So You Want to Go to School and Play Ball?

Over the weekend, the SNew York Times continued its excellent reporting on the so-called high schools that have been established around the country to allow certain high school age kids to achieve sufficient high school credits to become eligible to play basketball in college. The Times found more than a dozen of these "schools", many with no teachers and no students other than basketball players, that had enrolled as many as 200 players in the past 10 years. In that time, many of those players had gone on to play Division I ball. The NCAA has responded to an earlier Times investigation, and a corresponding Washington Post one, with a task force charged with curbing abuse. The difficulty will be in distinguishing these "schools" from their real counterparts that are independent and accredited. Nevertheless, the NCAA clearinghouse has got to start doing a far better job of checking on accreditation of institutions and not just accepting transcripts at face value.

One particularly noteworthy and scary aspect of this scene pointed out in the story is the formation of a new athletic association by the coaches and owners of some of these so-called schools. The new National Elite Athletic Association is designed to showcase the basketball players and line the coaches pockets with cash from shoe companies, television deals and coaches paying for access to the players. These guys don't want to be held back by the rules and restrictions of state high school athletic associations which they find too confining and likely to promote "mediocrity". We couldn't have that now, could we.

UPDATE: In Tuesday's edition, the New York Times suggest that the NCAA is developing emergency legislation to permit on-site visitation to schools suspected of lacking sufficient academic rigor. If passed, the legislation would take effect immediately, and any schools losing accreditation would do so for this academic year affecting those athletes currently attending, meaning current seniors would not be eligible for scholarships.

Two quotes from today's articles stand out. One is from the president of George Washington University, whose basketball team is having a season for the ages, currently ranked 6th in the country and playing two players from one of the schools featured in the Times story from last weekend. Asked about the two players, Trachtenberg said: "I was embarrassed....I'm curious how they're doing while they're here." He planned to forward the article to vice president, admissions office adn the athletic director.

The second quote, and the best summation of the entire sordid affair, came from Canisius coach Mike MacDonald, who said: "When I used to think of prep schools, I had images of 'Dead Poets Society.' Now, unfortunately, they're crack houses with a gym."

NFL Contract Talks Break Down

The NFL and the Players Union have decided to take one step closer to the abyss tonight as talks over a new collective bargaining agreement have broken off, according to a from NFLPA head Gene Upshaw. The NFL has scheduled an owners meeting for Thursday and has decided to proceed with free agency effective Friday. That means that 2007 will be a year without a salary cap unless a new agreement is reached before Friday. The union has said that once the salary cap is removed, it will never come back.

The contract doesn't actually expire until the end of the 2007 season, but without an extension 2007 becomes an uncapped year with no cap on salaries and no minimum. The players would also potentially face a lockout in 2008. Talks have broken down over the share of revenue to be split with the players, with the players asking for 60% and the owners offering 56.2%

The effect of not having an agreement in place is likely to be dramatic. With an uncapped year on the horizon, and no cap relief in 2006, teams will be forced to release a number of highly skilled and highly paid players in an effort to meet the 2006 cap. The benefit to those teams with cap will be huge. The teams that are most likely to be hurt include the Redskins, Falcons, Jets, Raiders and Chiefs. Those who will be helped include the Cardinals, Vikings, Packers and Browns who each have about $20 million or more in cap room, as well as perhaps 10 others who may have as much as $10 million in cap room each. The calculations are going to be dramatically different should no new CBA be reached and I'm sure that many staffs have been spending hours upon hours calculating salary caps under both scenarios trying to determine what they can do come Friday. This will be an off-season like no other the NFL has seen in some time. Each time may need a world class mathematician on staff just to get through it.

Will IRL and Champ Actually Merge This Time?

Mounting evidence has led AutoWeek to believe that competing open wheel racers Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series have reached essential agreement to merge the two tours finally back into one organization. While everyone involved is denying any agreement, it appears that the details are being worked out but that Tony George of IRL and Kevin Kalkhoven, Champ Car Co-owner may have settled on a plan. The two would become co-chairmen of the merged series which would be owned 50/50. It would be independent of the Indy Motor Speedway but build its schedule around the Indy 500. There would be probably be around 15 race dates chosen from both calendars. The suppliers have probably already been brought into the discussions, although no one is talking for fear of jeopardizing the talks. Keep watching and hoping that the feud is over and open wheel racing can return to one circuit and real viability.

