Morning Buzz, March 1, 2004

ALAMO BOWL EXEC DIR TO SPEAK WITH MASTERCARD ABOUT BCS

The SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS reports that Alamo Bowl ExecDir Derrick Fox plansto talk with representatives from title sponsor MasterCard today “to gaugetheir interest in making a bid to join the BCS.  The BCS agreed Sunday to add a fifth game, increasing access forschools that are not part of college football’s most lucrative postseasonsystem.”  The fifth bowl is “stillsubject to final approval based on market viability, but all indications pointto it being in place when the new BCS contract takes effect before the 2006season” (SANANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 3/1).

AREA FORD DEALER GROUP TO BECOME FALCONS’ TRUCK & SUV SPONSOR

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports that in its first majorsponsorship since taking control of the Georgia Dome’s marketing rights, theFalcons today will “unveil the largest deal in team history.”  The Georgia & Atlanta Area Ford DealerGroup becomes the team’s “new official truck and SUV sponsor, signing athree-year pact valued at seven figures annually.  That amount includes rights fees, promotional spending and advertising”(SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/1 issue).

OLYMPIC STADIUM ROOF STILL A CONCERN; ROGGE OK WITHOUT IT

The L.A. TIMES reported that the contract for the Olympicswimming pool in Athens is due to be signed today, according to IOC President JacquesRogge.  The site “now attracting themost concern is the roof over Olympic Stadium, designed by famed Spanisharchitect Santiago Calatrava with the aim of being the showcase of theGames and of a modern Greece.  Thestagecraft of the opening ceremony is keyed to the roof.”  Rogge: “I’m interested in core delivery ofthe Games.  If we have the stadiumwithout the roof, but it still functions well, I’m perfectly happy” (L.A.TIMES, 2/29).

Meanwhile, the L.A. TIMES also reported that the IOC“readmitted Iraq as a member in good standing Friday, ensuring that Iraqiathletes will march behind the Iraqi flag [August 13] at the opening ceremonyof the 2004 Summer Games” (L.A.TIMES, 2/28).

OFFICIALS IN OHIO TO MEET WITH MLS EXPANSION RIGHTS-HOLDER

The AKRON BEACON JOURNAL reports that officials from SummitCounty, Ohio, today will meet with Cleveland-area developer Bert Wolstein, who “has the rightsto one of [MLS’] 2005 expansion teams. Their talk will focus on whether they can partner up to build a stadiumcomplex for the team.”  Wolstein, who“has pledged to put up the first $20[M]” of the project said that it will costanywhere from $110M-175M.  Summit CountyExec James McCarthy indicated that the decision on whether the deal isdoable “will come down to the question of whether it is profitable” (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/1).

ON CAMPUS FACILITY NOTES: DUQUESNE, MICHIGAN, STANFORD

The Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW reported that Duquesne Univ.today will host a press conference at the 6,200-seat Palumbo Center, “where University President CharlesDougherty is expected to announce formal plans for construction of itslong-awaited Basketball Recruitment Center.” The center, which will cost at least $8M, “will house relocated officesfor coaching staffs, as well as a weight-training area and a video, conferenceand training center” (PittsburghTRIBUNE-REVIEW, 2/28).

The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that the Univ. of Michigantoday will announce that its football program will institute PSLs.  The new policy “will cover approximately 45[%] of Michigan Stadium seasontickets and will not take effect until the 2005 season.”  Fans who do not “want to pay the personal-seatlicense can still have season tickets, but they will be moved toward the endzone” (DETROITFREE PRESS, 3/1).

The S.F. CHRONICLE noted that a $30M facelift for StanfordUniv.’s Maples Pavilion begins today. The renovations are “to becompleted in early January before the Pac-10 season” (S.F.CHRONICLE, 2/28).

CHALLENGE OF RAPE-SHIELD LAW ON AGENDA TODAY IN KOBE TRIAL

The L.A. TIMES reports that Kobe Bryant’s “challengeof the Colorado rape-shield law is the most anticipated item on the agendaduring hearings today and Tuesday, but several other issues must be resolved first.”  The woman who accused Bryant of rape is“scheduled to testify in Eagle County Court, as is Bobby Pietrack, abellhop at the mountain resort where Bryant and his 19-year-old accuser had anencounter June 30.  Most of therape-shield hearing will be conducted in closed court” (L.A.TIMES, 3/1).

