| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, January 9, 2004
9:00am ET | |
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| • | Wisconsin Assembly Speaker To Meet With State Auditor Today About Brewers |
| • | Las Vegas Bowl Exec Dir To Meet Today With Prospective Title Sponsor |
| • | Bucs To Appoint Former Raiders Exec Bruce Allen To Top Football Post Today |
| • | MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan Says League Has To Start Its Own Network |
| • | Knicks Blasted By Rockets Before Fifth Straight Sellout Since Isiah Took Control |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
WISCONSIN AUDITORS MAY PRODUCE SEPARATE BREWERS REPORT
The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL reports that WisconsinAssembly Speaker John Gard today will meet with Legislative Audit BureauDir Jan Mueller to discuss a plan that would give state auditors accessto the Brewers’ financial records to “produce a report separate from a plannedreview by a three-member panel of business executives.” Brewers CFO Robert Quinn said thatthe Audit Bureau “would, in effect, be working on a parallel track with thebusiness panel” (MILWAUKEE JOURNALSENTINEL, 1/9).
LAS VEGAS BOWL EXEC DIR TO DISCUSS TITLE SPONSORSHIP TODAY
The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL reports that Las Vegas BowlExec Dir Tina Kunzer-Murphy today will meet with an unnamed “prospectivesponsor” to discuss title sponsorship of the college football bowl game. The bowl game “had no sponsor for the 2003 game, relying mostly on financial supportfrom the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.” Kunzer-Murphy is also seeking to land theMountain West Conference champion, “rather than the second pick from theleague,” as well a change in date from December 24 to December 23 (LASVEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/9).
BUCS TO NAME BRUCE ALLEN TO TOP FOOTBALL POST TODAY
The TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that the Buccaneers today willappoint former Raiders Senior Assistant Bruce Allen to replace former GMRich McKay as their top football exec. An official “announcement of histitle and a description of his duties should come today” also. The decision to hire Allen, coach JonGruden’s top choice, “is another sign that Gruden’s control over the Bucs’football operations has increased dramatically in recent months, but teamofficials insist the Bucs are not becoming a coach-driven team” (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 1/9).
ASTROS, ROCKETS SEEK TO SEAL FILES FROM LAWSUIT WITH FSN
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that the Astros and Rocketstoday at 10:00am CT will ask 33rd State District Judge JosephHalbach to “keep sealed from public view significant portions of evidencein a lawsuit” involving the franchises and FSN Southwest. The lawsuit seeks “confirmation that [theAstros] had the right to get out of their broadcast contract after the 2005season to start the proposed Houston Regional Sports Network” with theRockets. Houston Chronicle and KHOU-CBSattorney William Ogden will ask Halbach to consider a petition thatopposes “making permanent a temporary sealing order granted in December” (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 1/9).
MORNING BRIEFS
MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan yesterday said thatMLB might start its own network “as soon as late this year.” Brosnan: “It’s gotta happen” (USA TODAY,1/9).
NHL Exec VP & CLO Bill Daly yesterday briefedmedia at the Bell Centre in Ottawa about the league’s need for a new economicsystem, saying, “We have eightmonths to resolve it and I’m not thinking in terms of a work stoppage. There continues to be a lot of time leftbefore Sept. 15 (when the current agreement expires). I don’t view the fact there haven’t been any substantive sessionsas necessarily unique nor does it make me uncomfortable in any way” (OTTAWASUN, 1/9).
USA TODAY offers a special ten-page PGA Tour 2004 preview intoday’s edition. Advertisers includeThe St. Paul, The Golf Channel, the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau and the PGA Tour. All are full-page ads (THE DAILY).
The AP notes that it “was only fitting that [Tiger Woods]was the first player to have his club inspected at the Mercedes Championships”yesterday, as Woods was “the first players to openly question whether” someplayers were using non-conforming clubs (AP, 1/9).
The ECHL Charlotte Checkers yesterday announced that NFLProperties has rejected their request to show the Panthers-Rams NFC DivisionalPlayoff game on the Cricket Arena Jumbotron prior to their 7:30pm ET gameagainst the Augusta Lynx (Checkers).
The L.A. TIMES reports that 30-year-old British tennisplayer Greg Rusedski has “tested positive for the banned steroidnandrolone.” Rusedski will appear at aFebruary 9 hearing in Montreal, at which he could “face a two-year ban,effectively ending his career” (L.A. TIMES, 1/9).
ESPN.com reported that the Falcons and Jim Mora Jr.have “agreed in principle to a five-year, $7.5[M] contract” for Mora to becomethe team’s head coach (ESPN.com, 1/8).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that according to filings at the U.S.Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, Mike Tyson’s “only substantial earningsbetween August and October was a $175,000 advance from K-1 Corporation.” By comparison, Tyson earned $53.9M fromboxing between January ’01-August ’03 (N.Y.TIMES, 1/9).
The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reports that Utah Valley State Collegeyesterday “unveiled the design for the $3.4[M] (baseball) stadium proposed forthe Orem campus” (SALT LAKETRIBUNE, 1/9).
The AP reports thatthe Univ. of Vermont yesterday announced that its hockey program “will joinHockey East for the 2005-06 season.” The program has played in ECAC Div. 1 since ’74 (AP,1/9).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The N.Y. POST reports that a sellout crowd of 19,763 attended last night’s Rockets-Knicks game at MSG, where recently-acquired, Brooklyn-born Knicks G Stephon Marbury made his home debut. Rockets coach and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy and former Knicks C Patrick Ewing also returned as members of the visitors’ staff (N.Y. POST, 1/9).