Football Makes Strange Bedfellows

The world of professional football played at the highest levels can make for some interesting twists and turns. Arsenal, the London currently in sixth place in the Premier League, is scheduled to move from Highbury into a new stadium this fall, partly in an effort to keep up with cross-town rival Chelsea. That new $600 million stadium was the subject of a reported 100 million Pounds naming rights deal with Arsenal's primary sponsor Emirates Airlines, the official airlines of the United Arab Emirates based in Dubai. The UAE is currently in the news as the owner of Dubai Ports World, the company purchasing the management company currently managing six American ports.

So, who are the strange bed fellows? Well, it seems that Arsenal just signed a new sponsor to be the "official and exclusive travel destination" and the sponsor is the Tourism Ministry of the State of Israel. The signing of Israel's Tourism's Ministry was subject to the approval of Emirates Airlines and the Israelis are hopeful that it will not only lead to increased tourism but closer ties to the UAE and Emirates Airlines. I think I have a new favorite team in the Premiership.

Changes

Some of you may have noticed changes in the look and feel of the blog if you visited overnight or early this morning. Inadvertenly, my secret got out. I'm working on an overhaul of the template and trying to produce a new look that I hope everyone will find cleaner and easier to maneuver around as well as more appealing. Somehow, however, it managed to stay live for a bit last night and into the morning even though it's not quite ready for prime time. Soon I hope it will be ready for public consumption. In the meantime, if any of you saw it, please let me know what you thought. I'm really interested in the feedback on the new design.

Best Basketball Video of the Year

I saw this video on SportsCenter last night and thought it was one of the best stories I had seen in a long time. I won't spoil it for you by telling you too much other than that you absolutely should watch it and that it involves a high functioning autistic kid getting a chance to play basketball for the high school team for which he has been the manager all season. This is so much more than your typical last minute of the game story. Trust me. H.T. to True Hoop for location of the video.

Turner Sports Bats 500 Today

On the same day that Arthur Blank walks away from the Tomahawk Chop because he thinks the price is roo high, Turner Sports announced it has reached a deal with Fox to sell its Turner South cable network. Fox is likely to turn the network into a sports heavy network inflicting the audience with a steady diet of the Braves, Thrashers and the team that impersonates a professional basketball team in Atlanta. Time Warner will continue to try to sell to the Braves to other suckers,oops, buyers who don't have Blank's crack team of analysts to determine that the team, which has difficulty selling out playoff games, is simply not worth $400 million.

The Nats May Soon Be the (fill in the blank)

This may not be seen much longer



Major League Baseball has done a great job managing the return of the national pastime to the nation's capital. The team has no owner, no stadium lease and now it appears that the team may have to find a new name. You see, Major League Baseball failed to take seriously the claims of a Cincinnati based apparel and merchandising start-up called Bygone Sports, whose trademark registration to the Washington Nationals name was recently granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Of course, MLB and Bygone Sports have been embroiled in litigation over the name for more than a year now, and the case is scheduled to begin on April 3 in New York. Should Bygone prevail, the Nationals would be faced with the interesting predicament of being unable to sell any merchandise with the team name on it. Just imagine that for a moment. If baseball loses, the team will have to change its name or pay an extraordinary amount to buy back the rights to Nationals. The current Bygone asking price has already gone up to $1 million and the case hasn't been heard yet. You can imagine the price should Bygone win.

That would be the perfect coda for this train wreck of an exercise in DC. No longer would the franchise be "first in war, first in peace and last in the American League. " Now it would be "no owner, no stadium and no name"

1836 Going, going gone

Get your Houston 1836 jerseys and memorabilia while you can as it will soon be gone, never to be seen again. Houston 1836, named after the year in which the city was founded, offended the Hispanic community since the year was also the year in which Texas broke away from Mexico and General Sam Houston defeated General Santa Ana at the Battle of San Jacinto. Major League Soccer and its Houston franchise have seen the error of their ways and will be renaming the team - to what exactly no one seems to really know. Lone Star had been the leader in the clubhouse but then it was quickly discovered that the promotion of the Houston Texans was known as Lone Star Sports and Entertainment and Bob McNair was not, ahem, amused at the thought of the team using his name. What MLS will choose now remains to be seen. Look for it to be something neutral and probably animalistic, so the only ones who may be offended are PETA.

