” (London SUN,7/1).


MORNING BRIEFS

The Univ. of Miami yesterday announced that it is defectingfrom the Big East to join the ACC, beginning with the ’04-05 academicyear. Miami officials “cited financial,academic, athletic and geographic reasons.” Miami President Donna Shalala: “I don’t want to pretend moneywasn’t a factor, because that would be disingenuous of us. We have a comprehensive athletic departmentand there were several factors that went into this decision, one of them beingmoney” (MIAMIHERALD, 7/1).

Host Communications yesterday announced a five-yearextension of its commitment to hold the got milk? 3v3 Soccer Shootout NationalFinals at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, FL. This year’s finals mark the fifthconsecutive year the sports facility will host the event. The ’03 tour is scheduled to visit 65 citiesin 35 states (THE DAILY).

The NAIA yesterday closed on the purchase of a piece of landin Olathe, KS, on which the organization plans to build its new HQs, which willconsist of a 35,000-square-foot administration building on a 6.4 acre campus (THEDAILY).

NJSEA President & CEO George Zoffinger yesterdaysaid that about 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the Italian Super Cupgame between Italian soccer clubs Juventus and AC Milan at Giants StadiumAugust 3 (N.Y.TIMES, 7/1).

The AP reported that 49ers WR Terrell Owens andSharpie today in Atlanta will “begin a nationwide charity campaign bringingmoney and supplies to schools.” Owens,who used a Sharpie to sign a football during a “MNF” game last year, said,“When this all started, I was just having some fun with the game. But now I have the chance to make adifference with kids in my hometown and all over the country” (AP, 6/30).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

  • The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reports that the crowd of 23,323 attending last night’s Cubs-Phillies game at Veterans Stadium included a walk-up of about 4,500. By comparison, the team averaged a walk-up of 2,100 during a Tuesday-Thursday Braves series two weeks ago (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/1).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The second Annual Bigg Snoop Dogg Celebrity CharityBasketball Game was held Saturday at Long Beach Poly High School, Snoop’sformer high school. Participants includedWizards G Bryon Russell and Rockets F Jauquin Hawkins. Proceeds benefited Snoop Dogg’s Save A LifeFoundation as well as the high school (AP,7/1).


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
Philadelphia Daily News

TODAY’S EVENTS

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem will host a noon CTpress conference at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, IL, to reviewactions from last night’s policy board meeting (THE DAILY).

Tennis Magazine and British Airways, along with Rolex WatchUSA, are staging the Tennis Magazine Wimbledon Experience today throughThursday in N.Y.’s Grand Central Station. The re-creation of Wimbledon’s side court experience is complete withartificial grass courts, player seats, display towers, court walls and benchlogos. The venue also featuresinteractive areas and merchandise for sale (TENNIS MAGAZINE).

Three local developers will unveil their redevelopment plansfor the 127-acre Pontiac Silverdome site at 4:00pm ET at Pontiac CentralHigh. View a summary ofeach proposal (DETROIT FREEPRESS, 6/26).

ESPN Senior VP/Corporate Communications & Outreach RosaGatti will receive the Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award at the CoSIDAWorkshop in Cleveland. The award ispresented to an individual who has made a lasting contribution tointercollegiate athletics, has demonstrated a long and consistent commitment toexcellence and has been a loyal supporter of CoSIDA (THE DAILY).

Warner Home Video and NHL Productions today will beginselling “New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup: 2002-2003 Champions,” a collector’sedition DVD and VHS, on Warner Home Video’s Website (THE DAILY).

The Tennis Channel debuts on all Time Warner Cable systemsin Southern CA as part of the digital sports tier (L.A.DAILY NEWS, 6/29).

The Bobby Orr HOF opens to the public today, Canada Day, inParry Sound, Ontario (THE DAILY).


INOTHER NEWS….

USA TODAY reports that the Vivendi Universal BOD will meettoday to “winnow out some of the initial offers submitted last week” forVivendi Universal Entertainment. Liberty Media, NBC, MGM, Viacom and private equity groups led by EdgarBronfman, Jr. and Marvin Davis are among the interested parties (USATODAY, 7/1).

MULTICHANNEL NEWS reported that MGM has “agreed to sell its20% interest” in AMC, The Independent Film Channel (IFC) and WE: Women’sEntertainment back to Cablevision for $500M. MGM paid Cablevision roughly $825M in cash for 20% of four Cablevisionnetworks – AMC, Bravo, IFC and WE – in ’01. MGM received $250M in cash “when Cablevision sold Bravo” to NBC lastyear (MULTICHANNELNEWS, 6/30).

DAILY VARIETY reports that Clear Channel Communications willdistribute “Music Guide Live!,” an ad-sponsored magazine “at its radio eventsand concerts in more than 30 markets” in the U.S. The magazine will not be “unlike the Playbills given out attheater performances: small-size pages that will share advertising with info onartists and performances.” A similarmagazine “tied to sports events will reach 70 markets this summer” (DAILYVARIETY, 7/1).


FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Five-LetterWords.”

“Term for an opinion or edict issued by a mufti or ulama; afamous one was issued in 1989.”


MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN2’s 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” led with a report thatBaylor Univ. basketball player Patrick Dennehy was shot and killed by aformer teammate, followed by Giants LF Barry Bonds’commentsabout Cardinals 3B Albert Pujols’on-field performance and hislack of a defined position, and Giants-Cardinals.


FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What is a fatwa?”


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

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