Morning Buzz, April 25, 2002

NFL CONTINGENT GOES LONG IN SUPPORT OF ARMED FORCES

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Steelers RB Jerome Bettis and Titans RB Eddie George will be in Germany starting today to visit U.S. military personnel on behalf of the USO and the NFL. The four-day itinerary includes a visit to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and a visit with troops at Baumholder Military Base, Ramstein Air Force Base and the Hanau Military Community. Tagliabue also will be the keynote speaker at tonight's German-American Chamber of Commerce dinner (THE DAILY).

NCAA BOD DISCUSS SWEEPING CHANGES TO AMATEUR ATHLETICS

The AP reported that the NCAA BOD today "will discuss a series of proposals that could redefine the term 'amateur' athletics." The two-day meetings will also have the NCAA exec committee beginning "its search to find a replacement for retiring president Cedric Dempsey" (AP, 4/24). The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports a proposal is being considered by the NCAA "to provide an escape clause for a high school player," that would allow him to declare for the NBA draft and retain college eligibility. Additionally, the BOD "will review the proposal modifying the definition of a professional team, making it more difficult for foreign basketball players to gain college eligibility" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/25). Meanwhile, other expect the BOD to "lift the moratorium on college football bowl games today" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/25).

PLANS TO RENOVATE SOLDIER FIELD FACE KEY COURT RULING

The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that "combatants in the legal fight over funding for the $632 million Soldier Field overhaul will face off [today] in arguments that could decide the project's fate." Cook County Circuit Judge John Madden "will hear what could amount to final arguments in the Friends of the Parks lawsuit challenging the financing for the renovation." Both sides "have filed motions asking the judge to decide the case without bringing it to trial" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/25).

MEMPHIS FIGHT FANS SNAP UP TICKETS FOR TYSON-LEWIS

The Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL reports that ticket sales began yesterday for the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis heavyweight title bout, and of the 1,875 tickets available, "all but just fewer than 50 were snapped up when Memphis had first crack at the tickets." The Pyramid, which will host the June 8 bout, seats 19,185 for boxing, but 17,310 tickets "were set aside for HBO, Showtime, fight promoters and the boxers." The few remaining tickets "are supposed to go on sale worldwide this morning" at 10am CT (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 4/25).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

ATTENDANCE WATCH: There were 54,513 tickets sold for last night's Yankees-A's game in Oakland, the "most ever for a regular-season game at the [Network Associates] Coliseum, where the capacity was expanded" after the Raiders moved back in '95 (N.Y. TIMES, 4/25). The crowd was "pumped up by a Dollar Wednesday promotion that featured discount tickets and concessions" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 4/25).

MLB: The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that last night's D'Backs-Braves game in Atlanta "drew a crowd of only 21,122, the second time this week the club set a record for low attendance at Turner Field" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/25) … The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER reports that the paid attendance for last night's Rockies-Reds game "was 13,004, the smallest crowd since the Reds drew 12,969 on Sept. 21, 1998." The Opening Day sellout of 41,913 is "the only time the Reds have broken 20,000" this season. Reds COO John Allen: "We're very concerned" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 4/25).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make an appearance at Macy's department store in Glendale, CA, this afternoon "on behalf of Drakkar Noir, the men's fragrance line." Since Earnhardt became the spokesperson for Drakkar Noir in February, the product "has gone to No. 1 from 15th in sales among such products in the U.S." (TORONTO SUN, 4/25).

The WUSA Power "got the press involved in a practice" yesterday during Media Day at Mitchel Field, as Power coach Pat Farmer "ran members of both the print and broadcast media through drills" that included ball-handling, passing and shooting (N.Y. POST, 4/25).

The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that the boo-birds "kept quiet when 'O Canada' was sung" before last night's Raptors-Pistons playoff game at the Palace. But before the anthem was sung, public-address announcer John Mason urged fans to "show respect" for their Canadian neighbors (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/25).

TODAY'S EVENTS

EA Sports will host a conference call with ABC Sports "MNF" announcers John Madden and Al Michaels to discuss the "Madden NFL 2003" video game. The event begins at 11:00am PT (THE DAILY).

Reebok Int'l Ltd. will host a conference call to discuss its '02 Q1 earnings at 10:30am ET. Reebok will host a Webcast of the 90-minute event (THE DAILY).