MLBTV Gone Before it Starts

According to Mediaweek, Major League Baseball has continued its recent policy of failing to accomplish most anything productive and has decided not to move forward with MLBTV. This decision actually makes sense since Baseball has failed conclude negotiations on its television packages with it network and cable partners. Rightly, it would like to conclude those before it embarks on its own venture.


In other baseball television news, it appears that Time Warner will be selling the Atlanta Braves and Turner South to separate buyers. Fox is engaged in serious negotiations to buy Turner South, as a complement to its Fox Sports South cable network, while Arthur Blank appears to be the clubhouse leader for the purchase of the Braves. Blank you may recognize as the owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He certainly has the money since he was one of the founders of Home Depot. Not even that crazy contract he gave Michael Vick will put a dent into his fortune.

Will there be Twins Next Year?

Do you blame the Twins for wanting to leave this?

As the Minnesota Twins search desperately for an answer to the Hanky Dome, Don Fehr, fires warning shots at Major League Baseball over more than just contraction. The Twins received confirmation last week from a state court judge that their lease expires at the end of the upcoming season, which also means that baseball is free to contract the team without worrying about paying off a lease obligation.

However, Fehr has indicated that he just might go after the revenue sharing system in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. He may find some unexpected allies in that fight: big market owners. John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, and George Steinbrenner of the Yankees have long been on record as desiring changes to, or ending, the system of revenue sharing currently in place. They're awfully tired of making the big bucks and sending them off to poor teams like the Twins and the team that used to be called the Expos. Revenue sharing is keeping the Twins afloat until they can get a new stadium. After all, they got a check last year for $20 million.

At this point, the Twins have not asked for and have not received permission to seek relocation or to discuss possible relocation sites, as the Marlins are currently doing. I mean the Marlins are even considering relocating to foreign cities like Hialeah. That shows just how bad the situation must be with their stadium. Presumably, the Twins will have access to the data compiled by the Marlins once the Marlins make a decision, but the Twins continue to maintain they intend to stay in Minnesota. Baseball has until July 1 to notify the union of its intent to contract teams, which the union is unable to contest under the current contract. If the Twins can't work out a new stadium in Minnesota, they're though, they're history. They'll be moving or contracting, Which one will it be? For that, we'll all just have to wait and see.

Carnival of the Capitalists is Up

This week's Carnival of the Capitalists is now up at The Stalwart with it usual collection of wide-ranging and interesting posts covering almost any aspect of business you can imgaine. I'm not the only contributor writing about sports this week. Check it out.

Real Madrid: The Importance of the Brand

Manchester United's reign at the top of the football world's financial table is over. According to the latest rankings compiled by accounting firm Deloitte, Real Madrid and its galaxy of stars has overtaken Man U with revenue of 186 million pounds compared to the Reds 166.4 million. That was accomplished despite Real Madrid's substantially lower ticket prices.

So, how just did the Galacticos do it, with lower ticket prices than are prevalent in the Premiership and a string of disappointing seasons on the field? One answer lies in the recognition that it possessed something with which you can make market and with which you can help others make money; in short, the brand. Real Madrid, more than any other soccer club in the world has recognized the importance of the brand and has grasped the ability to market in a way not seen anywhere else in the soccer world.

What turbo-boosted sales for Real Madrid however was clearly not winning championships as the past three seasons have seen some of their results on the pitch in many years. No, it was the fusion of the powerful Real Madrid brand with an equally powerful one - soccer's true global superstar David Beckham, or as some refer to him, Mr. Posh. What Real's management foresaw better than Beckham's former employer's Manchester United, that a merger of Real's brand with Beckham would add enormous value and enable them to negotiate far bigger sponsorships once Beckham was wearing the Real jersey.

In fact, shirts sales skyrocketed after Beckham signed, and his shirt outsells the rest of the team combined, but that is not where the real money is. His greatest impact was felt in the price of the name on the front of the shirt and the names that adorn the stadium and sponsor the team. The price being paid by Real's major corporate sponsors Siemens, Audi and addidas has dramatically increased since Becks was acquired and it is that revenue and the careful and skilled cultivation and marketing of the Real brand that has led Real to the table of the financial table. Now, as the sponsorship contracts are coming up for renewal, it will be helpful for Real to start winning some games for a change. Marketing can only work miracles for so long. At some point, the product has to be as good as the brand.

Stern Assures the Big Easy; Threatens Emerald City

NBA Godfather David Stern used his annual State of the NBA speech and presser to reassure everyone how wonderful his empire was and while it was a great decision to bring an All-Star Game to Sin City next year, don't look for a team to locate there anytime soon.

