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March madness hits the workplace

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By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Upper Marlboro attorney Richard Jaklitsch, who is also president of the Terrapin Club, says that in prior years when Maryland has had a game during working hours, his firm has taken off to a nearby watering hole called ‘The Office’ to watch.They call it March Madness for a reason — and it’s not always about what happens on the basketball court.

During the first two days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which started Thursday, offices around the country are transformed, and otherwise normal employees can become strangely insane.

Conservative business attire is ditched for unfashionably bright team colors, pizza and other junk food replaces the well-rounded lunch, and the only conferences going on in conference rooms are during commercial breaks to discuss how everyone’s bracket predictions are faring.

The tournament can create quite a dilemma for people when normal life interferes with their alma maters’ games.

Dodgers are children of divorce, years of therapy to follow

Talk about a nasty public divorce -- check out this video showing Baltimore-area native Jamie McCourt being refused entry into Dodger Stadium. She and husband Frank are getting divorced after about 30 years of marriage and Frank's first action in the proceedings was to fire her as president of the Dodgers.

(Personally I don't know why you'd want to try and enter Dodger Stadium anyway .... much less be president of that team ... but I suppose I understand why Jamie's upset.)

Jamie's not blameless though -- she reportedly had an affair with one of her bodyguards.

Here's the video:

 

Tiger Woods interview transcript

Tiger Woods did what his critics (of which I am one) have all been waiting for -- SIT DOWN WITH THE PRESS!! On Sunday, Woods sat down with the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman for his first televised interview since his late November car accident.

The interview was 30 minutes and will be available on www.GolfChannel.com.

Here's the transcript I was sent Monday. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Kelly Tilghman: Tiger, you’ve been a master of control your entire life, how did things get so out of control?

Tiger Woods: Going against your core values, losing sight of it. I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down. I felt entitled, which I had never felt before. Consequently, I hurt so many people by my own reckless attitude and behavior.

Mark my words: March Madness does NOT sap productivity

It never fails -- every time the NCAA men's basketball tournament starts, every media outlet dusts off the same story they run every year about how March Madness is bad for work productivity.

You get the point.

And here's what I say to that: Bull.

Arundel Mills slots opponents now suing Cordish

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Opponents of a planned slots casino near Arundel Mills are striking back against a lawsuit filed by the developer that claims their work to fight his project was done illegally.

Stop Slots at Arundel Mills, Citizens Against Slots at the Mall, the Maryland Jockey Club and FieldWorks LLC filed motions in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Tuesday to intervene in the suit (PPE Casino Resorts Maryland LLC, et al. v. Anne Arundel County Board of Supervisors of Elections).

The group and individual representatives also filed an “anti-SLAPP” motion, referring to the Maryland SLAPP suit statute that prohibits meritless suits brought by large private interests to deter citizens from exercising their political or legal rights. (SLAPP is an acronym that stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation.)

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Loyola University Maryland raises the bar

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By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

After more than a decade of planning, fundraising and construction, Loyola University Maryland is counting on its new $62 million Ridley Athletic Complex to impress recruits and boost the school’s image.

“It engenders pride,” said The Rev. Brian F. Linnane, Loyola’s president. “We feel that … done in the right way, it will give us great momentum internally with our students and faculty, and externally it will attract more students and alumni.”

And in going from one 4-acre field on campus to a 71-acre sports complex that eventually will have two fields and a running track, Loyola’s athletics facilities have definitely been supersized.

J. Richard Awalt Field will host soccer and lacrosse games and the adjacent Sean Lugano Memorial Field will be used for practices and rugby games. Both of those facilities are completed. Construction on the 400-meter track is scheduled to begin soon at the complex, which is about three miles from Loyola’s Evergreen Street campus.

Foes of slots at Arundel Mills get enough signatures

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

A coalition formed to halt the state’s largest planned slots development near the Arundel Mills mall has succeeded in its campaign to let county voters decide whether to allow the casino to go forward.

According to its Web site, the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections has validated more than the required 18,790 petition signatures to get the measure on the ballot this November. Voters will now decide whether the County Council should have allowed zoning for the slots site planned by Baltimore developer David Cordish.

As of Thursday, 19,054 signatures have been accepted. Several thousand more signatures are still being processed by the election board.

Rob Annicelli, president of the citizens group Stop Slots at Arundel Mills, called the referendum a “daunting task,” but said in a statement he expects several thousand more signatures to be validated by the board.

Another international soccer match coming to M&T Stadium

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer 

ANNAPOLIS — Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium has landed another multimillion dollar revenue-generating soccer match to be played this July between two high-profile European teams.

