"Tom Cruise Coming?" Anatomy Of A Super Bowl Party - Baeur's Hosts "Pure Rush" The Miami Party 2007

BAUER'S PURE RUSH UPDATE - TICKET DISCOUNT. Celebrities from the NFL and Hollywood like The Black Eyed Peas, Troy Aikman and Serena Williams are officially comfirmed for this dual-site party to be held at The Havana Club in Miami at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor, Miami City Club, Miami, Florida and from 8 PM to 10 PM. This is a TWO SITE PARTY!

The second site for the party is at BRICKS, located at 66 SW 6th Street, Miami. The Premier VIP ticket is $600, but you can buy it for $550 here by clicking on "BAUER'S PURE RUSH SUPER BOWL PARTY" and using the promotional code "sportsbiz".

Last year, my friend Gary Bauer, who owns Bauer’s Limousine based in San Francisco, was a spectator at Super Bowl XL. I should know; he was sitting with me. This year, he worked to "up his game" and become one of the producers of a Super Bowl Party. He's teaming up with the "Pure Rush" party planners to bring about "Baeur's Hosts 'Pure Rush' The Miami Party 2007."

A party of this size calls for one thing: major sponsors. To land them, you have to hype the event and imply that stars like Tom Cruise will be there in full effect. As such, the organizers of the event have put together a cool PDF file that "sells" the event, and even mentions...Tom Cruise. My good friend Beth, who met Gary through me when we all worked on the bid to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, got an email about sponsorship for the party and forwarded it to me. The PDF starts with this page:


THE EVENT THE EVENT
Touted by sports anchor, Andrew Siciliano, Fox
Sports/Radio, "Pure Rush hosted the BEST party at super
Bowl! The hottest girls and best party scene!"

PURE RUSH, known to Athletes, Celebrities, and Media, as some of the greatest producers
of high-profile events, will again host one of its LEGENDARY evenings, in conjunction with
Bauer’s Limousine, Thursday, February 1st, 2007!

The opening event of Super Bowl
weekend, BAUER’s and PURE RUSH will treat the city, athletes, entertainers, corporate
clients, and the media, to a truly unique party experience! Like every PURE RUSH event, a
great mix of superstar athletes and celebrities will be on hand to get the party and Super
Bowl weekend started in style!

"PURE RUSH was by far the best party at Super Bowl," Tony
Bruno, Sporting News Radio.



It's basically a look at the anatomy of a Super Bowl party. (Ok, excuse the pun, but the pict of the party girls came with the sponsorship document I got. I guess they'll be there.) Here's the email below, but note that I've left out full names to protect the participants.

Beth,

Sorry for catching you off guard like that...thanks so much for your help with this!!!

We are thrilled to have BNC PR as our PR firm handling all of our media strategies. With the strength of both our events, Bauer's and Maxim, we know the media coverage will be incredible.

We also have Global Sports securing the celebrities and athletes and ensuring that the VIP experience is first rate.

Listed below are attending guests recap from the Agency after the party in Jacksonville.

Let me know if there is anything else I can get you to help with this... Happy Holidays and we can visit when you get back.

Warmest

Michelle T

Attending Athletes, Celebrities, Guests and Media

The following list includes a sampling of legendary athletes, celebrities, media and guests who attended the event in Jacksonville, Florida.