Stern also used the occasion to reassure the folks in New Orleans of his unequivocal promise that he Hornets will be back in New Orleans after next season. While Oklahoma City has been a great temporary home and has demonstrated its ability to support a team, the Hornets will go home for the 2007-08 season. Stern also began threatening Seattle with the loss of the Sonics when their lease runs out in 2010, if Key Arena is not renovated or they don't get a new facility. Looks like the same old story is being played out in a new locale. You know the game: "Build us an arena or we'll move". Since OKC has proved itself as an attractive market and Kansas City has a brand new empty arena, it's not like there aren't alternatives for the Sonics.

I'm sure that the owner of the Hornets was overjoyed at all this discussion of the guaranteed return to New Orleans. This has been the most financially successful year for the franchise since he bought it, while it was still in Charlotte. The Hornets have gone from last in the league in attendance to packed houses almost every night. Of course, that wouldn't likely continue forever, but I do believe it is very unlikely that New Orleans will ever be able to support the Hornets successfully again. If they were last in the league in attendance before Katrina, what in the world makes anyone believe that a city a mere shadow of its former self will be able to do better this time. The move is the right one to show solidarity with the Crescent City but it will only be a matter of time before the Hornets come back to Oklahoma City for good.

Feinstein's New Last

It seems that our friends at Deadspin got heir hands on a preview edition of this Sunday's New York Times review of John Feinstein's latest tome on the Final Four and, well, let me just say that I'm not all that eager to get my preview copy anymore. Deadspin does have a nice picture of the book though.

Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, Spam, Spam Spam!!!

The man who won Australia's third ever Winter Olympics gold medal is a new breed internet millionaire. No, he's not a Silicon Valley geek who spends 16 hours a day in front of a computer monitor and survives on cheese doodles and Dr. Pepper. Instead, he and his brother have managed to do something far more insidious.

They are responsible for software that makes it possible for companies to supply those wonderful pop-up and pop-under ads that we all love so much. And everytime one of you fools out there clicks on one of those little ads, he gets paid. It's no wonder Mr. Begg-Smith (don't you just love the name?) can afford to train in a sport for which there is no natural training ground in his adopted country. You see, now that he has moved to Australia, he has to maintain another residence in his old home of Canada so he can continue to train. All that commuting and training paid off yesterday with his gold medal runs in the moguls. Now that he has a gold medal to go with his black Lamborghini, getting dates shouldn't be a problem for this internet geek.

Davis Done at IU

February is truly the cruelest month for NCAA basketball coaches. Indiana University's Mike Davis has resigned tonight as head basketball coach. The resignation will be effective at the end of the current season. Davis has been under attack for several years, with the attacks becoming ever more intense as the team has struggled over the last several weeks. He decided not to suffer through them any longer. The terms of his buyout were finalized this week and will likely be announced tomorrow. Speculation will now run as to Davis' successor. Steve Alford, the Iowa coach and much loved IU alum, has long been speculated to be a top choice. For IU fans who really want one of their own, Damon Bailey is now a high school coach, which presumably makes him qualified.

Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton also announced his retirement tonight. He will enter an alcoholic treatment center and will be succeeded as coach by his son. Sutton was involved in a traffic accident on Friday at which he was cited for driving under the influence. He had been under a leave from his duties since then. Sutton has had an alcohol problem for some time and it's good to see that he will be getting treatment for it. Whether his son is the best choice as a replacement remains to be seen.

The New Face of Women's Golf - It's Draped in Pink

In a recent article unusual for actually analyzing something, USA Today took a look at the young players entering the LPGA Tour and tried to explain how they are likely to change the way we see women's golf. Focusing primarily on Paula Creamer, who earned $1.5 million by the time she finished her rookie year, the article paints an intriguing picture of a group of young players bringing new life to the women's tour. We have already seen the media build-up and excitement around Michelle Wie and Creamer and Morgan Pressel have outplayed her most of last year. If they can continue to outplay their elders and keep their heads on straight as the demands grow, the LPGA Tour could fill the void being vacated by a tennis tour that no one seems to be watching anymore.

A Valentine's to Remember

Jay Wright has certainly had a Valentine's Day he may never forget. On Monday night, his Villanova Wildcats made the most of a Big Monday appearance on the WWLS, knocking of number 1 and conference rival UConn 69-64, but that wasn't even the highlight of the week. No, that came the next day.

