Morning Buzz, August 10, 2004

GLAZER MEETING TODAY WITH MANU INVESTORS OVER 28.9% STAKE

The London EVENING STANDARD reports that Malcolm Glazer today will meet with Irish horse racing moguls John Magnier and JP McManus to discuss acquiring their 28.9% stake in Manchester United. Glazer recently “put $700[M] of property on the market to help fund a possible” purchase of the club (London EVENING STANDARD, 8/10).

ARLINGTON CITY COUNCIL MAKES FINAL STADIUM OFFER TO COWBOYS

The FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM reports that Arlington City Council will hold another closed-door meeting today after the council made a final offer to the Cowboys to help pay for a $650M stadium. Council members are expected to approve “sending the state comptroller a resolution that would raise five taxes.” The proposed increases include a half-cent sales tax, a $0.05 car-rental tax, a $0.02 hotel occupancy tax, a $3 parking tax at the stadium and a 10% tax on tickets to all events at the stadium (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/10).

The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that the Cowboys “have a few days to decide whether they’ll accept the city’s financial plan” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/10).

FENWAY SPORTS GROUP EYEING DIVERSIFICATION NATIONWIDE

The BOSTON GLOBE notes that the newly formed Fenway Sports Group will “detail today a number of initiatives undertaken or still under review.” Fenway Sports Group will “sell advertising to sponsors on baseball team Web sites” and will “sell time on electronic signs in ballparks and stadiums around the country,” among other things (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/10). The news was first reported in sister publication SportsBusiness Journal.

MIAMI ARENA ON THE AUCTION BLOCK FOR MINIMUM OF $25M

The MIAMI HERALD reports that the City of Miami will auction the Miami Arena today with an opening price at a little more than $25M. Those who wish to bid must bring a $3M security deposit, and if nobody bids on the facility, “Miami has already cut a backup deal with parking magnate Jacob ‘Hank’ Sopher, who has offered to buy it for $25[M].” The purchase of the arena is a “key component of the complex financing deal to build a new stadium” for the Marlins (MIAMI HERALD, 8/10).

VARSITY STADIUM WILL BE BUILT AS FIFA AWARDS YOUTH TOURNEY

The TORONTO SUN reports that the Canadian Soccer Association today will host a news conference in Toronto to announce it has been awarded the ’07 world under-20 soccer championship. The federal and provincial governments’ C$35M combined pledge to the $80M Varsity Stadium “was contingent on the CSA landing the world youth championship. The CFL Toronto Argonauts and the Univ. of Toronto also will play at the stadium (TORONTO SUN, 8/10).

NLL AWARDING LATEST EXPANSION FRANCHISE TO MINNEAPOLIS

The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that the NLL today will hold a noon CT press conference at the Xcel Energy Center to award an expansion franchise to Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Wild. The team will play a 16-game schedule beginning this winter at the arena (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/10).

SUNOCO KICKS OFF EAGLES PARTNERSHIP WITH McNABB BOBBLEHEAD

As part of a three-year partnership announced yesterday, Sunoco today will distribute Donovan McNabb bobbleheads to each fan with a ticket for the autograph line at Eagles training camp at Lehigh Univ. Under the deal, Sunoco will sell an exclusive Eagles item each year. The bobblehead is this year’s product, and will be available for $7.99 at Sunoco and Sunoco APlus locations beginning on Labor Day weekend. A portion of the proceeds from the doll will benefit the Donovan McNabb Foundation (Eagles).

MORNING BRIEFS

NFL Giants co-Owner Robert Tisch has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/10).

NASCAR “probably will not punish Jeff Gordon for steering clear of victory lane after Sunday’s race, but is likely to issue more specific guidelines regarding victory lane procedures this week” (USA TODAY, 8/10).

MSNBC.com’s Mike Miller appeared on CNBC’s “Capital Report” last night to discuss the Olympic doping controversy. Miller: “I’m waiting for the Games to start on Friday and we can actually report on what athletes do, [but it will] continue to be a big story even after the Olympics” (“Capital Report,” CNBC, 8/9).

IOC TOP sponsor Samsung runs a full-page ad in USA Today promoting the Athens Olympics, with the header “Samsung. Uniting the world with the Olympic spirit.”

Fox Cable's three digital networks will switch from general sports to college sports on September 4, three months earlier than planned (DAILY VARIETY, 8/10).

Fox’ “The Next Great Champ” will premiere Friday, September 10, at 9:00pm ET – a “month or two before most industry observers had expected, and well before the announced November bow” of NBC’s “The Contender” (DAILY VARIETY, 8/10).

The AHL BOG yesterday approved the relocation of the Maple Leafs’ affiliate from St. John’s to Toronto after the ’04-05 season. MLSE is “negotiating with [Ricoh Coliseum], but also is considering using the MLSE-owned Air Canada Centre” (TORONTO SUN, 8/10).

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 American flag will be raised today outside the U.S. Olympic team’s housing facility in Athens. U.S. athletes “have been arriving at the Olympic village for nearly a week, but there has been no American flag adorning their housing facility – apparently at least partly because of security concerns” (L.A. TIMES, 8/10).

Univ. of Colorado WR and moguls skier Jeremy Bloom said that he “expects a decision as early as today from the NCAA about a waiver for reinstatement” to play college football.  The NCAA declared Bloom ineligible because of his skiing endorsements (DENVER POST, 8/10).

England’s Football Association board will host an emergency meeting to “discuss the [future] of the FA with insistent voices in and outside the game calling for root-and-branch reform.” One proposal is for the “running of the FA Cup and the England team to be hived off to a professional body encompassing the Premier League and the Football League, leaving the FA to be simply a regulatory body” (London GUARDIAN, 8/7).

CBS Sports will host a 1:45pm ET conference call to discuss its coverage of the PGA Championship this week from Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI. CBS Sports President Sean McManus, Coordinating Producer Lance Barrow, broadcaster Jim Nantz and analyst Lanny Wadkins will participate in the call.

IN OTHER NEWS….

USA TODAY reports that Google will “give rival Yahoo stock potentially worth more than $300[M] to settle a long-standing patent lawsuit.” The settlement “removes what was seen as a minor legal impediment to Google's upcoming and controversial” IPO (USA TODAY, 8/10).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that Mandalay Entertainment has “merged its television operations” with Mosaic Media Group’s Dick Clark Productions to create Mandalay Mosaic Television Group (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/10).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Presidential Relatives.”

“He’s the U.S. president whose great-grandson is seen here taking part in a special celebration.”

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

NBC’s Jay Leno: “It was so hot today, I was sweating like the Lakers when they hear the word ‘trade.’ Actually, shouldn’t it just be Laker now? Isn’t Kobe the only one left? … I’m ready for fall. I’m sick of these summer TV shows. It’s all reality shows. The only thing on TV all summer with a plot is al Qaeda. … Now the FBI says al Qaeda may use limousines in future terrorist attacks. You know what that means? Jayson Williams could be our first line of defense. … They also said al Qaeda may try to use rental vehicles that transport tourists around, like cabs. Well, that’s got to be hard for a foreigner, get hold of a cab” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 8/9).

LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

HOT TOPIC: Last night’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with Broncos-Redskins “MNF,” with 7:10 of coverage on “MNF.”

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“Who was Teddy Roosevelt?”

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dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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