Morning Buzz, June 29, 2004

EDGAR KAISER HEADED TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT OVER BRONCOS

The Colorado Springs GAZETTE reports that former Broncos Owner Edgar Kaiser’s attempt to “regain partial ownership of the team from Owner Pat Bowlen will continue today during a U.S. District Court hearing.” Kaiser’s attorneys will argue that Kaiser “should be allowed to repurchase 20[%] ownership” of the club at the same price John Elway was offered. Other matters to be broached today include “how the value of the Broncos will be determined to assess damages, and if Kaiser must prove he was capable of purchasing a share of the Broncos” (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 6/29).

NBPA’S BILLY HUNTER SENDS LABOR WARNING SHOT TO LEAGUE

NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter at the union's annual meeting in Las Vegas yesterday said, “The guys understand that the negotiations could ultimately result in another lockout [after next season], and they have to prepare themselves for that. If the owners are not inclined to retreat from their current proposal, there's a high probability there can be another lockout.” NBA Commissioner David Stern responded, “I'm optimistic. I'm glad that the players are engaged and involved, because whenever you have people who understand the economics of a business thoroughly, you're more likely to reach an agreement” (AP, 6/28).

CHARGERS INK SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH WELLS FARGO, PACIFICARE

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports that the Chargers today will announce multiyear sponsorship deals with Wells Fargo Bank and Pacifcare Health Systems, the “latest bounty from the team’s recent control of sign inventory at Qualcomm Stadium.” Wells Fargo joins Union Bank of California in the banking category, while Pacificare secures the vacant health insurance category (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/28 issue).

TYSON TO ANNOUNCE JULY 30 BOUT TO HELP WITH $38.4M IN DEBT

Mike Tyson and Danny Williams will announce their July 30 bout during a 1:30pm ET news conference at the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center in Louisville, and the AP reported that Tyson will earn “several million dollars to help satisfy” his $38.4M debt through the fight. The July fight is one of seven he plans on using to pay off his debt (AP, 6/28).

Showtime will air the fight on PPV for $44.95 and tickets will range from $40 to $1,500 for ringside seats at Freedom Hall (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/29).

SFX LANDS FIVE SECOND-ROUNDERS IN THURSDAY'S NBA DRAFT

Today, The Daily presents the second installment of our annual NBA Draft agent chart. The representation of the top five selections in the second round of last Thursday night’s draft is as follows:

Please see today’s issue of The Daily for the representation of all 30 second-round picks, as well as additional draft coverage.

MAGIC TV COMMENTATOR ARRESTED ON SEXUAL BATTERY CHARGES

The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that Magic TV commentator Jack Givens this morning will appear in Orange County Court for a court appearance, as he was “arrested late Monday on charges of sexual battery and lewd molestation of a 14-year-old girl.” The Orange County Sheriff’s office will host an 11:00am ET news conference to discuss the case against Givens, who is being held on $25,000 bail (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/29).

MORNING BRIEFS

The SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS reports that Tim Montgomery is bypassing USADA’s “usual arbitration process” by asking his case to be “heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose decision would be binding” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/29).

The NFL Cardinals and Arizona State Univ. yesterday unveiled a new partnership as part of a settlement over Sun Devil Stadium signage. Among other things, ASU and the Cardinals will market each other’s games on TV and radio (Cardinals).

Architect Santiago Calatrava stated Monday that the Athens Olympic Stadium will be completed "just before the opening ceremonies." His comments "contradict promises by Greek officials to finish the complex in mid-July" (AP, 6/28).

ESPN The Magazine NHL Editor E.J. Hradek: “Gary Bettman says fans are willing to miss the game or to have the game be shutdown if you fix the system. I don’t know. If the game goes away for a year, people have other things to do” (ESPNews, 6/28).

Rick Munro, owner of the WHA Dallas franchise, said Monday he's "99 percent sure" the league is ready to play this season (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/28).

USA TODAY reports that Florida State Univ. yesterday “reached a $2[M] settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit” with the family of former LB Devaughn Darling, who died February 26, 2001, during a conditioning workout (USA TODAY, 6/29).

Click Here To View Clip

REUTERS notes that journalists attending the 51^st Int’l Advertising Festival Saturday in Cannes “chose as their favorite Nike’s arena version of musical chairs ad,” created by Wieden + Kennedy, Netherlands (REUTERS, 6/29).