ATHLETES
Anderson, Alfred NFL (Steelers)
Anderson Cadillac #1 Draft Pick
Anderson, Ottis NFL (Cardinals, Giants) HOST
Augustyniak, Mike NFL (Jets)
AyodeleAkin, NFL (Jaguars)
Bascak, Cris MLB (Mets)
Bettis, Jerome NFL (Steelers)
Brodeur, Martin NHL (Devils)
Brown, Larry NFL (Cowboys)
Brown, Ray NFL (Redskins)
Brown, Troy NFL (Super Bowl Patriots)
Clayton, Mark NFL Draft WR Oklahoma
Crockett, Ray NFL (Broncos)
Culpepper, Daunte NFL (Vikings)
Dennis, Al NFL AD (Seahawks)
Dorsett, Tony NFL(Cowboy's, Bronco's)
Duper, Mark NFL (Dolphins)
Edwards, Braylon NFL projected #4 pick in Draft
Esiason, Boomer NFL (Bengals)
Eller Car lNFL (Vikings)
Elway, John NFL (Broncos)
Faulkner, Len NFL (Seahawks)
Foreman, Chuck NFL (Vikings) (HOST)
Gatling, Chris NBA (Miami Heat)
George, Eddie NFL (Oilers, Titans)
Givens, Drew NFL (Broncos)
Gonzalez, Tony NFL (Chiefs)
Gordon, Jeff NASCAR
Green, David NFL Draft QB Georgia
Hartwell, Ed NFL (Ravens)
Irons, Grant NFL (Raiders)
Jefferson, Roy NFL (Steelers, Redskins)
John-Baptiste, Peter NFL (Giants)
Johnson, Billy "White Shoes" NFL (Oilers)
Jones, Joe "Turkey" NFL (Steelers)
Jones, Julius NFL (Cowboys)
Kelsey, Chris NFL (Bills)
Kennedy, Lincoln NFL (Seahawks)
Lankford, Paul NFL (Dolphins)
Law, Ty NFL (Super Bowl Patriots)
Lee, Larry NFL (Lion's)
Marshall, Grant NHL (Devils)
Martin, Curtis NFL (Jets)
Martin, Kelvin NFL (Cowboys)
May, Ted MLB (Yankee's)
McGruger, “Scooter” Mike NFL (Patriots)
Mecklenburg, Karl NFL (Broncos)
Merriweather, Mike NFL (Vikings)
Moore, Nat NFL (Dolphins)
Mooreman, Brian NFL (Bills)
Morris, Mercury NFL(Dolphins)
Oates, Bart NFL (Giants)
Orton, Kyle NFL Draft QB Purdue
Payton, Eddie NFL (Lion's)
Pisarick, Joe NFL (Eagles)
Pressley, Josh MLB (Royals)
Rein, John NFL (Lion's)
Rogers, Aaron NFL, #1 Draft Pick
Sanders, Dion NFL (Ravens)
Sharpe, Shannon NFL (Broncos)
Sherrard, Mike NFL (49er's)
Smith, Lance NFL (Giants)
Smith, Rod NFL (Broncos)
Smith, Terrelle NFL (Browns)
Stevens, Scott NHL (Devils)
Stewart, Shannon MLB (Twins)
Stinson, Lemuel NFL (Bear's)
Strahan, Michael NFL (Giants)
Swann, Lynn NFL (Steelers)
Taylor, Charlie NFL (Redskins)
Taylor, Lawrence NFL (Giants)
Thomas, Thurman NFL (Bill's, Dolphins)
Vanderjerk, Mike NFL (Colts)
Watters, Ricky NFL (49's, Eagles, Seahawks)
Webb, Spud NBA (Hawks)
White, Jason NFL (Steelers)
Williams, Byron NFL (Giants)
Williams, Doug NFL (Bucs)
Williams, Roland NFL (Raiders)
Woodson, Darrion NFL (Cowboys)
Woodson, Rob NFL (Steelers)
Wright, Eric NFL (49's)
**HONOREE'S**

MEDIA
Berlin, David Fox Sports Net
Acampora, Anthony Sporting News Radio
Allegre, Raul NFL, ESPN
Berman, Chris ESPN
Betesh, Sam Sportscaster, Fox Sports
Calufetti, Larry Sporting News Radio
Cox, Brian NFL/Fox
Dickerson, Greg Fox Sports
Galanty, Katherine Westwood One Radio
Hagen, David Sirus Radio
Holzman, Tami Spike TV/Universal
Kaze, Benji Fox Sports Net
Kucko John Sportscaster
Mammeli, David Fox Sports Net
Martin, Alvaro ESPN
McDowell, Rachel Fox Sports Net
Meyers, Chris Fox Sports
Pavlotis, Nick Sirus Radio
Pilger, Andrew Fox Sports Net
Pressley, Buddy Sporting News Radio
Pressley, Ed Sporting News Radio
Pressley, Howard Sporting News Radio
Rosario, Andrew NY Beacon
Schein, Adam Sirus Radio
Siciliano, Andrew Sportscaster, Fox Sports
Thomas, Cat WAPE-FM
Walker, Doc Pro Preview
White, Joe Jacksonville Magazine
Zimmerman, John Sporting News Radio


COVERAGE
Entertainment Tonight
ABC Affiliate
CBS Affiliate
Detroit Free Press
ESPN
Florida Times Union
Fox 25 News
Inside Edition
Miami Herald
NBC Affiliate
NECN
NFL Network
People Magazine
WBZ-5 Boston

SPECIAL GUESTS
Banner, Joe President, (Eagles)
Baxter, David President, Reebok
Borojevic, Sarita National Football League
Dupree, Mark National Football League
Gabriel, Roman National Football League
Glanzman, Amy National Football League ALUMNI
Goodson, Michael Sports Agent
Jones, Dan Sports Agent, Intersport
Judge, Clayton National Football League
Kurek, Ken Jacksonville 39
Michaelson, Mike Owner (Eagles)
Miller, David Detroit Mayor's Office
Newsome, Mike Preident, Nike
Payton, Connie Wife, Walter Payton
Robinson, Stacy National Football League -PA
Rosenthal, Adam Sports Agent, CSMG
Stahlberger, Ira Sports Agent, Intersport

