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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz

Tiger Woods, Golf Digest Part Ways After 13 Years Of Bylines
MLB Hiring Lou Koskovolis For Sales & Sponsorship Position
USGA Begins Search For New Exec Dir To Replace David Fay
Consumer Electronics Association Predicts Continued Recovery

TIGER WOODS, GOLF DIGEST PART WAYS, ENDING 13-YEAR RELATIONSHIP

Tiger Woods and Golf Digest "parted company Thursday, ending a 13-year relationship between the world's most visible golfer and the world's largest golf magazine." Golf Digest "has run monthly articles with Woods's byline since 1997," but Chair & Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde said that his column in the February issue "would be his last" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/7). Golf Digest "never disclosed terms of the deal," but it was "believed to be among the smallest" for Woods at "no more than $2 million a year" (AP, 1/6).


MLB HIRING FORMER ESPN EXEC KOSKOVOLIS FOR SALES & SPONSORSHIP POST

Lou Koskovolis

By Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large

MLB is hiring former ESPN/ABC Sports Exec VP/National Sales & Customer Marketing Lou Koskovolis as its new Senior VP/Corporate Sales & Sponsorship. Koskovolis, 47, was Exec VP/Corporate Alliances at Six Flags Entertainment since '06. He replaces John Brody, who left MLB in August after 11 years to be head of global sales at Wasserman Media Group. Koskovolis will report to MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan.

See today's issue of THE DAILY for more.


USGA BEGINS SEARCH PROCESS FOR NEW EXEC DIR AFTER FAY STEPS DOWN

The USGA today "will be posting a job description on its website" for the Exec Dir position after David Fay resigned, effective Jan. 1. No search firm "will be engaged." The USGA has formed a search committee of President Jim Hyler; incoming VPs Glen Nager and Tom O'Toole; incoming Women's Committee Chair Martha Lang; and former President Jim Vernon. USGA Dir of Communications Rand Jerris said that the "objective" is to make a hire "in the next 90-120 days"
(GOLFWEEK.com, 1/6).


AT CES, FORECASTS OF CONTINUED RECOVERY FOR ELECTRONICS SECTOR

The Consumer Electronics Association, which produces the Int'l Consumer Electronics Show (CES) taking place in Las Vegas, yesterday projected the industry will show continued growth in '11, rising an estimated 3.5% to $186B in U.S. shipment revenues. The sum, if it holds true, would extend a rebound for the industry that began last year following a recession-fueled '09 that represented the industry's first negative year in roughly two decades (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).

Meanwhile, ESPN today at 3:00pm ET will air a special edition of "College Football Live" from the CES, with Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May broadcasting from the Sony Stage. The trio will preview Monday's Auburn-Oregon Tostitos BCS National Championship Game and discuss the impact of ESPN's foray into 3D programming (ESPN).


FIFA'S SEPP BLATTER OPENLY ENDORSES '22 WORLD CUP MOVING TO WINTER

FIFA President Sepp Blatter today made his "strongest endorsement yet" of moving the '22 World Cup in Qatar to winter, saying that "players should be spared from the blistering summer heat in the desert nation." Blatter said, "To have a successful World Cup, we have to protect actors, the players, which means (playing) in winter." He added that "any change in the World Cup would have to first come from Qatar, which so far has not requested it" (AP, 1/7).


MASN REPORTEDLY HIRES SANTANGELO AS NEW NATIONALS GAME ANALYST

Former MLBer F.P. Santangelo reportedly has been “chosen as the Nationals’ new game analyst on MASN.” Sources confirmed that Santangelo, who was a part-time broadcaster for the Giants in '10, was “selected out of a sizable group of ex-players who applied for the job.” Santangelo will serve alongside play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter, while Ray Knight is “expected to return to his original duties” at MASN as a pre- and postgame analyst (NATSINSIDER.BLOGSPOT.com, 1/6).

Former Nationals analyst Rob Dibble was fired in September for remarks about injured P Stephen Strasburg (THE DAILY).


