| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | Legal Analysts Expect More Surprises As Bryant Prelim Hearing Resumes Today |
| • | BCS Conference Commissioners To Meet Today In Chicago To Review Options |
| • | National Association Of Basketball Coaches To Hold Mandatory Meeting Today |
| • | McCourt’s Transition Team To Meet With Dodgers Today At Dodger Stadium |
| • | Murdoch Foreshadows Taking Tough Stance When MLB Deal Is Up For Renewal |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
PRELIMINARY HEARING IN KOBE BRYANT CASE TO RESUME TODAY
The preliminary hearing in the Kobe Bryant sexualassault case resumes today at 9:00am MT in Eagle, CO, and the L.A. TIMES reportsthat “six days after a drama-filled, five-hour session ended in fireworks,legal analysts are expecting more incendiary surprises” from Bryant’s defenseattorneys. How much of the testimony“the public will be privy to, however, won’t be decided until moments beforethe preliminary hearing resumes” (L.A.TIMES, 10/15). Attorneys forboth sides are scheduled to meet in private with Eagle County Judge FrederickGannett at 8:15am MT (VAILDAILY, 10/15).
BCS CONFERENCE COMMISSIONERS TO MEET TODAY IN CHICAGO
USA TODAY reported that commissioners of the six BCSconferences will meet today and tomorrow in Chicago “to assess options rangingfrom a simple extension of the current format to expansion of the four-bowllineup and the loosening of criteria for qualifying teams. An undefeated league champion, for example,could be guaranteed a berth in what one official termed a ‘Cinderella clause’”(USA TODAY, 10/14).
COLLEGE HOOPS COACHES TO DISCUSS RECENT SCANDALS TODAY
The WASHINGTON POST reports that college basketball coaches“are being marched into a Chicago hotel today to discuss how to repair damagedone by a slew of scandals.” The badpublicity the profession has received in the past year “has spurred theNational Association of Basketball Coaches to take the unprecedented step ofordering all 327 Division I head basketball coaches to attend a three-hour‘mandatory summit,’ or lose their allotment of NCAA Final Four tickets.” NCAA President Myles Brand and formerUNC coach Dean Smith are expected to speak (WASHINGTONPOST, 10/15).
BUSCH, GRAZIANO TO DISCUSS DODGERS’ OPERATING PLAN TODAY
The L.A. TIMES reports that Frank McCourt’s transition team is scheduled tomeet with Dodgers execs today at Dodger Stadium. Corey Busch, a former MLB exec who is now a member of McCourt’sgroup, will “review the club’s operating plans for next season and discussother issues” with Dodgers President Bob Graziano. A vote on the Boston real estate developer’s$430M agreement in principle to purchase the Dodgers from News Corp. “isexpected to occur in mid-November” (L.A.TIMES, 10/15).
MORNING BRIEFS
DAILY VARIETY reports that News Corp. Chair RupertMurdoch yesterday “described theprices being paid for sports rights as ‘terrifying,’ and foreshadowed taking atough stance when Fox’s deal with [MLB] comes up for renewal.” Murdoch: “If we renew it, it will be for amuch more economic price” (DAILYVARIETY, 10/15).
The ST. PETERSBURGTIMES reports that the Phillies yesterday hired HOF 3B Mike Schmidtas the manager of their Single A affil, the Clearwater (FL) Phillies. Theteam opens a new 7,000-seat ballpark next year and “needs ahigh-profile manager to help fill the stands” (ST.PETERSBURG TIMES, 10/15).
The BOSTON GLOBE reports that two days after accepting aformal invitation to join the ACC, “Boston College and its [AD], GeneDeFilippo, were named as defendants yesterday along with four ACC officers inthe second lawsuit filed by four Big East football schools seeking unspecifieddamages over the ACC expansion” (BOSTONGLOBE, 10/15).
The PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS reports that Temple Univ. AD BillBradshaw yesterday “confirmed published reports that the [Big East] hasdiscussed the possibility of going to nine teams for football in the future” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS,10/15).
The TAMPA TRIBUNEreports that the Conference USA BOD yesterday authorized Commissioner BrittonBanowsky to “extend invitations to Southern Methodist, Rice, Tulsa,Central Florida and Marshall as new members.” Several currentC-USA teams are expected to be invited to join other conferences (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/15).
USA TODAY notes that LPGAer Se Ri Pak will play inthe Korean men’s tour SBS Championship next week (USA TODAY, 10/15).
The WASHINGTON POST reports that at the monthly MD RacingCommission meeting at Laurel Park yesterday, an unscheduled forum to “discussthe closing of the Pimlico Race Course stable area this winter as well as theeviction of 13 trainers from the Bowie Training Center, exploded in charges ofracism and discrimination against the Maryland Jockey Club” (WASHINGTONPOST, 10/15).
The L.A. TIMES reports that Oscar De La Hoya’s GoldenBoy Promotions, “which will hold its first pay-per-view show” November 22 atthe Grand Olympic Auditorium in L.A., “will go head up against two other boxingshows aimed primarily at Latino fight fans the same night.” De La Hoya: “There’s food for everyone to goaround, let’s put it that way. But inthe future we do have to organize it better” (L.A.TIMES, 10/15).
In a front-page sports story, USA TODAY reports that recentcases of staph infections on high school, college and pro football teams “havebeen reported from Wisconsin to California to Texas to Florida,” and the NCAAon Monday “issued an ‘alert on skin infections’ to schools.” The National Federation of State High SchoolAssociations will “send a similar alert this week to high school sports bodies”(USATODAY, 10/15).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reports that a crowd of 39,577 attended last night’s Marlins-Cubs NLCS Game Six at Wrigley Field (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/15).