The Flames will host the inaugural "Center Ice Luncheon For Women" at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The event, presented by Ford, will begin at 11:45am MT (THE DAILY).

No Limit Founder & CEO Master P will lead ten music and entertainment industry teams on the court for the 3^rd Annual T.J. Martell B-Ball Classic at Basketball City in N.Y. Master P will serve as Commissioner of Basketball for the event, which raises money for leukemia, cancer and AIDS research (THE DAILY).

Orlando Professional Hockey Inc. will hold a press conference at 11:00am ET at the ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk to formally introduce its team in the new ACHL (THE DAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

AOL Time Warner Inc. yesterday reported a $54.2B Q1 loss and the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports it was "the biggest quarterly loss in U.S. history." The company "acknowledged that its Internet service, a key business, needs help" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/25). AOL Time Warner's stock "has fallen 59 percent since AOL completed its purchase – from $47.23 Jan. 11, 2001, to yesterday's close of $19.30 a share" on the NYSE (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/25).

N.Y.-based media consultant Jack Myers said that advertisers "likely will spend roughly $10.9 billion on total advance purchases of commercial time for the 2002-03 television season, about the same as the $10.925 billion they spent last year" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/25).

Nielsen Media Research says that last Tuesday's episode of "The Osbournes" averaged 7.75 million viewers, up from 6.3 million a week earlier (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/25).

Coca-Cola is set to announce today a deal to handle licensing of Evian water in the United States (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/25).

FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Recent History."

"In 1993, this country of over 35 million people had two official languages; now it has eleven."

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES: NBC's Jay Leno: "In his speech (Tuesday) to the convention of American Cardinals, the Pope said he wants priests to be perfect, holy and celibate. And the priests said, 'Hey, two out of three's not bad.' … In Bethlehem, a big gun battle broke out at the Church of the Nativity. Imagine if it wasn't the Holy Land. ... That's the very same place visited by the three wise men over 2000 years ago. Incidentally, that's the last time any wise men were spotted in the area." Leno: "(VP) Dick Cheney has been on crutches for the last couple of days because he says he banged his foot on the corner of the table (and hurt his Achilles tendon). In fact, it's the first time Dick Cheney ever went to a hospital and came out with the same heart. Here's what I don't understand about this administration. It survived massive terrorist attacks, they're fighting a war on several fronts, but somehow, salted pretzels and sharp corners almost bring it to total shutdown." Leno: "Did anybody see that stupid ABC special the other night called 'Talking To The Dead,' where this medium, George Anderson, said he had a conversation with Robert Blake's wife? But they didn't discuss the murder. I think they just talked about the Lakers." Leno, on ABC's "The Bachelor": "I guess it's down to the last two women. Which one is the guy going to pick? Will it be the one with the big boobs, or the one with the really big boobs? Stupid show that is" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 4/24).

CBS' David Letterman: "Happy Secretary's Day! ... I do the same thing every year. I tell my secretary to send herself some flowers and sign my name to the card." Letterman: "They had the big Vatican summit (with the American Cardinals), and it's now ended and once again, (PLO Chair Yassar) Arafat was not invited. It's interesting. They found out that while all the Cardinals from the U.S. were at the Vatican, they were actually Tivo-ing 'The Osbournes.'" Letterman: "(Bill Clinton) wants to buy a condo here in Manhattan, and I'm thinking, 'Just pray to God he doesn't buy the place above you.' In the middle of the night, you hear that 200-pound intern drop to her knees" ("Late Show," CBS, 4/24).

Bill Walton On Letterman

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS: NBC's NBA analyst Bill Walton appeared on CBS' "Late Show" last night and discussed the Nets: "Going to the Meadowlands, that used to be like a funeral or going to the morgue. ... (Now), there were 20,000 dancing people to the back row of the Meadowlands. Now, that is an amazing accomplishment." Walton, on Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban: "He's terrific. ... I think him coming into the league is the best thing that's happened to the NBA since Paul Allen. If his team goes out early, we're going to ask him to referee the next round." View a clip of Big Red on the show ("Late Show," NBC, 4/24).

WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 2:00am ET "SportsCenter" led with Maple Leafs-Islanders.

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is South Africa?"

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