| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, February 10, 2005
9:00am ET | |
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| • | NHL And NHLPA Today To Resume CBA Negotiations As Season Slips Away |
| • | IOC Today Begins Exec Board Meeting To Examine Turin’s Preparations |
| • | Reebok Launching New Global Campaign Today With Athletes And Celebrities |
| • | Miami-Dade County Unveils Financing Plan For 38,000-Seat Marlins Ballpark |
| • | Yankees Lay Down Tight Ground Rules As Jason Giambi Meets Media Today |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
SEASON SLIPPING AWAY AS NHL, NHLPA CONTINUE CBA NEGOTIATIONS
The DALLAS MORNING NEWS notes that the NHL and NHLPA today will resume CBA negotiations after the union rejected the league’s most-recent proposal last night. The meetings will include NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Exec VP & CLO Bill Daly, along with NHLPA Exec Dir Bob Goodenow and Senior Dir of Business Affairs Ted Saskin (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/10). View the league's proposal from yesterday.
Bettman: “We, obviously, will listen to anything the union has to say. But we’ve given all we can give” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2/10). Goodenow: “The league’s proposal was a transparent attempt to impose on our December 9 proposal the effects of their twice-rejected February 2 triple-cap proposal” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/10).
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION notes that Bettman essentially set this weekend as the drop-dead period. Bettman: “I’m going to have to make an official announcement. But in some respects, I’m sort of doing that now because I think everybody understands the timetable” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/10).
ONE YEAR OUT, IOC INVESTIGATING TURIN’S PREPARATIONS FOR GAMES
The ’06 Turin Olympics begin one year from today, and USA TODAY notes that Turin organizers “have been burdened with comparisons to the 11th-hour preparations that shadowed last summer’s Athens Olympics, right up until the Opening Ceremony” (USA TODAY, 2/10).
The TORONTO STAR notes that the IOC today begins a two-day exec board meeting to “get a first-hand look at preparations for the Games, as well as assurances that Turin’s $196[M] budget shortfall will be covered by the government.” As recent strikes have raised questions about the host country, TOROC “plans to negotiate a no-strike deal with trade unions for the Games” (TORONTO STAR, 2/10).
Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino: “Our pride is at stake. We know a successful Olympics is necessary to preserve our future as a major economic force and tourist attraction” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/10).
REEBOK LAUNCHING NEW GLOBAL CAMPAIGN WITH ATHLETES, CELEBS
USA TODAY reports that Reebok today will unveil an estimated $50M global ad campaign, via mcgarrybowen, featuring Andy Roddick, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming, as well as celebrity endorsers Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Lucy Liu. With the campaign, which uses the tagline “I Am What I Am,” Reebok is “trying to send the message that it’s more inclusive” than Nike. TV ads will debut on TNT's NBA All-Star Game telecast, while print, outdoor and theater elements will debut in March (USA TODAY, 2/10).
Meanwhile, the AP reported that Reebok has sued Wal-Mart, asking that the retail giant “stop selling its Starter Oxide shoes and notify customers who bought them that they are unauthorized copies of Reebok’s DMX Reflex shoe, and should be returned.” The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, also seeks unspecified damages (AP, 2/9).
YANKEES SET “STRICT GROUND RULES” FOR GIAMBI PRESS MEETING
The N.Y. TIMES reports that Yankees 1B Jason Giambi will meet with the media today at 2:00pm ET in a “carefully staged news conference at Yankee Stadium.” As Giambi will be under intense scrutiny over his links to BALCO, the Yankees have “strict ground rules” for today’s event. The team has “invited each newspaper that regularly covers the team to send no more than two reporters,” and live broadcasts of the session have been prohibited (N.Y. TIMES, 2/10).
COMMISIONER DAVID STERN HELPS DEBUT NBA TV’S SAP FEATURE
As part of NBA TV’s debut of “Courtside Confidential,” which features celebrity NBA fans serving as guest commentators on an SAP channel, NBA Commissioner David Stern joined the telecast in the third quarter. Stern discussed several business issues and concluded his one-quarter stint on the mic with, “Thank you to NBA TV for giving me this opportunity to launch my tele-commentating career.” Knicks fan Spike Lee was the guest commentator in the first quarter (“Heat-Knicks,” NBA TV, 2/9). For more on Stern and Lee’s guest commentary, see today’s issue of The Daily.
THE DAILY GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH…
Which tennis exec is armed with suggestions for improving the Davis Cup, and said that the portrayal of tour life in the movie “Wimbledon” was not far from the truth? To find out, read the Sports Industrialists section of today’s issue of The Daily.
MORNING BRIEFS
Miami-Dade County officials yesterday unveiled a financing plan for a $420M, 38,000-seat Marlins ballpark and parking garage that “roughly splits financing costs between the team and the public and protects taxpayers from cost overruns.” According to the plan, the ballpark would open in ’08 (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 2/10).
New York state Sen. Joseph Bruno yesterday said that the legislature “should not be pressured into approving a proposed $1.7[B] stadium over the West Side railyards before [N.Y.] knows whether it has won its bid for the 2012 Olympics” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/10).
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, responding to criticism of MLB’s new drug-testing policy: “As a sport, we have done everything that we could at this point” (AP, 2/10).
The NCAA Football Rules Committee yesterday endorsed expanded use of instant replay for all universities and conferences “after the Big Ten Conference successfully tested replay in 57 games” last season (USA TODAY, 2/10).
