| • | FIA, FOTA Reach Deal, Max Mosley Agrees To Step Down In Fall |
| • | MLBAM, Yankees To Outline Details Of Live Streaming Of Games |
| • | NJ Gov. Corzine To File Brief In Support Of Sports Betting Suit |
| • | Wimbledon Sets Attendance Records At All-England Club |
FOTA PARKS THREAT OF BREAKAWAY SERIES AS MAX MOSLEY AGREES TO STEP DOWN
 |
Max Mosley Agrees To Step Down As FIA
President, Ending Chance Of Rival Series |
The FIA today announced that “there will be a unified Formula One championship next year” after
Max Mosley agreed to step down as FIA President this fall. Mosley, who recently implied that he might run for a fifth term, said he would “not be up for re-election now we have peace.” The Formula One Teams Association had threatened to form a rival series, with the dissident teams “thought to be just as determined to oust Mosley from his position as resist” his proposed budget cap.
The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council today met in Paris to discuss the conflict with FOTA and the threat of a breakaway series (TIMESONLINE.co.uk, 6/24).
MLBAM, YANKEES TODAY TO ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF LIVE STREAMING GAMES
By Eric Fisher & John Ourand, Staff Writers, SportsBusiness Journal
MLBAM, the Yankees and YES Network today are expected to announce their effort with Cablevision to begin in-market online streaming of live Yankees games. The local live streaming,
first reported by SportsBusiness Journal earlier this month and set to launch this season, represents a major breakthrough in a complex issue that has riddled many properties, including baseball, for years. Among those set to participate in the announcement are Yankees co-Chair
Hal Steinbrenner and President
Randy Levine, YES President & CEO
Tracy Dolgin, MLB President & COO and MLBAM Chair
Bob DuPuy, and MLBAM President & CEO
Bob Bowman.
NEW JERSEY GOV. TO FILE BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF SPORTS BETTING LAWSUIT
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine as early as next week could “file a brief in support of an existing lawsuit claiming the 1992 federal sports betting ban is unconstitutional.” New Jersey state Sen. Ray Lesniak in March filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Newark claiming the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act “is unconstitutional and violates state’s rights.” Corzine would become “partner in Lesniak’s lawsuit once the brief of support” was filed (ESPN.com, 6/23).
ALL ENGLAND CLUB SEES RECORD TICKET SALES IN FIRST TWO DAYS OF WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon has set “new records for ticket sales on both of its first two days,” despite a downturn in the economy. A record crowd of 45,955 attended the tournament on Tuesday, breaking the previous mark of 42,811 set on Monday. The previous record was 42,457 set in ’02. All England Club spokesperson Henry O’Grady: “It’s still massively oversubscribed. If the capacity here was 100,000, there’d be 100,000 here” (CP, 6/23).
NHL’S JOHN COLLINS OUTLINES RESTRUCTURING OF BUSINESS DIVISIONS
By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
NHL COO John Collins yesterday sent out a six-page memo to league staff detailing the restructuring of NHL Enterprises, Broadcasting and Communications into 10 new business divisions. The areas of focus include: sales; integrated marketing; digital media; events; NHL Network U.S. and affiliate distribution; broadcasting business relations and scheduling; production, operations and engineering; creative studios; communications and editorial; international development and strategic planning.
For a breakdown of who is leading each division, please see THE DAILY.
MTA SELLS ATLANTIC YARDS SUBWAY STATION NAMING RIGHTS TO BARCLAYS
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority BOD today will vote on a $4M deal for Barclays to title sponsor the “nexus of subway stops at Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue” near Nets Owner Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn. The proposal calls for Forest City Ratner to pay the MTA $200,000 a year for the next 20 years (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24).
Meanwhile, New York state officials approved a revised plan for the Atlantic Yards project, “giving Ratner an extra three years to complete the job” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/24).
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY TO RECEIVE TAX BREAK IF IT HOSTS SPRINT CUP RACE
The Kentucky state House and Senate today will reconvene to vote on several bills, including a tentative agreement on a tax break for Kentucky Speedway. The tax break, “which could include as much as $36.7[M] in sales tax credits over the next 20 years,” is designed to help SMI pay for a planned $75M expansion. The tax break would only be good if the track hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup race (KENTUCKY ENQUIRER, 6/24).
