Morning Buzz, March 15, 2004

MARLINS BALLPARK FINANCING WILL NOT MEET TODAY’S DEADLINE

The Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL reported that a financingplan for a new Marlins ballpark “willnot be announced in time to meet the team’s deadline [today], but Miami-DadeCounty officials remain optimistic that a deal will be finalized soon and Miamiofficials continue to focus on a site next to the Orange Bowl.”  The Marlins had set a deadline today to“complete a financing plan for a $325[M] retractable roof ballpark, in partbecause $35[M] in convention development taxes pledged by the county would havebeen lost to Miami Beach unless a financing plan were in place” (Ft.Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 3/13).

UNIV. OF TORONTO TO CONTINUE VARSITY STADIUM TALKS TODAY

The TORONTO STAR reported that Univ. of Toronto VP JonDellandrea today will meet with CFL Argonauts co-Owners HowardSokolowski and David Cynamon “to discuss their participation in arevised project” for the university’s Varsity Stadium following the withdrawalSaturday of MLSE.  The development,planned as the new home for the Argonauts, “will be scaled back from $100[M] to$80[M] and the university will seek financial aid from the federal government”(TORONTOSTAR, 3/14).

ARGUMENTS ON STATUS OF TERRELL OWENS TO BE HEARD TODAY

ESPN.com reported that special master Stephen Burbanktoday will hear arguments on the status of WR Terrell Owens, who wastraded from the 49ers to Ravens but would like to be declared a freeagent.  The hearing “figures to be atough session for the [NFLPA], which finds itself in the middle of defendingthe actions of a player who isn’t exactly the poster boy they would choose topromote,” and Owens’ agent Dave Joseph, who failed to file free-agencypapers by the deadline.  The NFLPA will“attempt to argue that Owens fulfilled the void stipulations merely by reachingthe performance standards stipulated in his contract which granted him theright to expunge the final three seasons of the deal” (ESPN.com,3/13).

WALL STREET JOURNAL OFFERS NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNEY SECTION

The WALL STREET JOURNAL today runs a special section, TheJournal Report: NCAA Basketball Tournament, and notes that over the next threeweeks, 64 men’s games will be played in 14 arenas “before more than 750,000fans.  The tournament will fill 77 hoursof programming and attract around 140 million viewers on CBS.”  Noting the NCAA’s 11-year, $6B contract withCBS, this year’s tournament will “deliver the NCAA $389[M] from televisionrights, plus an additional $35[M] from ticket sales and other sources” (WALLSTREET JOURNAL, 3/15).

Other topics in the special section include:

• Women’s tournament narrowing gender gap, but disparities remain.
• For CBS, tournament represents all that is good and bad about big-event TV.
• Annual office pool becoming an exercise in social anthropology.
• Hoops success credited with financial turnaround of Gonzaga University.
• How the city of San Antonio landed the Final Four.
• Marketers wary of this year’s crop of potential endorsers.
• Las Vegas takes more bets on tournament than any other event.
• A look back at Penn’s run to the Final Four twenty-five years ago.

Full-page advertisers in the section include BMW, Sony (2+pages) and Lexus.  Half-page advertisersinclude Marriott, Mercedes-Benz and Audi (THE DAILY).

MLB ARGUING TO DISMISS CLASS-ACTION SUIT ON PENSION, BENEFITS

The N.Y. TIMES reported that oral arguments on MLB’s motionto dismiss a class-action lawsuit will be heard today by Judge Manuel Realin Federal District Court in L.A.  Morethan 1,000 former MLBers have filed the suit “against Commissioner Bud Seligand MLB on behalf of all those players from 1947 to 1979 who were not vestedfor pension or medical coverage.”  MLBExec VP/Labor Relations Rob Manfred: “Under the rules that were operableat the time, some players from 1947 to 1979 didn’t play long enough to bevested” (N.Y.TIMES, 3/13).

MORNING BRIEFS

The Hawks late Friday announced that the NBA BOG hasapproved the transfer of ownership of the franchise to Atlanta Spirit, clearingthe way for Time Warner to sell the Hawks to the partnership.  The NHL still has to approve the sale of theThrashers (THE DAILY).

The L.A. TIMES reported that Dodgers SeniorVP/Communications Derrick Hall, citing philosophical differences withownership, resigned Saturday, becoming the “third high-ranking executive inless than a month to bolt from Chavez Ravine since the McCourtsofficially took control of the franchise” (L.A.TIMES, 3/14).

