| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, September 27, 2004
9:00am ET | |
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| • | MLB’s Bob DuPuy Meeting Today With Peter Angelos Over Expos Relocation |
| • | ISC Today To Announce Plans To Focus Speedway Efforts In Snohomish County |
| • | Manchester United Today Announces 29% Drop In Profits; More Declines Coming |
| • | Int’l Court Of Arbitration For Sport Today To Hear Men’s All-Around Case |
| • | CBS “Playing With The Idea” Of Billing Janet Jackson $550,000 To Cover Fine |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
MLB MOVES CLOSER TO RELOCATING EXPOS TO WASHINGTON, DC
USA TODAY reports that MLB President & COO Bob DuPuy will discuss an Expos relocation package today with Orioles Owner Peter Angelos. Included in the talks “is a proposed regional cable TV network that would feature the Orioles and Expos.” Two MLB execs said last night that the “only thing that could delay an announcement [of the Expos’ relocation to DC] would be a snag in negotiations with the DC Sports & Entertainment Commission, or if Commissioner Bud Selig isn't satisfied with the progress of negotiations to appease” Angelos (USA TODAY, 9/27).
Meanwhile, DC Mayor Anthony Williams “vowed yesterday to provide ‘just compensation’ to property owners who would lose their land if a publicly funded stadium were built in Southeast Washington.” Williams this week will continue to “promote his plan for a $440[M] waterfront ballpark” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/27).
ISC TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TO FOCUS ON SNOHOMISH COUNTY TRACK
The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reported that ISC today will announce that it “will focus its efforts to build” a 75,000-seat speedway on a 600-acre parcel of land in Snohomish County, WA (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 9/25).
But an ISC board member said, “This doesn’t eliminate anything. If for some reason there are zoning problems, we will continue to look for a site in the Seattle market.” Representatives of competing sites in Kitsap County, WA, and Portland said that ISC “had not informed them they are out of the running” (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/25).
MANCHESTER UNITED PROFIT DOWN 29% ON THIRD-PLACE FINISH
The LONDON TIMES reports that Manchester United today reported net income of $50.4M for the year through July, down 29% from $70.9M in the same period a year ago. On an “operating basis, profits rose by 5.9[%] to [$105.3M] thanks to higher media revenues, helped by progress to the knockout stages in the European Champions League.” The franchise’s earnings “are set to decline by about [$10.8M] in the current financial year after the club finished third in the Premiership” (LONDON TIMES, 9/27).
INT’L COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT HEARING GYMNASTICS CASE
The Int’l Court of Arbitration for Sport today will determine whether Paul Hamm keeps his men’s all-around gymnastics Gold Medal or whether it should go to South Korean Yang Tae-young, who was incorrectly docked 0.l of a point during his routine. The AP reported that the USOC is “spending about $300,000 to defend Hamm’s case” (AP, 9/24).
NEWSDAY reported that a final decision “will be issued ‘at a later date’ – probably a matter of weeks rather than days” (NEWSDAY, 9/26).
MORNING BRIEFS
CBS is “playing with the idea” of sending Janet Jackson a bill for $550,000 to cover the FCC’s fine against the net after Jackson’s breast was exposed during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. A source said, “In all probability, this will likely not happen, but they are mulling it over” (N.Y. POST, 9/27).
Giants LF Barry Bonds was “randomly tested for steroids before Friday night’s game” against the Dodgers. Bonds: “I’m glad this is finally happening. They’ll get the results and it will clear my name. It’ll show that there’s nothing behind what I’ve been doing (on the field) all year” (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 9/26).
English Premier League club Liverpool has “distanced themselves from reports of a proposed [$180M] investment in the club by” Hollywood executives Mike Jefferies and Stuart Ford. No further discussions between the parties are planned, “after an initial approach from Jefferies was rejected” (LONDON TIMES, 9/25).
Hamilton County would receive $8M from the state capital budget for stadium development under a budget proposed by Cincinnati officials (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 9/25).
Hartz Mountain Industries’ protest of the $1.3B Xanadu project, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed indefinitely (Bergen RECORD, 9/25).
Missouri Sports Radio, which recently sold three St. Louis sports stations, has agreed to “pay almost $159,000 to settle a federal criminal investigation into the company’s receipt of money for advertising from illegal offshore gambling operations” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/24).