CELEBRITIES
Affleck, Ben Actor
Coors, Twins Models
Fantone, Joey N'Sync
Hammer, MC Singer
Hawiian Tropic Girls, Models
Lachey, Nick 98°
Lopez, Jennifer Actress
Moore, Melba Singer/Actress
Morris, Nathan Boyz II Men
Popper, John Blues Travelers
Rucker, Darius Hootie & The Blow Fish
Black Eyed Peas
Wilson, Owen Actor
Ying Yang Twins, Group

--------------------------------------------------------------

All I can say is "wow." The sponsorship offers are extensive for the price, which is between $14,000 and $100,000. I'm not the sales person for the event, so I'm not going to go into all of that. But it's cool to be able to look "behind the scenes" of the event before it happens. I'm set to go, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jerry Reese, GM - NY Giants Gutsy Front Office Move The Right One!

Another great Giants Piece by Arthur Staple-My comments at the end.

Reese facing challenges with Giants
After being named GM today, he'll have to fill quite a few holes

BY ARTHUR STAPLE
Newsday Staff Writer

January 16, 2007

Jerry Reese will be officially named Giants general manager this morning at a news conference. Had the Giants not stumbled to an 8-8 record with a 2-6 second half of the season and then lost to the Eagles in the playoffs nine days ago, Reese's appointment would have been made sooner.

But Giants president John Mara and treasurer Jonathan Tisch took their time evaluating the front office and coaching staff before deciding to stay the course. So they brought Tom Coughlin back for at least one more season as coach and will name Reese, 43, as Ernie Accorsi's successor, as the retiring Accorsi wanted it.

Reese started as a scout for the Giants in 1994 and worked his way up, from assistant director of pro personnel to director of player personnel, a job in which he oversaw the Giants' last four drafts. He is the third African-American general manager in the NFL, joining Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith.

The priorities for Reese this offseason start with finding a running back to fill the void left by Tiki Barber's retirement. That will likely be accomplished through free agency -- the Packers' Ahman Green is a free agent and the Chargers' Michael Turner is a restricted free agent -- rather than with early draft picks in April. The Giants may seek a veteran to complement Brandon Jacobs.

The Giants also must decide whether to sign center Shaun O'Hara. He and kicker Jay Feely are the only significant players who would be unrestricted free agents. O'Hara's agent, Tony Agnone, negotiated with the team briefly during the season, but O'Hara didn't want the talks to drag on; plus, with Accorsi retiring, there was no GM to sign off on a long-term deal.

On defense, Reese may look to the draft to grow some talent. One player told Newsday that Coughlin tore Corey Webster apart at halftime of the Redskins game on Dec. 30, and Webster, the Giants' top pick (second round) in 2005, has not developed as the team had hoped, so another high pick on a cornerback may be needed.

The same is true at linebacker, where Carlos Emmons may have played his last game as a Giant and Brandon Short is unrestricted. The Giants took Gerris Wilkinson in the third round last season, but he was inactive for the playoff loss after a spotty season spent primarily on special teams.

My slant: Why do i think it's a smart move? he's been with the team 12 years. He smart, still young at 43, and he knows personnel. So he is only the 3rd minority GM in Pro football. but this is the best thing for the team on so many levels.
Even with the turmoil at the end of the season, this is a no -brainer.

"I Have A Dream" - The Full Video Speech Of Martin Luther King

This proves the amazing value of YouTube and other video distribution systems. We now have history right at our fingertips. What's presented to you above is the video of what some call the greatest speech ever given in history, Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream Speech". Below, the text of the speech.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

SUPER BOWL XLI : Miami Hotel Rates Double For Event - NY Times

The Super Bowl Means Super-Size Hotel Rates

By JENNIFER CONLIN - NY TIMES
Published: January 14, 2007

Finding a moderately priced hotel room in Miami during the winter is never easy, but securing one over Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 2 to 5) is a totally different ballgame, regardless of availability.

This weekend, for instance, the rate for a double room at the Miami Airport Holiday Inn is $190. For the night before the Super Bowl , that room goes for $430. At the already pricey Delano, a city view deluxe room that would have cost $775 for last night is more than twice that amount, $1,625, on Feb. 4 (and it’s booked solid). Even the ultraexpensive Setai is requiring guests to stay a minimum of seven nights during Super Bowl week, at $950 a night for a double room.

