Biz of Football's NFL Mock Draft by Nick Kappel

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Health Hazard? US Looking At Lead Levels in Artificial-Turf
Published 4/20/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
Could artificial-turf pose a health hazard? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is examining playing fields with artificial-turf across the country to see if lead levels are at hazardous levels. As reported by The AP ...

D-League Finals Schedule Released
Published 4/20/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The Idaho Stampede and the Austin Toros will play for the 2008 NBA Development League Championship in a best-of-three Finals series beginning on Monday, April 21 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The regular season West Division champions, the Stampede advanced to the Finals with a 97-90 victory over Los Angeles D-Fenders on Friday. The Toros, the Southwest Division Champion advanced by defeating the Sioux Falls Skyforce , 99-93, tonight in Austin. By virtue of their league-leading regular season record, the Stampede secured home court advantage and will host games two and three of the Finals. Game ...

Yankee's Monument Park: Ruth, Mantel, Pope Benedict XVI?
Published 4/21/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
Move over, Joltin’ Joe, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantel, you’re about to be joined by someone with a lower batting average on Monument Park. The Knights of Columbus are donating a bronze plaque to commemorate Pope Benedict XVI's April 20 Mass. The pontiff was expected to bless the plaque in a private ceremony before the Mass today. The 105-pound papal plaque, which is 39.5 inches tall and 27 inches wide, will be located in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, along with plaques memorializing Masses celebrated there by Pope Paul VI (Oct. 4, 1965) and Pope John Paul II (Oct. 2, 1979), also gifts of the Knights of Columbus. The ...

Ginobili Wins NBA's Sixth Man Award
Published 4/22/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili earned 123 of 124 first-place votes on Monday to win the NBA sixth man of the year award. Last year’s winner, Suns guard Leandro Barbosa, came in second. Dallas’ guard Jason Terry finished third in the voting. As reported by ESPN:  “I really don’t care about coming from the bench if that helps the team to win a championship,” Ginobili said. Ginobili was a regular in the Spurs starting five until mid-way through last season, when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich decided the team would be better served having him come off the bench.  The former second round pick from Argentina led ...

Scott Skiles Hired to Coach Disappointing Bucks
Published 4/22/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The Milwaukee Bucks announced the hiring of Scott Skiles as their new head coach on Monday, four days after they fired coach Larry Krystkowiak following a disappointing 26-56 season. For Skiles, this move comes four months after he was fired as the Chicago Bulls head coach. Terms of the contract were not released, but it is reportedly a fully guaranteed four-year deal. As reported by TICKER:  “Scott is a proven NBA head coach who has shown an ability to win,” (GM John) Hammond said. “He was a passionate player at all levels of the game, and that thirst for success has served him well as a coach.” Skiles was thought to ...

Austin Wins Game 1 of NBA D-League Finals
Published 4/22/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The Austin Toros defeated the Idaho Stampede 95-89 tonight in Game One of the best-of-three 2008 NBA Development League Finals presented by Delta, at the Austin Convention Center. The Toros brought the 2299 fans out of their seats in the opening 20 seconds of the contest when Josh Gross put the exclamation point on an Andre Barrett pass. The alley-oop dunk gave the Toros a 2-0 lead, their lone advantage until six minutes remained in the half.  Both teams hit on only one of their first five field goal attempts, until Idaho’s Roberto Bergersen who connected on just 4 of 16 shots in the Stampede semi-final game victory over the L.A. ...

Friedman: Choosing This Season’s NBA Awards Winners
Published 4/22/2008 by David Friedman at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The MVP race has obviously dominated discussions of this year's awards but there are also some tough choices to be made regarding other honors, including the three All-NBA Teams. Several prominent commentators have already weighed in with their choices. It should be noted that not every commentator announced a selection for every award: MVP: Mark Jackson (ESPN/ABC), Chris Mannix (Sports Illustrated), Reggie Miller (TNT) and Kenny Smith (TNT) chose Kobe Bryant. Mike Wilbon (ESPN/ABC) said that he is "leaning toward" Bryant but will not decide for sure until the last game is played. Charles Barkley (TNT), Jon Barry (TNT), ...

Clubs Buying Out Arbitration and Free Agent Years
Published 4/22/2008 by Jordan I Kobritz at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
For Evan Longoria, Christmas came early.  After only seven days of Major League service, the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman signed a contract guaranteeing him $17.5 million over the next six years.  The deal could be worth a total of $44 million over nine years if the club exercises certain options.  Because Longoria didn’t begin the season in the Major Leagues, he wouldn’t have been eligible for arbitration until at least 2011, meaning the Rays could have paid him the Major League minimum salary - $390,000 this year - for the next three years and then taken their chances in arbitration for three more years after that. ...

Red Sox to Wear "Earth Day" Patch. Green Initiatives
Published 4/22/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
As reported last week, the Seattle Mariners will be the first team in MLB history to go "Carbon Neutral" today, Earth Day. Other teams will be involved in "green" initiatives today, including the Boston Red Sox. As reported by the Boston Globe. The Boston Red Sox will sport a special green logo on the left sleeves of their uniforms to mark Earth Day when they play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Earth Day plans also include a pre-game presentation of an Environmental Merit Award to the Red Sox by officials from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Red Sox ...