ATTENDANCE WATCH
A crowd of approximately 150,000 attended yesterday’s F1 Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai Int’l Circuit. Most of the tickets were sold, “despite the fact that the cheapest of them at $40 cost the equivalent of a week’s wages in China” (BBCNews.com, 9/26).
The Seahawks shut out the 49ers 34-0 yesterday in front of a Qwest Field-record crowd of 66,709 (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/27).
Glen Johnson knocked Roy Jones Jr. out in front of crowd of nearly 13,000 – including Grizzlies President Jerry West – Saturday night at FedExForum to retain the IBF light heavyweight title. The bout was the first sporting event at the venue (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 9/26).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
While shooting a new series of NBA on TNT promotional spots, Shaquille O’Neal wore a “Heat uniform but Laker shoes.” TNT Publicist Holly Northey: “We’ll have to do something about those shoes in post-production” (L.A. TIMES, 9/26).
WEEKEND RAP
The following are excerpts from the panelists’ “parting shots” on Sunday’s edition of ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters”:
- Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, on Mariners RF Ichiro Suzuki: “We’ve all seen guys with batting stances for all occasions, but Ichiro seemingly has a swing for every occasion. Like all artists, he has been accused of being at least a little selfish in the pursuit of his own chosen brand of excellence. Well, maybe he is, but can a guy with 258 hits really hurt a team?”
- N.Y. Times columnist William Rhoden: “Far too often in sports we make the coach larger than the game, but in the case of Monday night’s game between Washington and Dallas, coaches are larger. This really is a game between Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. … More than anything else, Monday night’s game should serve as a reminder to all coaches that you can have your silly rules and ask players to jump through hoops, but what players ultimately respect are results.”
- Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom: “A group of Bay Area sportswriters are reportedly boycotting Warren Sapp because they’re fed up with his rude and abusive behavior. … What good will boycotting Sapp do? Well, for one thing it will make their days more pleasant. … The irony of this is Sapp, when he’s done playing, which is getting sooner and sooner, will no doubt go into what: media as a TV guy.”
- ESPN’s John Saunders, on Univ. of Texas football coach Mack Brown: “You have to win the big one and that’s why Mack Brown has so much on the line at Texas this year. Brown has a record of 59-18 at Texas but his record against Oklahoma is 2-4 with four straight losses. … Does that mean Brown is a bad coach? Of course not. Does it mean he’d better look over his shoulder? Absolutely” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 9/26).
Heard elsewhere over the weekend:
- Boxer Bernard Hopkins, on Philadelphia proclaiming it “Bernard Hopkins Day”: “They had the drill band come from City Hall, where most of the time I had been in front of a judge in the bad times in my life” (“Maad Sports,” BET, 9/25).
- Chicago Tribune’s Philip Hersh, on the Int’l Gymnastics Federation asking Gold Medalist Paul Hamm to return his Olympic medal: “The only amateurs left in the Olympic Games are the people running them” (“Today Show,” NBC, 9/26).
- CBS Sports Boomer Esiason, on Ricky Williams having to pay back over $8M of his signing bonus: “The Miami Dolphins covered themselves … but it was a stupid contract to sign. His agent shouldn’t have let him sign it and the NFLPA shouldn’t have let him sign it” (CBS, 9/26).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
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| Philadelphia Daily News | Newsday |
TODAY’S EVENTS
The U.S. Supreme Court could make a decision on whether to hear Kelo v. New London, which could force the court to rule on “whether government can use eminent domain to take private property for the enhancement of other private individuals as opposed to a traditional government use.” The ruling would have potential implications for a number of sports facility projects (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM 9/27).
Construction begins on a downtown Detroit Athlete’s Foot that includes a Nike concept store. The store is expected to be open for the holidays (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/27).
THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…..
This week’s cover story examines the Expos relocation process as MLB inches closer to moving franchise to DC.
| Also in this week’s issue: |
| • | Ameriquest Mortgage near closing on NFL sponsorship deal. |
| • | Kevin Wulff stepping down as head of adidas’ U.S. sports marketing. |
| • | Allianz Life to title sponsor PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing event. |
| • | One-On-One with Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Steve Hatchell. |
For more see this week's edition at SportsBusinessJournal.com
IN OTHER NEWS….
