Morning Buzz, December 8, 2003

YANKEENETS BOD TO MEET TODAY WITH HOPES OF DISSOLUTION

The N.Y. TIMES reports that the YankeeNets BOD will meettoday in N.Y. "hoping to approve an agreement to dissolve their holdingcompany.  Late Friday, the ownerships ofthe Yankees and the Nets agreed to a memorandum of understanding to dissolvethe company.”  If the agreement isapproved, it would let the Nets’ ownership group “sell the team before theseparation of YankeeNets is complete or wait until after the closing, in sixweeks” (N.Y.TIMES, 12/8).

BETTMAN TO GAUGE BOG FEELINGS, SUPPORT TO SET CBA STRATEGY

The NHL BOG will meet today and tomorrow at The Breakers inPalm Beach, FL, and the TORONTO SUN reported that NHL Commissioner GaryBettman “will determine thegovernors’ feelings, gauge the level of their support and make steps towarddetermining a negotiating strategy” for a new CBA.  It is also “within the realm of possibility that the governorswill revisit the league’s point structure.” Bettman in the past has suggested awarding “three points for a regulation-timewin” (TORONTOSUN, 12/7).

UNIV. OF MINNESOTA TO RELEASE STADIUM FEASIBILTY STUDY TODAY

The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reported that the Univ. ofMinnesota today will release an economic feasibility study stating that theproposed “on-campus football stadium and related infrastructure improvementswill cost about $220[M].”  The “arrivalof hard numbers for a Gophers stadium comes as the $35[M] cornerstonecontribution from T. Denny Sanford is teetering on the brink ofcollapse” (MinneapolisSTAR TRIBUNE, 12/6).

BUDWEISER TO BE PRESENTING SPONSOR OF TEXAS INT’L SOCCER SERIES

By Langdon Brockinton,Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Texans subsidiary Lone Star Sports & Entertainment willannounce today that it has signed Budweiser to be the presenting sponsor ofLone Star’s Texas Int’l Soccer Series in ‘04 and ‘05.  Lone Star – responsible for bringing several non-Texans eventsannually to Reliant Stadium – also is seeking several associate sponsors forthe series, according to Texans Senior VP, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer JameyRootes, who oversees Lone Star. Texans VP/Corporate Sales David Peart said that retail chain Soccer4 All and grocery store chain Fiesta Food Marts are among the companiesexpected to sign on.

Kicking off the ‘04 series are a pair of doubleheaders –January 9 and 11 – that will be part of the Copa Libertadores qualificationtournament and will feature eight of the top Mexican first-division clubteams.  The ‘04 soccer series at ReliantStadium will also include another two to three as-yet undetermined events,which probably will take place in the spring and summer.

DESPITE BEING NO. 1 IN BOTH POLLS, USC LEFT OUT OF SUGAR BOWL

For the first time in the six-year history of the BCS, theNo. 1-ranked team in the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls will not play in thedesignated national championship game, the Nokia Sugar Bowl, as No. 1 USCfinished third in the final BCS standings. USA TODAY notes the pairings “are the most controversial” in BCS history(USATODAY, 12/8).  The followingdetails the BCS bowl pairings:

View a completelist of bowl matchups.

Sugar Bowl Exec Dir Paul Hoolahan: “Football used to be a game ofinches; now it’s a game of fractions” (Mult., 12/8).

FIRST TEE PROGRAM FUNDING INCLUDED IN $328B SPENDING BILL

TheORLANDO SENTINEL noted that the U.S. House of Representatives today isscheduled to vote on a “massive $328[B] spending bill,” which includes $3M forFlorida-based nonprofit golf program First Tee, of which former President GeorgeBush is Honorary Chair.  Advocatesfor the program say that it “uses golf to teach young people life skills.  The case for the program is similar to oneDemocrats made in 1994 for money to pay for ‘midnight basketball’ programs thatRepublicans derided as a waste of money” (ORLANDOSENTINEL, 12/7).

GRIZZLIES TO UNVEIL ONLINE VIEW OF FEDEXFORUM SEATS TODAY

The Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL reported that the Grizzliestoday will unveil “Seats in 3D,” an online program “giving fans a computerizedview of the court from every section” of FedExForum, on their official Web site.  Grizzlies Senior VP/Business Operations MikeGolub: “It is a great way for fans to go online and spend some time in thebuilding.  It’s fun.  It’s almost like a video game.”  California-based Ballena Technologiesdeveloped the feature (MemphisCOMMERCIAL APPEAL, 12/7).

MORNING BRIEFS

Steelers Chair Dan Rooney, on instant replay, whichwill be voted on after this season: “This thing has become an institution.  It’s part of the whole fabric of the game. …I think it’s in, for sure” (PittsburghTRIBUNE-REVIEW, 12/7).

Devil Rays Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli, onopening the season in Japan against the Yankees: “I don’t know of any reasonwhy it won’t happen.  But from what Igather MLB is still waiting to hear from the Yankees” (ST.PETERSBURG TIMES, 12/6).