On Tuesday, the University rewarded his turnaround of the program with seven year contract extension, signing him up through the 2012-23 season. Villanova is also making plans to build a practice facility and update the Pavilion, its on campus home court. Like other Philadelphia area schools, Villanova plays some of its home games at the Wachovia Center, the Sixers home court, as well as some of the Big Five games at the Palestra. Since Villanova is a private school, it is not obligated to release terms of the contract and it didn't. We can assume it was competitive with other Big East contracts, which would put Wright in the upper tier of coaching salaries.

Carnival of the NBA

The Carnival of the NBA #24 is now up at The NBA Source. Get over there and check it out. All the news about the League you could ask for in one place.

Carnival of the Capitalists is Up

This week's Carnival of the Capitalists is up at frugal underground. It's a good collection of interesting posts made all the easier to manuever by the super secret order and icons in which they are arranged. Get over there and check it out.

Baseball Still Needs A TV Deal - Has it Waited Too Long?

With Major League Baseball's broadcast TV deal expiring at the end of the upcoming season, it has been negotiating for a new deal, hoping to get it done before the season starts. However, Fox allowed its exclusive period to expire without a deal as MLB demanded a 20% increase in its rights fee, and Fox was not prepared to pay any increase at all. Now that the exclusivity has expired, MLB is also talking to NBC and ABC/ESPN but no deal is imminent.

Baseball may have made a critical negotiating error in this round, however. By allowing the NFL, NASCAR and even Major League Soccer to secure their television deals first, baseball finds itself in the position of being the last one to the plate with the networks all having spent most of their sports budgets on everyone else. It's never a good thing to be last, that why the pitchers always bat last in the National League.

So add television rights negotiation to the list of business deals seemingly bungled by the Selig administration. It may be premature to judge this one as bungled, and he may yet pull it out, but my guess is that baseball will not get a significant rights fee increase, if any, and Selig should, but probably won't get blamed.

Is Baseball Contraction Back on the Table?

Remember Contraction? The prospect that baseball may simply contract and eliminate two teams as a solution to those teams' stadium and financial problems has reared its ugly head once again. There is a significant difference this time. The issue was not raised by Bud Selig in threatening a city during negotiations for a new stadium. Oh no, this time it was raised by the Governor of Minnesota as a threat in a battle over a stadium for the Twins.

Governor Tim Pawlenty raised contraction as a real possibility for the Twins and the Florida Marlins as he met with Twins officials and Minnesota political leaders to discuss the prospects for state financing of a new stadium for the Twins. The Marlins, of course, are now in the midst of a seven city search for a possible relocation since negotiations for a new stadium in Miami have fallen apart and the prospects for a deal in South Florida appear remote.

The timing is fortuitous for contraction as the collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball Players Association expires after this season. The basic agreement contains a provision obligated the players not to contest the contraction of two teams and obligating MLB to bargain over its effects. The decision would have to be made and communicated to the players by July 1.

Making it easier for MLB to contract two clubs is the upcoming sale of the Washington Nationals. The anticipated sales price is expected to be in excess of $450 million, leaving the clubs with almost the exact amount needed to pay off the owners of both the Twins and the Marlins. Then, the savings from revenue sharing and the larger cut of broadcast and MLBAM revenue would begin to accrue immediately to the rest of the clubs.

This time, if stadium deals cannot be put together in the next few months, the financial benefits to the rest of baseball may be too good to pass up. With the Basic Agreement expiring and MLBPA likely to bargain hard on the possibility of contraction, the timing is right for it happen, if it is ever going to occur. The owners know it is unlikely that contraction will make it into the Basic Agreement without a significant cost. The pressure in Minnesota for a stadium will be intense for the next couple of months as it now looks as if the Twins are the only team in the Twin Cities that are not getting a new stadium. If that is true when summer rolls around, and if the Marlins haven't made a deal in South Florida, look for the discussion of contraction to turn serious and public. Until then, it is likely that Selig and baseball will say nothing to keep opposition from surfacing until it's too late to do any good.

Baseball and DC may be Headed to Arbitration

Earlier this week, the DC City Council approved a lease deal for the Nationals new stadium containing a cap on the city's costs for stadium construction. Yesterday, it was Major League Baseball's turn to react. In a letter to DC, baseball officials described the cap as "seriously disrupted" the previously negotiated agreement between DC and MLB.