The PALM BEACH POST reports that after Florida Atlantic Univ.'s $11.5M athletic budget was approved Monday by its Board of Trustees, the school applied with the NCAA to move to Division 1-A (PALM BEACH POST, 6/29).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that last night’s Marlins-Braves game at Turner Field, scheduled for 7:35pm ET, was rain delayed until 10:55pm, when “less than half of the 31,969 who had bought tickets remained” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/29).

• Following an average attendance of 25,653 for the Devil Rays’ weekend series against the Marlins and Tropicana Field, the TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that a crowd of 11,218 attended last night’s game against the Blue Jays, 4,254 below the club’s 15,472 home average (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 6/29).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

USA TODAY notes the Devil Rays have been “virtually unbeatable since June 9, the day Tampa-area newspapers ran excerpts from an angry letter [Devil Rays Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli] wrote to a Hillsborough County administrator demanding assistance in eradicating” raccoons from around his home north of Tampa. The club has “other raccoon connections.” The Hudson Valley (NY) Renegades, owned in part by former Rays marketing executive Mike Veeck, are a Class A farm team of the Rays and feature a raccoon logo” (USA TODAY, 6/29).

Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, on erectile dysfunction ads on TV: “What if Rafael Palmeiro had turned down (the Viagra) commercial because he made it legit for people under-40 to admit in public they got a little problemo there?" ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "That is immediate disqualification from the (HOF). Bob Dole in his seventies is fine. ... But (the ads) are now aimed at 30-year-olds. I never knew there were so many horny women in America that they had to advertise this product” (“PTI,” ESPN, 6/28).

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

The restructuring of the Hornets’ front office “will be complete” when the team unveils Willis Reed as VP/Basketball Operations (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 6/29).

MLB will host the “second of two informational meetings this month in [N.Y.] to update club officials on the proposed” World Cup of Baseball. An MLB TV channel also will be discussed (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/28 issue).

ESPN will begin auditions for its second season of “Dream Job” from 8:00am-6:00pm ET at the ESPN Zone in Times Square. Auditions continue tomorrow in N.Y., and conclude July 30 in Orlando. “Dream Job” will debut its second season September 21.

The Lightning Stanley Cup Champions DVD hits retail at $24.98. The video is a joint effort from Warner Home Video, the NHL and NHL Productions.

“The First Olympics: Blood, Honor & Glory,” a DVD from The History Channel hits retail for $24.95.

All 255 selections in the ’04 NFL Draft will participate in an NFL Youth Football Clinic with approximately 250 children from 2:00-4:30pm PT at LaCosta Conference Center in Carlsbad, CA.

Red Sox Pitcher Curt Schilling will appear on "Fox & Friends", "The Early Show", "CNN Live", "Fox News Live" and "Power Lunch" (N.Y. POST, 6/29).

The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition will hold a Sports Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago to salute diversity in motorsports.

IN OTHER NEWS….

A Commerce Department study released yesterday shows that consumer spending rose 1% in May, a “considerable pickup from the 0.2% increase registered in April. The increase in May was the largest since October 2001, when spending rebounded with gusto after being depressed by the September 11 terror attacks” (USA TODAY, 6/28).

The N.Y. POST reports that Newsday laid off 46 editorial and operations staffers, “making the cuts among the deepest absorbed yet by any in Tribune Co.’s relentless cost-cutting drive.” Approximately 40 union and non-union employees have “accepted the paper’s voluntary buyout offers” (N.Y. POST, 6/29).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Book Titles."

"'I am the rose of Sharon' and 'When you know your name, you should hang on to it' are from two different books titled this."

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

CBS' David Letterman: "You folks seem like a great group. You're such a nice group, and you know what I'm going to do, and I wasn't going to do this for a couple of days, I'm going to turn the show over to you folks. ... Listen to how bad Friday's audience was. Halfway through the show, Dick Cheney jumps up and starts screaming obscenities. ... How many of you folks were in town yesterday and saw the big Gay Pride Parade? It was refreshing and exciting to see a pyramid of naked men that was not a violation of the Geneva Convention. ... Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hookers and strippers are flying in from all over the world for the Republican Convention in New York City. Well you know, Bush said he was going to create jobs. ... North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is apparently just a whack-job. He enjoys eating the feet of camels, he drinks a half million dollars worth of wine every year, and he loves to abduct actresses. It's like I have a twin" ("Late Show," CBS, 6/28).

LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

The question was, "What is the 'Song of Solomon?'"

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

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