The announcement is expected shortly by the Baltimore Ravens, according to the Maryland Stadium Authority, the state agency that leases the stadium to the team.

The event will come one year after Baltimore raised its status in the soccer community by hosting a sold-out exhibition match between England’s Chelsea Football Club and Italy’s AC Milan. That game generated roughly $20 million in economic impact and caught the attention of FIFA, the governing body of international soccer.

A hand-wringing wait over the future of Magna’s Md. tracks

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

When the parent of Maryland’s thoroughbred racetracks filed for bankruptcy and announced it would sell its Maryland properties, it sent a wave of uncertainty, fear and frustration though the state’s horse racing community.

Exactly one year later, some say it’s gotten messier.

Since it filed for bankruptcy on March 5, 2009, Ontario-based Magna Entertainment Corp. placed Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and Bowie Training Center on the auction block, took them off last spring, then put them up back up for auction again last fall.

The company has delayed its Maryland assets auction three times in the last two months, with the latest reschedule — March 25 — adding to the feeling of instability.

It’s been a hand-wringing wait for those on the sidelines.

A 1st step toward poker at Rosecroft

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Maryland’s Senate president has proposed legislation that would legalize poker rooms at Prince George’s County’s struggling harness racing track.

The bill, SB 1035, joins a handful of alternative gaming legislation that has been submitting this year by Maryland lawmakers.

“Unfortunately the state of Maryland is way behind the curve in terms of utilizing the gambling phenomenon to generate revenues compared with other states,” said Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert and Prince George’s. “Because of — in my opinion — misguided opinions, it has failed to achieve its full potential.”

Ed O'Bannon's NCAA lawsuit opens door for disclosure

The recent court ruling allowing former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon to move forward with his lawsuit has folks like me drooling in anticipation.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled this month dismissed the NCAA's motion to have the class action lawsuit dropped. O'Bannon, who went on to play in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets for a few years (he now works at a car dealership in Nevada ... that's a whole 'nother blog topic), is suing the NCAA and his former school for profiting off his likeness years after he left school.

At the crux of the issue is players' likeness in video games -- while the names may have been removed (da, da-daaa ... 'Dragnet' theme starts playing in the background), there is growing sentiment among players that the players on the fields and courts of EA Sports' bear a much too remarkable similarity to themselves.

Tiger Woods needs to say more, PR pros advise

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Golf pro Tiger Woods may have accepted full responsibility for his multiple extra-marital affairs, but public relations professionals say a few more things need to happen before he can fully win back the hearts and minds of his public.

 They take issue with the fact that, despite it being his first public appearance since the details of his affairs began unraveling, Woods is still refusing to take questions from the press.

“At some point he’s going to have to answer some questions if he wants to rebuild his brand,” said John Maroon, president of Maroon PR in Marriottsville. “At some point you have to get that over with and move on with your life and he could have done that [Friday].”

Woods, who has not been seen or heard from since late November, appeared Friday at the TPC Sawgrass golf course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. His event aired opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, which started Wednesday in  Arizona. Accenture is one of the companies that dropped Woods as a sponsor.

A new Tiger Woods? Or the same old woolf in sheep's clothing?

In his first public appearance since details of his multiple extra-marital affairs began unraveling, a red-eyed Tiger Woods delivered a statement in front of a hand-picked audience Friday morning.

Woods, who has not been seen or heard from since late November, appeared at the TPC Sawgrass golf course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The event aired opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, which has been going on since Wednesday in Arizona. Accenture is one of the sponsors that has dropped Woods in recent months.

Here are a few highlights:

“I’m also aware of the pain my behavior has caused here in this room I have let you down and I’ve let down my fans.”

Mystery revealed: Angelos buys Boccaccio

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos just purchased Boccaccio Restaurant in Little Italy, which has been the site of key meetings for him over the yearsOrioles owner Peter G. Angelos is the new owner of Boccaccio Restaurant in Little Italy, an establishment in which he once was a regular fixture.

 A representative who bought the property at Wednesday’s auction for $1.45 million was there on behalf of Angelos, said Andrew L. Billig, of A.J. Billig & Co. Auctioneers. Billig had declined to name the buyer — at Angelos’ request — Wednesday.

Angelos was friends with the restaurant’s owner, Giovanni Rigato, who opened the upscale Italian restaurant known for its cuisine and extensive wine selection in 1992. Boccaccio closed shortly after Rigato’s death in August 2008.

“Although he frequented a number of places, I think it’s fair to say it was his favorite place,” said Gerald E. Evans, an Annapolis lobbyist and longtime friend of Angelos. “I know it’s a labor of love for him buying that place.”

Angelos, who is also known as a master litigator and a major player in downtown real estate, was not available for comment.