Suns Chair & CEO Jerry Colangelo, who may head the ‘08 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team selection process, “would not ask players to join the team.” Colangelo: “They’re going to have to ask me to play. … We’re going to go back to a lot of basics if I were in that position, including open competition and trials” (USA TODAY, 2/10).
Former Brewers P & Coldwell Banker VP/Corporate Services Ken Sanders has met with Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio about the vacant President post. Former Marlins President & Milwaukee World Festival CEO Don Smiley has also been mentioned as a candidate (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/10).
A bill that would have “allowed electronic slot machines in every Kentucky county died” yesterday in the House Licensing & Occupations Committee. Several lawmakers abstained from voting because they “wanted a legal opinion from the Kentucky Lottery Corp.” (Louisville COURIER-JOURAL, 2/10).
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 Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee will meet today to, according to Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver, “review all the events, all the things that took place in our city and debrief if there are things we could have done better” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/9).
Committees from Berlin, Moscow and Athens will bid on hosting this year’s FINA World Championships, which were stripped from Montreal (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/10).
Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh will conduct a 2:00pm ET press conference with players Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. The INDIANAPOLIS STAR cites multiple Pacers officials as saying that the session was not “to announce any change of status for Artest” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/10).
The AFL will conduct a 3:30pm ET conference call with Chicago Rush co-Owner Mike Ditka and Colorado Crush co-Owner John Elway.
NASCAR will begin its 6th annual Media Day at Daytona Int’l Speedway at 9:00am ET.
WEEI’s “Dale & Neumy” show “will be the last for cohost Bob Neumeier, barring a last-minute change of heart in contract talks” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/9).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the House Commerce Committee yesterday by a 46-2 vote “approved a bill that would raise fines” for indecent programming from $32,500 per incident to $500,000. The legislation also increases the fines performers face from $11,000 per incident to $500,000, and “removes the FCC rule that gives performers a warning after the first incident” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/10).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber last week agreed to a compromise that gives Adelphia Communications representatives “access to bidding information in the closely followed auction for the country’s fifth-largest cable operator” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/10).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “19th Century Presidents.”
“With five, this president had more Attorneys General in his administration than any other president.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “It’s Fashion Week in New York City. As a matter of fact, under this suit, I have a Vera Wang. ... Everybody in New York City is excited about Fashion Week. For example, my cab driver today unveiled his new fragrance. ... Crime in New York City is way down – at an all-time low – and I think that must be true because it’s been weeks since I’ve had to use my necktie as a tourniquet. It’s been months since I’ve had to say to a police artist, ‘Make the eyes closer.’ ... It’s the year of the rooster, and the funny thing is I’m still writing year of the monkey on my checks. ... Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb during the Super Bowl actually vomited in the huddle and it was intercepted. ... The Israelis and the Palestinians have negotiated a ceasefire. Things really started to come together once they resolved the salary cap issue” (“Late Show,” CBS, 2/9).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “Jose Canseco has written a book where he talks about steroid use in baseball, and this is going to cause a huge scandal, because in the book, he said he injected Mark McGwire with steroids. Well, McGwire denies it. In fact, he was so angry, he took five of Canseco’s books and ripped them in half at once. ... Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. So I guess he had enough of that Super Bowl stuff. ... Do you think football is complicated? How complicated can it be if Terry Bradshaw is explaining it to you? ... Smoking in public places, like restaurants, is now illegal in Cuba. Cuban authorities say secondhand smoke is dangerous to citizens’ health. Not quite as dangerous as free speech, holding a demonstration or criticizing the government” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 2/9).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Messages Left On Jose Canseco’s Answering Machine” (“Late Show,” CBS, 2/9).
| 10) “Barry Bonds here. Can I get your leftover junk?” |
| 9) “This is Andy Reid. Thanks for helping people forget the Eagles choked.” |
| 8) “It’s the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Any hypodermic needles we can display?” |
| 7) “Jose, could you lift my car so I can change a flat?” |
| 6) “Bill Buckner here. Welcome to the club.” |
| 5) “It’s Bud Selig. Thanks for not making fun of my hair.” |
| 4) “This is President Bush. What’s this I hear about me owning a baseball team in the ‘90s?” |
| 3) “Hey, it’s your agent – I thought you were dead.” |
| 2) “This is Jim from Jiffy Lube. Are you coming to work or not?” |
| 1) “Mark McGwire. Why’d you tell everyone you injected me in the ass?” |
Patriots WR Deion Branch and head coach Bill Belichick appeared on “The Tonight Show” last night where Leno told Belichick, who was wearing a suit, “You guys clean up good. Look at you. It looks like you got a court date.” Leno asked Belichick about his “raggedy-ass sweatshirt? ... Is it a fashion statement or is it like a blankie? Do you have to have this with you?” Belichick: “It’s the same (sweatshirt). You get one at the beginning of the year and you’ve got it all year” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 2/9).
LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Best team in college basketball? | USC QB Matt Leinart; Mets P Pedro Martinez |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Jose Canseco’s accusations | Notre Dame beating Boston College; Pedro Martinez |
| ESPN | 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” | UNC-Duke | Spurs-Wizards; Heat-Knicks |
| FSN | “I, Max” | Illinois men’s hoops | Eagles QB Donovan McNabb; Chargers’ QB controversy |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“Who was Ulysses S. Grant?”
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