MORNING BRIEFS

The FT.WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM reported that a negotiator representing Ameriquestconfirmed Friday that the company is talking with the MLB Rangers about namingrights for The Ballpark in Arlington (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM,2/28).

NBASenior Dir of Basketball Communications Tim Frank, on the sale of theHawks: “The process is still ongoing, and we have not committed to a date” fora vote.  One issue being resolved“involved legal language regarding how the nine-man Atlanta Spirit ownershipgroup, which has no majority partner, would deal with the NBA and NHLrequirements that one person have authority to represent ownership on leaguematters” (ATLANTACONSTITUTION, 2/29).

The PortlandOREGONIAN reported that Paul Allen’s Oregon Arena Corp., which operatesthe Rose Garden, Friday filed a bankruptcy restructuring plan that would “allow[Allen] to keep possession of the arena while cutting payments tolenders.”  The filing “relieves thecompany from having to immediately pay its bills, including a $3.2[M] interestpayment due to bondholders” today (PortlandOREGONIAN, 2/28).

The SACRAMENTO BEE noted that Sacramento Superior CourtJudge Richard Park is “expected to make a ruling soon that will affectthe $34[M] a jury awarded the Raiders in their trail last summer againstOakland-Alameda County Coliseum.”  Parkheard arguments from both sides Friday (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/28).

TheCHICAGO TRIBUNE reported that discussions continue among NFL, city of Chicagoand Bears officials “regarding the possibility of the NFL kicking off the 2004regular season on a Thursday night in Chicago.”  Bears President Ted Phillips said there was a “50-50chance” of the league selecting the Bears and Soldier Field as host of theseason-opener (CHICAGOTRIBUNE, 2/29).

TheDENVER POST reported that MLB has “rewritten its minor-league drug policy sothat first-time offenders are suspended for 15 games without pay.”  Second-time offenders will be suspended 30games without pay, and the suspension “grows to 60 games for the third offense,a full year for a fourth offense and permanent suspension for a fifth offense”(DENVERPOST, 2/29).

J. Tony Serra, attorney for Barry Bonds’personal trainer Greg Anderson, on Bonds’ potential use of steroids:“Barry Bonds never took anything illegal, and my client never provided himanything that the government claims is illegal.  (Bonds) declined to take any of these alleged illegal substances,and therefore his reputation should remain intact” (S.F.CHRONICLE, 2/28).

Braves P John Smoltz, on MLB’s drug testing policies:“The more this becomes a monster, the more it plays into everybody’s mind.  There’s a way they should do tests.  Do them the way they should be done – not a platform that’s justa smoke screen” (AP, 2/29).

TheCHICAGO SUN-TIMES reported that as the Cubs received MLB’s memo on “tighteningsecurity policies in clubhouses by banning personal trainers, friends andagents,” the club plans to discuss the policy with MLB officials beforedeciding the fate of Sammy Sosa’s trainer Julian Martinez (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 2/29).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The MIAMI HERALD reports that a crowd of approximately 35,000 attended yesterday’s IRL season-opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (MIAMI HERALD, 3/1).

• The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reported that a sellout crowd of 21,931 attended Saturday night’s Warriors-Bulls game at United Center.  The 17-42 Bulls are “averaging 19,551 fans, third in the league, and have 10 sellouts in 31 home games” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/29).

• The L.A. TIMES reported that the Clippers defeated the Knicks Friday night in front of a crowd of 19,060 at Staples Center, “only the second sellout of the season for the Clippers” (L.A. TIMES, 2/28).

• The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reported that the “fifth sellout crowd of the season,” 19,445, attended Saturday night’s Magic-Hawks game at Philips Arena (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/29).

• The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reported that the NLL Colorado Mammoth defeated the Anaheim Storm Saturday night “in front of a third consecutive home sellout crowd of 18,029” at Pepsi Center (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 2/29).

• The ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH reports that a crowd of 4,129 attended yesterday’s MISL All-Star Game at Family Arena in St. Louis (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/1).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

Sunday’s edition of CBS’ “Sunday Morning” visited the smalltown of Watersmeet, Michigan, which has been featured on recent ESPN promosbecause of the local high school’s nickname, the Nimrods.  CBS’ Bill Geist said that people fromaround the country are “calling the school to ask if the Nimrod nickname canpossibly be real and asking for Nimrod shirts. The school is now in the garment business, having sold $20,000 of Nimrodwear and counting” ("Sunday Morning," CBS, 2/29).  