RECORD CROWD TURNS OUT FOR MANNY RAMIREZ’ FIRST MINOR LEAGUE START
A record crowd of 15,321 attended Dodgers LF Manny Ramirez’ first minor league start with the Triple-A PCL Albuquerque Isotopes at Isotopes Park. The team expects “similar turnouts today and Thursday” (USA TODAY, 6/24). MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger noted the Isotopes “have sold more than 40,000 tickets for their four-game series against the Nashville Sounds” that runs through Friday. Amsinger: “I wonder if that’s a sign of things to come. ‘Manny Mania’ is obviously taking fire in Albuquerque. When he comes back (to the Dodgers), possibly July 3rd, people probably expect to see the same kind of impact in the big league” (“MLB Tonight: Batting Practice,” MLB Network, 6/23).
TERRELL OWENS FIRST ATHLETE TO BE ELIMINATED ON ABC’S “THE SUPERSTARS”
 |
Owens (l), Krupa First Team Eliminated
On ABC's "The Superstars" |
The debut of ABC's "The Superstars" aired last night with eight teams competing in a biking/running challenge followed by a kayaking competition. Host
John Saunders introduced the show by saying, "Eight professional athletes and eight celebrities paired up for an ultimate display of brawn meets beauty." The team of Bills WR
Terrell Owens and actress/model
Joanna Krupa was the first team eliminated after losing a race on the obstacle course. After Owens got tangled up in the cargo net, Krupa said, "I don't want a teammate like that. Calls himself an athlete! What does he get a million dollars for?" Saunders: "It's hard to believe that T.O. is the first to be eliminated. It just goes to show that anything can happen on 'The Superstars'" (
"The Superstars," ABC, 6/23).
SPEED READS….
 |
Anthony Confirms He Is
Leaving BDA For CAA |
Reps for Nuggets F
Carmelo Anthony have confirmed that “he is
leaving BDA and signing with” CAA agent
Leon Rose, who also reps Cavaliers F
LeBron James and free agent G
Allen Iverson. The deal with CAA “isn’t official yet, but it is imminent” (
DENVER POST, 6/24).
The Louisiana state House voted 85-5 to approve “a bill that would authorize the state to lease 320,000 square feet of office space” from Saints Owner Tom Benson, “a major element of a deal to keep the team in New Orleans through 2025.” The bill now goes to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is expected to sign it (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 6/24).
BNP Paribas today will announce it will continue to title sponsor the Taste of Tennis in N.Y., which will be held August 27 at the W New York Hotel. The event teams professional tennis players with chefs in a culinary event that benefits The Food Bank of N.Y. (BNP Paribas).
The PGA Tour today will announce that “it will be keeping the Barclays in New Jersey through 2011.” The tournament will be held at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus in ’10 and Plainfield Country Club in Edison in ’11 (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 6/24).
President Barack Obama will throw out the first pitch at the July 14 MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, becoming the fourth U.S. President to throw out the first pitch at the game (MLB).
Red Sox season-ticket holders today at noon ET will be given “a head start on ticket sales” for August 5 and 6 Paul McCartney concerts at Fenway Park. Tickets for the general public will go on sale Monday (BOSTON HERALD, 6/24).
BASEBALL ATTENDANCE NOTES….
A record crowd of 41,517 attended last night’s Red Sox-Nationals game at Nationals Park. The three-game series with the Red Sox is “expected to be the only series” the Nationals sellout all season (AP, 6/23).
A crowd of 19,109 attended last night’s Indians-Pirates game at PNC Park, the “smallest crowd in the 21-game, 13-year history of their regular-season meetings” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/24).
QUICK HITS….
“Why have food in a room if we aren’t allowed to eat in the locker room. This rule is unfair” – Serena Williams, on her blog, discussing an All England Club rule that bars players from bringing food into the locker room at Wimbledon (SERENAWILLIAMS.com, 6/23).
“What we’re focused on is putting on a world-class event in 2009. Everything else is a work in progress. We’re not thinking about that right now” – Buick Golf Marketing Manager Larry Peck, on Buick’s sponsorship of the PGA Tour Buick Open expiring in ’10 (DETROIT NEWS, 6/24).
“I’ve now gone three years without reading a word about myself, because I’ve been told by so many people that it’s bad, so I don’t bother to do it” – ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, on his three-year tenure in the “MNF” booth (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 6/23).