The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reported that Champ Car World Seriesteam Owner Bobby Rahal confirmed Friday that his sponsor, Gigante, is“considering where to have driver Michael Jourdain Jr. race thisseason.”  Gigante may follow AdrianFernandez and his Mexican-based sponsors to the IRL (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 3/13).

REUTERS reported that the ATP Tour “began handing outleaflets Friday at the Pacific Life Open warning players not to take anysupplement that was handed out by the men’s tour in the past” (REUTERS,3/12).

TheWASHINGTON POST reports that Redskins LB LaVar Arrington has “fileda non-injury grievance with the NFL against the Redskins organization over acontract dispute.  At issue is a $6.5[M]roster bonus for 2006 that Arrington and his agent Carl Poston say wasagreed to by the team but was not included in an eight-year, $68[M] extensionthat Arrington signed” (WASHINGTONPOST, 3/15).

The APreported that Bundesliga club Bayern Munich “offered to play a charity soccergame with Real Madrid to raise money for the survivors and relatives of thevictims of the Madrid train bombings” (AP,3/13).

Yankees3B Alex Rodriguez, on Barry Bonds: “I don’t know whatcloud he has over him, but I’m a big Barry Bonds fan and I believe he’s thegreatest who ever laced them up – you can write that in bold letters.  He’s been doing it for a long, long time.  They can say anything they want.  I don’t believe any of it” (S.F.CHRONICLE, 3/14).

The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reported that Julian Martinez,the personal trainer of Cubs RF Sammy Sosa, will “work the radar gun inthe stands during games, as well as chart pitches.  He will travel with the club on every trip and stay in the teamhotels but not be permitted in the clubhouse at any point or on the field.  Martinez will not be paid by the team withthe exception of his seat on charter flights, his meal money and his hotelrooms” (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 3/14).

The BOSTON HERALD reported that the Celtics plan to“investigate whether there is a clause to recover back pay” from Vin Baker.  At issue will be whether Baker “lied abouthis preexisting alcohol problems either in discussions with team personnel oron official forms – even though his drinking and emotional situations were commonknowledge throughout the league” (BOSTONHERALD, 3/13).

The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reported that the Big 12 Conferencepassed a resolution “calling for a review of recruiting practices that recentlyhave come under scrutiny at several Division I schools,” marking the “firstaction the Big 12 has taken since recruiting issues at [the Univ. of Colorado]and other campuses began making national headlines” (ROCKYMOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/13).

The TORONTO STAR reported that the Web site for thissummer’s Hockey Gladiators PPV event received 400,000 hits in the first threedays alone after Canucks RW Todd Bertuzzi injured Avalanche F SteveMoore (TORONTOSTAR, 3/14).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reported that a “sellout and season-high crowd of 23,067” attended Saturday’s Lakers-Bulls game at United Center (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/14).

• The T’Wolves set a franchise record for single-game attendance with a crowd of 20,391 for Friday night’s game against the Lakers at Target Center.  The previous high was 20,347, which came earlier this season against the Spurs (T’Wolves).

• The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL reported that attendance at the Mountain West Conference men’s basketball tournament “was the lowest in the five-year history.”  For the first three sessions, attendance averaged 8,920 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, and “only 6,526 showed up for Saturday’s championship game between UNLV and Utah.”  Last year’s tournament averaged 13,483 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/14).

• MLB.com reported that this year’s Serie de Primavera at 30,000-seat Foro Sol in Mexico City between the Marlins and Astros drew a two-game crowd of 26,338, down from last year’s 37,758 for Dodgers-Mets.  After Sunday’s finale was called after nine innings with a 2-2 tie, the 11,270 in attendance “showered the field with paper cups and debris” (MLB.com, 3/14).  The Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL noted that tickets cost $10-150 (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 3/14).

• The SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reports that attendance for yesterday’s three-game session was 20,737, “bringing the four-day Aztec Invitational total to 105,000” at Petco Park.  The event “produced the four largest crowds for a tournament and four of the six-largest regular-season attendance dates” in college baseball history (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/15).

• The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE reported that Friday night’s crowd of 15,303 at the AFL Detroit Fury-New Orleans VooDoo game was the “biggest to attend a VooDoo game at New Orleans Arena.  It was the first night home game in franchise history” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 3/13).