Robert Tuchman, president of TSE Sports & Entertainment (www.tseworld.com), said his company was selling four-night Super Bowl packages with upper-level game tickets, but without air fare. For example, $5,850 a person gets a double room at the Westin in Fort Lauderdale, while $7,350 a person puts you in a penthouse suite at the Albion South Beach.

(The actual ticket prices are $600 and $700. Most tickets are technically available through the 30 National Football League teams, but are essentially sold out. Brokers charge far more for the tickets.)

“When you couple the Super Bowl with a great location like Miami, hotels can charge five times their normal price,” Mr. Tuchman said, adding that last year’s location, Detroit (featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, above), was a bit of a bust. “We only sent around 300 people,” he said. “This year, we already have a thousand.”

His packages include an autographed football, a celebrity golf tournament and a Sunday morning chat with a former N.F.L. player or coach.

Loyal N.F.L. team followers might prefer “fan packages,” starting this week, from Sports Traveler (www.sportstraveler.net), a Chicago-based company. It is $6,300 to $7,500, including three or four nights accommodation, reserved game tickets and air fare from your championship team’s city. A required deposit of $200 to $500 is refunded if your team doesn’t make the big game. But, as Mr. Tuchman said, “The Super Bowl has become such a spectacle, most people don’t even come anymore just for the game.”

CBS Has Only Sold 70 Percent Of Super Bowl XLI Ads - Mediaweek

January 15, 2007

By John Consoli Mediaweek

NEW YORK -- The Super Bowl has become a super pain for the broadcast networks to sell.

Case in point: CBS this year. With just three weeks to go until kickoff, the network has sold slightly more than 70% of the in-game commercial units. And with a total of 58 spots, the network still has about 16 slots available.

With so much potential revenue and prestige at stake—CBS could take in as much as $140 million on the three-hour game alone, in addition to millions from the six hours of pre-game programming—the three weeks prior to kickoff can generate severe angst for sales teams facing fourth and goal.

One media agency executive described this current Super Bowl selling season: "CBS is definitely in hustle mode, trying to come up with any innovative way possible to move those in-game units."

As the cost of a 30-second spot rises each year, so does the pressure on advertisers to come up with innovative and creative spots that will be talked about and acted upon by the 78 million viewers who tune in. The growing popularity of polls such as USA Today Ad Meter, which have consumers rate the in-game commercials the next day, has become a major factor in the decision-making process of advertisers as to whether or not they should create a spot and run it in the Super Bowl.

One network sales executive, who has sold past Super Bowls, said the next two weeks are crucial for CBS to get a bulk of the remaining units sold before Feb. 5. "It's OK to go into the week before the game with three or four units left, but it can be a real problem if you have more than that," the exec said.

The closer to game day, the more the ad community is in the driver's seat as far as trying to price down the spots because the network cannot sharply lower prices without running the risk of alienating clients who came in early and paid more.

While the remaining spots are mostly in fourth quarter and early birds most likely are in the first half when the attention level is usually higher, no advertiser, regardless of placement, is going to be happy seeing a straggler get in the game at a deep discount.

"There are always Super Bowl units still available at this point, but this year there seem to be more left than the norm," said one media exec, echoing the viewpoint of many contacted for this story.

But John Bogusz, CBS evp-sports sales and marketing, and Tony Taranto, svp of NFL sales at CBS, both insist the network is right where it was sellout level-wise when it televised the Super Bowls in '01 and '04.

"It is getting to be a harder sell, and we do wish more advertisers would embrace it for what it is and take advantage of the huge audience it draws," said Bogusz, acknowledging the harder slog to sell out. Added Taranto, "Advertisers should realize that in addition to the in-game units, those ads are going to be replayed all over the Internet in the days and weeks following the game. Awareness levels for those ads rise every year."

But that heightened awareness of the commercials—not the price tag per spot, which this year ranges anywhere from $2 million to $2.6 million depending on pod location and quantity bought—can be the problem, according to media agencies charged with buying Super Bowl spots for clients.

"The decision an advertiser faces is not a price dilemma," said Marc Goldstein, CEO at media agency MindShare. "The reason advertisers may not go in is because of creative issues. No one wants to run an old commercial in the Super Bowl, so you have to go out and spend money to produce a new one. And the advertiser wants to make sure that this commercial does well in all the recall and opinion polls the next day. Many advertisers feel if they do not have a new product to launch, it is not worth the risk."

Giants Select Jerry Reese As General Manager - Only Third Black GM In NFL History - NFL.com

Giants tap Jerry Reese as general manager
NFL.com wire reports


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Jan. 15, 2007) -- The New York Giants hired Jerry Reese as their general manager, making him only the third black GM in NFL history.