“It's a fun way to kind of communicate with fans. … You can write and they can write, but it's not like a direct e-mail. I can go there, check and see what's going on and it's kind of a running log of your day” – Tennis player Andy Roddick, on having a Twitter account ("Wimbledon," ESPN2, 6/23).
“Those will tell you more than anything they’ll ever tell you face to face. … Following the tweets of free agents is like the best thing ever. It gives you such an insight into players and their minds if they’re active” – Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, on whether owners should monitor their players’ blogs and Twitter accounts ("The Dan Patrick Show," 6/23).
"I had Phil Mickelson in the office pool" – U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, who read the Top Ten list last night on CBS’ “Late Show” ("Late Show," CBS, 6/23).
TODAY’S EVENTS….
The Univ. of Minnesota Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on a proposal backed by school President Robert Bruininks recommending a full ban on alcohol at the new TCF Bank Stadium, which will open for this fall's football season (AP, 6/21).
MLS Sounders FC D Taylor Graham will appear on “The Price is Right,” which is hosted by team investor Drew Carey.
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. Times Co. and the Boston Newspaper Guild have reached a tentative contract, “with employees agreeing to significant cuts in wages, benefits and job security.” The package, which will save the Boston Globe $10M annually, features a “total wage reduction of almost 8[%] for some 670 guild members” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24).
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes and Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts today will hold a news conference to discuss their partnership to “advance the TV Everywhere initiative” that would allow subs to have on-demand broadband access to programming (VARIETY.com, 6/23).
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 | Newsday |
| | |
| Philadelphia Daily News | Boston Herald |
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Leading Men."
"Up for producing, directing, acting and writing for 1978 and 1981, he's the only man to twice get four Oscar nominations for one film."
LAUGH TRACK….
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: "One of our guests tonight is the guy who over the weekend won the U.S. Open, out there on Long Island, Lucas Glover. What a thrill for this guy. Today, Golf Digest upgraded him from 'unknown' to 'virtually unknown.' Here's what I don't get. Why can't this guy lose once in awhile and let a kid like Tiger Woods win? What would be the problem with that? In New York City this week, it is Gay Pride Week. There are many wonderful events during Gay Pride Week. One event is this year's silent auction. The highest bidder gets Liza Minnelli. It's true. On Sunday, it is the big Gay Pride Parade. This year I'm going as Clay Aiken's mother. … They arrest a guy at a Laundromat. He's in one of the big dryers, and he's drunk. Drunk. Probably didn't need to add that, but he's drunk in the big dryer going around and around and around naked. I thought, 'Well, you know, it's got to be cheaper than going to Six Flags.' Have you been following what's going on in Iran? … The government has imposed a curfew in Iran. I was thinking, 'Whoa, I just hope this doesn't ruin the swinging Iranian night life!' … The leader of Iran's opposition party, Mousavi, the guy who apparently lost in the election, says he's ready to become a martyr. Don't kid yourselves. It is tough being a martyr nowadays, really. I mean with the economy and all the budget cuts. When you die now, because of the economy, you're only going to be greeted by 35, maybe 40 virgins, tops. … Anybody here from South Carolina? Well, their Governor Mark Sanford just disappears for four days. Gone. They don't know where he is. Literally, he takes a hike. Now, he's back. He says what is the big deal? I was just on a vacation to clear my head. We never had that head-clearing problem with Bush, you know what I mean? This is a big story because the governor's wife had no idea where the guy was for four days. Today, he gets a call from Bill Clinton saying, 'Hey, who is your travel agent? How do I get in on this?'" ("Late Show," CBS, 6/23).
NBC's Conan O'Brien: "Big reality show news last night: Jon and Kate Gosselin announced they are getting a divorce. Hear that guys? The nagging chick with the eight kids is available! Get in line! … Kate is helping the kids deal with it. She's telling them each it's only 1/8th their fault. … Manny Ramirez returned to baseball today to play for a Triple-A team for the first time. This is the first time since his suspension for the use of female fertility drugs. By the way, the name of the Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Elisabeth Hasselbeck of 'The View' is denying claims that she plagiarized her recent book. Hasselbeck says she plans to refute these charges in her new memoir, 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X.' The Navy has dispatched a destroyer named the USS John McCain to deal with a North Korean ship that may have illegal weapons. Actually, the Navy didn't dispatch the John McCain, it just kind of wandered off on its own. Yesterday, the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, announced he is not going to run for the governor of California. Villaraigosa realized he had no chance at becoming governor of California because he was born in this country and you can understand every word he says. … This is weird, but true. In China, a husband recently discovered that his wife was a man after he had been married to her for three years. Friends are describing the husband as 'not a real details guy'" ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 6/23).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list, read by the ‘09 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover in studio, was "Things Lucas Glover Would Like To Say After Winning The U.S. Open" ("Late Show," CBS, 6/23).
