| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
9:00am ET | |
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| • | Sale Of 48% Of Devil Rays To New Yorker To Be Announced As Early As Today |
| • | TNT To Replace Shaq Billboards In San Antonio Today With Those Of Duncan |
| • | USATF Today To Announce IUPUI Will Host Future National Championships |
| • | USOC Wants Track Doping Cases Settled Before Trials; WADA Says Unrealistic |
| • | Chiefs, Royals Agree To Extend Current Leases Through 2030 On One Condition |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
SALE OF 48% OF DEVIL RAYS TO BE ANNOUNCED AS EARLY AS TODAY
The TAMPA TRIBUNE reported that the sale of 48% of the DevilRays to former Goldman Sachs Managing Dir Stuart Sternberg will be announcedduring the team’s current homestand, which begins tonight against theRangers. Sternberg and other investors“have purchased the shares of generalpartners Robert Basham, Chris Sullivan, Mark Bostick, DanDoyle and the Bill Griffin family trust.” Devil Rays Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli “owns16.7[%] of the team but will stay in charge of the franchise” as MLB’sdesignated “control” person (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/8).
SHAQ GETTING THE BOOT IN TEXAS; TIM DUNCAN TO REPLACE HIM
The L.A. TIMES reports that a San Antonio billboard companycontracted by TNT today will replace five billboards featuring Lakers C ShaquilleO’Neal with those of Spurs F Tim Duncan. TNT put up billboards featuring O’Neal and Nets G Jason Kiddin 13 NBA cities “to promote its NBA playoff coverage.” However, the five O’Neal billboards in SanAntonio “caused such a furor” that they are being replaced (L.A.TIMES, 5/11).
USA TRACK & FIELD BRINGING NATIONALS BACK TO INDIANAPOLIS
The Indiana Sports Corp. will hold its annual meeting today,and the INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that USA Track & Field will announce thatits ‘06 and ‘07 national championships will be at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. Since the U.S. Olympic Trials in ‘88, there“has been just one major outdoor meet” at IUPUI: the ‘97 USAChampionships. Dates for thechampionships are June 22-25, 2006, and June 21-24, 2007 (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 5/11).
NASCAR NEXTEL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE SEES CHANGES THIS YEAR
The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reports that Lowe’s Motor Speedwaywill host a news conference today to promote the May 22 Nextel All-StarChallenge and “unveil the event’s ‘most memorable moments.’” Additionally, Nextel has approved a changeto the race’s format whereby fans can vote on NASCAR.com and by phone to “addanother driver to the all-star field” in addition to the winner of the NextelOpen – the 30-lap, two-segment race held prior to the All-Star race (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER, 5/11).
MORNING BRIEFS
USA TODAY reports that the USOC wants all doping casesagainst track athletes “resolved before Olympic trials begin July 9,” but WADAPresident Dick Pound and the IAAF “contend such a deadline isunrealistic.” Under the new OlympicCharter, athletes with an ongoing doping case will not be admitted to the Games(USATODAY, 5/11).
The K.C. STAR reports that the Chiefs and Royals have agreedto extend their current stadium leases for 25 years through 2030 – if “votersapprove a proposed bistate tax.” TheJackson County Sports Complex Authority, the NFL and MLB must also approve theextensions (K.C. STAR,5/11).
The CHICAGOSUN-TIMES reports that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said that he “sees noneed for a larger or longer police presence around Wrigley Field, arguing thata deadly altercation between a motorist and a pedestrian was all about the gun– not the game” (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 5/11).
FSN debuted “I, Max” last night at 6:00pm local time. Host Max Kellerman began the show bysaying, “I hear what they say. That theLakers’ Game Three win was an aberration. That the Anaheim Angels are the best team in baseball. That Tiger Woods is somehowback. But I, Max, say wrong, wrong,wrong. The only guy who’s back is me” (“I,Max,” FSN, 5/10).
Electronic Arts yesterday announced an agreement withMicrosoft that allows EA Sports and EA Games titles to be played online viaXbox Live (Electronic Arts).
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that Texas Sen. KenArmbrister is “willing to revise his proposed constitutional amendment toallow video lottery terminals” at the Astrodome, which is “mainly used for highschool football and monster truck” events. The original amendment includes horse and dog tracks (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 5/11).
USA TODAY reports that men’s college basketball teams will“experiment during certified games before January 1 with a wide lane and a moredistant three-point shot.” The lanewill expand to 15 feet, while the three-point line will be moved to 20 feet, 6inches (USA TODAY, 5/11).
The CFL announced that Toronto-based Bensimon Byrne, theleague’s ad agency of record since the ’01 season, will continue in thatcapacity this season (CFL).
