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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz, July 19, 2004

The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, July 19, 2004
9:00am ET

Hearing For non-BALCO Related Sprinter Torri Edwards To Be Held Today

Steve Ellman Today Talks To City Council About Arena Entertainment District

Yahoo Sports’ Fantasy Space To Lead Report To Be Issued Today

Earnhardt Jr. Expected To Race Next Weekend Despite Hospitalization

NBA Gives ’06 All-Star Game To The Rockets And The Toyota Center

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


EVEN AS TRIALS END, STEROIDS DOMINATE TRACK &FIELD NEWS

An arbitration hearing over a positive drug test in the caseof U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards,runner-up in the women’s 100 meter dash last week, is set for today. Edwards is not involved with BALCO, but saysshe was unaware that a glucose pill taken earlier this year contained nikethamide,a banned substance.

If Edwards is declared ineligible, and Gail Devers opts not to run the 100, Marion Jones would get the third U.S.slot for the event in Athens(Mult., 7/19).

The IAAF council decided 16-2 to strip the ’00 U.S. 4x400relay team of its gold medals because JeromeYoung was “incorrectly exonerated” by USATF before the Games. The IOC “will allow the athletes to maketheir case but has indicated it will follow the recommendation” of the council(USA TODAY, 7/19).

Middle-distance runner ReginaJacobs has accepted a four-year ban from competition after testing positivefor THG. Jacobs announced her retirementlast week (L.A.TIMES, 7/18).


ELLMAN TODAY TO BRIEF CITY COUNCIL ON ARENA DISTRICT

The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reported that Coyotesco-Owner Steve Ellman is scheduledto update the Glendale City Council at 8:00am PT today “supplying details aboutthe groundbreaking and construction schedule” of the entertainment and shoppingdistrict to be built around Glendale Arena. Groundbreaking “could come as early asSeptember, with completion targeted for late next year.” Ellman has scheduled a press conference afterthe update (ARIZONAREPUBLIC, 7/18).


REPORT TODAY WILL SAY YAHOO THE MOST-POPULAR FANTASYSITE

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNALwrites that a comScore Media Metrix report to be released today will show thatYahoo Sports is “three times as popular a destination for fantasy sportsparticipants as its top competitors in the fantasy space.” From October-May, Yahoo drew an average of3.1 million unique visitors per month to its fantasy content, compared to950,000 for ESPN.com’s and 930,000 for SportsLine.com. Unlike the other two, Yahoo’s fantasy contentis free (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/19issue).


PORTLANDTODAY TRYING TO DECIDE BETWEEN OPEN WHEEL SERIES

Today marks the deadline the city of Portland, Oregon, hasset for Champ Car to respond to an RFP to hold a event at Portland Int’lRaceway in ’05, and Champ Car VP/Race Promotions Tim Ramsberger has said it is “very, very doubtful” the serieswould meet the deadline. Peter Jacobsen Productions, which isattempting to bring an IRL race to Portland,was also asked to bid. Ramsberger: “It’sdisheartening to know that we’ve developed this tradition and made thisinvestment in Portland over the years, and now we’re being asked to compete fora race in a bidding situation” (PortlandOREGONIAN, 7/16).

Meanwhile, Champ Car and the IRL issued a joint statementFriday saying that they will not merge at this time. The statement read, “Both parties believethat each has a better understanding of where common ground exists, (but) nomore meetings are planned and both series are moving forward with their futureplans” (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 7/17).


MORNING BRIEFS

At the request of the FIA senate, F1 President Max Mosley is no longer planning onretiring early. Mosely had announcedthat he would step down in October, one year early (London GUARDIAN, 7/17).

Dale Earnhardt Jr.is expected to race in New Hampshire nextweekend despite suffering burns to his legs and face yesterday while practicingfor the American LeMans series race at Infineon Raceway (USA TODAY, 7/19). In their first news reports, NBC’s “Today”show, ABC's "GMA" and CBS’ “The Early Show” this morning showed footage of Earnhardt’s carengulfed in flames (THE DAILY).

The NBA selected Houston’s Toyota Centerto host the All-Star Game in February ’06 (HOUSTON CHRONCILE, 7/17).

Viacom co-President & co-COO Les Moonves yesterday said that if the FCC fines CBS’ owned andoperated stations for the Super Bowl halftime incident, “CBS will fight back incourt” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/19).

The Univ. of Colorado will soonsubmit an appeal to the NCAA on behalf of WR Jeremy Bloom, to “allow Bloom to earn endorsement money to fund hisskiing career without penalty to either Bloom or the school.” If denied, Bloom will give up football (DENVER POST, 7/18).

