Morning Buzz, June 9, 2004

BCS COMMISSIONERS EXPECTED TO APPROVE NEW FOUR PLUS ONE PLAN

The L.A. TIMES reports that BCS conference commissioners today will conduct a conference call during which they “probably will approve a proposal in which each of the four major bowls will play host to a second game every four years” beginning in ’06. The BCS “needs to reach a tentative agreement on a format before the Rose Bowl begins negotiations Friday with ABC.” Rose Bowl CEO Mitch Dorger said that his bowl “would consider taking a non-BCS team only in years when it lost the Pac-10 or Big Ten champion to the BCS national-title game” (L.A. TIMES, 6/9).

MEDIAWEEK reports that ABC execs “are nervous. They have been allowed input into the process but will not make the final decision. Network executives have resisted the idea of adding a fifth game, fearing that it will unnecessarily weaken the system as a TV property and undermine the powerful BCS brand.” ABC Sports Senior VP/Programming Loren Matthews: “We do write a pretty big check, and we’d like to think they’re listening. But ultimately, it’s [the conferences’] ball game, and they set the rules” (MEDIAWEEK, 6/7 issue).

NEWARK ARENA OPPONENTS APPEALING YESTERDAY’S NO-VOTE RULING

The Newark STAR-LEDGER reports that opponents of the Newark arena proposal today will appeal New Jersey Superior Court Judge Donald Goldman’s decision against holding a public vote on the Newark Housing Authority’s use of $200M in bonds to pay for the project. Goldman ruled yesterday that the public did not have the “right to push for a referendum because Newark’s city government would not incur debt.” Also today, Devils Prospective Managing Partner Jeffrey Vanderbeek will testify in front of the commission evaluating the project (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 6/9).

WHA COMMISSIONER BOBBY HULL TODAY TO UNVEIL LEAGUE’S LINEUP

World Hockey Association Commissioner Bobby Hull will outline the league’s lineup today at a noon ET news conference in Toronto. The L.A. TIMES reported that the league plans to have Canadian franchises in Halifax, Quebec City, Toronto and possibly Hamilton, as well as U.S. franchises in Dallas, Detroit, Jacksonville and Orlando. Hartford is “another potential site if the ownership group there can negotiate a lease with the Civic Center” (L.A. TIMES, 6/8).

The TORONTO SUN reports that Toronto will not be one of the confirmed franchises announced today as Toronto franchise co-Owners Gino Naldini and John Marshall “have not reached a deal with the SkyDome, though they figure it’s only a matter of time” (TORONTO SUN, 6/9).

MCCOURT SEEKING MORE THAN $200M FOR SOUTH BOSTON REAL ESTATE

Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt today will give a speech on the business of baseball at an Associated Industries of Massachusetts luncheon at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. The BOSTON HERALD reports that McCourt has indicated that he “will not accept a low-ball offer” for his South Boston Seaport land. While he did not offer a specific number, he said that $200M would be “far short of a fair price.” Real estate documents show that McCourt “pledged his land in exchange for a loan” from News Corp. to buy the Dodgers for $430M, but he said that he “could pay off [the] loan with other revenue” (BOSTON HERALD, 6/9).

MORNING BRIEFS

The USA TODAY reports that the USADA yesterday notified U.S. sprinters Tim Montgomery, Alvin Harrison, Chryste Gaines and Michelle Collins that they “might have committed a drug violation” after reviewing evidence from the BALCO investigation (USA TODAY, 6/9).

ABC earned a 4.2/7 final Nielsen rating for Monday's Game Seven of the Flames-Lightning Stanley Cup Finals, down 9% from the 4.6/8 for Game Seven of the Mighty-Ducks-Devils Finals last year.  ABC's final average for its five Stanley Cup Finals games was 2.6/5, down 10% from the 2.9/5 five-game average last year and down 21% from the 3.3/6 five-game average in '01 for Devils Avalanche (Mult., 6/8).

The AP reports that the Beijing leg of the Athens Olympic torch relay began today and will end at Tiananmen Square, marking the first time the flame has been carried on China’s mainland (AP, 6/9).

The BOSTON HERALD reports that a picket line “manned by hundreds of police union members yesterday shut down what was to have been the first day of work” to revamp FleetCenter for the Democratic National Convention in August (BOSTON HERALD, 6/9).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the Berlin Int’l Film Festival will host a new film competition entitled “Shoot Goals! Shoot Movies!” on its Berlinale Talent Campus. Filmmakers are to “submit original short movies depicting their personal take on [soccer] and the culture it generates” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/9).

MSG Networks will air four Spanish-language MetroStars games on FSNY beginning with Saturday’s 10:00pm ET match against the Earthquakes. MSG Networks is also the club’s English-language TV partner (MetroStars).

DMNEWS.com reported that SmartDM has signed deals with the Clippers, Heat, Mavericks and Warriors to “manage their data, analyze fan preferences and execute campaigns to their ticket purchasers and fans” (DMNEWS.com, 6/8).

