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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz, September 3, 2003

The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, September 3, 2003
9:00am ET

Callaway Golf And adidas To Bid Today In Top-Flite Auction In Delaware

Coyotes To Unveil New Logo And Uniforms Today At Arizona Mills Mall

L.A. Coliseum Commission Today To Vote On Extending 50-Year Arena Lease

Pimlico Race Course Today Begins Five-Week Meet With Tuesday-Sunday Sked

MLB To Implement Random Drug Testing In Latin America Next Season

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


CALLAWAY & ADIDAS TODAY TO SQUARE-OFF IN TOP-FLITEAUCTION

The SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reported that Callaway Golf andadidas-Salomon AG today will “square off” in an auction to acquire Top-Flite inbankruptcy court in DE. While Callaway“had reached an initial agreement to buy Top-Flite” for $125M, adidas “made alast-minute, $135[M] offer” prior to last Wednesday’s deadline. Under bankruptcy court rules, “when thereare rival offers, the bankrupt company is required to auction itself to thehightest bidder to make sure creditors get the most return” (SANDIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/30).


COYOTES TO UNVEIL NEW LOGO AND UNIFORMS AT ARIZONA MALL

The Coyotes will unveil their new logo and uniforms at5:00pm MT at the Arizona Mills Mall Food Court. Participating will be Managing Partner Wayne Gretzky,co-Owner Jerry Moyes, Chair Steve Ellman, President & COO DougMoss and Senior VP Cliff Fletcher, along with various Coyotesplayers. The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reportsthat Gretzky and other team members are “tight-lipped about revealing thechanges.” Gretzky: “What we wanted wasa fresh look and a fresh start” (ARIZONAREPUBLIC, 9/3).


L.A. COLISEUM TODAY WILL TAKE MORE STEPS TOWARDS NFL

The SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE reports that the L.A.Coliseum Commission will vote today “on whether to extend its 50-year leasewith the Coliseum and Sports Arena that expires in 2005, an expected butnecessary move” in the facility’s bid to become home to an NFL franchise. Also, Coliseum GM Pat Lynch said thatthe Coliseum's “environmental impact report on the proposed renovation isexpected to be issued by the weekend” (SANGABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 9/3).


FIVE-WEEK MEET BEGINS AT PIMLICO RACE COURSE

Live racing today returns to Pimlico Race Course for afive-week meet, and the Baltimore SUN reports that the Maryland Jockey Club“went to a Tuesday-Saturday schedule at this time last year in an effort toavoid competition with the Ravens and … Redskins, but now will be openWednesday through Sunday.” MarylandJockey Club COO Lou Raffetto: “We experimented with no Sundays becauseof football, but we found it didn’t really help us” (BaltimoreSUN, 9/3).


MORNING BRIEFS

EA Sports yesterday announced that “Madden NFL 2004” and“NCAA Football 2004” have broken sales records. “Madden” has sold more than two million units since its August 12release, and “NCAA” has sold nearly one million units since its July 17 releasedate (EA Sports).

The WASHINGTON POST reports that MLB “plans to implementrandom drug testing for hundreds of signed players in Latin America next seasonfollowing reports that many prospects in the Dominican Republic inject cheapveterinary substances to boost performance” (WASHINGTONPOST, 9/3).

The AP reported that Annika Sorenstam will join FredCouples, Phil Mickelson and Mark O’Meara in the $1M SkinsGame November 29-30 at Trilogy Golf Club in La Quinta, CA, becoming the firstwoman to play in the event (AP, 9/2).

The Blue Jays yesterday unveiled a new logo, viaToronto-based design firm Brandid and the club's advertising agency, MacLarenMcCann. The mark incorporates threecore colors: blue, metallic silver and metallic graphite, with black and whiteaccents (Blue Jays).

The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that Pistons F DarkoMilicic reached a buyout agreement in principle yesterday with his Serbianteam, Hemofarm Vrsac, calling for him to pay an undisclosed amount in sixinstallments “so that he could join the NBA” (DETROIT FREEPRESS, 9/3).

CBS Sports President Sean McManus, on not makingpersonnel changes on “The NFL Today”: “I just wanted to give our guys anotheryear together without adding any new elements, other than music, graphics and anew set. The [Rush] Limbaughchoice was obviously a decision that made sense for ESPN. But that isn’t to say in the future we’ll beadverse to doing something crazy or off-beat” (ST. PAUL PIONEERPRESS, 9/3).

The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that the Univ. of Florida andthe Univ. of Miami “have agreed to play a football game in 2008 at a neutralsite.” Raymond James Stadium, AlltelStadium, the Citrus Bowl and Pro Player Stadium “are bidding for the game.”Saturday’s game marks the last matchup between the two teams until ’08 (ORLANDOSENTINEL, 9/3).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports that U.S. Open umpire CecilHollins filed a complaint yesterday with the Equal Employment OpportunityCommission, claiming that the USTA is “guilty of systemic discrimination.” The USTA has not yet commented (N.Y.DAILY NEWS, 9/3).

Roush Racing has reached a multiyear extension with JeffBurton to continue driving the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford in the NASCAR WinstonCup Series (Roush Racing).

