Morning News & Headlines
| • | Red Sox To Announce Plans To Remain In Fenway Park Without Public Money |
| • | NFL Owners Expected To Grant 2010 Super Bowl To Jets Contingent On Stadium |
| • | Bed Bath & Beyond Today To Become Official Home Furnishing Retailer Of WTA |
| • | Minnesota State Senate Today Holding Hearing On Univ. Of Minnesota Stadium |
| • | Anaheim Will Not File Second Appeal Around Refusal To Stop Name Change |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
RED SOX TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TODAY TO REMAIN IN FENWAY PARK
The BOSTON GLOBE reports the Red Sox today will hold a news conference “to announce they will stay in Fenway Park, with no conditions tied to state and city financial aid.” The team plans to use the announcement “as the beginning of a broad revitalization effort in the neighborhood” surrounding the stadium. Red Sox Owner John Henry, Chair Tom Werner and President & CEO Larry Lucchino yesterday met with both Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to outline their plans. While the team “did not ask for public money,” Menino “nonetheless ruled out city assistance” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/23).
NFL OWNERS TODAY EXPECTED TO AWARD 2010 SUPER BOWL TO JETS
As their meetings continue today in Maui, NFL owners are expected to vote on a proposal to award the 2010 Super Bowl to the Jets, contingent on the building of the team’s planned stadium on the West Side of Manhattan. The league’s Super Bowl advisory committee yesterday unanimously approved the plan (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/23).
Meanwhile, USA TODAY cites two TV sports execs as saying that the NFL is “considering splitting the Sunday night package between CBS and Fox,” if Disney moves “MNF” from ABC to ESPN in the new TV contracts that begin in ’06. CBS and Fox “would pay about a combined $600[M] a year for the package, the same amount ESPN is paying now” (USA TODAY, 3/23).
WTA TOUR, BED BATH & BEYOND TODAY TO ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
 |
| WTA Partnering With
Bed Bath & Beyond |
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour today will announce a seven-figure promotional sponsorship with Bed Bath & Beyond, under which the company becomes the WTA’s first official home furnishing retailer. The rights fee is “a low-six-figure sum, but the company will spend much more promoting its ties” to the WTA. Bed Bath & Beyond will also become a sponsor of this week’s Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, as well as the Family Circle Cup, the Acura Classic and the Pilot Pen (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/21 issue).
For a complete listing of Nasdaq-100 Open sponsors, see today’s issue of THE DAILY.
MINNESOTA SENATE HOLDING HEARING ON UNIV. OF MINNESOTA STADIUM
With a Minnesota state Senate hearing scheduled for today on contributing $94M to the Univ. of Minnesota’s proposed 50,000-seat, $235M, on-campus football stadium, the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reported the school is “in serious negotiations with TCF Financial Corp. to be the lead sponsor” for the stadium. TCF would contribute about $35M toward the cost of the stadium and would receive naming rights, stadium signage and at least one luxury suite. The university intends to raise “about $141[M], or 60% of the project’s cost, from private funds” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/19).
MORNING BRIEFS
Malcolm Glazer’s Zapata Corp. yesterday announced plans for an 8-for-1 stock split, though it was not “immediately clear if the split was part of an effort to help expand the resources available to Glazer” for his bid to purchase Manchester United (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 3/23).
Speaking publicly for the first time since testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform last week, MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr said, “I left the hearings with the clear impression that the members of this committee believe that the current program is insufficient and we should take a long, hard look at improving it” (Baltimore SUN, 3/23).
MLB Cardinals President Mark Lamping in a statement yesterday apologized for Cardinals broadcaster Wayne Hagin’s comments indicated that Rockies 1B Todd Helton had used steroids. Lamping: “We apologize, without qualification, to Todd Helton and to his family; to the Rockies organization and to the Rockies fans for Hagin’s ill-considered remarks” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/23).
The city of Anaheim let pass a Tuesday deadline to file a second appeal seeking to overturn the Orange County (CA) Superior Court’s refusal to stop the Angels’ name change. The California Court of Appeal has agreed to hear the city’s case on an emergency basis on Monday (L.A. TIMES, 3/23).
Florida Citrus Sports wants Orange County (FL) to pledge more than $4M to “buy 18,000 tickets to the [Champs Sports Bowl] at $60 each during the next four years” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/23).
After Quiksilver yesterday announced it would buy Rossignol for $320M, Quiksilver investors “sent the stock down 10%, partly on concerns that the purchase would slow” the company’s “steady growth trajectory.” Quiksilver shares closed at $29.74, down $3.46, on the New York Stock Exchange (L.A. TIMES, 3/23).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reports Nuggets coach George Karl during last night’s game against the Wizards wore the same ’75-76 throwback jersey as the Nuggets players, wearing No. 22 over a white turtleneck, along with blue warm-up pants and white sneakers. Karl “violated just about every attire rule for coaches,” but he “did not seem too concerned about getting fined.” Karl: “Hopefully, the league is understanding. I’m very forgiving. I just did it on retro night.” But Karl noted that he “might get fined because the turtleneck displayed a brand name” (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/23). The DENVER POST reports Mizuno was the brand displayed (DENVER POST, 3/23).
