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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz, July 7, 2004

The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
9:00am ET

Fox Sports Today To Unveil New Strike Zone Feature For MLB All-Star Game

Business And Civic Leaders Backing West Side Project In Ads Breaking Today

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Today To Announce NASCAR/Champ Car Event

FSN Rocky Mountain Nearing Extension With Rockies Including $20M Upfront

USATF Will Not Seek Athlete Suspensions Until After Start Of Olympic Trials

Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy!


FOX CAMERAS TO GIVE TRUE STRIKE ZONE IN MLB ALL-STAR GAME

By Bill King, Senior Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Fox Sports will conduct a 2:00pm ET conference call to discuss its coverage of the July 13 MLB All-Star Game. Fox Sports President Ed Goren will be joined by broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on the call. A trio of tiny cameras buried in the infield grass will headline the innovations Fox unveils during next week's broadcast from Minute Maid Park. Two of the cameras, built with lenses the size of a ball point pen, will be positioned at angles in front of home plate, shooting back and up toward each batter's box. A third will point toward the pitcher's mound, giving viewers a look at the pitcher as he strides toward home plate. Fox Sports Senior VP/Production Bill Brown: "We'll get very, very fascinating pictures from it. It will be a unique visual difference."

Fox also will suspend a remote camera from the flag pole in center field in an effort to provide a rare, straight-on view that will give fans an accurate look at the strike zone, something they haven't gotten because outfield cameras traditionally have been set slightly left of center. The network tested that angle during a game at Shea Stadium earlier this season and liked the results.


DONALD TRUMP AMONG SUPPORTERS IN ADS FOR WEST SIDE PROJECT

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports that Donald Trump is “one of more than 250 people and organizations endorsing the [West Side] stadium in a new Jets ad campaign” making its debut today in newspapers. The ads, which include the tagline “People who know New York know New York needs the Sports and Convention Center,” feature endorsements from Merrill Lynch Chair & CEO Stanley O’Neal and actors Michael Douglas and William Baldwin, among others (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/7).


LAS VEGAS TRACK TO HOST NASCAR/CHAMP CAR DOUBLEHEADER

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL reports that Las Vegas Motor Speedway today will announce a September 25 doubleheader featuring the Champ Car World Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The NASCAR race will precede the Champ Car event. The doubleheader “gives Champ Car the race it wanted in Las Vegas and provides the speedway with a major series to complement its NASCAR truck race that ran as a solo act last year” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/7).


FSN ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXTENSION WITH ROCKIES INCLUDES $20M UPFRONT

The DENVER POST reports that negotiations on a five-year extension of FSN Rocky Mountain’s TV rights for Rockies games – for as much as $100M – are “expected to be finalized soon, possibly within the week.” The deal, which would run through 2012, is expected to “include an upfront payout of up to $20[M] that would allow the team’s ownership to cancel its planned capital call this summer” (DENVER POST, 7/7).


HAMILTON COUNTY CONTINUING $600M SUIT AGAINST BENGALS, NFL

The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that Hamilton County (OH) attorneys today will argue the merits of the $600M taxpayer lawsuit it joined against the NFL and Bengals in front of U.S. District Court Judge S. Arthur Spiegel, who previously “indicated the case had merit.” The suit accuses the team and league of “illegally using their monopoly power to get a new stadium and favorable lease terms” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/7).


ANGELOS’ $13M BID TO BUY ROSECROFT RACEWAY TO BE APPROVED

The WASHINGTON TIMES reported that the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association (CSOA) today is likely to approve Orioles Owner Peter Angelos’ $13M bid to buy Rosecroft Raceway in a move that would “increase momentum for slot machines in Maryland.” If the CSOA approves the deal, the Maryland Racing Commission also needs to sign off on it. Approval is expected by August 31 (WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/6).


NEW NCAA HOOPS RECRUITING RULES MAY BE OKAYED THIS WEEK

USA TODAY reports that NCAA basketball coaches and administrators will meet today in Indianapolis to discuss proposals that would give coaches “more freedom to see recruits during the academic year and the ability to phone recruits earlier in their careers.” The proposals could be approved today by the Division I Men’s Basketball Issues Committee (USA TODAY, 7/7).


MORNING BRIEFS

The L.A. TIMES reports that USA Track & Field will not seek suspensions before the U.S. Olympic track & field trials, which begin Friday (L.A. TIMES, 7/7). The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that the IOC will “allow the [U.S.] to make late substitutions at the Athens Games if an athlete accused of a doping violation makes the Olympic team and is subsequently banned” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/7).

USA TODAY reports that the int’l Court of Arbitration for Sport will host an arbitration hearing over Tim Montgomery’s drug charges sometime after Friday’s start date for the trials (USA TODAY, 7/7).

The N.Y. TIMES reports that IPG has agreed to pay $49M to the British Racing Drivers Club to “terminate its lease obligations at the Silverstone racetrack and related agreements no later than the end of this year” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/7).

The TORONTO SUN reports that the NHL has sent teams a preliminary ’04-05 schedule. NHL VP/Media Relations Frank Brown: “It’s business as usual. Either next week, or the week after, we will release a schedule with 1,230 games” (TORONTO SUN, 7/7).