Reese, who served as the team's director of player personnel the past four years, was considered the favorite among the Giants' in-house candidates to replace Ernie Accorsi, who held the post for nine seasons before retiring.

The 43-year-old Reese will formally be introduced as general manager and senior vice president at a news conference Jan. 16, the team said on its Web site.

The only other black general managers in the NFL are Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith. There are several black men who have considerable say in front offices, notably Rod Graves of Arizona, whose title is senior vice president-football operations. Ray Anderson was vice president of the Atlanta Falcons for the past four years before moving to the NFL in August as senior vice president of football operations.

There were seven black head coaches in the NFL last season, the most ever. Two of them, Dennis Green of the Cardinals and Art Shell of Oakland, were fired after the season, although Shell will remain in the Raiders front office.

Critics of the NFL's minority hiring policy have generally praised the league for increasing the number of minority coaches, but have pointed out that there is a void in the front office.

Last month, when Reese was mentioned as the favorite for the job, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, the senior black head coach, said: "That's great -- just to have an African-American mentioned that way is great."

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Reese first joined the Giants' scouting department in 1994 after working on the coaching staff at his alma mater.

As the Giants' player personnel director, he oversaw all aspects of college scouting and had most of the responsibility for the draft. Reese previously served as assistant director of pro personnel for three years.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson Goes Off On Bill Belichick And The New England Patriots; Calls Them "No Class" Organization

I've included the video version of LT's rant as well.



LT rips Pats' 'no class' dance on field logo

And so begins a nasty new rivalry. And this is one born not from two good teams in the same division, but from the way two good teams treat each other when they play. I think LT has something of a point. Moreover, my own mother pointed out that had it been Terrell Owens who was responsible for the nasty act at the end of the game, he'd have been criticized and fined. Not so with the Patriots.

By Jay Posner and Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
January 15, 2007

No team wants to watch another team celebrate on its home field, especially after a playoff game. But several Chargers were particularly disturbed at the way New England celebrated after yesterday's AFC divisional playoff game.

And no one was more upset than league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, who had to be restrained by more than one Patriots player from going after another New England player. Tomlinson later accused some Patriots of showing “no class at all” and added “maybe it comes from the head coach (Bill Belichick).”

Said Tomlinson: “I would never, ever react in that way. You guys know me; I'm a very classy person. I wouldn't have reacted like that, so yes, I was upset, very upset.

“When you go to the middle of our field and you start doing the dance that Shawne Merriman is known for, that's disrespectful to me and I can't sit there and watch that.”

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said he saw some Patriots pointing to the scoreboard, doing Merriman's “Lights Out” dance and stomping on the Chargers helmet logo at midfield.

“They won and they deserve a lot of credit,” Rivers said. “Personally I was disappointed in the way they handled winning. I mean, for as much as everybody said they expected them to win, they didn't act like it. But that's neither here nor there. They're playing next week and we're not.

“I think what got LT, and I was right there, was just a little of the taunting. Hey, celebrate – we'd have been sprinting on the field, too, I guarantee you. But it was a little finger pointing and I don't know where it came from.”

The teams will play in Foxboro next season, and Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips said he can't wait.

“Every time I will play New England it will be a personal grudge,” Phillips said. “That was very classless. . . . When we went in and beat their head in New England (last season), blew them out (41-17), we did nothing but compliment them and say they were a good team. We would never disrespect a team like that. We have class, and that's how classless individuals are. Shaun Phillips will have a grudge against them the rest of his career.”

Added Phillips: “What it is, they didn't expect to win and they won, so they were excited.”

The Patriots were not available to answer the Chargers' comments, although linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said San Diego's players “talked from the beginning to the end. We'll take the win.”

Reggie Bush - Gets Jacked Up By Eagles Sheldon Brown In NFC Divisional Playoff Game

This was the shot heard 'round the World when it happened, and it's still getting noticed today. Reggie Bush was in the middle of catching a swing pass, when Sheldon Brown rushed up and simply gave a hard, high textbook tackle using his shoulder and not leading with his head. Here's the video:

San Francisco-Based KNBR's Rod Brooks -- Who's Black -- Puts Down Black Coaches

Last Monday, January 8th, San Francisco-based KNBR's Rob Brooks (pictured) said, in response to a take that one college team should hire a black coach, "Notre Dame tried one of those and look what happened to them."

"One of those," sounds like a disease the way Brooks put it.

That comment led me to write this email to members of the California sports media community -- an email list that includes Tony Bruno and Rod Brooks. It's not just an email denouncing what Brooks said, but how KNBR conducts it's business. But more to the point on Martin Luther King's Birthday, it's terrible to know that there are African Americans who would waste no time in putting down someone else because they're black.

