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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz, July 23, 2004

The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, July 23, 2004
9:00am ET

Cubs Begin Wrigley Inspection Today, Now Admit A Third Concrete Incident

adidas Today Opening New Store On The Las Vegas Strip

Paul Molitor To Make Cooperstown Appearance Today To Hawk Clothing Line

C.J. Hunter Tells BALCO Investigators That Marion Jones Doped During Sydney

Letterman Offers “The Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky”

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


FALLING CONCRETE LEADS TO TODAY’S WRIGLEY FIELD INSPECTION

The Cubs today will begin an inspection of the concrete underside of the upper deck and mezzanine suite levels at Wrigley Field. MLB.com noted that the inspection is “in response to two instances in which small chunks of concrete fell near fans during games.” (MLB.com, 7/22). The Cubs “acknowledged Thursday that a third piece of concrete fell this week from the upper deck” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/23).


ADIDAS TODAY OPENING NEW LAS VEGAS RETAIL SPACE

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL reports that adidas today will “open what's billed as the company's first ‘performance center’” in the U.S. inside the Showcase mall adjacent to MGM Grand on the Strip. The 80-employee store will “carry about 1,000 different products including shoes, apparel, sporting goods and accessories.” Mavericks F Antoine Walker and Univ. of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino are scheduled to take part at today’s opening (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/23).


“SPIDER-MAN 2” SPARKS ANOTHER CONTROVERSY IN SPORTS

The AP reported that Atletico Madrid has until today to resolve an issue with its jersey promoting “Spider-Man 2” after it was banned by UEFA “because of an oversized sponsor ad.” UEFA rules state that jersey ads must be smaller than 36 square inches, but Atletico used a jersey with a spider and its web covering the entire front of it last weekend. The Spanish club submitted a modified jersey to UEFA Wednesday, but the ruling body has yet to approve it (AP, 7/22).


MOLITOR HYPING CLOTHING LINE AHEAD OF HOF CEREMONY

Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley will be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday during a ceremony at Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, at 1:30pm ET. Molitor will appear at a local memorabilia shop in Cooperstown today to sign autographs and promote his Hall of Fame line of clothing by Ropes Baseball Apparel.  The line includes t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and jackets sold through the company catalog and online at www.ropesbaseball.com.  Ropes Baseball Owner David Fradkin, on Molitor: “To be eighth all-time in career hits in the history of baseball is an unbelievable accomplishment and I think it kind of gets brushed under the carpet sometimes.  I took it personally to create a line that highlighted his career.” For more, see today’s issue of The Daily (THE DAILY).



ARLINGTON MAYOR TODAY TO BRIEF COUNCIL ON COWBOYS TALKS

The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that Arlington, Texas, Mayor Robert Cluck plans to “announce today that he will brief the City Council early next week on his latest” stadium talks with Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. The two “met Wednesday for the second time to discuss building a stadium in Arlington for the team.” But Arlington City Council member Joe Bruner said, “Staring a $17 million deficit in the face right now, it's going to be awful hard to convince the public that this is a viable venture for us to get into” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/23)


MORNING BRIEFS

The S.F. CHRONICLE and SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS are reporting that Marion Jones’ ex-husband, C.J. Hunter, told BALCO investigators that Jones was “using banned performance-enhancing drugs” during the ’00 Olympics in Sydney (Mult, 7/23).

Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen, Chair of the league’s TV committee, said of the rights negotiations, “ESPN to ‘Monday Night Football’ obviously is out there. ESPN to Monday nights and ABC to Sunday nights is an intriguing idea. But Sunday night may be an intriguing idea to networks other than ABC. … One being NBC” (USA TODAY, 7/23).

MLBPA COO Gene Orza, on his meeting this week with some of the Expos: “I told them that it was unlikely the team would be in Montreal next season and that the top candidates are still Washington and Northern Virginia. I also told them that Hampton Roads and Las Vegas still had an outside shot at it and that Monterrey and Puerto Rico were out. I never told them where they would be playing next year because I don't know. Major League Baseball hasn't made that decision yet” (MLB.com, 7/22).

The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that attorneys for FSN, “as expected, filed formal notice Thursday that the company will appeal a Houston judge's order allowing the Astros and Rockets to proceed with launch plans for their Houston Regional Sports Network” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/23).

The AP reports that U.S. District Judge John Heyburn has “permanently barred” the state of Kentucky from “enforcing a ban on jockeys wearing advertising and their union logo during races” (AP, 7/23).

Tailwind Sports Founder Bill Stapleton refuted statements from an unnamed Tour de France official that Lance Armstrong will not race in next year’s Tour. Stapleton: “We haven't even discussed that yet. No decisions have been made” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/23).

FIFA has banned former Somali Football Federation President Farah Addo for ten years for embezzling federation funds (AP, 7/22).

The Univ. of Wisconsin has sold out all six of its ’04 home football games, the first time in school history that has happened before the start of the season (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/23).