| 10) "I'd like to thank Tiger Woods for letting someone else win." |
| 9) "I started playing golf in March." |
| 8) "I forgot my wedge yesterday, so I used a rake." |
| 7) "Honestly, I'm just glad to be out of the rain." |
| 6) "I had Phil Mickelson in the office pool." |
| 5) "Ladies, my last name isn't 'Glover,' it's 'G. Lover.'" |
| 4) "I drive for show, I putt for dough." |
| 3) "Does anybody have a phone number for that Jon & Kate lady?" |
| 2) "If there's anything more exciting than watching golf, it's ten lame jokes read by a guy who plays golf." |
| 1) "Even I have never heard of me." |
Versus' Matt Iseman: "A report claims that former Cub slugger Sammy Sosa tested positive for steroids. Following the shocking revelation of Sosa’s steroid use, a number of equally unimaginable stories have broken in the sporting world. For example … in New York, a lengthy investigative report has revealed that Derek Jeter has in fact slept with a ton of attractive women. Some of them are famous. … In NFL news, Chad Ochocinco revealed last week that his new dedication to the game came after Denzel Washington gave him a stern talking to. No one is sure he actually had a conversation with Denzel or if he just watched 'Remember the Titans.' … According to a source, things are heating up between A-Rod and Kate Hudson. The source says, 'It's somewhat serious. … He introduced her to a bunch of his friends.' Wow, I guess that is somewhat serious. Of course, we’ll know it's truly serious when he pops the question: 'Can I have your urine?' … Time to check this week’s 'Favre Con Alert' level. This week, the level is medium blue. That’s just one notch below Viking purple. Last week, Brett Favre was in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, testing out his throwing arm with the Oak Grove High School football team. After the workout, he delivered a heated pep talk on the importance of never giving up, giving up and never giving up. Favre concluded the visit with a Q&A where students asked Favre about his favorite breakfast food, his favorite summer shoes and his favorite place to sit on a cattle ranch. His answers: waffles, flip-flops and on the fence. … Word on the street is Gisele Bundchen is pregnant with Tom Brady’s child. So I guess they’re starting their own 'Brady-Bundchen'" ("Sports Soup," Versus, 6/23).
 |
| Griffin Gives Fallon His Very Own Videogame |
NBA draft prospect
Blake Griffin appeared on the NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night to discuss the upcoming NBA draft. When asked if he was going to be present at the NBA Draft, NBC's
Jimmy Fallon said, "Yeah, I'm going to be there. I'm up for the draft, yeah."
Griffin: "That's what I thought." Fallon: "I'm just going to be standing where there is a draft. That's how bad my seats are."
Griffin, who is the cover athlete for EA Sports' "NCAA Basketball 10, presented Fallon with a gift.
Griffin: "I heard you were big into video games and all that, so I had them make a video game for you."
Griffin gave Fallon a video game with an action shot of Fallon on the cover. Towards the end of the interview,
Griffin and Fallon got ready to compete in a dunk contest on-stage, changing into basketball sneakers. Fallon said of his shoes featuring mirrors all over them, "I have them mirrored so that you can see me dunking on you, so you can enjoy it. You can see your own face when I'm, like, slam dunking it."
Griffin performed his dunks on a regulation basket with a regulation basketball while Fallon dunked on a shorter basket with a WNBA ball. Fallon performed the "Businessman Dunk" with a briefcase and an "Abby-Opp" as actress
Abigail Breslin gave him the alley-opp pass (
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," NBC, 6/23).
FINAL JEOPARDY….
"Who is Warren Beatty?" Of those eight nominations he received for "Heaven Can Wait" and "Reds," Beatty won only once for directing "Reds" (THE DAILY).
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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