- NEWSDAY reports that replicas of Marbury’s No. 3 Knicks jersey “began to sprout in the Garden stands even before he took the floor” last night. He was greeted by a “packed house, the fifth straight since Isiah Thomas replaced Scott Layden as [President & GM] and began making dramatic changes” (NEWSDAY, 1/9).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE notes that following ABC’s “JimmyKimmel Live” host Jimmy Kimmel’s Wednesday night “plea for a bed to resthis head” in Houston for the Super Bowl, the “offers are flooding in – 250 bymid-Thursday afternoon.” Houstonianshave “until the end of the weekend to make their case. … Anyone interested inoffering Kimmel some Houston hospitality can apply on the ABC Web site” (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 1/9).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan newspapers:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
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| Washington Times | Philadelphia Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
Arizona Republic sports columnist Dan Bickley beginshosting a daily radio show from 6:00-9:00am MT on XTRA-AM (ARIZONA REPUBLIC,1/8).
The Flames Women at Centre Ice Committee presents the secondluncheon of its ’03-04 series from 11:45am-1:15pm MT at Pengrowth Saddledome,where Sportsnetnews anchor Jody Vance will discuss “Sports Broadcasting… Breaking The Gender Barrier.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…..
Every Friday, the MorningBuzz highlights a video clip, chart or piece of information that might havefallen through the cracks. This week, The Fab Five’s Carson Kressley ispuzzled by heterosexual males’ propensity for collecting sports jerseys duringBravo’s “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy” (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The L.A. TIMES cites an Int’l Council of Shopping Centersreport released yesterday that shows December ’03 sales at “established chainstores were up 4.2% from the same month a year earlier, according to a closelywatched tally of 77 merchants.” Salesin December ’02 rose 1% over December ’01. The increase made ’03 “the best holiday shopping season for retailerssince 1999” (L.A.TIMES, 1/9).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that DirecTV’s Q4 ’03 was the“best in its history as it added a record number of subscribers,” ending theyear with “more than 12.2 million users.” DirecTV expects “robust growth” to continue in ’04, following theaddition of 861,000 gross subscribers during the quarter, up from 711,000 inthe same period a year earlier. With auser loss rate of 1.45%, DirecTV added 405,000 net new subscribers during thequarter, a 39% increase year-over-year (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 1/9).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that Phat Fashions, co-founded byhip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, “will be bought by Kellwood, one of thecountry’s largest – and most staid – clothing producers for $140[M], plusperformance incentives.” Phat Fashionswill “operate as a Kellwood subsidiary,” and Simmons will retain his post asCEO (N.Y.TIMES, 1/9).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Film Titles.”
“This Charlie Chaplin film lent its name to a famousbookstore that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “Britney Spears goes toLas Vegas, and she’s having a nice time and she’s celebrating, and then she anda friend of hers decide to get married. They get married on Sunday and Monday it’s annulled. I feel bad for the guy because the marriagewas never consummated. The poor guy hadto consummate it himself. ... President George Bush may have to haveknee surgery. I think how he hurt hisknees is that he’s been praying that the Democrats would nominate HowardDean. ... That Mars Rover is an amazing device. Listen to this. Today,the robotic arm found O.J.’s knife. ... Pete Rose has a book outand in the book, he says that he dated strippers, he got a girl pregnant and hewas in debt to the mob and I’m thinking, ‘Well hell, now there’s no point in mewriting an autobiography.’ ... Pete says he dated cocktail waitresses, he datedstrippers, he dated groupies. I guessthe Hall of Fame was the only thing he couldn’t get into” (“Late Show,” CBS,1/8).
LATENIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Things I Have LearnedInterning For The ‘Late Show.’” Ten“Late Show” interns read the list on-stage ("Late Show," CBS, 1/8).
| 10) “Television is a magical dreamland of paying delivery guys and replacing toner cartridges.” |
| 9) “‘Late Show’ t-shirts are made in a sweatshop under the Ed Sullivan Theater.” |
| 8) “Many hours of work go into writing Dave’s so-called ‘fan mail.’” |
| 7) “Subtle differences allow you to distinguish Dave’s twin poodles, Chablis and Chardonnay.” |
| 6) “Any idiot can become famous if they own a suit and can read cue cards.” |
| 5) “New York is a wonderful place to meet hookers.” |
| 4) “If I’m asked, ‘Have you ever wasted four months of your life?,’ I’ll be ready with an answer.” |
| 3) “Don’t go to Dave’s barber.” |
| 2) “To make Dave’s coffee, add two scoops of French Roast for every cup of Dewar’s.” |
| 1) “My parents lie and say I work for Leno.” |
THURSDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Kobe Bryant’s return to Colorado | Packers-Eagles; Cardinals name Dennis Green coach |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Pete Rose | Redskins coach Joe Gibbs; Kobe Bryant |
| ESPN | 10:30pm ET “SportsCenter” | Rockets-Knicks | Joe Gibbs; Falcons name Jim Mora Jr. coach |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Kobe Bryant | Lakers; Packers RB Ahman Green |
| Comcast Mid-Atlantic | “SportsNite” | Joe Gibbs | Orioles pursuing Vladimir Guerrero; Rafael Palmeiro |
| FSN | “Detroit Sports Report” | Tigers acquiring SS Carlos Guillen | Red Wings Gs Curtis Joseph and Dominik Hasek |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is ‘City Lights?’”
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