Morning Buzz, Febuary 24, 2004

MARK CUBAN TO OFFER $1M OF OWN MONEY FOR ABC REALITY SHOW

The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports ABC today will announce thatMavericks Owner Mark Cuban will host a reality series this summer, “TheBenefactor,” on which he will give away $1M of his own money.  Show details are“being worked out, including the format and the number of episodes.  About 30 contestants will compete.”  Cuban, who will not be paid for the series,wrote in an email, “The basic premise is simple: What will you do for a milliondollars?  Those people will have tocompete to convince me why they should walk away with the million dollars” (DALLASMORNING NEWS, 2/24).

DAILY VARIETY reports that ABC has “greenlit production on six episodes” (DAILYVARIETY, 2/24).

MARYLAND SENATE COMMITTEE TO DROP OCEAN CITY FROM SLOTS BILL

The WASHINGTON POST reports that Maryland Senate President ThomasMiller Jr. last night said that the Senate Committee on Budget &Taxation “would drop its plan to legalize slot machine gambling at Ocean Downsracetrack near Ocean City in response to a request” by Maryland Gov. RobertEhrlich Jr.  The committee is“scheduled to consider the bill today.” Ehrlich said that signing the bill “would force him to break a promiseto Ocean City officials who said they feared slots would ruin the resort’s‘family atmosphere’” (WASHINGTONPOST, 2/24).

NOLAN RYAN TO BE FORMALLY INTRODUCED TO ASTROS TODAY

The Astros today will host an 11:00am CT press conference atMinute Maid Park, and the HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that Astros Owner DraytonMcLane will introduce Baseball HOFer Nolan Ryan to the organizationafter the two yesterday “finalized the terms of a five-year special servicesagreement.”  McLane, who “has beenadamant about bringing Ryan back into the Astros’ fold,” has reached out toRyan in the past.  Ryan’s cattle companysupplies beef to Minute Maid Park (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 2/24).

SEVEN CITIES VYING TO HOST ’06 AND ’07 USATF OUTDOOR FINALS

The five-person committee tabbed to select a host city forthe ’06 and ’07 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will hold its firstmeeting today via conference call, and the Greensboro NEWS & RECORD reportsthat even if the committee makes a decision today, “it will only be treated asan initial recommendation.”  Greensboro,Miami, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Palo Alto, Buffalo and Columbus are the sevencities bidding.  The committee could“choose a different city to host each year, or one city to host both meets” (Greensboro NEWS& RECORD, 2/24).

MORNING BRIEFS

The DETROIT FREE PRESS notes thatthe NBA fined the Pistons $200,000 as “punishment for playing Rasheed Wallace and MikeJames before they were eligible.” Both played in the first half Friday, then were benched after it was“discovered that all the paperwork from the trade had not been submitted by allparties” (DETROIT FREEPRESS, 2/24).

America’s Dairy Farmers & Milk Processors runs afull-page ad in USA Today congratulating Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony andCavaliers G LeBron James for winning the January got milk? Rookie of theMonth awards for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively (THE DAILY).

The S.F. CHRONICLE reports that several times yesterday,when asked about BALCO and steroids, Giants LF Barry Bonds said that he“would not discuss specifics.”  On twooccasions, Giants Baseball Information Manager Blake Rhodes “interjectedbefore Bonds was about to answer questions, saying Bonds could not reply.”  However, Bonds did say of drug testing,“They can test me every day if they choose to” (S.F.CHRONICLE, 2/24).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports that while being questionedabout BALCO, Yankees 1B Jason Giambi “stopped short of offering to submitto tests to clear his name.”  Giambiadded of drug testing, “I think it’s good for the game” (N.Y. DAILYNEWS, 2/24).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports thatYankees Owner George Steinbrenner “did not file a formal grievance” against Red Sox Owner John Henry,although a Yankees official did call the commissioner’s office yesterday.  Steinbrenner’s spokesperson HowardRubenstein: “He’s gone silent. ... He will adhere to the commissioner’swarning not to discuss any further the relationship with the Red Sox” (N.Y.DAILY NEWS, 2/24).

However, the N.Y. POST reportsthat Steinbrenner yesterday was “overheardtalking in unflattering terms about Henry.” Steinbrenner: “As far as Henry is concerned, he reminds me of RayBolger, the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz” (N.Y.POST, 2/24).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS reports that the 1,105,321 people in attendance for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo at the SBC Center from February 6-22 “was a record attendance, beating last year’s record of 1,066,778.  A one-day record of 146,040 was set February 7.  The previous record was 136,544 on opening day last year” (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 2/24).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER reports that the NBA yesterday“fined the Cavaliers $5,000 for a skit involving the team mascot Moondog (JonCudo) who wiped the court with Ricky Davis’ No. 31 Cavs home jersey”during the club’s February 9 game against the Celtics at Gund Arena.  The Cavaliers traded Davis to the Celtics inDecember (ClevelandPLAIN DEALER, 2/24).

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

The deadline for NFLteams to designate their franchise players is today, and ESPN.com reported thatthe Colts have designated QB Peyton Manning as such,meaning he will earn $18.4M next season unless he agrees toa long-term deal (ESPN.com,2/23).

NBC will host a 1:00pm PT conference call to discuss its newunscripted boxing series, “The Contender.” NBC Entertainment President/Cable & News Group Jeff Zuckerwill join Exec Producers Sylvester Stallone, Mark Burnett and JeffreyKatzenburg.

Country musician Garth Brooks, who is a non-rosterinvitee to the Royals’ spring training camp, will be available to the media at1:30pm MT, and the K.C. STAR reports that club officials are “bracing for acrush of media and fan attention today when Brooks is expected to be in uniformfor the first time.  Attendance atpractice is expected to jump from a few hundred to several thousand” (K.C.STAR, 2/24).