The K.C. STAR reports that the K.C. Convention & Visitors Bureau board unanimously voted to support the downtown arena proposal on the August 3 ballot (K.C. STAR, 7/7).

The TORONTO SUN reports that Canadian sporting-goods retailer Forzani Group yesterday paid a C$1.7M penalty after admitting “prices weren’t in line with promised discounts” at its Sport Check and Sport Mart stores (TORONTO SUN, 7/7).

The AP reports that Michelle Wie likely will enter the 18-hole local qualifier for the ’05 men’s U.S. Open (AP, 7/7).

NBC Olympics and Solo Cup Company are partnering to promote NBC’s coverage of the Athens games by having NBC’s Athens Olympics logo on all Solo Cups distributed in major U.S. markets throughout the August 13-29 Games (NBC).

The PROVIDENCE JOURNAL reports that WWZN-AM “The Eddie Andelman Show” host Eddie Andelman is “in negotiations to purchase [the station].” Andelman has been rumored as a potential buyer for months (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 7/7).


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 U.S. Olympic swimming trials begin at the Charter All Digital Aquatic Centre in Long Beach, CA, where Charter will launch its first all digital cable TV network to customers in the Long Beach and Signal Hill areas.

NBC Sports will conduct a 3:00pm ET conference call to discuss its coverage of the trials with commentators Rowdy Gaines and Dan Hicks and Exec Producer & Olympic Swimming Producer Tom Roy. NBC’s coverage of the trials begins Friday at 8:00pm ET.

Athens’ hotel workers will launch a 24-hour strike to receive an Olympic allowance and increase monthly wages. Hotel employee union President Christos Katsotis said, “We are prepared to strike during the Games period. We will go on strike again and again if hotel owners do not agree to a deal” (REUTERS, 7/7).

NBC Sports will conduct a 4:00pm ET conference call to discuss its coverage of Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Tropicana 400, as the network takes over this season’s NASCAR coverage from Fox. NASCAR on NBC & TNT producer Sam Flood will join broadcasters Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach and Bill Weber on the call.

SK Force will unveil its plans at an 11:00am CT news conference to combat illegal production and sale of MLB merchandise during the MLB All-Star week in Houston.

Sabres Owner B. Thomas Galisano will unveil its ticket plan for the ’04-05 season during a noon ET news conference at HSBC Arena.


IN OTHER NEWS….

The L.A. TIMES reports that DirecTV and EchoStar Communications yesterday “received letters from the [SEC] asking for information on how they count subscribers.” The SEC sent similar requests cable TV providers such as Comcast and phone companies like Verizon (L.A. TIMES, 7/7).

The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that Mamma.com shares dropped 8% yesterday, one week after Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban sold his 9.2% stake in the company for roughly $8M because he “disagreed with management’s growth strategy” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/7).

DAILY VARIETY reports that wireless gaming firm Jamdat has filed for an $86M IPO, making the company the “first major wireless game publisher to go public.” Jamdat licenses content related to Tony Hawk, among others (DAILY VARIETY, 7/7).


FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Historic Englishmen."

“Ironically, he might have saved himself from death in 1779 if he had known how to swim.”


LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

NBC’s Jay Leno: “Well the big story, as I’m sure you know, earlier today John Kerry picked John Edwards as his running mate. The N.Y. Post published an edition this morning saying Kerry chose Dick Gephardt. They had it on the front page. Apparently the Post blamed their new researcher, Jayson Blair. … As you know John Edwards is a former trial lawyer, which is a smart move considering the last election was decided in court. You know Kerry may need him to step in. … As soon as Edwards was announced, Republicans put out a new attack ad calling him unaccomplished. He was born poor, he became a multimillionaire. To the Republicans, that’s the definition of accomplishment, isn’t it? Not funny, just the definition. … Happy birthday to President Bush today. It’s also Sylvester Stallone’s birthday. They are both 58 years old today. What are the odds that two of the most eloquent masters of the English language were born on the same day? … According to the tabloids, Britney Spears is engaged to this guy who has a two-year-old daughter with another woman, and she’s also pregnant with his second child. So the Internet is now filled with these rumors that Britney might be pregnant. Is it just me or does Britney sound about one pickup truck away from doing a country album?” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 7/6).


LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

Net

Show

Lead

Next Items

ESPN

“Around The Horn”

Dodgers P Eric Gagne’s save streak ends

Kobe Bryant; Bobcats F Emeka Okafor

ESPN

“PTI”

Dodgers P Eric Gagne

Lakers; NBA free agents

ESPN

11:00pm ET “SportsCenter”

A’s-Red Sox

Tigers-Yankees; Lakers coaching vacancy

FSN

“I, Max”

Lakers coaching vacancy

Kobe Bryant; Dodgers P Eric Gagne

FSN

“BDSSP”

Lakers coaching vacancy

Blue Jays 1B Carlos Delgado; Dodgers P Eric Gagne


FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“Who is Captain Cook?”


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

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

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