The following details the winners of the ’04 Laureus WorldSports Awards as announced last night in Portugal (Laureus World SportsAcademy):
| Category | Winner |
| Sportsman Of The Year | Michael Schumacher |
| Sportswoman Of The Year | Annika Sorenstam |
| World Newcomer Of The Year | Michelle Wie |
| World Team Of The Year | England’s Rugby Team |
| World Comeback Of The Year | Hermann Maier |
| Disabled Award | Earle Connor |
| Alternative Sports Award | Layne Beachley |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Arne Naess |
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 |
TODAY’S EVENTS
Santa Anita Park GM ChrisMcCarron and Magna Entertainment Exec VP & CFO Blake Tohana will ring the NASDAQ opening bell at 9:30am ET (THOROUGHBREDTIMES, 5/10).
The L.A. City Council will honor former Dodgers P andcurrent Spanish-language broadcaster FernandoValenzuela for his contribution to the L.A. community through the LosAmigos de Fernando program at 10:00am PT at City Hall.
The Double-A Southern League Mississippi Braves will breakground on the team’s new ballpark in Pearl, MS, at noon CT.
Women In Sports & Events will host its Tenth AnniversaryWISE Women of the Year Luncheon from 11:30am-2:30pm ET at the Marriott Marquisin N.Y. NBC Sports’ Andrea Joyce will host the event.
IN OTHER NEWS….
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that Charter Communicationslost $293M in Q1 ‘04, compared with a loss of $181M in the year earlierperiod. Total revenue increased 3.1% to$1.21B and Charter’s high-speed data service experienced a 38% “sales surge as125,200 new residential customers signed up” (WALLSTREET JOURNAL, 5/11).
The N.Y. POST reports that the relationship of Steve MaddenLtd. and its Founder Steve Madden, who resigned as Chair & CEO in’01 after pleading guilty to securities fraud and money laundering, to thecompany is “under scrutiny by federal regulators.” Madden receives an annual salary of $700,000 as Creative Dir& Design Chief (N.Y.POST, 5/11).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
This week’s editions of “Jeopardy” are part of “PowerPlayers Week” from DC. Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “ThePresidency.”
“If a president is impeached, this official presides overthe trial in the Senate.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “They announced the Tony Awardnominations earlier today. Once againthe ‘Late Show’ was nominated for a Tony Award. It was in the category ‘Biggest Waste of a Broadway Theater.’ ...The final episode of CBS’ “Survivor” was exciting. Amber received a marriage proposal and a one milliondollar check. I’m telling you, it’slike dating Donald Trump. ... Jennifer Lopez is getting marriedagain. The young man’s name, a verypopular singer, is Marc Anthony. No date has been set for the divorce. ... President Bushannounced that Donald Rumsfeld has the full confidence of PresidentBush, and I’m thinking, ‘Is that really an endorsement?’ ... Stories coming outabout degrading photographs, nude pyramids, sexual humiliation. Of course, I’m talking about Bill Clinton’smemoir” ("Late Show," CBS, 5/10).
NBCaired “The Tonight Show” from the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Jay Leno: “The people of Paris Hotelhave been treating us just great. It’snothing like the real Paris at all. They like us here. You know whatreally amazes me about this French hotel? How fluent everyone is in Spanish. They take this French theme very seriously here at the Paris Hotel. Like this morning, I saw a guy pull up in aHumvee and two bellhops surrendered. ... One of the big things here in LasVegas is celebrity impersonators. That’s huge here. Of course wehave that in L.A. too. I think they’recalled the Clippers. ... At a fundraising gathering in Washington, DC,President Bush raised a record $38.5M. The best visual was President Bush shaking hands with boxing promoter DonKing, and it made history. President Bush is the first guy in history to ever shake hands with DonKing and walk away with money” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 5/10).
MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Spurs-Lakers | Pistons-Nets; Angels |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Spurs-Lakers | Pistons coach Larry Brown criticizing Nets for firing Byron Scott, NFL Giants camp |
| ESPN | 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” | Flyers-Lightning | Pacers-Heat; Kobe Bryant case |
| FSN | “I, Max” | Spurs-Lakers | Larry Brown; Angels |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Spurs-Lakers | Pro Football HOFer Ronnie Lott; Eagles WR Terrell Owens |
| FSN | “New England Sports Tonight” | Indians-Red Sox | Red Sox SS Nomar Garciaparra; Red Sox RF Trot Nixon |
| Empire Net | “Empire Sports Report” | Flyers-Lightning | AHL Rochester Americans coach Randy Cunneyworth; AHL Milwaukee Admirals-Chicago Wolves |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?”
If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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