Morning Buzz, October 7, 2003

GREEN BAY COMMITTEE TO PROPOSE PAYMENT FROM PACKERS

The GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE reports that the Green BayAdvisory Committee today will hear a request from Aldermen Dan Haefs andJohn Vander Leest “to direct themayor to negotiate with the Packers a payment in lieu of naming rights.” However, Packers Corporate Counsel JasonWied “maintains that the team has lived up to its end of the leaseagreement, which calls for the Packers to cooperate with the city in the saleof naming rights.” Wied added that the“agreement did not include any provisions for payments in lieu of namingrights” (GREENBAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 10/7).

CFL TO INTRODUCE NEW OWNER OF HAMILTON TIGER-CATS TODAY

CFL Commissioner Tom Wright will conduct a noon ETpress conference today to make an announcement regarding the HamiltonTiger-Cats, and the CP reports that Wright will introduce NC-based Lulu CEO BobYoung as “the new owner of the insolvent” team. While the Hamilton-born Young will assume control, it is notclear “whether he will be the sole owner.” Young is “reportedly a billionaire” (CP,10/7).

NCAA CABINET MAKES MEN’S AND WOMEN’S HOOPS DETERMINATIONS

USA TODAY reports that the NCAA Div. I Championships/CompetitionCabinet has “recommended the women’s basketball tournament go from 16predetermined sites for the first two rounds to eight predetermined sitesstarting” with the ’05 tournament. The reasoning: “better logistics for ESPN,which televises all the games; greater neutrality with a maximum eight teamsrather than 16 having home sites; drawing fans of more teams to helpattendance; expense reduction” (USATODAY, 10/7).

USA TODAY also reports that the group has “turned down arules committee request to adopt the trapezoidal lane” used in int’l games formen’s basketball (USATODAY, 10/7).

GREENSBORO VOTERS TO DECIDE TODAY ON MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK

The Greensboro NEWS& RECORD reports that the “biggest draw to the polls” todayin Greensboro, NC, is a ballpark referendum for the Single-A CarolinaLeague Greensboro Bats.  The ballot asks voters “whether stadiums shouldbe banned in downtown.”  Opponents say that the city should “renovate77-year-old War Memorial Stadium rather than build a new one” (Greensboro NEWS& RECORD, 10/7).

THE DAILY TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO PICK THE WORLD SERIES WINNER

Click On Image To Make Your Picks

The Daily is fueling the hype surrounding the WorldSeries by testing the prognosticating abilities of the top execs in ourindustry. Submit your World Seriesentrants, winner, number of Series games and MVP for the chance to receive theultimate honor – not a prize of monetary value, not a One-on-One feature, buteven more impressive – industry recognition! Our winner will receive special billing in the Morning Buzz, TheDaily and the Closing Bell on the day after the World Seriesconcludes with details of his or her uncanny ability to predict the outcome.

Submit your picks – including your name, title,company/affiliation/organization and email address – anytime today. Just ONE ENTRY per reader. With the NLCS starting tonight, the deadlineto submit an entry is 6:00pm ET.

MORNING BRIEFS

IOC President Jacques Rogge, defending Athens’ ’04Olympics preparations: “No city has been ready a year to the Games, andremember the Olympics are next year. The Greeks will be ready” (USA TODAY, 10/7).

The L.A. DAILY NEWSreports that Buccaneers Owner Malcolm Glazer’s chances ofpurchasing the Dodgers “are fading and that the team is seriously looking atother potential owners.”  A source said a potential deal betweenGlazer and News Corp. is “on life support,” and another source said the twosides no longer are actively negotiating (L.A.DAILY NEWS, 10/7).

76ers President & GM Billy King, on NBAexpansion: “Out of all the places they’ve talked about outside the [U.S.], Ithink Puerto Rico is the best place. The fans enjoy basketball. It’seasy to get to. The climate is suitedfor NBA basketball” (PHILADELPHIAINQUIRER, 10/7).

The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER reports that prosecutors in the KobeBryant sexual assault case could learn today if the “defense team willwaive Thursday’s preliminary hearing” (ORANGECOUNTY REGISTER, 10/7).

The BOSTON GLOBEreports that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MA is pulling $27,000 inadvertising from sports radio station WEEI-AM and donating the money toMetco – a voluntary student busing program – in the wake of radio hosts JohnDennis and Gerry Callahan’s comments comparing an escaped gorillato a Metco student waiting for a bus.  Dennis and Callahan have beensuspended for two weeks (BOSTONGLOBE, 10/7).