This week’s cover of TIME examines “The Tragedy of Sudan,” while NEWSWEEK offers “Bob Dylan Opens Up.”
Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards is featured on the cover of the upcoming issue of Runner’s World, which hits newsstands October 4 (Runner’s World).
Spike TV has hired Paramount Domestic TV Senior VP & Cable Sales Manager Robert Friedman as Senior VP/Programming (MULTICHANNEL.com, 9/24).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Children’s Authors.”
“After WWI he wrote, ‘To develop a horse-surgery … would necessitate a knowledge of horse language.’”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “Before we begin, I just have to warn you about something: CBS cannot vouch for the authenticity of these jokes. … All Britney Spears fans there’s a special announcement: there will be no wedding on Saturday. It’s a bye week. … Earlier tonight right here on CBS was a brand new fall show, ‘Dr. Vegas.’ It’s about a doctor at a hotel casino, and the exciting, tremendous first episode tonight, a mysterious virus hits the buffet. … Tomorrow night is a special made-for-TV movie on ESPN about Pete Rose called ‘Hustle.’ What the film does is it dramatizes the adrenaline rush you get from betting on a Mariners-Indians game” (“Late Show,” CBS, 9/24).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “Justin Timberlake had planned to marry Cameron Diaz this Christmas but called it off because his mom thinks he’s too young to get married. Do you know how you can tell if you’re too young to get married? If your mommy won’t let you. … CBS has now been fined $550,000 by the FCC for airing Janet Jackson showing her breast during the Super Bowl. How ironic is that? All the trouble CBS got in for fake documents, the one thing they show that’s real they get into trouble for. … We can all sleep a little easier now knowing that Cat Stevens is no longer a threat. The bad news: Joni Mitchell is still out there somewhere. … John Kerry is still fighting a bad head cold and you know with his head that could last for years. … Ralph Nader attacked the Democrats today calling them gutless, spineless, clueless and hapless, and the Democrats fired right back and said, ‘Yeah, at least we’re not voteless.’ … The first baseball game has just been played in Iraq. But you know, I don’t think they quite understand the concept. Like a guy stole second and they cut his feet off. … Former NBA star Jayson Williams may come out of retirement and play again. He’d be perfect for the Lakers. Well, they need a good outside shooter” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 9/24).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Friday’s Top Ten list was “Things I Hope To Accomplish As Miss America,” read on-stage by Miss America Deidre Downs (“Late Show,” CBS, 9/24).
| 10) “Foster international peace and harmony while looking totally hot.” |
| 9) “Blow scholarship money on beer and fireworks.” |
| 8) “It’s always been my dream to be invited to a mall opening in Syosset.” |
| 7) “Get Oprah to give a car to every United States citizen.” |
| 6) “Give men all across the country a chance to shake hands with a woman they have absolutely no chance of dating.” |
| 5) “Pry some of the jewels out of my crown and sell them on eBay.” |
| 4) “Actually, I plan to spend the year on my couch eating Pringles and watching NASCAR.” |
| 3) “Fulfill my Miss America obligations without missing a single episode of the new season of ‘JAG.’” |
| 2) “Well I hear there’s an opening at Martha Stewart’s company.” |
| 1) “How could any accomplishment beat reading ten lame jokes on a third-rate talk show?” |
SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 2:00am ET edition of “SportsCenter” led with Packers-Colts, followed by Dodgers-Giants and Cubs-Mets.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the estimated box office total for the top 12 films is $60.2M, down 33% from the comparable weekend last year. The total for all films is forecast to be in the “high-$60[M]-to-low-$70[M] range – the lowest-grossing weekend of the year-to-date” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/26).
| Title | Weekend | Cumulative |
| “The Forgotten” | $22.0M | $22.0M |
| “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” | $6.7M | $25.6M |
| “Mr. 3000” | $5.0M | $15.4M |
| “First Daughter” | $4.0M | $4.0M |
| “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” | $4.0M | $43.4M |
| “Cellular” | $3.7M | $25.1M |
| “Wimbledon” | $3.4M | $12.2M |
| “Shaun of the Dead” | $3.3M | $3.3M |
| “Without a Paddle” | $2.4M | $53.5M |
| “Hero” | $2.3M | $49.2M |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“Who was Hugh Lofting?”
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