The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, July 5, 2001
9:00am ET
| • | Office Supply Magnate Interested In Red Sox |
| • | Romney To Follow In Dad’s Footsteps? |
| • | King Plays The China Card |
| • | Bookie Claims Olympic Race Over |
| • | Media Reaction To The Williams Family |
| • | Crowds Flock To Sporting Events For The 4th |
STAPLES CEO STEMBERG INTERESTED IN RED SOX
The BOSTON HERALD reports in a front-page story that Staples CEO Thomas Stemberg "has leapt into the race to buy the Boston Red Sox." Stemberg has joined a group with MA-based concessionaire Joseph O’Donnell and developer Stephen Karp. Previously, Stemberg announced "he would be interested" in a naming-rights deal for Staples on a new Red Sox ballpark (BOSTON HERALD, 7/5).
ROMNEY WEIGHS POLITICAL OPTIONS AFTER OLYMPICS
The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reported that despite speculation that SLOC President Mitt Romney’s political future was in MA, he is "is turning his political antennae to Utah" after the Olympic Games. Romney: "I have to be honest, I will survey the political landscape [in MA and in UT]." This marks the first time Romney acknowledged he "would consider elected office in his adopted home state." Romney, who lost his race against U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for the Senate in ’96, is considered a top GOP candidate for Gov. of MA (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/4).
KING HYPES RUIZ-HOLYFIELD PPV CARD IN CHINA AS MEGA-EVENT
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that boxing promoter Don King predicts that his PPV card featuring a heavyweight title match between John Ruiz and Evander Holyfield in China on August 4th "will pull in nearly" $23M in PPV revenue. King predicts the Beijing matches "will generate about 500,000 PPV buys worldwide." The event will have an estimated $44.95 price tag (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/5).
BOOKMAKER SUSPENDS BETTING ON '08 HOST CITY
The TORONTO SUN reports that U.K. bookmaker William Hill Int'l "recently suspended betting" on the host city for the ’08 Olympic Games. The final odds had Beijing "as the overwhelming favourite" at 1-5, while Toronto was second at 3-1 and Paris ended at 7-1 (TORONTO SUN, 7/5).
WILLIAMS FAMILY MAKES WAVES AT WIMBLEDON
The Williams family’s reputation took another hit after Serena Williams lost her Wimbledon quarter-finals match against Jennifer Capriati on Tuesday and blamed her performance on poor health. In Arizona, Pedro Gomez writes, "Her alibis after losses strongly give the impression that she’s searching for excuses instead of looking in the mirror" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/5). Meanwhile, TNT analyst Mary Carillo, on the family’s handling of the media, "Thanks to Richard Williams and all the preposterous things he says, any comment from the Williamses is taken with a 500-pound grain of salt. I always feel like I’m being spun, that what they’re saying isn’t real – the girls included – and it’s insulting" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/5). Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Mark Kreidler notes that "if the Williams sisters are serious about being taken seriously in tennis…then they’ll find an emotionally acceptable way of loosening ties with dad" (ESPN.com, 7/5). Richard said yesterday that Venus’ playing days may soon be over. Richard Williams: "I don’t think she will be around for a very long time. I doubt it will be a long career for her. She can make a lot more money out of [tennis] rather than in tennis" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/5).
BEER, DOGS, FIREWORKS AND SPORTS, ALL ON THE 4TH OF JULY
The Triple-A Richmond Braves drew a record crowd of 12,772 for their game last night against the Durham Bulls, which featured a post-game fireworks show (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 7/5)….Wimbledon attendance is up about 5% from a year ago, with crowds averaging about 40,000 daily (DETROIT NEWS, 7/5)….The MLS Rapids drew "the largest gathering to watch a soccer game in Colorado," as 60,500 fans attended Mile High Stadium yesterday for the Rapids’ 3-1 win over D.C. United (DENVER POST, 7/5)….The A’s drew 51,828 fans for their game versus the Angels yesterday, pushing them over the one-million mark in attendance for the earliest time since ’92 (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/5).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
Film and TV actors agreed on a three-year contract with the major studios late Tuesday night, averting a strike "that Hollywood insiders had assumed was all but inevitable earlier this year" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/5)….President Bush celebrated July 4th in Philadelphia, where he hugged the Phillie Phanatic, wore a Phillies cap, shook hands with ex-Phillie P Tug McGraw and shot baskets with Mayor John Street (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/5).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night’s "Final Jeopardy" category was: "American Playwrights."
"Around 1912, while recovering in a sanatorium, this former seaman decided to become a playwright."
WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
FSN’s 10:30pm ET "National Sports Report" led with the MLB All-Star Selections.
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with D’Backs-Astros.
CNN/SI’s 11:00pm ET "Sports Tonight" led with the All-Star Selections.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"Who is Eugene O’Neill?"
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