TheCHARLOTTE OBSERVER reported that NASCAR execs met Saturday in N.Y. to “considera dramatic change in how it determines the champion of its top series, studyinga plan to make only the drivers in the top 10 after 26 races eligible to runfor the title over the season’s final 10 events” (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER, 12/6).

ESPN.comreported that Emerson Fittipaldi is “in the process of trying to buy [Pat]Patrick’s crew and equipment to campaign his own car in [CART] nextyear.  And Patrick is seriously lookingat running [Al Unser Jr.] in the 2004 IRL season” (ESPN.com, 12/5).

The S.F. CHRONICLE reports that USA Track & Field yesterdaypassed into law a “lifetime ban from competition for a first-time steroidoffense.”  USATF’s Law &Legalisation Committee “included an amendment approving the lifetime banprovided it does not run afoul of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978” (S.F.CHRONICLE, 12/8).

Sports Illustrated yesterday announced that Spurs F TimDuncan and former C Spurs David Robinson have been chosen as the ’03Sportsmen of the Year.  The Sportsmen ofthe Year issue hits newsstands Wednesday (Sports Illustrated).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The Kings hosted their 190^th consecutive sellout Friday night against the T'Wolves at ARCO Arena, where 17,317 fans watched the Kings lose 112‑109.  It was only the Kings’ 15^th home loss in the last three-plus seasons ("NBA Friday," ESPN, 12/5).

• NEWSDAY reported that a turnstile count of “3,863 devoted fans who endured the elements and showed up at Nassau Coliseum were treated to a 5-2 Islanders victory” over the Blackhawks on Saturday.  Prior to the game, Islanders co-Owner Charles Wang greeted fans on the concourse.  Additionally, the club invited “all fans to sit in the lower tier” and offered free tickets to another Islanders game this season (NEWSDAY, 12/7).

• The N.Y. TIMES reports that Vitali Klitschko “made short work of Kirk Johnson [Saturday] night in the main event at [MSG] before a blizzard-braving crowd of 10,823” (N.Y. TIMES, 12/7).

• The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER reports that a crowd of 10,042 attended yesterday’s NCAA Women’s College Cup at SAS Stadium in Cary, NC, where UNC won its 18^th women’s soccer national title 6-0 over UConn (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/8).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS reported that the “nationallyknown law-enforcement tribunal for Philly’s notoriously rowdy football fans hasadjourned for the season – and probably for good. … Since the team moved toLincoln Financial Field this season, Eagles Court has received markedly fewercases than it did when it played at Veterans Stadium.  Team officials saidit’s an indication that Eagles fans have modified their behavior in thestate-of-the-art sports palace, which boasts an elaborate video securitysystem, more guards and perhaps most importantly, more bathrooms than the Vet”(PHILADELPHIADAILY NEWS, 12/6).

WEEKEND RAP…

The following are excerpts from the panelists’ “partingshots” on Sunday’s edition of ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters”:

• Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon: “While attendance is down, while teams struggle to score 70 points and while the Portland Trail Blazers continue to embarrass themselves, the NBA flexed its muscle earlier this week and got tough with MVP and exemplary citizen Tim Duncan for inadvertently bumping (a referee). ... The NBA cops look like Barney Fife sitting Duncan.”

• N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, on Army losing 15 games in a row and 24 out of 25: “If you needed any further evidence that sports isn’t fair, there it is for you with Army football.”

• Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, after Tiger Woods complained that the owner of an African game reserve where he proposed to his fiancée betrayed his privacy: “Sorry your majesty, but if you don’t want people to know you’re engaged, don’t do it on the set of the ‘Lion King’ and don’t put a rock on the finger of the sports world’s most photographed main squeeze. ... Lighten up Tiger.”

• ESPN’s John Saunders, on TCU: “They’ve decided not to play in the GMAC Bowl December 18.  The school says that it would interfere with their academic schedule.  Please!  If they were in a BCS bowl, they’d have to practice for an entire month.  What would that do to their academic schedule?  The fact is the GMAC Bowl had one perk a lot of teams would run from: Miami of Ohio. ... There is a reason you’re called a mid-major, and if you’re going to duck other mid-majors, don’t cry when you can’t run with the big boys” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 12/7). 

Heard elsewhere over the weekend:

• RJ Reynolds Chair & CEO Andy Schindler: “Weextend our warmest, heartfelt thanks and our best wishes to NASCAR for everyfuture success.  It’s been a great rideand we’re gonna miss you a lot” (“2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series AwardsCeremony,” TNT, 12/5).

• Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith,on the Magic’s 1-17 record: “Other than going to Disney World there’s reallyabsolutely nothing else to look forward to (in Orlando)” (ESPNews, 12/5).

