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Sunday, October 5, 2:30pm ET

Weekend Rap.... Latest News.... Last Goodbye?

Today Could Be Bills' Final Wilson-Era Game As Sale Approval Looms

Today's Bills-Lions game at Ford Field could mark the "final game" of the Ralph Wilson Jr. ownership era, which is appropriate because it "was in Detroit where he became smitten with football." NFL owners on Wednesday will meet in N.Y. and "are expected to unanimously approve the sale" of the Bills from the Wilson Family Trust to prospective Owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Lions President Tom Lewand: "If the Wilson era of ownership can't end in Buffalo, there is no better place for it to conclude than in Detroit, Mr. Wilson's hometown" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/5).

FS1 Sees Record Viewership With First-Ever LDS Games

By Austin Karp

The first-ever MLB postseason games on FS1 delivered record viewership for the cable net on Friday. The Cardinals’ comeback win over the Dodgers in Game 1 of their NLDS, which began around 6:30pm ET, drew 3.595 million viewers, marking a record audience for any broadcast on the 14-month-old network. The previous record was 3.526 million viewers for NASCAR’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition race from Daytona on Feb. 15. Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Giants-Nationals NLDS drew 2.044 million viewers on FS1 in the 3:00pm window, marking the net’s best weekday, daytime audience on record.

Former GM Towers Leaves D-Backs To Avoid Potential "Awkwardness"

The D-Backs on Friday announced that former GM Kevin Towers, who considered a role within the organization, "would be leaving to pursue other opportunities in baseball." D-Backs Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa said that Towers "told him he felt remaining with the team presented a sort of 'awkwardness'" with Dave Stewart installed as the new GM and De Jon Watson on board as Senior VP/Baseball Operations. The team also announced the departure of Assistant GM Billy Ryan, who "was told his contract was not being renewed" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/5).

Contingent Of OSU Fans Helps Maryland Sell Out First Game Since '08

Yesterday's Ohio State-Maryland game at Byrd Stadium drew a sellout crowd of 51,802 that "formed a sea of red" during UM's first Big Ten home game. This was UM's "first sellout crowd" since its game vs. FSU in November '08. Contributing to yesterday's turnout "were the Ohio State fans who traveled to College Park for the game" (Baltimore SUN, 10/5). Meanwhile, a sellout crowd of 53,327 at yesterday's Michigan-Rutgers game at High Point Solutions Stadium "rushed the field" following RU's first victory in the Big Ten. The crowd was the third largest in RU history (N.Y. POST, 10/5).

NBA Exhibition Packs KFC Yum! Center; Louisville Gets Rave Reviews

The KFC Yum! Center "was stuffed with 20,074 fans" last night for a Pelicans-Heat exhibition. Pelicans coach Monty Williams said of the arena, "It seems like a place where you'd have a professional basketball team. It's a great facility." Louisville-based Blue Equity Chair & Managing Dir Jonathan Blue said of the city possibly having its own NBA team, "It's time to look at it again. The only concern that I would have is the biggest issue now with NBA owners relocating teams is local media rights and the appetite. It's such a big component now for local media rights to sell in the market" (WDRB.com, 10/4).

ESPNU To Televise Two-Hour Kentucky Basketball Practice

ESPNU "will televise" the Univ. of Kentucky's men's basketball practice on Friday from 3:00-5:00pm ET. The net's Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Avery Johnson "will call the action." The telecast "marks the first time" since the '11-12 season that UK "has had a practice televised live." UK coach John Calipari "has invited scouts from all 30 NBA teams to attend the practice" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 10/4).

Washington Post Uses '12 Photo With Front-Page NLDS Coverage

The Washington Post in some editions yesterday erroneously published a photo on its front page from the '12 MLB Postseason in conjunction with its coverage of Giants-Nationals NLDS Game 1. The newspaper corrected the mistake in later editions (THE DAILY). Giants OF Michael Morse, who played with the Nationals in '12, is seen in the photo. On his Twitter feed, he posted a picture of the newspaper and wrote, "Wait....whaaaaa?!?!?" (TWITTER.com, 10/4).

Thousands Mark Republic's Championship As MLS Push Continues

Thousands of people "paraded down Capitol Mall in Sacramento on Friday to celebrate" USL Pro club Sacramento Republic FC's championship as team officials "remain convinced that Sacramento is built" for MLS. City Mayor Kevin Johnson led the crowd in cheering, "Built for MLS, Sacramento. Built for MLS." In one year's time, the club has "built a stadium, a fan base and a league championship team" (KCRA.com, 10/3).

Pegulas Cut Ribbon For $23M Athletic Complex At Houghton College

Sabres and prospective Bills co-Owners Terry and Kim Pegula yesterday "helped cut the ribbon to formally dedicate the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex" at Houghton College, the Western New York school from which Kim graduated in '91. The $23M facility "includes a 115-thousand square-foot fieldhouse, a new baseball and softball stadium, an eight-lane 200-meter track, five tennis courts, weight room, cardio fitness center, and locker rooms." The Pegulas donated $12M for the project (WIVB.com, 10/4).