Lowe’s Motor Speedway will make a 2:00pm ET announcementregarding details of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, which is scheduledfor May 22.

NASCAR and Lowe’s Motor Speedway will host a 5:00pm ET newsconference to make an announcement. NASCAR, Nextel and Lowe’s Motor Speedway officials will participate inthe conference alongside NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace.

CFL GMs and head coaches will gather for meetings inEdmonton (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/24).

IN OTHER NEWS….

The L.A. TIMES reports that Disney Chair Michael Eisneryesterday during an investor conference call said that he had been alerted ofComcast’s “intentions – and was well prepared by the time the call camein.”  Eisner added that he “crafted awritten response with the help of three outside advisors well before” ComcastCEO Brian Roberts “phoned him February 9 to discuss a potentialdeal.”  Comcast released a statementyesterday that read in part, “We find it extremely troubling that Disney’sboard would have made up its mind to say no to our proposal before they evenheard it.  How can that possibly be inthe best interests of Disney’s shareholders?” (L.A.TIMES, 2/24).

The MIAMI HERALD reports that Publicis Sanchez & Levitanyesterday merged with Texas-based Bromley Communications, “turning the Miamifirm into the nation’s top Hispanic advertising agency, with an estimated$29.9[M] in revenue and $276[M] in billings.” The merged company will retain the Bromley name.  Bromley has worked on accounts for ESPN.com,Coors Brewing and others (MIAMI HERALD,2/24).

USA TODAY reports that preliminary ratings for the finale ofHBO’s “Sex and the City” Sunday show that it “drew twice the usual number ofviewers,” as an estimated 12-13 million people tuned in (USATODAY, 2/24).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

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

“Since 1820, one of three men to lose a presidentialelection but win the rematch with the same individual four years later.”

LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

CBS’ DavidLetterman: “If you sense something different about me, you’re right.  I am still hung over from my ‘Sex and theCity’ party. ... ‘Sex and the City’ had their big final episode on Sunday andI’m thinking to myself, so now, if I want to watch four aging women talkingabout having sex, I’ll have to watch ‘The View.’ ... I’ll give you an idea hownasty Friday night’s audience was.  MelGibson wants to do a movie about me. ... The judge is now consideringthrowing out some charges against Martha, and when Martha heard this,she said, ‘Oh, don’t throw them out. They can be turned into lovely Japanese lanterns.’ ... The big questionnow is will Martha take the stand?  Letme tell you something.  She not onlywill take the stand, she will re-upholster it. ... Everybody here in New Yorkis excited about Alex Rodriguez playing third base for the Yankees, butinsiders are suggesting that there may be trouble between Derek Jeterand Alex Rodriguez.  There may be somefriction.  But listen to this.  The San Francisco Giants have a very, verydifferent problem.  I was stunned when Iheard this.  Their shortstop and theirthird baseman got married” ("Late Show," CBS, 2/23).

NBC’sJay Leno: “Ralph Nader announced he is once again running forPresident of the United States and did you see him sitting there with ArnoldSchwarzenegger? ... Ralph Nader and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It looked like the before and after picturefor Bally’s Fitness Center. ... Nader is so serious about running this time,he’s actually thinking about pressing his suit. ... The Democrats say that PresidentBush doesn’t have an exit strategy for Iraq.  Of course he does.  Ifthings don’t go well, he exits in November. ... President Bush’s lap dog passedaway.  I didn’t know Tony Blairwas sick. ... President Bush said once again today he is troubled by all thegay marriages in San Francisco.  He’salso troubled by math, geometry and English” ("The Tonight Show,"NBC, 2/23).

LATENIGHT LAUGHS:

CBS’ Craig Kilborn: “A big weekend for thecandidates, everybody.  President Bushhighlighted his foreign policy and then John Kerry emphasized his warrecord and then Ralph Nader bragged about an article he wrote on toasters thatexplode. … Democratic front runner John Kerry has been given the protection ofeight armed secret service agents and then they gave Dennis Kucinich abig whistle” (“The Late Late Show,” CBS, 2/23).

Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart: “We’re back.  We were on vacation for a week and this timeI actually went on vacation.  Normallyon our weeks off, I usually spend it in my apartment, curled up in the fetalposition recalling childhood memories of parental disapproval.  But the good news is, this time, my wife andI, we went on vacation.  We went to theCaribbean.  The bad news is, it wasHaiti.  We went for the snorkeling.  We stayed for the coup.  Really good coup.  You don’t see coups like that in a lot of your islands, but ifyou ever want to see a coup – Club Med Haiti. The beads will buy you a man’s head” (“The Daily Show,” ComedyCentral, 1/23).

This week’s episode of VH1’s “Best Week Ever” examines WhoopiGoldberg waving the green flag at the Daytona 500.  Radio personality Miss Info: “TheNASCAR event was like an episode of ‘Hollywood Squares.’  A whole bunch of celebrities with nodistinct purpose.”  Comedian ChristianFinnegan: “I think I speak for America when I say nothing says NASCAR likeWhoopi Goldberg.”  Miss Info said BenAffleck was driving the pace car at the Daytona 500 “because he’s trying tofind a new girlfriend.”  ComedyCentral’s Mo Rocca, on President Bush being at the Daytona 500: “The Presidentwas hanging loose at the Daytona 500. He does it all the time just to catch up with buddies from the NationalGuard” ("Best Week Ever," VH1, 2/23).

MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“Who was Grover Cleveland, Andrew Jackson or WilliamHenry Harrison?”

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

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