Here's what I wrote:

Greetings All,

I understand "Mr C In Heaven" but I have this take: what KNBR's Rod Brooks says goes out to millions of people locally in Northern California -- it's not small time at all. The San Francisco Bay Area has the highest ad costs per ratings point of any part of the country.

Some of those listeners form their opinions from what they hear on KNBR. I hear it from time to time, someone litterally parroting what was said on KNBR. People use sports talk radio to essentially "think" for them. And the more the message touches that person's more baser feelings -- like racial matters -- the more likely it is to stick. But that doesn't make it OK to be racist; indeed, it's every reason why one should not be. For all practical purposes, Brooks is a kind of role model, though a negative one at this time. I leave room for improvement.

That's why what someone like Brooks said Monday was socially irresponsible, not to mention a reflection of self-hatred. It does a lot of damage to the matter of the deconstruction and ultimate destruction of the racist way; what better tool to maintain racist thoughts amoung whites, Latino's, and Asians than a black person who puts other blacks down by referring to African American coaches as "one of those" tried by Notre Dame, as if black coaches were viruses.

Grrrr....

Moreover, it -- this race-based approach -- is not even good ratings at all. Just because KNBR may claim good Arbitron numbers doesn't mean they can't be better. I'd be willing to bet that KNBR's numbers are actually terrible when compared to their potential. I could go on about how the radio station's website system is not only poorly designed, but not engineered for it to rank high in any Google-search of note related to KNBR's sports content and not even well-coordinated with its radio shows.

This hurts the radio shows and rating potential. If I bought KNBR, I'd tear it all up and rebuild from the bottom up.

Plus, KNBR's people -- it's personalities -- come off more often than not as "Angry white guys" -- attempting to stop any and all conversations about race by saying "You're playing the race card" and using this childish Right Wing term as if it was a kind of conversational hand grenade -- and it's almost laughable that a prominent black personality would assist them. But that seems to be what's happening. I've heard this before from others and as a constant listener to the show, I can document and write a book on them. People don't want to hear this at all. Please knock it off.

KNBR does not know how to reach the fan base of any of the major Bay Area sports teams. The smaller college sports organizations get no mention or play at all. The sponsorship program is lacking. KNBR knows how to develop personalities, but misses the boat in building a cohesive media information system. By a country mile. (And yes, I know what the answer to this is.) Moreover, there's little in the way of really substantive sports talk conversation. Here's an example:

On January 8th 2003, the Philadephia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card playoff game which featured a 4th and 26 convertion by Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. On a recap of the game on KNBR, Ralph and Tom had on as a guest a female beat writer from Phili who really knew her stuff. She explained that the Packers middle linebacker was out of position and should have been deeper than he was in the coverage, thus allowing the pass completion.

While she talked, Ralph and Tom had little to offer to keep the conversation going. It was disheartening for me. Obviously by my recall of the event, it had an impact on me. I then started to monitor sports talk radio here with the "null hypothesis" that there was little of substance -- discussion of strategy, business, law, etc. -- that was offered. To date, I've had little content example from KNBR to cause me to refute my initial hypothesis.

Another example was when I was on as a guest regarding the Super Bowl and Jerry Brown in 2005. Rather than ask me substantive questions about why Oakland came to within eight NFL owner votes of landing the game Jacksonville won, Rod Brooks decided to take me on regarding Oakland as a host city.

It was not a smart move on his part, as I knew my subject and he did not. Moreover, I was very angry that Brooks and KNBR would continue a pattern of not only non-support, but attempted destruction of our Super Bowl Bid efforts and attempts to insult me.

My own mother observed that KNBR "could not stand someone who was smart and Black." I reminded her that it was radio, but then I thought about the matter from her point of view and the fact that I was assuming some KNBR people didn't know I was Black when they may have, and then recanted my initially polyanic view. I started thinking about my past experiences with KNBR.

It started in 2000, when Radnich had me on and asked how could we sell out the Super Bowl, when the Coliseum had sell out problems. Why ask that? I pointed out that all Super Bowls were sellouts. But here I am BUSTING MY ASS to bring this thing to the Bay Area, and KNBR's taking pot shots at me and the bid. It's like getting shot by what are supposed to be your own troops.

I told Agnew about this -- actually was real pissed about it -- because it would NOT have harmed KNBR to be a booster for the Super Bowl. Not at all. The Bay Area needs the shot in the arm. But we can't improve economically with KNBR pulling the rug out of what we do. It's stupid. It really is. I could not get over what the reason for the treatment was and so then, absent any logical explanation, figured that maybe my Mom had a point. After all, KTVU has never treated me that way; not at all and not even to this day. Neither does KPIX or KGO. So I had an example of how I was supposed to be treated by the media in working on a Super Bowl Bid and doing anything of substance in the community.