At this point, it appears to be negotiating posturing by baseball, as the full details of the cap are unavailable to anyone. The scene in the DC Council meeting last week was chaotic, as the cap was adopted in a floor session that lasted until well past midnight. The actual cap that was adopted hasn't even been written so MLB officials are waiting on a final analysis of the language and the financial impact from DC officials. One of the most significant impacts appear to be on the hopes for an underground parking structure. The loss of underground parking may result in significant loss of development opportunities should surface parking be required to pave over prime development lots around the stadium.

At the end of the day, now that the Council has approved a lease, baseball and DC will find a way to make this work. Nobody really wants to go back to the Council and I don't believe anyone wants to go to arbitration. Additional money, if needed, can be found. The franchise value for the Nats is simply too high and the owners too greedy for this soap opera to drag on too much longer.

Coach K: In Touch With His Feminine Side

The New York Times unveiled its new quarterly sports magazine last Sunday and on the whole I think it will be a worthwhile investment of your reading time. There were a number of interesting articles, including a profile of Willie Wood by Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball. There was also a fair helping of less interesting articles, including a superficial look at Superbowl betting by the authors of Freakonomics, who really should know better.


One of the more interesting articles was a profile of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski as a business leader and model for other business leaders. Coach K has carved out a very lucrative sideline giving speeches primarily to corporate executives on leadership. If the author's figures are accurate, Coach K is making as much from his speeches as he is being paid by Duke for coaching basketball.

Most interesting is the author's claim that his coaching and leadership is feminine. Coach K is a product of a masculine environment: all boys Catholic high school, West Point undergraduate, military, then head coach at West Point and now Duke. However, he is the only male in a household in which he and his wife raised three daughters. His leadership style is interactive not command and control, clearly relationship driven and, so contends the author, clearly based on feminine characteristics.

I don't know if I necessarily buy the indentification as masculine and feminine but I do agree with definition of interactive and command and control. All descriptions of Coach K's coaching style and relationships he has with his players that I have ever read, including this one, confirm that while he is clearly in control, he values relationships above all and seeks out opinions from everyone in the Duke family as the season wears on. That is clearly not the norm in coaching circles. Far too many coaches are total control freaks. Far too many CEOs fall into the same trap.

Today's business world is far too complex to believe that one person is capable of knowing all of the answers all of the time. A successful must keep its people engaged in the total endeavor and the only way to do that in this world is by soliciting their input and ensuring that they believe that they are a part of the process. If that is feminine management, so be it. Lose your macho at the front door and you will be a far more effective manager for it.

Angels Win, Dodgers Blue

By 9-3 yesterday, the Angels won the right to continue to be called by the absurd moniker of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The jury in the trial of the suit brought by the city of Anaheim against the Angels decided that the Angels did not breach their lease when the team adopted that name. The jury decision allows the Angels to continue marketing the team without reference to the city of Anaheim or Los Angeles, as was done last year. Last year, Major League Baseball, at the request of the team, asked that the team be designated "LAA" in reporting its score. That will undoubtedly continue.

The jury accepted the team's argument that it was in compliance with the lease provision that the name of the team include Anaheim. By doing so, the jury apparently failed to consider seriously the city's argument about the intent of the parties at the time the lease was drafted. It may have been an error on the part of the city's attorney, as indicated in the LA Times article, to concede technical compliance with the lease by the team, as juries have a difficult time making the lawyerly distinction between technical compliance and true breach. The subtlety of that distinction is usually lost on a layperson unless a great deal of foundation in the presentation is made.

The city of Anaheim has a lot repairing to do. It needs to rebuild a relationship with Arte Moreno fast. The Angels can opt of the lease as early as 2016 and Moreno may well be thinking of greener pastures if he can find any. He is building a highly successful franchise of the brand name of Angels with no location attached to it. There is no marketing being done with LA or Anaheim attached; it's all just Angels. That will be brand power that becomes highly mobile in 10 years, just about the time when a yet untapped market may be ready for a team, say Monterrey?

Disney Trades Michaels for ....Cartoons?