Hendrick Motorsports has reached a deal with 19-year-old BrianVickers to drive the No. 25 GMAC Chevy in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in’04, making Vickers the youngest full-time competitor in the history ofNASCAR’s top series (Hendrick Motorsports).

DEI has signed John Andretti to drive the No. 1Pennzoil Chevy on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series beginning with this weekend’srace (DEI).

USA TODAY reports that federal government study released bythe NCAA shows that a “record 62% of all scholarship athletes who arrived asfreshmen in 1996 graduated within six years.” African-American athletes made the “most notable strides, setting highsalmost across the board. Their overallgrad rate rose from 48% a year ago to 52%, eclipsing the 41% rate for blacks inthe overall student body” (USATODAY, 9/3).

The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that the Thrashers todaywill announce the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators as the club’s Class AAaffiliate. Three or four Thrashersprospects “will be on the Gwinnett roster.” Previously, the ECHL Greenville Grrrowl was the club’s Class AAaffiliate (ATLANTACONSTITUTION, 9/3).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

  • The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that a crowd of 6,594 attended last night’s WNBA Monarchs-Comets Game Three at Compaq Center, where the Monarchs eliminated the Comets with a 70-68 victory (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/3).
  • The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that an announced crowd of 6,000 attended last night’s WNBA Rockers-Shock Game Three at The Palace, but that figure is accurate “only if it was Schizophrenic Night. There might have been 2,000. And that’s disgraceful” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/3).
  • The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that a crowd of 15,119 attended last night’s Royals-Rangers game at The Ballpark in Arlington, the “second-smallest crowd in the 10-year history” of the venue (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/3).
  • The S.F. CHRONICLE reports that a crowd of 39,419 attended last night’s Rockies-Giants game at Pac Bell Park, “short of a sellout, breaking the Giants string of 34” consecutive sellouts (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/3).
  • The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE reports that a crowd of 10,327 attended last night’s Pirates-Marlins game at Pro Player Stadium, where Dontrelle Willis lost his fourth consecutive decision. The crowd was “about 16,000 fewer than the Marlins have averaged when Willis is on the mound” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/3).

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. Post
N.Y. Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News

TODAY’S EVENTS

Fox Sports will conduct a 1:00pm ET conference call todiscuss the ’03 NFL season. Fox SportsChair & CEO David Hill, President Ed Goren and “Fox NFLSunday” Coordinating Producer Scott Ackerson and “Fox NFL Sunday” talentTerry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson willparticipate.

Sod installation at Petco Park begins today, and the processis expected to be completed by Saturday.

Due to weather, the USTA postponed last night’s scheduled MichaelChang retirement ceremony at Arthur Ashe Stadium to tonight (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 9/3).

Various NFL Alumni, The Home Depot and KaBOOM! will build afootball-themed playground at Hunter Pines Apartments in southeast DC at10:00am ET, as part of NFL Kickoff Live 2003. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, KaBOOM! Co-founder &CEO Darell Hammond and former Redskins Darrell Green and MarkMoseley will participate in an 11:00am ET press conference at theplayground site.


IN OTHER NEWS….

The HOLLYWOODREPORTER notes that McDonald’s has inked a two-year deal with pop star JustinTimberlake, under which he will be the spokesperson for the new “I’m Lovin’It” campaign. The deal “ties Timberlaketo commercials, concerts and charity efforts” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 9/3).

EchoStar Communications yesterday announced that its DISHNetwork has surpassed nine million customers (EchoStar).


FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was"Pulitzer Prize Winning Books."

“One of its title studies is Sen. Edmund Ross’ 1868vote against convicting President Andrew Johnson.”


LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

NBC’sJay Leno: “Welcome to California, or as we call it, the NewFlorida. You know, this state, now $38Bin debt, and here’s how we solve it. I’m surprised none of the candidates thought of this. We buy a gas station; 48 hours later, we’reeven. Anybody buy gas this week? $2.20 a gallon for regular. Didn’t we win the war? Shouldn’t it be like 50 cents? … Man it washot today, I was sweating like Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to buy upall the back issues of “Oui” magazine. Apparently 26 years ago, so its relevant, Arnold gave an interview to“Oui” magazine where he talked about his sex life and all this stuff. But the good news is, as you know Arnold ismarried to Maria Shriver, so now that he has finally had a sex scandalthe Kennedy family has finally accepted him. Arianna Huffington wants todebate Arnold. I can’t wait to seethat, it will be like a bad episode of Boris and Natasha from Rocky andBullwinkle. … Saturday, President Bush returned from his three-weekvacation. Just in time for the longholiday weekend. … Its back to school time, this week all the kids are back inclass. Unless of course you playfootball at Ohio State, then you can phone it in. … Police in Texas arrested a91-year-old man for robbing a bank. Youknow how they caught him? He forgotwhere he parked the getaway car. He isasking to be extradited to Florida where he’ll be tried as a juvenile” (“TonightShow,” NBC, 9/2).


TUESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN’s11:00pm 60-minute editionof “SportsCenter” led with a report OH State Univ. RB Maurice Clarett'ssuspension will last the entire '03 season, followed by the Cardinals-Cubsdoubleheader, and Red Sox-White Sox, highlighted by the Red Soxbenching RF Manny Ramirez for last night’s game.


FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What is ‘Profiles In Courage?’”


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

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