| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | QuesTec Will Play A Role In Schilling’s Decision Between Red Sox, D’Backs |
| • | America’s Cup Team Alinghi To Announce European Host For ’07 Event |
| • | Rupert Murdoch “Happy” With ’03 MLB Ratings; Renewal Of Contract Uncertain |
| • | PGA Tour Close To Naming Royal Montreal Golf Club Host Of ’07 Presidents Cup |
| • | Dodgers Exec Named Minor League Baseball’s Female Exec Of The Year |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
The Morning Buzz will not publish tomorrow or Friday in observance of Thanksgiving.
We will return Monday, December 1.
CURT SCHILLING SAYS QUESTEC WILL PLAY A ROLE IN HIS DECISION
The N.Y. TIMES reports that Red Sox officials today will be in Arizona meeting with D’Backs P Curt Schilling to "persuade him to waive his no-trade clause." Schilling, "an outspoken critic" of QuesTec who represents himself in contract negotiations, said the fact that Fenway Park is one of 13 ballparks with the system "would affect his decision, without elaborating." Bank One Ballpark also has the QuesTec system (N.Y. TIMES, 11/26).
ALINGHI TODAY TO ANNOUNCE 2007 AMERICA’S CUP HOST CITY
Swiss America’s Cup defender Alinghi today will announce which European port will host the ’07 America’s Cup, and the S.F. CHRONICLE reported that four finalists – Valencia, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Marseilles, France; and Naples, Italy – have courted Alinghi “with a fervor as intense of that of cities seeking to host the Olympics.” Valencia and Lisbon are the favorites. Only one U.S. challenger has emerged thus far for the ’07 race, the Oracle BMW Racing team owned by Larry Ellison (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/24).
MURDOCH PLEASED WITH MLB RATINGS; RENEWAL HINGES ON PRICE
News Corp. Chair & CEO Rupert Murdoch yesterday spoke at Fox’ annual shareholder meeting in N.Y., and the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that Murdoch “declined to discuss what conditions, if any, he would have to accept to wrap up the [Hughes Electronics] transaction amid talk that the FCC may want to prevent him from luring new subscribers to Hughes unit DirecTV by strong-arming cable operators in carriage talks with Fox networks.” Murdoch added that he was “happy with Fox’ [MLB] ratings this season, but a renewal of the MLB contract will depend on price issues” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 11/26).
NCAA RULES SURVEYS DUE TOMORROW; FOOTBALL OT CHANGES?
USA TODAY reports that annual rules surveys among NCAA football coaches are due tomorrow. The NCAA Football Rules Committee is “asking coaches for input on slowing a five-year trend of the average number” of overtime periods rising. Among the 22 questions asked on the survey is “if teams should be required from the first overtime to go for two points after a touchdown instead of kicking an extra point” (USA TODAY, 11/26).
MORNING BRIEFS
The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports that to put Univ. of Minnesota men’s basketball games on the air, Victory Sports Network will be “offered at no charge to the region’s cable and satellite providers” through the end of the season. Victory Sports President Kevin Cattoor “made it clear the offer would not be extended into Twins season” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/26).
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said that the PGA Tour is “close to announcing that Royal Montreal Golf Club will be the 2007 host for the [Presidents Cup].” Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, VA, will host the ’05 event (TORONTO STAR, 11/26).
ATHOC today announced the ’04 Torch Relay Route, which will last 80 days and travel approximately 48,500 miles. The relay will begin March 24 in Ancient Olympia and return to Athens August 13. In the U.S., the torch will make stops in L.A., St. Louis, Atlanta and N.Y. (ATHOC).
The AKRON BEACON JOURNAL notes the Hornets ads promoting former coach Paul Silas’ return in tonight’s game against the Cavaliers at New Orleans Arena, which read, “Come see LeBron James and Paul Silas.” Silas, on the promotion: “You know, they could’ve had me for 82 games” (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 11/26).
The N.Y. POST reports that St. John’s Univ. next week will “announce plans to renovate Alumni Hall and build a state-of-the-art practice court, locker room and office-space facility.” The practice facility “should be ready for use by the start of the [’05-06] season” (N.Y. POST, 11/26).
Daily Racing Form columnist Joe Hirsch pens his final column Sunday, and Hirsch shared his five most memorable moments with USA TODAY. Hirsch, on the formation of the NYRA in ’53: “Racing in New York was coming apart at the seams, and there was no leadership. The [NYRA] saved the sport for that huge market” (USA TODAY, 11/26).
Minor League Baseball yesterday named Dodgers Assistant Dir of Minor League Operations Luchy Guerra the Rawlings Female Executive of the Year. Guerra will be presented with the award at Minor League Baseball’s annual awards luncheon December 12 (Dodgers).
Reebok and Jay-Z on Friday will launch the black colorway of the “S. Carter Collection by Rbk” (Reebok).
The Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL reports that Churchill Downs is “extremely nervous” that a smoking ban in Louisville “would drive even more people, and their entertainment dollars” to the Caesars Indiana in Elizabeth, IN. Churchill Downs Senior VP Alex Waldrop said that if a smoking ban is enacted, “the track would stand to lose more ‘attendance and handle’” (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 11/26).
The WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL reports that Winston Salem's SEHL team will be known as the T-Birds. The team began the season without a name "after plans to go by Winston-Salem Moosehead fell though when it couldn't come to an agreement with Moosehead beer for the use of its logo" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 11/26).
ATTENDANCE WATCH - The DENVER POST reports that through six home games, the Nuggets were averaging 16,238 fans, up 22.9% from a 13,216 average at the same point last season. Season-ticket sales are up from about 7,000 last season to more than 8,000 (DENVER POST, 11/26). The Nuggets defeated the Suns 110-80 last night in front of 12,003 at the Pepsi Center to extend their home record to 6-1 (THE DAILY).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The CP reports that the search is on for the “finest soccer chant in all of England. Andrew Motion, Britain's poet laureate, is chairing a panel of judges that will select the Premier League's first ever ‘Chant Laureate.’” The winner will receive approximately $17,000 to “put toward attending matches next season” (CP, 11/26).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
| | |
| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
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| Philadelphia Daily News | Philadelphia Daily News |
IN OTHER NEWS….
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that in what observers “call a logical move to compete with satellite TV companies,” Time Warner Cable this week “announced its first retail endeavor, saying it will sell its cable TV service in connection with Pioneer Electronics’ high-definition [TV] sets” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 11/26).
The N.Y. POST reports that in attendance last week when New York magazine “presented their financials to potential suitors” was Cablevision CEO Jim Dolan, N.Y. Daily News Owner Mort Zuckerman, Deutsch Chair Donny Deutsch, New York magazine columnist Michael Wolff and a representative of Miramax co-Chair Harvey Weinstein (N.Y. POST, 11/26).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Religion.”
“The two main religions on this island nation are Greek Orthodox and Islam.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “We’re in the middle of the cold and flu season. Everybody has either the cold or the flu. I saw a squirrel in Central Park applying Vick’s Vapor Rub to his nuts. … Did you folks see the Democratic presidential debates last night? The purpose of the debates is to narrow the field down to one man who can lose to George Bush. Presidential candidate Howard Dean is now being criticized for dodging the Vietnam draft? I did not know this about Howard Dean, but I do know now that he is presidential material. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is here to show us the proper way to duct tape a turkey. … According to the Department of Defense, Osama bin Laden has shaved his head and trimmed his beard. Earlier today, special forces shot Ben Kingsly. Earlier today President Bush pardoned the White House turkey, but the first the turkey had to contribute $100,000 to his reelection campaign fund” (“Late Show,” CBS, 11/25).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “More tension between Britain and America. While President Bush was at Buckingham Palace, his three helicopters ruined the lawn. The wind from the blades tore up the flowerbeds. Today, Saddam Hussein said, ‘You should see what he did to my place!’ President Bush was in Las Vegas, where he gave a speech on his plan for Medicare. Anyone know the difference between Vegas and Washington? In Vegas, the drunks gamble with their money. The big issue is how we get prescription drugs to seniors. Why don’t we just ask Rush Limbaugh? … In Iraq, terrorists are now firing missiles from donkey carts. And now they’re working on plans for suicide donkeys. I guess these are the high-tech weapons that President Bush has been talking about” (“Tonight Show,” NBC, 11/25).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that Paris Hilton’s publicist, Dan Klores, “has angered Fox officials by abruptly canceling all of her scheduled appearances” to promote Fox’ “The Simple Life.” “Late Show” host David Letterman, for the past four nights, “has begged Hilton to come on the show while attacking her PR rep on-air as a ‘goon’ and ‘pond scum’ for nixing the original interview” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 11/26).
Last night’s top ten was “Top Ten reasons Paris Hilton should appear on the Late Show” (“Late Show,” CBS, 11/25).
| 10) “Chance to show America what she looks like with her clothes on.” |
| 9) “If she had a talk show, I’d be a guest on that one.” |
| 8) “It’s time Paris Hilton got some publicity.” |
| 7) “If she doesn’t, what kind of message is that sending to the kids?” |
| 6) “Promise to ignore scandal and focus on other things she’s done, like…uh…” |
| 5) “Paul once swiped some towels from a Hilton Hotel and wants to return them.” |
| 4) “Six words: Hot pockets in the green room.” |
| 3) “She fine.” |
| 2) “Don’t show up and my debutante friends will freeze you out of high society.” |
| 1) “If she wants, she can see me naked.” |
TUESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Buccaneers | Possible Curt Schilling trade to the Red Sox; Barry Bonds |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Buccaneers | Possible Curt Schilling trade; Rams head coach Mike Martz |
| ESPN | 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” | T'Wolves-Pacers | Hornets-Heat; Marlins-Cubs trade |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Redskins DE Bruce Smith | Possible Curt Schilling trade; UCF contacting George O’Leary |
| FSN | “Southern Sports Report” | Falcons RB Warrick Dunn | Georgia-Georgia Tech; Clemson accepting invitation to Peach Bowl |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is Cyprus?”
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