Fantasy Stats Case: NFLPA Legal Brief in Support of MLB
Published 4/22/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
In baseball parlance, Major League Baseball is 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th in CBC Distribution and Marketing, Inc. v. MLB Players Association/MLB Advanced Media or as it is often called, the "Fantasy Stats" case. The case involves whether statistics, in conjunction with a player's name, is protected under the First Amendment, or as MLB sees it, a violation of right of privacy. As this document shows, it's not just MLB that has an interest in this case, so does the NFL (and for that matter, the NBA, NHL, PGA, NASCAR, and WNBA who filed briefs in support of the case in the US Court of Appeals for the 8th ...

K.G. Earns His First Defensive Player of the Year Award
Published 4/23/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award on Tuesday, receiving 493 points and 90 first-place votes. Nuggets center Marcus Camby, who won the award last year, finished second in the voting with 178 points. Rockets forward Shane Battier placed third with 175 points. Garnett proved to be the anchor of the Celtics defense during his first season in Boston, as reported by TICKER:  Boston held opponents to 90.3 points per game, the league’s second-best mark. It was a marked improvement from last season, when Boston surrendered 99.2 points per contest. Garnett’s 18.8 points and ...

Chicago's Mascot Benny the Bull Triggers Lawsuit
Published 4/23/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
A man who claims he was injured by the Chicago Bulls’ team mascot, Benny the Bull, filed a lawsuit against the team on Monday. As reported by TICKER: According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Dr. Don Kalant Sr. filed a lawsuit Monday claiming he suffered a rupturing biceps muscle February 12 when a high-five with the fuzzy red mascot went awry.  “Benny’s flying down the aisle, giving everybody high-fives,” Kalant’s attorney, Shawn Kasserman, told the newspaper. “When he gets to Dr. Kalant, he either inadvertently trips or, as part of the shtick, trips. … He grabbed Kalant’s arm and fell ...

Predators Extend Contracts of Trotz and his Coaching Staff
Published 4/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network
The Nashville Predators have extended the contracts of coach Barry Trotz, and all his assistants, which includes associate coach Brent Peterson, assistant coach Peter Horachek and goaltending coach Mitch Korn. The announcement was made by David Poile, Nashville's president of hockey operations and general manager. His contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Financial terms were not announced. As reported by The AP:  Trotz guided the Predators to the playoffs this season despite a chaotic year in which the franchise survived the threat of relocation, a botched sale, new owners, a long negotiation ...

NBC Picks Up Option to Carry "NHL on NBC" for 2008-2009 Season
Published 4/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network
The NHL will be on NBC for at least one more season. The “Peacock Network” will exercise its option today, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Daily. As reported by SBD, NBC will carry NHL games next season, “including 10 "Sunday Game of the Week" broadcasts and up to 15 playoff games. Regular season ratings increased by 11% this year, thanks largely to the popular Winter Classic. There had been speculation that NBC may pass on the option, opening a window for ESPN to grab the package.” Ratings are seen to be up for the new wave of star power in the league, including Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the ...

Reds Fire GM Wayne Krivsky. Jocketty Replacement.
Published 4/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
Wayne Krivsky’s short-lived tenure as general manager of the Cincinnati Reds is over. Krivsky was fired today, and replaced with former St. Louis Cardinals GM, Walt Jocketty. The Reds started the season at 9-12, and the writing was on the wall when new owner Bob Castellini hired Jocketty last season. As reported by The AP: Jocketty is the team’s fourth general manager in six years, an instability that has prevented them from setting a course. The Reds also have been through two owners, four managers and an interim manager during that span. The uncertainty at the top has contributed to Cincinnati’s ...

Top CBS Exec Tapped to Run Upcoming MLB Network
Published 4/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
Tony Petitti, Executive Vice-President and Executive Producer at CBS, has been hired by MLB to run the upcoming MLB Network, which launches next season as the largest cable channel launch in history. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Daily, Petitti, the number 2 at CBS is taking MLB up on the offer because he is interested in a leadership position, which was not available at CBS. Petitti reported to CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus. The approval of Petitti comes by way of the MLB Network board, which includes the following executives at ...

SNY Hires Harold Reynolds as TV Analyst for Mets Games
Published 4/24/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
Fresh off his settlement with ESPN, Harold Reynolds has been hired by SNY as a studio analyst for Mets games, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily. According to the report, "starting tomorrow, Reynolds will appear on the RSN's Mets pre- and postgame shows with Lee Mazzilli and Matt Yallof. Reynolds will continue as an analyst on MLB.com, a job he has held since June. " The job at SNY will mark the first television job for Reynolds since his firing at ESPN in July of 2006.   ...

Dodgers to Unveil Plan for Shops, Museum, Restaurants
Published 4/25/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
The Dodgers have announced the most expansive renovation plan to Dodger Stadium since the McCourts purchased the club, with plans to add a promenade at the outfield enterance which will include restaurants, shops, club offices and a Dodgers museum and add two parking garages that will be used to replace the spots removed for the new construction. As reported by the LA Times : The Dodgers would not confirm the project cost or other specifics, but a news release from the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put the cost at $500 million. The McCourts purchased the Dodgers -- and their stadium and surrounding ...

It's Official: Petitti Named Pres. and CEO MLB Network
Published 4/25/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball :: Business of Sports Network
The news that was reported in advance was made official Thursday: Tony Petitti has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the MLB Network. Commissioner Selig made the announcement, and with the annoucement, we now know when to click through the channels to find it. The launch of the biggest cable and satillite televison channel launch in history will be on January 1, 2009. Petitti joins the MLB Network after serving as the Executive Vice President and Executive Producer for CBS Sports, where he oversaw all daily operations, including ...