• The CP reported that Canucks fans “held a march and rally to show support” for suspended RW Todd Bertuzzi before Saturday’s game against the Senators at GM Place.  The crowd was “estimated to be [300-500] people” (CP, 3/13).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

Donald Trump threw out the ceremonial first pitchbefore Friday night’s Yankees game. After the ball bounced before it reached home plate, someone in thecrowd yelled, “You’re fired” (NewarkSTAR-LEDGER, 3/13).

The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that Tonya Harding’sappearance at the CHL Indianapolis Ice’s “Guaranteed Fight Night” Friday“turned into a farce she used to promote her boxing match next week.  Harding was scheduled to spar threeone-minute rounds between the second and third periods” of the game, butinstead, she “wore boxing gloves and threw punches at her manager, PaulBrown, who wore oversized clown-like gloves.”  Her appearance “drew a full house at Pepsi Coliseum,” giving thefranchise a season-high 7,714 (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 3/13).

WEEKEND RAP…

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

• Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan: “The impossible is possible.  LeBron James is that good.  He possesses a combination of talent, poise and sheer star power that comes along once every Michael Jordan or so. ... The torch has been passed.”

• N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica: “There was a time in college basketball when (Grant Hill), Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner were the core of one of the great college teams of all-time.  The sky was going to be the limit for all of them, especially for Hill, who was discussed as the next Michael Jordan.  But playing on those Duke teams was as good as it ever got for all of them. ... The message here: enjoy the players you’ll watch over the next three weeks for what they are, not what you think they might be.”

• Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom: “What is it about Baltimore?  First, John Elway says he’d rather switch sports than throw passes there.  Now, Terrell Owens says he’d rather sit than catch passes there.  Maybe it’s the crab cakes or maybe there’s a better question like, why would Baltimore want a guy like Owens if he doesn’t want to be there?”

• ESPN’s John Saunders, on NCAA rules stating that skier Jeremy Bloom’s endorsement deals make him ineligible to play football at the Univ. of Colorado: “What they’re doing to Jeremy Bloom is wrong. ... Why is it OK for any student, athletes included, to work in a pizza parlor or scooping ice cream and still remain on scholarship?  Bloom’s skiing money has nothing to do with college football.  I know it’s the NCAA’s mission to keep players away from extra benefits.  But when those extra benefits are used to support extra talent, it’s hard to see the logic in making someone choose which skill they like the best” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/14).

Heard elsewhere over the weekend:

• St. Joseph’s basketball coach Phil Martelli, after being shown results of an ESPN.com poll in which 88% of respondents said the Hawks would not reach the Final Four: “You know what the problem is?  Most of the people in Philadelphia don’t know how to use a computer, so they didn’t go on and vote” (“Bracketology: NCAA Men’s Selection Special,” ESPN, 3/14).

• Lupica, on MLBPA Exec Dir Don Fehr testifying in front of Congress: “(The Senate) didn’t get through to him because he doesn’t believe the Senate will follow through on this.  He doesn’t believe there’s a problem.  He believes that he has the support of the lambs in his union who are so happy for all the money that Fehr has made them that they don’t really care about this” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/14).

• Albom, on the NCAA Tournament: “If not for betting, this thing would be half of what it is” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/14).

• Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler, on fans storming the court after a game: “I think trying to outlaw court-storming is like trying to outlaw dessert in restaurants because a few people overindulge” ("OTL," ESPN, 3/14).

• Albom, on violence in hockey: “Fighting is enjoyed by the fans, accepted by the players and accepted, and even at times behind the back promoted by the NHL, and until that changes, nothing else will” ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/14).

• Bloomberg News’ Mike Buteau, on CBS broadcasting The Masters commercial-free: “It’s a good study in television right now with CBS and you ask that question, ‘How can they afford to do it?’ ... For CBS, this is a prestige tournament” (Bloomberg News TV, 3/12).

• CBS’ Bill Geist, on Pete Rose being inducted into the WWE HOF: “There is no evidence whatsoever that Rose bet on those matches (he participated in).  Only an idiot would bet on pro wrestling” ("CBS News Sunday Morning," CBS, 3/14).

• FSN’s Kenny Wallace, on the new tires in NASCAR: “Count on track records everywhere” ("NASCAR This Morning," FSN, 3/14).