In what may have been one of Disney's better trades since entering the sports business, the suits at ESPN traded Al Michaels, the voice of Monday Night Football, to NBC. In return, ESPN received improved access to the Ryder Cup for ESPN, expanded highlights from the Olympics, Notre Dame football and the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

The deal clincher, however, was rights to Oswald the Rabbit. The character played a role in the development of Mickey Mouse and Disney jumped at the opportunity to grab the rights, which had been held by Universal ever since its creation in 1927. "As the forerunner to Mickey Mouse and an important part of Walt Disney’s creative legacy, the fun and mischievous Oswald is back where he belongs, at the home of his creator and among the stable of beloved characters created by Walt himself,"” Disney president Robert Iger said after Thursday'’s announcement of the deal.

Michaels will once again team with John Madden to handle NBC's telecast of prime time football, as the broadcast moves to Sunday nights this fall. Monday Night Football moves to ESPN, which announced its broadcast team of Mike Tirico, Joe Theisman and Tony Kornheiser.

Feinstein at the Final Four

I was browsing at the bookstore during lunch today and came across John Feinstein's latest book, an account of last year's Final Four, called, fittingly, Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four. It looked interesting when I glanced through it, however I can't yet recommend it as I haven't read it. Yes, this is a shameless plug for a review copy that I would be happy to read and then review for all of you to save you the time and trouble.

Freddy, How do you Look in Blue?

The international bidding war for the services of young soccer star in the making Freddy Adu seem to be reaching a climax. According to the Times Online, Chelsea has outbid Manchester United and the top clubs of Spain and Italy to secure Freddy's rights with a transfer fee in the range of 5 million pounds.

Given Freddy's difficulties with management at DC United last year, I don't know that coach Peter Nowak will be all that sorry to see him go. The suits in the MLS office, on the other hand, will miss him terribly as Freddy increased attendance every time DC United went on the road and it looked like Nowak would relent and let him play.

Adu holds out hope of making the World Cup team, but manager Bruce Arena sent him back to his club team camp last week. Obviously, that was not a promising sign for the youngster. He had made his debut for the US National team earlier in January at the age of 16 years and 234 days, one of the youngest ever.

The international wrangling over Adu shows not only the promise displayed by Freddy's play but his potential as a marketing force. Whichever club secured his services would obtain the brightest young American star and the brightest young African star in one package. Nike signed him to a contract last year that was the richest contract the company had ever given to a teenager at the time. Adu has the personality to become a worldwide sensation if his game catches up with his persona. At Chelsea, that could well happen in a matter of a few years.

UPDATE: The predictable denial came from MLS, where deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis was quoted as saying: "He plays for D.C. and will be playing for D.C. for the foreseeable future." Both DC United officials and Adu continued the theme of his return to United. United president kevin Payne denied any contact with Chelsea or any club about a transfer and Adu expressed his desire to come back to United: "I don't want to go anywhere else. I get the best of both worlds, getting to live at home and play for the best franchise in MLS."

The denials would be expected whether actual conversations with Chelsea or any other club have taken place or not. They may be factual statements, they may be standard denials. We will all now have to wait and see what will happen as the season moves forward. I wouldn't be too surprised if a deal is worked out that calls for a signing by Chelsea followed by a loan back to MLS for a season or two, with guarantees of Adu's playing time, so that there would be no replays of the past season. He is not ready to see significant time in the Blues lineup at this point, so a loan somewhere is inevitable. Why not loan him back to MLS and make everyone happy?

Disney Official Testifies for Angels

The Angels struck a strong blow in the defense of their case on Friday with the testimony of a business strategist from Disney that directly contradicted prior testimony indicating that Disney had never intended removing Anaheim from the name. Larry Murphy testified that he worried that "at some point we might have to find a way to to incorporate another geographic name - Orange County, Los Angeles, whatever."

By introducing the conflicting meaning, the Angels have for the first time offered evidence that the parties may not agree on the meaning of the lease. That is crucial if the judge is to allow external evidence of the parties intention to be considered by the jury. However, the judge may order the jury to disregard any such evidence, if the one party's intention was not shared with the other, and on that point, there is as yet no agreement. When Murphy was asked if the city had been told about his concerns, he replied that he didn't recall.

The city's attorney has indicated that he may call Michael Eisner, the Chairman and CEO of Disney at the time the lease was negotiated who can presumably settle the question of exactly what Disney's intent really was.

If the question of intent is allowed to reach the jury, it would appear from the newspaper accounts of the trial to date, that the city is in excellent shape. Murphy is the first witness to challenge Disney's intent to use Anaheim and the city's attorney produced an internal memo from Eisner which said: "Angels must be in the name. So must Anaheim. What else?" That seems fairly dispositive to me and will be a heavy burden for the Angels to overcome.