- The BOSTON GLOBE reports that a crowd of 34,619 attended yesterday’s Yankees-Red Sox ALCS Game Five at Fenway Park (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/15).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
President George W. Bush, on Spurs Chair PeterHolt during yesterday’s Rose Garden Ceremony honoring the club for winningthe ’02-03 NBA Championship: “(Holt) turned out to be a pretty good owner –better than the Texas Rangers’ former ownership” (SANANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 10/15).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Post |
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| N.Y. Daily News | N.Y. Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
The Long Island City Business Development Corp. will host an8:00am ET panel discussion at the DeVry Institute of Technology on NYC2012’sprogress. Panel members include NYC2012Dir of Community Outreach Brenda Levin, Managing Dir of Sports WendyHilliard, Planning Consultant Marcie Kesner and architect ScottSchomburg. Cost is $30 for membersand $35 for nonmembers (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/14).
UT Valley State College officials will formally announceconstruction plans for a new baseball stadium on its campus for the Single-APioneer League Provo Angels (DESERET NEWS, 10/14).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES reports that if the ALCS between the Yankeesand Red Sox goes to a seventh game, NBC will replace its “Thursday night showswith what are likely to be low-rated repeats” (N.Y. TIMES,10/15).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that News Corp. yesterday“reiterated that it expected [8-12%] growth in operating income this year andforecast that its 6-month old Italian pay TV unit Sky Italia would startturning a profit within 18 months with very steep growth after that” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 10/15).
REUTERS reports that Bank of America’s Q3 ’03 profit rose31%, “topping analyst estimates, as mortgage banking income tripled and profitgrew in all its major businesses.” Netincome rose from $2.24B in the same period a year earlier to $2.92B, whilerevenue rose 14% to $9.92B (REUTERS,10/15).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Ancient Texts.”
“Archaeologist Richard Lepsius gave this name to acollection of spells, hymns and prayers to deities like Ra.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
CBS’ DavidLetterman: “Winter is just around the corner, and I’ll give you an example:On my lunch hour today, I said I wanted to take advantage of the last falldays, so I went up to Central Park to have my lunch, and I’m walking throughCentral Park, and I see a squirrel gathering prescription painkillers and puttingthem in his cheeks. ... How about that baseball game last night, Boston and theYankees? ... I mean, pretty good from the standpoint only three playershospitalized. Fox Television got a TVspecial out of that Don Zimmer episode with Pedro. I believe it’s called ‘When Old GuysAttack.’ ... Osama bin Laden apparently now has turned over the runningof al Qaeda to his son, and the kid’s name is, Gary? ... The kid says that hewill be more accessible than his father, and he told his followers, ‘My cave isalways open’” ("Late Show," CBS, 10/14).
NBC’sJay Leno: “You want an update on the Red Sox-Yankees game? Here’s the update: 1,500 dead, 200 wounded.... President Bush wants to make it easier now for Cubans to get intothe United States, and I think his heart’s in the right place, but you know,sometimes his solutions can be a little simplistic. Like right now, he’s asking all Americans to throw their usedtires into the ocean. ... Indonesia considering drafting a new set of laws thatwould outlaw both extramarital sex and witchcraft. ... That’s like Billand Hillary’s worse nightmare. ... The New York Daily News reportingthat Nike may be dropping Kobe from his endorsement contract. But the good news is, he’s now the officialspokesman for Zale Jewelers” ("Tonight Show," NBC, 10/14).
LATENIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Surprises In The BarbaraWalters Interview With Martha Stewart” ("Late Show,"CBS, 10/14).
| 10) “Under pressure, Martha sometimes swallows her chaw.” |
| 9) “Barbara showing gratitude for illegal stock tip that paid for new Hummer.” |
| 8) “When Don Zimmer rushed in and took a swing at Martha.” |
| 7) “Martha grew up in poor neighborhood where several households had to share a single spice rack.” |
| 6) “The Madonna and Britney-style open mouth kiss.” |
| 5) “Martha introducing her fiancé, Ben Affleck.” |
| 4) “Entire hour spent breaking down this week’s Bears-Seahawks game.” |
| 3) “Barbara closing with, ‘See ya in 3 to 5.’” |
| 2) “Martha’s first book, ‘Entertaining,’ was ghost-written by a young Dave Letterman.” |
| 1) “The two women comparing their ‘groped by Schwarzenegger’ stories.” |
Scott Dixon, the 2003 IRL champion, appeared on CBS’“Late Show” last night, and discussed his racing career. Letterman: “Things have certainly worked outwell for you and for the investors.” Dixon: “They’re getting paid back, that’s for sure.” Dixon, on racing at 240mph: “Everybody elseis going that speed, so you don’t really notice it. It’s when you hit the wall, that’s a problem.” Dixon, on the IRL allowing Chevrolet tobuild a new engine with more power to compete in the middle of the season:“They got a do-over” ("Late Show," CBS, 10/14).
TUESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Michael Vick | Cubs; Big East |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Rams | Michael Vick; Cubs |
| ESPN | 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” | Yankees-Red Sox | Marlins-Cubs; MLB playoffs analysis |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Yankees-Red Sox | Kobe Bryant; Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez |
| FSN | “Southern Sports Report” | Braves P John Smoltz | Braves losing in NLDS; Falcons-Rams |
| FSN | “Southwest Sports Report” | Univ. of NE player punching a fan | Univ. of TX QB Vince Young; OK-TX football |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is ‘The Book of the Dead?’”
If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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