SPURS PARENT INTERESTED IN BRINGING SOCCER TEAM TO ALAMO STADIUM

The San Antonio Independent School District today will begin “soliciting partnership concepts” for its Alamo Stadium and the adjacent Convocation Center. Spurs Sports & Entertainment will propose bringing a USL franchise to the stadium to “play 12 to 15 home games, eventually developing it into” an MLS team. The proposal would keep the venue’s football field but scrap its “eight-lane track to make room for the pro soccer field” (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 1/7).

A rival NASL expansion team is expected to begin play in San Antonio in '12 (THE DAILY).


SPEED READS….

Meyer, Saban To Serve As ESPN
Guest Analysts For BCS Championship

Sources indicated that Fox News' Bill O'Reilly has landed an exclusive interview with President Obama scheduled to air on Fox' flagship network prior to the Super Bowl XLV telecast on Feb. 6
(MEDIAITE.com, 1/6).

Alabama coach Nick Saban and former Florida coach Urban Meyer next Monday will serve as guest analysts on ESPN’s coverage of the Auburn-Oregon Tostitos BCS National Championship Game (USATODAY.com, 1/6).

Goldman Sachs is selling its 44.7% stake in Accordia Golf. The Japan-based golf course operator said that "pricing of the share sale is expected to take place as early as Jan. 17" (WSJ.com, 1/7).


QUICK HITS….

“It was not my intention to be rude, or disrespectful, or not answer questions” – Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, on the press conference he held earlier in the week (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 1/7).

“Even the collective-bargaining agreement issue and the lockout – I don’t think it had any affect” – West Virginia AD Oliver Luck, on his son, Stanford QB Andrew Luck, deciding to forego the NFL Draft and return for his junior season. Luck was projected by many observers as the first overall pick (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/7).

“I haven’t missed any of the steps. And that’s one reason I feel very prepared for this opportunity” – 49ers GM Trent Baalke, who was recently elevated to the position, on starting out in the NFL as an area scout for the Jets (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/6).

"He used to work for us over here. We fired him because he sucked" – TNT's Charles Barkley, on Fox News' Tucker Carlson, who last month said that Eagles QB Michael Vick "should have been executed." Carlson used to work for fellow Turner network CNN (TNT, 1/6).


TWITTER ME THIS….

 

“Late Show” writer Eric Stangel: “How is it that the Jersey Shore cast has shown better people skills than Miami Dolphins management?”

London Times’ Oliver Kay: “Winter World Cup the only option for Qatar 2022. But appalling that Fifa didn't consider/debate issue before last mth's vote.”

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Baldry: “I'm wondering what players really think of playing for free? Especially to start domestic schedule.”

Golfer Paula Creamer: “Wow interesting LPGA schedule.”

If you see a tweet we won’t want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.


A LIGHTER BUZZ….

Twenty electronic billboards in Columbus, Ohio, yesterday were adorned with the message, "Congratulations to TCU For their BCS Rose Bowl Victory – Little Sisters of the Poor." The message is in response to Ohio State President Gordon Gee in November comparing the competition faced by non-automatic BCS qualifier schools to the "Little Sisters of the Poor" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/6).


TODAY'S EVENTS….

ESPN’s Lou Holtz will be a voice talent in an episode of Disney Channel's "Special Agent Oso" at 10:00am ET.


ON THIS DAY….

In '27, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in Hinckley, Ill. The team was paid $75 for the game. Despite having Harlem in its name, the club was founded by Abe Saperstein of Chicago after he took over as coach of a team "originally known as the Savoy Big Five" (HISTORY.com, 1/7).


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 "Worldwide Media."

"The name for this news agency means 'peninsula,' referring to the Arabian Peninsula."


LAUGH TRACK….