Nationals ticket sales desparation continues

While the Orioles are raising ticket prices for some games (and for all games if you wait until game day to buy tickets) the Washington Nationals are continuing their desperate attempts to attract more people to the ballpark.

The latest promotional packages (announced this month) are called the 2010 Grand Slam Flex plans. Fans can choose four games and receive a fifth game of their choice for free. Plans start at $68 per seat, and the team says this is the most affordable multiple-game option it’s ever offered. Here’s the breakdown:

Under Armour hoping to get gold with Vonn

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

The Under Armour logo won’t be visible when Lindsey Vonn skis during the Olympics. Vonn is the primary spokesperson for the company’s cold weather gear.

Even with its star athlete and cold weather gear spokeswoman’s readiness in question, Under Armour Inc. still expects to get noticed with one of its biggest sponsorship pushes ever in the Olympic Games, which kick off Friday in Vancouver.

Looking to boost its brand awareness, the Baltimore-based company has apparel deals with the men’s and women’s U.S. freestyle skiing teams, U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams and the Canadian curling teams.

But the company’s best-known — or at least most hyped — endorser is U.S. alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, a back-to-back World Cup champion, who many predict could be the Michael Phelps of these games, winning as many as five gold medals.

Weather has cost Laurel Park its big days

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

A lone bettor, at Laurel Park for simulcasting Tuesday, gets his ticket from an automated teller booth. The track has lost five racing days to the weather.

With an already declining business during its winter meet, Laurel Park could be facing its worst season in decades after snowstorms have forced track officials to cancel five racing days so far.

The last time Laurel lost five racing days in a meeting was during 2003, when snow caused five cards to be canceled during February.

This year, Laurel Park was closed on Jan. 30 and last weekend, and this week officials announced that Wednesday’s and Thursday cards would be canceled.

Two of those cancellations have been Saturdays, which are by far the busiest wagering days of the week. And with another storm looming, a cancellation this weekend isn’t out of the question either. That means three out of the 15 Saturdays on the track’s racing calendar could be lost.

Maryland Jockey Club submits petition against Arundel Mills slots

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

A coalition formed to halt the state’s largest planned slots development near the Arundel Mills mall says it has succeeded in its petition drive to allow county voters to decide whether to allow the casino to go forward.

The petitioners, led by the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates the Laurel Park race track, said in a news release that they had submitted 23,702 signatures in support of a referendum to the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections Thursday afternoon.

That number far exceeds the 9,395 signatures that were needed by Friday and handily beats the 18,790 signatures required to place the zoning ordinance on the ballot in November.

The Jockey Club was supported by the citizens group Stop Slots at Arundel Mills. It also hired Chicago-based Fieldworks Inc. to help collect signatures.

Super Bowl sets viewership record; beats M-A-S-H finale

I love being right. The other week, I wrote about how it looked like this year's Super Bowl could be among the highest-rated of all time. Well, the overnight numbers are in and so far last night’s Super Bowl is shaping up to be one of the highest rated games in decades.

CBS has to be estatic -- they swooped in at the right time to bid for the broadcast rights for this one. This is the first time the network has aired the Super Bowl in six years.

Anyway, according to early Nielsen figures, the Super Bowl drew a 46.4 rating in the top markets. That's about a 10 percent increase over last year's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. While it's not the top-rated Super Bowl of all time (that number is around 49 percent of all televsion households) in this era where it's hard to capture any kind of wide audience, it's a phenominal feat.

Nielsen is now reporting this afternoon that 106.5 million viewers tuned in to the game, making it the most-watched show of all time. M-A-S-H's season fanale, drew 105.97 viewers ... some might say that's a bigger feat because there were quite a fewer number of television sets back then.

All in all advertisers have to be happy with this one. A tight game featuring an under dog pulling out the win at the end kept a record number of viewers watching all the way through -- I'd say that's a $2.7 million well spent for everybody.

Owner says Ravens will not be hurt by a non-salary capped year

By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer 

From left, Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass, owner Steve Bisciotti, General Manager/Executive Vice President Ozzie Newsome and Head Coach John Harbaugh speak to the media Wednesday during the team’s end-of-season news conference.Facing the uncertainty of a non-salary-capped season, Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said the team’s business is in good health and he is looking forward to the challenges next year will bring.

At the team’s season-ending news conference, Bisciotti said the team is prepared financially for a non-salary capped season in 2010 as the National Football League’s players and owners are still trying to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement expires after the 2010 season.

According to the current agreement, if a new CBA is not reached by this March, the salary cap system will not be in place for 2010. It’s a scenario Bisciotti said many owners have been preparing for and assume will happen.

And the Ravens are in a position to spend money, he said.