• Wilbon, on George Foreman resigning from boxingcommentary on HBO: “I know he’s not Cosell, but isn’t Foreman must-seeboxing TV?” ("PTI," ESPN, 12/5).

• NBA HOFer Rick Barry, on not being hired as anNBA coach: “I don’t think that the NBA owes me anything, except respect ... andI really think that I’ve been disrespected by a lot of people in the NBA forwhat reasons I really don’t know” ("OTL," ESPN, 12/7).

• ESPN’s “College Gameday” named the Univ. of Oregon’sall-yellow get-up as its Uniforms of the Year. ESPN’s Lee Corso: “They look like a banana lollipop” ("CollegeGameday," ESPN, 12/6).

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	Philadelphia Daily News

TODAY’S EVENTS

Fox Sports will host a 1:00pm ET conference call to discussits tenth anniversary.  Fox Sports TVGroup Chair David Hill, Fox Sports President Ed Goren, potentialDirecTV CEO Chase Carey and “NFL on Fox” analyst Terry Bradshaware scheduled to attend.

Vikings Owner Red McCombs will meet with teamofficials to “prepare for a January stadium presentation” with Minnesota Gov. TimPawlenty (ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS, 12/8).

The Single-A Florida State League Clearwater Phillies willunveil a new team name, logo, color scheme and Web site at a 3:00pm ET newsconference at the team’s yet-to-be-completed ballpark.  Baseball HOFer and Clearwater Philliesmanager Mike Schmidt will model the new uniform.  Phillies President & CEO DavidMontgomery, GM Ed Wade and Assistant GM for Scouting & PlayerDevelopment Mike Arbuckle are scheduled to attend.

The Tunica County (MS) Planning Commission will consider azoning change for 536 acres that “would be the first hurdle in a massivedevelopment project that would include a one-mile oval [racetrack] and initialseating for up to 60,000 fans, with plans to accommodate 150,000” (MemphisCOMMERCIAL-APPEAL, 12/4).

Athletic directors from seven schools will begin meeting inLas Vegas to “continue talks about forming a new NCAA Division I-AA footballconference.  The session will includediscussing bylaws, schedules, management and possible names and logos.  The earliest the league could come togetheris the fall of 2005” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 11/23).

Jim Rome’s radio show will switch affiliates in K.C.from WHB-AM to WDAF-AM (K.C. STAR, 12/3).

Guernsey’s will host a Mickey Mantle auction at MSG,which will include “everything from the Hall of Famer’s bank book fromCommerce, Oklahoma, to two MVP trophies” (USA TODAY, 12/4).

THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…

This week’s cover story reports that Nike and SerenaWilliams are close to a $60M endorsement deal, which will be the largestfemale endorsement contract in history.

For these stories and more, see this week’s issue of SportsBusiness Journal.

EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Below are thisweek’s confirmed earnings announcements for sports-business related companies (THEDAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

This week’s cover of TIME offers “The Hidden Enemy … Behind theLines with the Insurgents Sowing Terror in Iraq.”  Meanwhile, NEWSWEEKexamines “Lawsuit Hell” (THE DAILY).

The FINANCIAL TIMES reports that the U.S. dollar “slumped to a record low [of$1.2191] against the euro for a seventh consecutive session [today] asinvestors were left disappointed by Friday’s U.S. employment report, whichshowed the economy creating fewer new jobs than the market had expected” (FINANCIALTIMES, 12/8).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “The U.S. Navy.”

“It’s the only U.S. battleship ever to have a one-syllablename.”

LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

NBC’sJay Leno: “It seems terrorists in the Middle East are now using suicidedonkeys to carry out these missions. They pack them with explosives and then they detonate them.  Isn’t that awful?  Hey, let me tell you something. If they use your donkey for a suicide mission, you can pretty much kissyour ass goodbye. ... President Bush said today he would like America toestablish a permanent base on the moon. This is all part of his plan to get Americans use to an environmentwhere the air is un-breathable and there are no trees. ... The Fox Network isthrilled that Paris Hilton’s new reality show, ‘The Simple Life,’ wasnumber one the other night.  Thirteenmillion people watched it, which is a big change for her.  Usually, her stuff goes straight to video” ("TheTonight Show," NBC, 12/5).

SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 11:30pm ET 90-minute edition of“SportsCenter” (late due to Panthers-Falcons) led with Colts-Titans,followed by Chiefs-Broncos and Dolphins-Patriots.  The first non-NFL report, at 17:04 into thebroadcast, was the BCS pairings. The first non-football report was Pacers-Kings at 30:23.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that inclement weather throughout the East Coast “combined withthe usual post-Thanksgiving weekend malaise to temper business at the boxoffice this weekend.”  The box officesuffered an “expected big drop compared with last weekend as the top 12 filmsgrossed an estimated $91.8[M], which represents a 27% drop from the previousweekend.  However, despite the weatherissues, the top 12 films did still manage a 33% uptick from the same weekendlast year” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 12/8).

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What was the Maine?”

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

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