LeBron James' "Survivor's Remorse" Premieres To Critical Acclaim

"Survivor's Remorse" -- the new TV series for which Cavaliers F LeBron James serves as an Exec Producer -- debuted last night on Starz and was received positively by critics. The show is "mordant and very funny, but there is a redeeming sweetness beneath the satire and b-ball swagger" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/4). The writing "for the most part ... is fearless and never shies away from showing its characters in a less-than-flattering light" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/4). The program is "that rare thing in television -- a wholly unexpected pleasure for all the best of reasons" (WSJ.com, 10/2).

Weekend Briefs....

The NFL "will begin testing" for HGH tomorrow, "nearly three weeks after the league and its players agreed to a revised drug policy" (REUTERS, 10/4).

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday said that city officials "are aware of Soldier Field's reputation for having the worst playing surface" in the NFL, "and said 'we'll work on it'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/4).

BYU during its Friday night game retired College Football HOFer Jim McMahon's No. 9 jersey, a day after he was inducted into the school’s athletic HOF (AP, 10/4).

An Earthquakes' supporter group last night unveiled a banner during the team's home loss to the Timbers that "appeared to be boasting about an incident last year" in which a group of Earthquake fans assaulted a Timbers fan (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/5).

Quick Hits....

"I have let them know that I'm not the type of girl that would pay to play the Super Bowl, so the ball is in their field" – Singer Katy Perry, on whether she would pay to perform at the Super Bowl ("College Gameday," ESPN, 10/4).

"I built my career on baseball, but people know me for football, a hockey game, and an earthquake. It’s a very weird deal" – NBC's Al Michaels, reflecting on his broadcast career (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/5).

"It's my hope that the organization doesn't again hire someone who doesn't want to embrace being a Raider" – CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask, on the Raiders' coaching search (“That Other Pregame Show,” CBSSN, 10/5).

Weekend Hot Reads....

The L.A. TIMES' Kurt Streeter profiled Sacramento Mayor and former NBAer Kevin Johnson, who is "among a number of younger-generation Democrats widely discussed as prospective candidates" for California Governor and the U.S. Senate. But a jump to higher office "would not be easy," as Johnson "is not the typical Democrat who wins statewide elections." He is "a corporate-friendly, pro-business centrist who has fought teachers unions and tax increases." There "would also be the past to beat back: the taint of old scandal and allegations of sexual impropriety."

The WASHINGTON POST's Alex Prewitt writes the NHL this summer "burst into its information age, poaching statistical gurus and bloggers from their Web sites and paying them to work behind the curtain." The numbers "had become more digestible, the information available everywhere." Ignoring it "meant falling behind." Meanwhile, the BUFFALO NEWS' Mike Harrington writes under the header, "Formulas For Success: Everyone Jumping On Board With Analytics."

Elsewhere

Twitter Me This....


If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Back Pages....

The Weekend Rap offers today's back page sports covers from some of the nation's major metropolitan tabloids:

   N.Y. Post Newsday N.Y. Daily News  Boston Herald

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead....

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead: Oct. 6-12

MONDAY
• MLS BOG meeting - L.A.
• WTA Tour Generali Ladies Linz begins - Linz, Austria
• WTA Tour Japan Women’s Open Tennis begins - Osaka, Japan
• WTA Tour Tianjin Open begins - Tianjin, China

TUESDAY
• Release date for 2K Sports' "NBA 2K15"
• Status conference before New York Supreme Court Judge Eileen Bransten in Vijay Singh’s lawsuit against the PGA Tour
• NFL owners meeting begins - N.Y.
• Charlotte Business Journal’s Motorsports 2.0 event - Charlotte
• Outdoor Industry Association’s Rendezevous '14 begins - Asheville, N.C.

WEDNESDAY
• NHL regular season begins
• FXFL regular season begins (debut season)
• Brand-reveal event for Crew - Columbus
• espnW’s Women + Sports Summit presented by Toyota begins - Dana Point, Calif.
• Leaders Sport Business Summit begins - London
• NBA Global Games: Spurs vs. Alba Berlin - Berlin

THURSDAY
• PR News’ Social Media Conference - N.Y.
• PGA Tour Frys.com Open begins ('14-15 season-opening event) - Napa, Calif.
• Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia begins - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

FRIDAY
• MLB playoffs: ALCS begins
• Levi’s Stadium Friday Night Lights high school football event begins (presented by Black Bear Diner) - Santa Clara, Calif.
• Champions Tour SAS Championship begins - Cary, N.C.
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Concord, N.C.

SATURDAY
• Ironman World Championship presented by GoPro - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Leigh Steinberg’s Agent Academy (presented by Steinberg Sports & Entertainment) - Newport Beach, Calif.
• Football doubleheader weekend at TCF Bank Stadium begins (Northwestern-Univ. of Minnesota on Saturday, Lions-Vikings on Sunday)
• MLB playoffs: NLCS begins
• NBA Global Games: Cavaliers vs. Heat - Rio de Janeiro
• NBA Global Games: Spurs vs. Fenerbahce Ulker - Istanbul
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 (Chase for the Sprint Cup, Event #2 of 3 in the Contender Round) - Concord, N.C.

SUNDAY
• Bank of America Chicago Marathon - Chicago
• NACWAA National Convention begins - Louisville
• NBA Global Games: Nets vs. Kings - Shanghai
• F1 Russian Grand Prix - Sochi, Russia

Note: Events are subject to change. Information about upcoming events can be sent via email to calendar@sportsbusinessjournal.com.