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| Karl To Be Fined For Going Retro? |
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 |
| | |
| Philadelphia Daily News | Newsday |
TODAY’S EVENTS
MLB and General Motors at an 11:00am ET press conference at the Grand Hyatt N.Y. will announce that GM will become the exclusive automobile partner of the league.
The NHLPA Executive Committee will continue its three-day meeting at an undisclosed time in an undisclosed location.
IN OTHER NEWS….
The L.A. TIMES reports that Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman is in talks with Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey “to be his second in command.” Berman, whose contract with Fox expires in July, would serve as the studio’s top creative exec and “is expected to be named president of Paramount, with a possible additional title” (L.A. TIMES, 3/23).
The N.Y. TIMES reports that three newspaper publishers -- Gannett Co., Knight-Ridder Inc. and the Tribune Co. -- “are joining forces to buy three-fourths of Topix.net, a Web site that monitors more than 10,000 online news sources.” Each publisher would have a 25% stake in the venture (N.Y. TIMES, 3/23).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was “Cyber-Glossary.”
“In computerese, this word from the Hindu faith means an icon of a user in virtual reality.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “It was so nice earlier today (in New York City), I saw a rat going into Central Park carrying her yoga mat. ... It was so nice in New York City today that Martha Stewart was running around her estate wearing nothing but her electronic ankle bracelet. ... Over there in the Alps, the glaciers are melting for the first time in like 11,000 years, so environmentalists are now packing the glaciers in tinfoil to try to preserve the glaciers from melting. By the way, I don’t think this much tinfoil has been used since Olive Garden wrapped up Kirstie Alley’s leftovers. ... Yesterday, it happened again. (Michael Jackson) was late for court and Michael is blaming the chimp for hitting the snooze button. Insiders now are claiming that Michael Jackson is zonked on medication, cutoff from reality and headed for a complete nervous meltdown. No, wait a minute. That’s me. ... What a piece of work (Robert Blake) is and now he’s appearing on television. He gave his first interview to Barbara Walters, and earlier today he made spaghetti Bolognese with Tony Danza. Blake says he doesn’t know who killed his wife, which would make him the only one in the world who doesn’t know” (“Late Show,” CBS, 3/22).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “Robert Blake found not guilty of murder, so ladies, he’s available. ... Robert Blake told Barbara Walters this morning he doesn’t know who killed his wife. Apparently, he asked so many people to kill her he can’t remember which one did it. ... How do you think this acquittal makes Martha Stewart feel? She goes to prison for lying to investigators. Robert Blake goes free. If Martha had just killed her stockbroker instead of taking his advice she’d be a free woman now. ... Michael Jackson now says he prays every morning over the phone with the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and today Jesse said, ‘That was Michael? I thought I was hitting on Janet.’ ... adidas announced they are coming out with a smart shoe that costs $250. It’s bad enough we can’t afford to drive anywhere. Now we can’t walk anymore. ... 40 surfers in Australia set a new world record when they rode a 40-foot long, ten-foot wide surf board, and today, people in Cuba said, ‘Why didn’t we think of that?’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 3/22).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Signs You’ve Hired A Bad Easter Bunny” (“Late Show,” CBS, 3/22).
| 10) “Shows up wearing the costume head and nothing else.” |
| 9) “Reeks of tequila and Easter egg dye.” |
| 8) “Immediately asks if he can have Easter off.” |
| 7) “Refuses to hop because it aggravates his double hernia.” |
| 6) “For an extra 20 bucks, parents can buy an ounce of his special ‘Easter Grass.’” |
| 5) “Only gives the kids candy after they attend his presentation on time-share condos.” |
| 4) “Keeps muttering something about ‘infidels’ and ‘jihad.’” |
| 3) “Costume is made from animal skin he scraped off the interstate.” |
| 2) “Habitually licks and grooms himself.” |
| 1) “The enormous ears? Steroids.” |
LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Giants LF Barry Bonds | NCAA Tournament; Spurs tops in the Western Conference? |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Barry Bonds | Temple coach John Chaney and Indiana coach Mike Davis returning next year; Rockies 1B Todd Helton |
| ESPN | “SportsCenter” | Barry Bonds | Purdue-Tennessee women’s basketball; Pistons-Cavaliers |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Barry Bonds | Should Cavs hire Phil Jackson?; Texas Tech coach Bob Knight interview |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is avatar?”
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