Man!

It's one thing to ask good questions, but the ones aimed at me were just plain bad and nasty. All of my friends who listened to me were happy that I not only defended myself, but basically made Rod sound less than informed, which was true. Moreover, it's all too common at KNBR.

The standard idea is that the people don't want substance (that's what Bob Agnew contends); but I charge that KNBR does not know how to give it in an entertaining way. When you have people who know sports so well they can talk about it in plain english, it's fun to listen to.

Tom Tolbert KNOWS basketball, and so is a joy to hear him talk on that subject, it really is. But football? KNBR has no one on the talk shows who really does know modern football strategy, methods, trends, and techniques. No one. It seems that the station has decided to allow more of the "emotion stirring" words and that opens the door to a point of view that is hard to mistake as anything but racist at times.

The point I'm making is that the station can't afford to have racist content, regardless of who it's coming from. It's bad for business. It's terrible for society. It's retrograde. PLEASE I emplore you all to reach for a higher standard. The Bay Area is becoming what it seems to hate the most in what it things Southern cities are -- racist. (Just take a look at the comments made by some Oaklanders toward Ignacio De La Fuente on Monday. Or the SF 49ers VideoGate scandal. Or the SF Police Video. Or the frightening high arrest rate for Blacks in San Francisco. I could go on and on.)

Atlanta is now much more progressive than the SF Bay Area -- ever hear the "Two Live Stews" -- but the SF Bay Area is under the age-old fantasy that it's better.

I do hope that we as a collective wake up and improve this matter.

Thanks,

Zennie Abraham, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Sports Business Simulations
510-387-9809
www.sbs-world.com

"Colts Can Mix Toughness With Finess" - Tony Dungy - AP and Random News From Indy

Dungy: Colts can mix toughness with finesse

CLIFF BRUNT

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy couldn't help but smile when asked about the Colts' toughness in the closing minutes of their playoff victory over the Ravens.

All season, Dungy's Colts have been criticized for being just a finesse team. But Indianapolis clinched the 15-6 win Saturday in Baltimore with a smash-mouth, 13-play, 47-yard drive that included 11 runs and took more than 7 minutes off the clock.

The drive ended with Adam Vinatieri's 35-yard field goal with 23 seconds left that sent the Colts into the AFC championship game at home next Sunday against New England.

"I was proud of the way we won," Dungy said. "We went in there and you had to win a dogfight. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't the type of game we normally play, but we were able to get it done."

Dungy said the effort was extra special because it happened in Baltimore against a Ravens team that prides itself on toughness.

"To be able to go on the road and win in a hostile environment, to be able to outperform a team that's built for that, that's really built for a running game and defending the run ... when we had to run against the No. 1 defense, we were able to do that. Whatever it takes."

Lost among Vinatieri's five field goals was the fact that Colts running back Dominic Rhodes had 10 carries for 35 yards on the final drive. He finished with 14 carries for 56 yards.

Dungy said Rhodes' effort epitomized the Colts' performance.

"Dominic Rhodes, I thought, was outstanding in the second half, keeping things going," Dungy said. "He made a couple of big third-down runs and using up that time. That was really a big drive against a great defense."

Rookie Joseph Addai started the game at running back, but he sat out most of the second half after he aggravated a shoulder injury.

"Joseph wasn't 100 percent and Dom was running well," Dungy said. "I think Joseph could have played, but again, like last week, there was no need because Dom was getting the job done for us."

Dungy didn't give a definitive update on Addai's status for the AFC Championship Game. He had missed most of last week's practices with the injury.

"I think he'll be pretty much the same way he's been," Dungy said. "Having another day of rest should help him. It's a little early to tell, but I think it's going to be fine."

The roles were reversed for Addai and Rhodes for much of the season. Rhodes would start, but would see limited action after halftime. Addai would come off the bench and close.

Addai was the up-and-coming star during the regular season. He ran for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns and quickly became a crowd favorite. Rhodes, who waited patiently for years as Edgerrin James' backup, ran for 641 yards and scored five touchdowns.

When the game at Baltimore was on the line, Dungy went with his five-year veteran. Dungy said Rhodes handled losing his starting slot well and showed professionalism by stepping in and performing well.

"It wasn't a demotion and he understood that," Dungy said. "We were just going to start the game with Joseph. Dom's ended up finishing the last two games. Dom knew he was still going to be involved. He knew he was still get a lot of carries and be in at critical times, so it really hasn't been that much different. They both still split the carries relatively evenly."