WEEKEND RAP…

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

• ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, on the St. Joseph’s men’s basketball team: “No school without major college football has ever – ever! – had an undefeated season in major college basketball.  With only 3,200 students, St. Joseph’s is a city school with resources stretched so thin, that incoming freshman are often bunked six deep in the dorm lounges. ... It all works at St. Joseph’s because the adults in charge ... wake up every morning thinking how they plan on doing the right thing.”

• N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, on Nets President Rod Thorn firing head coach Byron Scott: “He is one of the smartest people I’ve met in pro basketball and his trade for Kidd for Stephon Marbury is only one of the great trades in the history of the NBA.  He didn’t care what the newspapers were going to say, he was going by what he was seeing.”

• Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, on former Yankees 3B Aaron Boone injuring his knee playing pick-up basketball: “It cost Aaron Boone nearly $6[M] and maybe a career. ... Now his money is gone, his season is gone and his job went to Alex Rodriguez, which is a bit like giving your bicycle to Lance Armstrong.  Don’t expect to see it again.”

• ESPN’s John Saunders: “I’ve been watching the trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams this week and I keep finding myself asking one question: why?  How could someone with so much throw it all away? ... What clearly occurred that night was not just an accident, it was also a judgment, a judgment that a limo driver’s life was worth less than a former NBA star’s” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/29).

Heard elsewhere over the weekend:

• Lupica, on accusations of steroid use in MLB: “Bud Selig didn’t remove trainers and all these people from clubhouses because he thought that the trainers were there delivering gumballs” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/29).

• Saunders, on the same issue: “If the players start turning on each other, and managers as we’ve seen now start turning on each other, this thing is going to blow up in the face of (MLB)” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/29).

• Albom, on NBA referees turning their shirts inside out to protest the suspension of a fellow referee: “Since when did this suddenly become the ‘68 Olympics?” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/29).

• Producer Mark Burnett, on his new reality show, “The Contender”: “I did this because I feel like it needs to be cleaned up.  It’s a great thing. ... Stallone is my partner, along with a cast of all executive producers, and Stallone is on camera. He loves boxing.  He’s not doing this for the money, Larry.  He just loves boxing.  It gave him something big in his life” ("Larry King Live,” CNN, 2/27).

• Donald Trump, on reports of Mike Tyson being broke: “I paid Mike a lot of money for a fight, and they never found the check.  I gave him a check for a lot of money when he was really hot. ... So I handed him a check for millions of dollars. And like, about a month and a half later, my accountant came and said, 'Mr. Trump, that check never was cashed.  They never found it.'  I said that’s OK.  Ultimately, they did find it” ("Larry King Live, CNN, 2/27).

• Capitals RW Anson Carter: “Hockey’s not the most TV-friendly sport there is, not like basketball and football, where you can sit on the couch and really enjoy the game.  Hockey, you have to go there and feel the energy” ("Maad Sports," BET, 2/28).

• Nets head coach Lawrence Frank, who guided his team to victories in his first 13 games: “I know a lot of coaches.  A lot of them are better than me.  But they don’t have the type of talent that we have here in New Jersey, so as a result, they don’t have the wins we have” ("OTL Nightly," ESPN, 2/27).

• NBC’s Lester Holt, on the Bulls 300-plus-pound all-male dance team, the Matadors: “When they shake it, it’s usually just above the waist that’s shaking" ("Today," NBC, 2/28).

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 Corpus Christi Baseball Club, the Astros’ Double-Aaffiliate beginning in ’05, will make a 10:00am CT announcement regardingnaming rights for a new $21.5M ballpark. Team Owner Nolan Ryan is among the officials expected to attend.

New IAAF rules become effective today, and the SAN JOSEMERCURY NEWS reported that the rules give track & field’s governing body“an opportunity to investigate and sanction coaches, trainers, physicians orothers who help athletes cheat” (SANJOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/24).

THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…

This week’s In-Depth focuses on fan loyalty, including examinationsof franchise relocation and changes in demographics.