The Univ. of Michigan athletic department had a nearly $8M surplusfor the 12 months ending June 30 and “forecasts a $2.4[M] surplus for thecurrent fiscal year” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/17).

17-year-old soccer star DannySzetela, who recently signed with adidas, has signed with MLS. A July 22 lottery will determine which teamhe plays for (MLS).

Flyers LW Simon GagneSaturday became the first-ever draft pick of the new WHA, going to the QuebecNordiks (TORONTOSTAR, 7/19).


ATTENDANCE WATCH

The crowd of 41,857 at Saturday’s Yankees-Tigers game wasthe third-largest in Comerica Park’s five seasons (DETROIT NEWS, 7/18). The Tigers drew 161,809 fans for thefour-game series (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/19).

After including a Poland-U.S. match last weekend, the MLSFire again benefited by hosting a doubleheader as an exhibition featuringMexican clubs Moreliaand Necaxa helped draw 20,754 to Saturday’s 1-1 tie against theRevolution. The crowd surpassed theFire’s season average of 17,207. The Firealso debuted a new yellow jersey (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/18).


A LIGHTER BUZZ

Miller Brewing, in defense of the “It’s Miller Time” slogan,has sued Nordstrom for selling T-shorts that say, “It’s Mullet Time” and“Mullet Low Life.” The suit also namesBrandlab Inc., an L.A.clothing maker. The suit asks that theshirts no longer be sold. It alsorequests unspecified damages (BLOOMBERGNEWS, 7/17).


WEEKEND RAP

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

N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, on D’Backs P RandyJohnson: “Johnson took the guaranteed money (from his D’Backs contractextension) and so would you. Now the(D’Backs) have a terrible record and the team -- which won a World Series justthree years ago -- is losing epic amounts of money and now it seems thatJohnson is not just calling the shots on whether or not he’ll be traded butwhich contender he will be traded to and we’re supposed to celebrate himbecause he wants to win so darn badly. … This is modern sports at its best.”

K.C. Star columnist JasonWhitlock: “Given Bob Feller’shistory as a World War II hero it’s quite understandable that he’d object to(MLB’s) honoring of Vietnam War conscientious objector Muhammad Ali. … Feller’s comments don’t reveal him as bigoted. They make him appear intolerant andhypocritical.”

The Westchester Journal News’ Ian O’Connor, on the Nets trading F Kenyon Martin to the Nuggets: “By trading Martin’s fat contract rightoff the bat, (Nets Owner Bruce) Ratner has declared himself abusinessman first and a businessman second. This means the Nets are inviting the same despair and dysfunction thatengulfed them for a quarter century. … Ratner has managed the impossible: takenthe name of New Jersey’sfavorite son, Bruce, and reducing it to a four-letter word.”

ESPN’s John Saunders,on steroids in sports: “Where do we turn and rest assure a sport is clean? Well, check out Royal Troon and the BritishOpen. Now I guarantee you there arepeople at Troon who are juiced but they’re sitting at the club house bar” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 7/18).

Heard elsewhere over the weekend:

L.A. Times reporter AlanAbrahamson, on Marion Jones withdrawing from the 200-meter trials: “It’s very,very curious. It’s not the kind of thingthat you would expect out of great champion” (“Today,” NBC, 7/18).

Reds CF Ken Griffey Jr., on whether 500 home runs should get a player intothe Hall of Fame: “You talk about magic numbers and that’s one of them” (Fox, 7/17). Giants LF Barry Bonds, on the same topic: “If it doesn’t then no oneunderstands the game of baseball” (Fox,7/17).

Lupica, on the Lakers trading C Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat: “Jerry Buss was looking to save moneyand he knew he wasn’t going to want to pay Shaq down the road and … they wereafraid he’d quit on them” (“The SportsReporters,” ESPN, 7/18).


THE BACK PAGES

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan newspapers:

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

TODAY’S EVENTS

Kobe Bryant todaywill be in Coloradofor a pretrial hearing. One of the issuesto be decided is if jurors should be allowed to ask questions at the trial (USA TODAY, 7/19).

The yearling sales season begins in Lexington, Kentucky. The Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL noted thatsales company Fasig-Tipton has “listed 495 yearlings for the two-day sale atNewtown Paddocks, a slight increase over last July’s auction” (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 7/19).

Beginning a noon ET, fans can log on to www.rbk.com and bid for S. Carter shoes designedby various celebrities, such as Beyonce,Tyra Banks and Queen Latifah and others as part of Jay-Z’s community outreach efforts. Proceeds will be donated to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund. Bidding ends on July 28 (Reebok).