Following a pass that moved the Dolphins into FG position inthe fourth quarter with a 16-10 lead over the Giants, “many in the capacitycrowd of 78,863” left Sunday’s game at Giants Stadium, causing Giants TE JeremyShockey to remark, “Give up on us if you want to. If you want to leave with six minutes, leave, leave thegame. Don’t even come to the game. Give your tickets away” (NEWSDAY,10/7).

The DETROIT NEWS reports that the Detroit Jaguars, “a newclub in the 30-team, elite W-league division of the national (women’s) UnitedSoccer League, are scheduled to announce today that they will start play inWixom in the spring of 2004” (DETROITNEWS, 10/7).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• A crowd of 49,397 attended last night’s Red Sox-A’s ALDS Game Five at Network Associates Coliseum (MLB.com, 10/7).

• The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that 875 people attended the Wild’s Face-Off Luncheon yesterday, “the most in the event’s four years.” Wild VP/Communications Bill Robertson: “We had to turn away about 100 folks” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/7).

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

WTA CEO Larry Scott, Bank of America Senior VP &Sponsorship Marketing Exec Dockery Clark and WTA Tour player KimClijsters will discuss during a noon ET conference call Clijsters'participation in the November 5-10 Bank of America WTA Tour Championships atStaples Center.

The NCAA and the St. Louis Organizing Committee will conducta 12:45pm CT news conference at the Renaissance Grand Hotel to unveil the logofor the ’05 Men’s Final Four.

Standard & Poor’s will host its Cable TelevisionIndustry Seminar from 8:00am-noon ET at the McGraw-Hill Building in N.Y. Former FCC Chief of Staff Marsha MacBridewill deliver the keynote address: “Cable Television: Challenges &Opportunities.”

priszm brandz andits KFC brand announced a partnership with the CFL to introduce KFC’s BBQBoneless Wings in Canada, and select CFL players today will appear at KFClocations throughout Canada beginning at 11:30am ET to promote the new item.

IN OTHER NEWS….

The WASHINGTON POST reports that U.S. Sen. Bob Graham(D-FL) has pulled out of the race for the ’04 Democratic presidentialnomination (WASHINGTONPOST, 10/7). Earlier this year,Graham purchased the primary sponsorship of the No. 50 Ford driven by JonWood on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in an attempt to gain the vote ofthe “NASCAR Dad” (THE DAILY).

The L.A. TIMESreports that the “tumultuous [CA] recall race hurtles to a close today whenmillions of voters cast their ballots on whether to sweep Gray Davisfrom office and install a new governor to finish the remaining three years ofhis term” (L.A.TIMES, 10/7).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Authors.”

“He chose a quotation by Scott Joplin as the epigraphfor a 1975 novel.”

LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

CBS’ DavidLetterman: “You know what happened while you folks were applauding? Five more women accused Arnold ofgroping. ... The oldest woman in America has passed away. She was 115 years old. That’s amazing, isn’t it? I’m just so happy that she got to see thenew fall shows on CBS. The dear womanpassed away at 115, and the big question now is who gets her Simon and Garfunkeltickets. ... Over the weekend, they find out that a guy here in New York in aone-bedroom apartment or a studio apartment has a 400-pound tiger. He’s keeping a 400-pound tiger in hisapartment, and they got the guy and you got to give him credit. He had a pretty good excuse. He said it was the only cat big enough toscare New York rats. ... They crawled up in a window above the tiger and theyshot him with tranquilizer darts, and they were able to put him in a net andcarried him out of the building that way. I believe it’s the same way that ESPN got rid of Rush Limbaugh” ("LateShow," CBS, 10/6).

NBC’sJay Leno: “Today is Yom Kippur. It’s a day set aside for atonement, accept in California, where it’s aday set aside for libel, slander and defamation of character. ... I’m still notsure who to vote for. You got Arnold,who groped a few women, or Davis who screwed the whole state. ... Moreallegations about Arnold came out today. It turns out he was at a Democratic fundraiser a few years ago that hiswife, Maria, made him go to because she’s obviously a big Democrat, andI guess as Arnold reached under the table to touch a woman, he felt Clinton’shand coming from the other side. ... This morning I’m coming in and I’mlistening to Ozzy Osbourne on the radio. You all know Ozzy, the guy with the history of abusing drugs andsaying outrageous things. Oh no, it wasRush Limbaugh. ... Today, Rush said he would have no comment on his drugproblem until he could figure out how to blame it on the Clintons. … The Jets’ JohnAbraham was charged with drunk driving after he drove his SUV into a firehydrant and then also hit a light pole. The amazing thing is it’s the first time all year a Jets lineman has hitanything” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 10/6).

MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“Who was EL Doctorow?”

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

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