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 NFL Competition Committee continues meeting in Florida,and the WASHINGTON POST reports that the committee appears to be “leaningagainst recommending any changes to the rules governing the ability ofassistant coaches on playoff teams to land head coaching jobs.”  The committee appears poised to recommendthat NFL owners “retain the instant-replay system, perhaps with a tweak or two,and to recommend no changes to the playoff structure or overtime format” (WASHINGTONPOST, 3/15).

The St.Paul Charter Commission today will take up a “proposal to let voters decide inNovember whether to forbid the city from spending tax dollars” on a new Twinsballpark (ST. PAULPIONEER PRESS, 3/15).

THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…

This week’s In-Depth focuses on mixed-use sports facilityprojects, including profiles of three projects in development.

For 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 “The Case For Staying Home …Why Some Young Moms Are Opting Out of the Rat Race.”  Meanwhile, NEWSWEEKexamines “Europe’s 9/11 … A New Threat to America?” (THE DAILY).

USA TODAY reports that the FCC is“considering an aggressive plan that would speed the transition to digital TVbut would force consumers who don't have cable or satellite service to buy newgear by December 2006.  The plan wouldrequire the pay-TV services to convert digital signals to analog so they couldbe viewed on analog TV sets, the kind most people now have” (USATODAY, 3/15).

The AP reported that DirecTV is “usinga national campaign against satellite TV piracy to extort millions of dollarsfrom innocent consumers,” according to a class-action fraud lawsuit filed lastweek in federal court in California. The lawsuit alleges that DirecTV, and its parent Hughes Electronics,have used letters to“intimidate people into paying $3,500 each and more to avoid being sued forpiracy or signal theft.  It says atleast 10,000 people since mid-2002 have paid settlements and that many did sounder duress” (AP,3/13).

The FINANCIAL TIMES reported that AEG Chair Phil Anschutz“has paid close to [US$90.4M] for Manchester’s 20,000-seat MEN Arena, Europe’slargest indoor entertainment venue.” The acquisition is the “second large investment in the UK” for Anschutz,who has “agreed to build a [US$271M] 26,000-seat arena on the London site” ofthe Millenium Dome.  MEN Arena hosted 70concerts last year (FINANCIALTIMES, 3/13).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Mythology.”

“The current medals for the Summer Olympics feature thisgoddess on them.”

LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

NBC’sJay Leno: “UCLA has announced they have suspended their cadaverdonations program, which is too bad because that’s really the only chance Iever had of getting into medical school. ... President Bush’s campaignis spending a $100[M] in negative TV ads against John Kerry.  Isn’t that a bit much?  He only offered $25[M] to get SaddamHussein. ... Did you know John Kerry speaks French fluently?  Democrats are calling Kerry one in amillion.  A war hero who speaksFrench?  That’s one in a trillion, isn’tit? ... It looks like they finally found a weapon of mass destruction.  It turns out he plays for the VancouverCanucks.  The National Hockey Leaguesuspended Todd Bertuzzi for the rest of the season for his viciousattack that left another player with a broken neck.  An assault in hockey – or as they call that in the ‘hood –white-on-white crime.  But the good newsis, today Bertuzzi was able to sign up with ‘The Sopranos.’  He’s playing the new guy, Vinnie Highstick.... Disneyland announced today they are going to put up a huge security fenceall around the entire theme park.  Theysay they will do whatever it takes to keep Michael Eisner out” ("TheTonight Show," NBC, 3/12).

LATENIGHT LAUGHS:

During the news segment of NBC’s “SNL,” castmember TinaFey said, “DirecTV has filed suit against O.J. Simpson, accusing himof pirating its satellite television signal. In an unrelated story, DirecTV has been stabbed to death” ("SNL,"NBC, 3/13).

SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN’s 11:00pm ET edition on “SportsCenter” led with Maryland-Duke in the ACC Championship and the AtlantaRegion pairings, followed by Florida-Kentucky in the SECChampionship and the St. Louis Region pairings, Texas-Oklahoma Statein the Big 12 Championship and the East Rutherford Region pairings, and Wisconsin-Illinoisin the Big Ten Championship and the Phoenix Region pairings.  The first non-NCAA report, at 19:16 into thebroadcast, was Knicks-Bucks.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the total box office for the “top 12 films was up about 15%from the comparable frame last year.” The projected total for all films this weekend is in the high-$110M tolow-$120M range, up from last year’s $106M (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 3/15).

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“Who is Nike?”

If you have anyquestions, 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.