For these stories and more, see this week's 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 “Afghanistan … The OtherWar.”  Meanwhile, NEWSWEEK examines “TheNew Science of Strokes” (THE DAILY).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER noted that U.S. District Court Judge ClaudiaWilken Friday denied EchoStar Communications’ request for a preliminary injunctionagainst Viacom that would have “prevented Viacom from pulling its broadcast andcable signals from EchoStar’s Dish Network satellite TV service.”  Wilken did grant a ten-day extension “to arestraining order against Viacom and indicated that EchoStar had grounds toproceed with an antitrust lawsuit” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 2/28).

DAILY VARIETY reports that IMG has “shuttered its Australasianarts and entertainment division after suffering losses” on musicals “Oliver!”and “The Full Monty” (DAILYVARIETY, 3/1).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “American Slang.”

“This term for a small, out-of-the-way town is also the nameof a long-gone Algonquian Indian tribe.”

LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

CBS’ DavidLetterman: “What a lousy audience we had last night.  You folks are lovely.  These people were mean and ugly, and rightafter the show, they went uptown and booed Jesus. ... This year, theAcademy Awards will be hosted by Billy Crystal.  Nice to see that my lifetime ban is still ineffect. ... Earlier in the week, George W. Bush is calling for aconstitutional amendment to ban gay weddings. Sounds like somebody didn’t get an invitation to Rosie’s wedding.... Yesterday, Rosie and her girlfriend were married in San Francisco, and incase you’re interested, I believe they’re registered at Home Depot” ("LateShow," CBS, 2/27).

NBC’sJay Leno: “Forbes magazine has come out with a list of the wealthiestpeople in the world today.  Number oneis Bill Gates.  Number two is WarrenBuffet.  Number three is a bigsurprise.  It’s the guy who owns theTexaco station over here in Burbank. ... Gas is more than two bucks agallon.  So apparently, not only did wenot find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, we didn’t find any oileither. ... The big story today is all about the resurrection.  Not Jesus, Martha Stewart.  The judge threw out the most serious chargeagainst Martha, which was, I think, wearing white after Labor Day. ... RosieO’Donnell has gotten married.  Boy, thatDavid Gest is unbelievable. ... Mexican President Vicente Foxcaused a huge controversy yesterday by demanding that the United States make iteasier for immigrants to cross our border. Easier?!  What does he want,moving sidewalks?  A shuttle bus?  A carpool lane? ... A Romanian man is in thehospital after getting drunk and swallowing 120 coins on a bet.  Doctors monitoring his situation say, sofar, there’s no change” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 2/27).

LATENIGHT LAUGHS:

Last Friday night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Reasons I’mHappy To Be Born February 29^th,” read on stage by ten people born onFebruary 29 ("Late Show," CBS, 2/27).

SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN’s 11:00pm ET 90-minute edition of “SportsCenter” ledwith Lakers-Nets, followed by Syracuse-Pittsburgh and Duke-FloridaState.  The first non-basketballreport, at 11:04 into the broadcast, was the Accenture Match PlayChampionship.  The first report onthe season-opening IRL Toyota Indy 300 was at 19:14.

THE 76^th ANNUALACADEMY AWARDS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences last nightdistributed its 76^th Annual Academy Awards at Kodak Theatre inHollywood, where “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” won arecord-tying 11 Oscars.  View a complete list ofwinners.  The following details some ofthe winners:

During the taped introduction to last night’s broadcast, hostBilly Crystal parodied several recent sports stories, including TomCruise’s character in “The Last Samurai,” Nathan Algren, admitting he beton baseball and Crystal riding a turtle in “Finding Nemo,” while expressing hisglee at the Yankees’ acquisition of Alex Rodriguez.  Following a commercial break, Crystaladdressed one of the 20-foot Oscar statues and said, “If you and Kobecould just share the ball more, and get along and stop talking to thepress.  And just concentrate.  Once Karl gets back, it’s gonna beok.  You’ll see” (“76^thAnnual Academy Awards,” ABC, 2/29).

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that “The Passion of TheChrist” grossed a “phenomenal$117.5[M] since its Wednesday release.” The estimated total for the top 12 films this weekend was $132.1M,compared to last year’s $86.4M.  For allfilms, the forecasted total this weekend is in the high-$140M to low-$150Marea, “up considerably from the $104.5[M] tallied during the comparable sessionin 2003” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 3/1).

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What is Podunk?”

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

The Morning Buzz provides anearly update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday atapproximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert tothe Morning Buzz, go to MyAccount and personalize your e-mail alert options.