THE MONOLOGUES:

CBS' David Letterman: "I'm Dave Letterman, the man with the golden voice. … Before we begin tonight I'll be reading the Constitution. You know what the Republicans are doing now that they're in office? They're going to undo everything that the Obama administration has done. That's the plan. Earlier today, they told Michelle Obama, they told the president's wife, that the vegetable garden, got to go. Take your vegetables and plant them somewhere else! … How about the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner? Oh my God, have you seen this guy's enormous gavel, have you seen that? I'm telling you, if in four hours that gavel is still that size, he's got to call a doctor because it's not right. John Boehner: Doesn't he look like every guy you've ever seen in a hotel bar? … Happy birthday to the oldest living cat in England: 39 years old, the oldest living cat. I was surprised. I thought the oldest living cat was Chuck Berry. … Brand-new season of the 'Jersey Shore' premiered earlier tonight on MTV. You know what they say: Lights, camera, idiots. … Today, they had every member of the United States Congress reading from the United States Constitution. What a wonderful way to begin the new year. Symbolically read the fundamentals, the foundation, the cornerstone for this great democracy, this wonderful republic, they read the U.S. Constitution. But there was a mix-up. Something weird happened. Did you see this? Oh my God. Take a look." Video was shown of members of Congress reading the Constitution when a "Late Show" staffer stepped up to the microphone and said, "I'm not a member of Congress. I was on the tour and got lost" ("Late Show," CBS, 1/6).

NBC's Jay Leno: "A 53-year-old homeless man in Ohio became an Internet sensation after someone posted video of him talking in his radio announcer voice on Youtube. … The video got over five million hits and the Cleveland Cavaliers offered him a job and a place to live which is kind of ironic. You know how he wound up homeless? Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers. … Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a speech and handed the gavel to John Boehner. Very emotional moment for Pelosi, but she managed to keep a stiff upper lip, a tightly stretched forehead and unnaturally arched eyebrows. … The Borders chain of bookstores is now struggling to keep their doors opened. They could go out of business. It would be the first time in this country that any of our borders actually closed. … Iran has arrested an American woman and accused her of spying using technology hidden in her teeth. They think she's spying with her teeth, you know as opposed to Ahmadinejad, who lies through his teeth. … Doctors in Prague report they have found a man who used to be a woman who lives with a woman who used to be a man and they are helping to raise their son so he can become a woman. This could be the greatest episode of 'Jerry Springer' ever. … Women who live with a man gain an average of 15 pounds. You know what that means, ladies? It's not those jeans that are making your ass look big. It's the big ass you're living with. … Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal have broken up. The disturbing part? The fact that I know this. The song should be out in about three days" ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 1/6).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

ABC's Jimmy Kimmel: "On Tuesday, there were two winners of the $380 million Mega-Millions lottery drawing. They say it was the biggest single jackpot since Elin Nordegren divorced Tiger Woods. … Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian-Odom have a new reality show, finally. Can we just get this over with and give the Kardashians their own channel already? On the show … cameras will follow Khloe and Lamar through a typical day to find out why exactly they have a television show. Ironically, there are now so many Kardashians shows you actually can't keep up with the Kardashians. This will be the 12th reality series for the extended Kardashian family, not counting coverage of the OJ Simpson trial. Future civilizations will think we worshipped them like the Egyptians worshipped people with cat heads. Let me tell you kids something: I remember a day when there were only two Kardashian reality shows on the air and that's all we needed" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 1/6).

Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten Little-Known Facts About John Boehner" ("Late Show," CBS, 1/6).

10) "His biggest corporate donor: Kleenex."
9) "Crayola named orange crayon after him 'Burnt Boehner.'"
8) "He, too, prefers to be called 'Madame Speaker.'"
7) "Born in Kenya."
6) "While working at his father's bar, invented popular cocktail, the Harvey Wallboehner."
5) "Uses the same tanning salon as Snooki."
4) "In 1978, performed with his dancing iguana on 'The Gong Show.'"
3) "Cried at numbers 9, 7, 5, and 4 on this list."
2) "Second in line to the presidency; first in line at SuperCuts."
1) "Celebrated last night by Boehning his wife."

FINAL JEOPARDY….

"What is Al Jazeera?"


If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
pbounds@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

The Morning Buzz provides an early update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Morning Buzz, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.

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