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 AVP holds its annual sponsor summit today in Hermosa Beach, California. The Sports Business Daily/SportsBusiness Journal Editor-at-Large Terry Lefton will moderate the event, which will include a keynote speech by NBC Senior VP/Programming Jon Miller on the "Past, Present and Future'' of the league. Also on the agenda is a panel discussion on "Maximizing Your Sports Sponsorship'' that will include Gatorade VP/Sports & Event Marketing Tom Fox, NFL lead executive in charge of marketing and sales Phil Guarascio, McDonald's Dir of Sports Marketing John Lewicki, Microsoft Dir of U.S. Marketing for Xbox Bill Nielsen, and Anheuser-Busch Group Dir of Sports Marketing & Bud Sports Steve Uline.


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Every Friday, the Morning Buzz highlights a video clip, chart or piece of information that might have fallen through the cracks. This week, America’s favorite debutante duo, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, get to experience “life down on the farm” as bat girls for the Double-A Texas League Round Rock Express (THE DAILY).


IN OTHER NEWS….

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that Viacom’s Q2 earnings jumped 14% as a result of “strength in cable networks and broadcast television that compensated for weak results in its embattled Infinity radio division.” Overall, ad sales rose 11%, “thanks to a 26% increase in ad sales at MTV and advertising strength at Comedy Central and BET” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/23).

HBO CEO Chris Albrecht yesterday told critics at Summer Press TV Tour 2004 that the next season of “The Sopranos” will not debut until January ‘06 (WASHINGTON POST, 7/23).

The N.Y. POST reports that SHOE designer Steven Madden will launch a clothing line “developed in-house as opposed to licensing the Steven Madden name” in order to “retain control over the label” (N.Y. POST, 7/23).


FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was “20th Century Presidents.”

“The two U.S. Presidents whose middle names are also the last names of two other presidents.”


LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

CBS’ David Letterman: “Last night what a lousy, rough, ugly audience. … Here’s how awful they were. They had just come from the Alps where they spit on Lance Armstrong. … Germans were spitting on Lance Armstrong as he pedaled through the Alps and I thought, ‘That’s surprising because when you think of civilized behavior you think of Germans.’ … It’s so hot in New York City today Ted Williams said, ‘Who’s crazy now?’ … Cambridge University physicist Stephen Hawking now says his original theory about black holes is wrong. Idiot! Stephen Hawking says that something entering a black hole can still emerge intact. Well, how do you explain my career here at CBS? … The 9/11 Commission report was finally released earlier today and President Bush wasted no time not reading it” (“Late Show,” CBS, 7/22).

NBC’s Jay Leno: “When is this heat wave going to stop? I was sweating like Linda Ronstadt trying to cash a check from the Aladdin Hotel. … Do you realize we’re less than four months from Election Day and less than six months from the final recount. … Earlier this week, President Bush spoke with the Amish. He didn’t want to but it was the only group he could find that wasn’t upset about the high price of gas. … Do you know how much time the major TV networks are going to devote to convention coverage? Three hours total, one hour a night for three nights to pick a president. That’s about one-tenth of the time we devote to finding an ‘American Idol.’ … Lance Armstrong is in first place at the Tour de France. Lance has got a four minute lead and the director of the Tour de France said he has seen people in the crowd spitting at Lance as he goes by. The sad part is that’s the best treatment Americans have gotten in France in probably 20 years. Fortunately, Lance was able to scare them off by speaking German” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 7/22).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

TOP TEN: Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky” (“Late Show,” CBS, 7/22).

10) “Race starts at 9, Lance rolls out of bed around noon.”

9) “Has already figured out that the trophy can hold a 3-gallon margarita.”

8) “He’s eating frosting by the fistful.”

7) “For the last leg, he rode one of those crazy 1920’s bikes with the big front wheel.”

6) “Deliberately crashing into things to get more air time on ‘SportsCenter.’”

5) “Making a couple extra bucks delivering pizzas during the race.”

4) “After the starter pistol is fired, he hangs around hitting on French babes.”

3) “Turns to the other riders and says, ‘Oooh, I’m sooooo scared.’”

2) “Instead of training, spent last two months pimping his bike.”

1) “Has started selling ad space on his ass”

THANK YOU, CARMELO: Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony appeared on the “Late Show” last night where he said he likes playing in Denver “but the altitude sucks.” Anthony, on playing in the Olympics: “There’s nothing better than wearing USA on my chest, man. That’s just incredible” (“Late Show,” CBS, 7/22).


LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

Net

Show

Lead

Next Items

ESPN

“Around The Horn”

Phillies in first place

Red Sox and Cubs are disappointments; Eddie George

ESPN

“PTI”

David Ortiz Suspended five games

Cubs fans booing Sammy Sosa;

Expos relocation

ESPN

11:00pm SportsCenter”

Tour de France

Eddie George’s possible teams; Titans sign Antowain Smith

FSN

“I, Max”

Rangers in first place

Red Sox; Tour de France

FSN

“BDSSP”

Randy Johnson trade talks

Sosa; 500 home runs and the HOF

FSN South

“Southern Sports Report”

Pirates-Braves

Marlins-Phillies, and Expos-Mets

FSN Detroit

Detroit Sports Report”

Red Wings re-sign Brendan Shanahan

Negotiations for the Red Wings to re-sign Mathieu Schneider; Todd Bertuzzi update


FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

The question was, “Who are William Jefferson Clinton and Ronald Wilson Reagan?”

“Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings stretched his winning streak to 37 wins last night, for a total of $1,246,660 (THE DAILY).


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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