Wayne, the Cops are Calling

As if the NHL didn't have enough image problems to worry about, Rick Tocchet, the Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach has been cited in a criminal complaint charging him and others with gambling, although not on hockey games. Also supposedly named is Janet Jones, the wife of Coyotes coach, and hockey great, Wayne Gretzky. There are also unnamed current players involved as well.

The NHL has been enjoying a comeback in its first season back since the lockout, with enthusiastic crowds and slowly building ratings on its new cable home. The shootout has proven to be very popular with fans and most clubs are playing to near sold-out arenas. The league doesn't need the pr hit it's going to get from this and the Great One's reputation is bound to be soiled by his wife's involvement.

Tradition Takes Another Hit in Louisville

It has come to this. Churchill Downs has sold out the Kentucky Derby. For the next five years, the Run for the Roses will be known as the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands. At least it won't be the Kentucky Fried Chicken Derby or the Taco Bell Derby. We should be thankful for that, I suppose.

Yum, the largest restaurant company in the world, is based in Louisville and is the parent of, among others, Kentucky Fried Chicken. While you may think the tie-in is a natural, it is just another trip down the road Churchill has taken lately of putting the dollar ahead of tradition and, in the process, angering a large measure of its patron base.

Churchill Downs recently underwent a renovation project that cost in excess of $100 million and was much needed to update the track's facilities. However, if you watched the Derby last year, you may have noticed that the newly constructed clubhouse obscures the view of the Twin Spires. You would think that any reasonable architect and track owner would preserve the view of the world's most famous track signature, wouldn't you? If that wasn't enough, the new deal with Yum calls for placing a Yum sign, no doubt with the logos of its five restaurants between the Spires. Of course, since you can hardly see the Spires anymore, Yum made sure that its signs will be prominently displayed in other locations around the track as well, including the starting gate.

The Official RPI Is Out

The NCAA has at long last released the official version of the RPI and now we can all see how close the various approximations have been to the real thing. Check it out and see what you think.

Will Balls be Dropping?

If the play of the offenses during the first half of the Super Bowl begins to look like the game is being played in a driving rainstorm, well, there is a reason for it. No, the roof over Ford Field isn't leaking. Well, I don't know today that it's going to be leaking. Anyway, players may be having a tough time holding on to the ball because the NFL will be shuttling in a new ball with every play in the first half.

In order to cash in on the memorabilia craze, the NFL is dropping a dose of synthetic DNA on each ball that can be traced for the life of the ball and prove unequivoacally that it was a game used ball. To maximize the league's return, every ball in the first half will use a new ball, while the second half will feature a 12 ball rotation. Antwan Randle El seemed to be particularly concerned about his ability to hold onto a new ball, so we should all pay close attention to any reverse called for him, especially in the first half. It could turn out to be a game turner if the ball pops out.

Who Owns "12th Man"?

Texas A&M, claiming that it holds a copyright on the "12th man", went to court in Brazos, Texas to obtain a restraining order against the Seattle Seahawks using and promoting its 12th Man marketing campaign. The school argued that it created the name for its student body more than 80 years ago and owns the legal rights to use it. Seattle has used the phrase since the 1980s and retired the number 12 jersey in honor of its fans in 1984.

The university's case rests on trademarks registered by the school for the "12th Man" label in 1990 and 1996, which cover "organizing and conducting intercollegiate sporting events", according to the story linked above. While I'm not an intellectual property attorney, I think that if the scope of the trademark is accurately depicted above, than the Aggies may have a difficult time making it hold up against the Seahawks when they get before a judge located outside Brazos.

The fact that the trademark is limited to intercollegiate competition may so limit the scope of the protection of the trademark that no reasonable person would confuse the use by the Seahawks and their fans with that of the Texas A&M. Since Seattle would be able to make a good case that it operates in a wholly distinct market and there is more than reasonable grounds to believe that there would be no confusion, I think Seattle would have an excellent chance to win a fairly argued and heard case.

UPDATE: As expected, the Seahawks filed to remove the case to federal court, which has jurisdiction since Texas A&M is alleging infringement of a federally registered trademark. The removal extinguishes the temporary restraining order issued by the state court judge earlier this week. The US Distrcit Court in Houston has set a scheduling conference and pretrial hearing for June 16.