The AFL Writers Association has created a monthly magazine, “Inside the AFL,” that will publish its first edition in January ’05 (AFL Writers Association).

ConocoPhillips’ Kendall Motor Oil has renewed its sponsorship of Watkins Glen Int’l, and will remain the track’s official motor oil through ’05. Kendall’s relationship with Watkins Glen began in ’57 (Watkins Glen Int’l).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The DETROIT NEWS reports that a crowd of 11,072 watched Game Two of the Pistons-Lakers NBA Finals last night via “PalaceVision” at The Palace of Auburn Hills (DETROIT NEWS, 6/9). The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that it was the largest turnout for PalaceVision since ’90, when the Pistons clinched the NBA title (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/9).

• The AP reports that a crowd of 13,275 attended last night’s Giants-Devil Rays game at Tropicana Field, “well below the 35,083 the Giants have averaged on the road” this year (AP, 6/9).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that after polling season-ticket holders, the Tigers have decided to allow singing hot dog vendor Charley Marcuse “one opera rendition a game.” Marcuse will be “broadcast on the big scoreboard during a second-inning hot dog promotion beginning tonight when he belts out an operatic-style ‘HoOoOtT DoOoOgGs’ during sales” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/9).

THE BACK PAGES

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post	N.Y. Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News	Newsday

TODAY’S EVENTS

NBC Universal will host a 12:15pm ET conference call to discuss its coverage of the Athens Olympics. NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chair Dick Ebersol, NBC Universal Television Networks Group President Randy Falco, NBC Olympics Exec VP David Neal and NBC Olympics Coordinating Producer Molly Solomon will participate.

The Lightning’s Stanley Cup Championship Parade will begin at noon ET in downtown Tampa, followed by a rally inside St. Pete Times Forum. Sunshine Network will air live coverage of the parade at noon ET, and air a primetime replay at 8:00pm ET tonight.

Calgary will host a 12:30pm MT rally for the Flames at Olympic Plaza, with 20,000-25,000 expected to attend (CALGARY SUN, 6/9).

The USPS will introduce an Athens Olympics stamp during a 10:30am ET dedication ceremony at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology.

The Hockey HOF will host a 3:30pm ET conference call to announce its ’04 inductees. Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey are expected to be among the inductees.

The Int’l Skating Union Congress is expected to vote on whether to replace the traditional 6.0 scoring method for major international events, including European and world championships, beginning next January (USA TODAY, 6/9).

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff will work the counter at Tim Horton’s coffee house in Clarence, NY, to raise money for the Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation.

IN OTHER NEWS….

The L.A. TIMES reports that TiVo’s stock dropped 14% yesterday after DirecTV said that it sold its 4% stake in the company. DirecTV has been a “major source of TiVo subscribers, providing nearly 75% of its new customers in the last quarter” (L.A. TIMES, 6/9).

The N.Y. POST reports that Viacom Chair Sumner Redstone has “hired an adviser to study whether to take” Midway Games private (N.Y. POST, 6/9).

An FCC report issued yesterday shows that U.S. high-speed Internet use grew 42% in ’03, as 8.3 million homes and businesses signed up for broadband service, bringing the total to 28.2 million high-speed lines at the end of the year (REUTERS, 6/8).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "European Islands."

"Gavdos, an islet administratively part of this larger island, is Europe's southernmost point."

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

CBS' David Letterman: "Very hot in New York City. To give you an idea how hot it is today in New York City; it was so hot I called Oprah Winfrey just to get the cold shoulder. It was so hot down in Washington, DC, Donald Rumsfeld walked himself around naked on a leash. It was so hot today, Jennifer Lopez married an air conditioner salesman. ... Happy birthday to Joan Rivers – 71-years-old today. The city announced that she will undergo a three-year, $51M renovation. ... Last night, the Stanley Cup was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning and I think I speak for all real die-hard hockey fans when I say, 'Thank God the Cup is finally back in Florida'" ("Late Show," CBS, 6/8).

NBC's Jay Leno: "’Harry Potter’ made $93M in two days. Isn't that unbelievable? The last time a young man made that kind of money, he married Theresa Heinz. ... President Bush is back after remembering D-Day, or as it was known in his house, report card day. ... In 2002, our Justice Department sent a memo to the White House justifying the use of torture. The Justice Department said torture was okay. What are they doing at the Department of Education? Burning books? ... In a move that shocked everyone last week, the head of the CIA, George Tenet, resigned. He did not want to resign, but when you have no credible intelligence you don't need a director. ... OJ Simpson is doing a lot of TV interviews this week to mark the tenth anniversary of murdering his wife, Nicole. Say what you want about OJ, here's a husband who remembers anniversaries” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 6/8).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten Things New Yorkers Can Do To Reduce Noise" ("Late Show," CBS, 6/8).

TUESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is Crete?"

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dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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