The toughness the Colts showed to get that last field goal left one of the game's toughest players, Ravens quarterback Steve McNair, with little time to work his magic. The Colts had faced McNair twice a year when he played for the Tennessee Titans, and knew better than to give him an opportunity.

"We've been involved with Steve McNair many times," Dungy said. "You don't want to give him the ball back with a six-point lead and any time left on the clock, so we knew we wanted to make at least two or three first downs there. If we could get into field-goal range, that was the ultimate."

After Beating Michael Strahan In Court, Jean Strahan Says "I'm Going to Disney World!" - NY Post

Wow. It reads like Michael Strahan really treated his wife terribly.

$15 MIL PENALTY TOPPLES GIANT
STRAHAN'S EX WINS ALMOST ALL
By JEANE MacINTOSH and TODD VENEZIA

January 13, 2007 -- A judge sacked Michael Strahan's bank account yesterday, ordering the New York Giants defensive end to pay his ex-wife Jean a whopping $15.3 million plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support as part of their divorce.

Judge James Convery blasted Strahan in a written ruling, saying the arguments he used to get out of coughing up the dough lacked "any credible evidence."

The ruling means the gap-toothed grid standout will have to give his ex-wife more than half his net worth - as Convery held him to a prenuptial agreement stipulating he give Jean 50 percent of their joint marital assets and 20 percent of his yearly income from each year they were married.

Strahan tried to argue that he wasn't responsible for the 20 percent because his wife failed to ask for it every year. But the judge said that "the plaintiff is not credible in his claim that the defendant never asked for her separate funds."

Jean, who married the football player in 1999, celebrated the ruling yesterday.

"It pays to tell the truth, and I told the truth," she said. "I never asked for a penny more than the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote and made me sign. And all I ever asked for was that to be upheld.

"I'm thrilled that it was."

The decision came after a divorce battle that left the popular player's stellar reputation battered by allegations of adultery, forgery, lying and perversion.

It is also a huge financial tackle. Strahan must pay the $15.3 million and the extra child support even though his net worth is only about $22 million, according to court records.

With his career in its twilight years, this could be a blow from which his bank account never recovers.

But Jean said yesterday that it was his own fault. Strahan himself devised the uneven distribution spelled out in a prenup.

"He and his lawyer wrote it and made me sign it the night before we got married," Jean said. "We were, at the time, very much in love."

Jean Strahan had originally sought roughly $14 million, but the judge gave her back interest on the 20 percent annuity, raising the payout by $1.25 million.

The Giant will also have to pay $18,000 per month in child support, and will have to hand over a $311,150 lump sum for support dating back to August 2005. Jean will also get one of his four houses, but will have to pay him back for half of the mansion in Montclair, N.J.

Strahan lawyer Vicky Zigler declined to comment after receiving the decision in Essex County Family Court yesterday.

The couple was officially divorced last July after an acrimonious court battle that included allegations that Strahan:
* Ditched his wife and twin 2-year-old daughters, Isabella and Sophia, to hang out with alleged mistress Nicole "Cupcake" D'Oliveira on a trip to Phoenix.
* Jetted off to Caribbean islands with various other women, including the woman who sold the family their antique chairs.
* Secretly videotaped Jean's sister, Denise, while she undressed in a guest bedroom. Cops were called, and Jean left him for a while, but he then allegedly came back after he deposited $30,000 in her bank account.
* Forged her name on financial documents that were entered into the case.
* Hounded her and tried to use lawyers to intimidate her into changing their prenup.

In yesterday's ruling, Judge Convery also blasted Strahan for not remembering his wedding anniversary or wife's birthday.
Jean Strahan got the news of the decision at her lawyer's office. She exclaimed: "I'm going to Disney World!"

Profootballtalk.com - USC Assistant Coach Steve Sarkisian Rumored To Be Favorite Of Raiders For Head Coaching Job

The point of this process is that the Raiders job is not the mot sought after in the NFL. Otherwise, why focus on an unproven college assistant coach? And why not talk to a person like Hue Jackson of the Bengals?

TALK BUILDS OF SARKISIAN TO RAIDERS - Profootballtalk.com

There's increasing chatter in league circles that USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian could be in line to become the next coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Sarkisian, 32, would become the youngest coach in the league.

As one league insider pointed out to us, why not simply hire Sarkisian to be the offensive coordinator? It would still be a step up for him, and he likely would accept it. With John Shoop recently gone, the spot is wide open.

No hire can be made to replace Art Shell until at least one minority candidate is interviewed. And if too many people around the league become convinced that the position is going to Sarkisian, it might be hard to persuade a minority candidate to sit for the job.

Another candidate who has generated some buzz, but who has not yet been interviewed or named as a candidate, is former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green.