Before interviewing Bob Costas on the "Today" show this
morning about Pete Rose's chances for reinstatement by MLB,
NBC's Matt Lauer reported that the Web site www.sportcut.com
received "nearly two million hits" yesterday, as "at least"
100,000 people have signed Rose's petition to be reinstated
by MLB that is featured on the newly launched sports and
entertainment Web site ("Today," NBC, 12/1). But USA TODAY
reports that more than 90,000 petitions were filled out
during the site's first four hours, as the site registered
6.45 million hits in the first nine hours (USA TODAY, 12/1).
Rose "admitted he has a financial stake" in sportcut.com
(Mosconi, Mainelli & Hoffmann, N.Y. POST, 12/1). The Web
site "plans to deliver the signatures" to the Baseball Hall
of Fame on January 31, 2000 (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/1).
Rose said on "SportsCenter" last night, "We're not opening
sportcut.com to try to get all the public sentiment my way.
It's a hell of a way to launch an Internet site. There's a
lot of hits already on this site, and they're just doing a
petition until January 15, and I'm going to be interested to
see the results" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 11/30).