Tampa Bay radio station WLUV-AMbecomes an ESPN radio affil.


THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…..

Thisweek’s cover story examines the Olympics, including how L.A. hosting the Games in ’84 saved theOlympics and how NGBs are playing catch-up in the marketing race.

Also inthis week’s issue:

ATPturns down bids to put tournaments in Atlantaand Chicago.

SFX’Arn Tellem defends actions of Rob Pelinka in Boozer case.

News& Notes from the MLB All-Star Game in Houston.

SevenNike endorsers will wear Reebok for U.S. hoops team.

SBJIn-Depth: Facility renovation.

One-on-Onewith NBC's Johnny Miller.

For these stories and more, please visit the SportsBusiness Journal.


IN OTHER NEWS….

iN Demand laid off about 35 employees “in response tocontinued industry consolidation. Most of the layoffs within the 150-employeecompany occurred in the affiliate-sales and marketing departments” (MULTICHANNELNEWS.com, 7/16).

Clear Channel Radio today will announce that it will “beginlimiting the number of commercials its more than 1,200 stations can play.” The move is expected to take place January1. The N.Y. TIMES notes that while tento 12 minutes of ads each hour “was perhaps the norm a decade ago, sometalk-radio stations now broadcast more than 20 minutes of ads an hour” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/19).


FINAL JEOPARDY!

Friday night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was“Food.”

“Experts believe that 16th century Dutch growers, throughbreeding, gave this its vegetable color to honor their ruling house.”


LAUGH TRACK

THEMONOLOGUES:

CBS’ David Letterman: “I’m veryexcited. I just picked up a lemon zesterat Martha Stewart’s ‘Going To PrisonSale.’ … According to the New York Times, the Earth’s magnetic field iscollapsing. Great, just when I hadbought a brand new magnet. … Farmers are now producing orange cauliflower. Are you aware of this? It will be in stores very shortly and here’sthe deal. It’s a brand new color butdon’t worry kids, it’s still got that great cauliflower taste. … Did you seethe fascinating photos (from the Cassini probe)? … Apparently, Saturn has morerings than Jennifer Lopez. … They’renot going to let Hillary Clintonaddress the (Democratic Convention). They’re worried that if she speaks, if she addresses the crowd that shewill overshadow John Kerry and I’mthinking, ‘Well hell, the guy doing sound checks could overshadow John Kerry’”(“Late Show,” CBS, 7/16).

NBC’sJay Leno: “I guess you know, according to Martha Stewart the new look for fall:stripes. Stripes are in. … The judgegave (Stewart) a choice: either five months in prison or five minutes in a KMart. She took the five months inprison. … In the current issue of Ladies Home Journal, which is my Bible, FirstLady Laura Bush said the job ofbeing President is not for the faint of heart. How the hell did Dick Cheneyqualify? … A lot of people are wondering about Dick Cheney’s future and he saidPresident Bush won’t ‘break up theteam.’ Hey, we’re Lakers fans. We’ve heard that before. … There’s still alot of controversy over President Bush’s decision not to attend the NAACPConvention. See, I don’t think Bush getsit. Like they asked him why he didn’tspeak at the NAACP and he said, ‘You know, I’m just not a fan of college ball’”(“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 7/16).


SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

Last night’s 11:30pmET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with the British Open, followed byExpos-Braves and Phillies-Mets.


WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the estimated totalboxoffice for this weekend's top 12 films was $138.4 million, up “a modest 2%from the comparable weekend last summer. Projections place the total for all films to be in the mid- tohigh-$140M area, or “near the $144.1[M] racked up last year.” Year-to-date, the “boxoffice is up by nearly8% or roughly $370[M]. Estimatedadmissions are likewise up, running about 3% ahead of last year at this time” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/19).

Title

Weekend

Cumulative

“I, Robot”

$52.3M

$52.3M

“Spider-Man 2”

$24.2M

$301.7M

“A Cinderella Story”

$13.8M

$13.8M

“Anchorman”

$13.4M

$56.5M

“Fahrenheit 9/11”

$7.0M

$93.8M

“King Arthur”

$6.9M

$37.9M

“The Notebook”

$5.5M

$53.7M

“White Chicks”

$3.4M

“Dodgeball”

$3.2M

“The Terminal”

$3.1M


FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What is a carrot?”

Jeopardy champion KenJennings has stretched his steak to 33, winning a total of $1,100,460.


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

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

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