Added Gillette: "Like many sports fans around the world, we're looking forward to seeing Tiger back on the course."

Neither company addressed whether they would resume airing creative featuring Mr. Woods, who has been bumped in favor of other endorser athletes by both companies.

To recap, Mr. Woods had been the center of a slowly calming media storm after details of his numerous marital infidelities surfaced following a one-car accident he was involved in on Thanksgiving night. Last month, the golfer publicly apologized for his transgressions in a televised news conference, adding that he was taking a break from the sport. Expect that storm to once again intensify.

"Those nights have a different flavor to them," Gasol said. "I enjoy them being Spanish. It's always good to have that kind of night and that kind of flavor."

Noche Latina returns for the fourth season throughout March and is a featured part of the NBA's first-ever Hispanic marketing campaign, éne•bé•a. The Latin Night program features 15 games in nine of the top 10 U.S. Hispanic markets in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York and Orlando.

"The NBA is obviously trying to get different cultures into the game," said Eduardo Najera, slated to wear his Los Mavs jersey twice along with his Dallas teammates. "As Latinos, we support each other and are very loyal. It's a great experience to come out and celebrate with our own food and music. Different teams do a great job of trying to relate to Latinos."

The league hopes to highlight the impact of the league's Hispanic players -- 18 players from six Latin American countries -- and pay tribute to the more than 16 million Hispanic fans across the country. That's a group that can't be ignored.

"Hispanics make up 15 percent of the NBA's fan base -- a larger proportion than any other major U.S. professional sport," said Saskia Sorrosa, NBA senior director for U.S. Hispanic marketing. "Noche Latina is an opportunity for the league to thank these Hispanic fans for their support, while delivering the excitement of the NBA in a way that customizes their experience and celebrates the diversity of our sport."

The players also feel a responsibility to connect with those fans and encourage the development of basketball at all levels.

"Our Latino fan base is big and we want to continue to encourage them to come and support us, and make sure they feel they're a part of the game," Gasol said. "I know that we're getting more involved, and hopefully more Latino kids will come out and play the game and enjoy themselves and hopefully get to the NBA."

Najera echoed those sentiments.

"The majority of the league is African-American and Caucasian, but obviously there are other people trying to get into the league," he said. "I think the league gives everybody a chance if you have the skills and the ability to play. The more Latinos watch us, maybe the doors are opening up and they say, 'I can be in the NBA.' If not at least they can get better at the sport of basketball and become fans."

The growth of the sports internationally is reflected by the infusion of players with Latin backgrounds. That's not lost on those who grew up in the United States.

"Part of the reason they're trying to broaden their appeal now is we have a lot of people coming in from South America and Spain who are making a big impact," said Robin Lopez of Los Suns. "Gasol, Nene, [Francisco] Garcia and then [Sergio] Rodriguez; players like that have the potential to hook people from other countries into watching the NBA game.

"It just makes the game that much more fascinating, bringing in players from other parts of the globe with different styles. Leandro [Barbosa] plays like nobody I've ever seen. It's really fascinating sometimes."

Noche Latina launched during the 2006-07 season. The thinking behind the altered team names is how they would be spoken by the Latin population. The Heat become "El Heat" and the Spurs transform into "Los Spurs."

As part of the éne•bé•a initiative, Noche Latina is being supported with TV and radio advertising in English and Spanish across the country, as well as the Spanish-language Web site, NBA.com/enebea. Noche Latina merchandise is available at the NBA Store in New York City, Champs Sport, at NBAStore.com and at the arenas of the participating teams.

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can twitter

Los Naranjeros barrieron 4-0 a los Tomateros al superarlos anteanoche 3-1 en Culiacán. Juan Pablo Oramas se apuntó la victoria.

En Ciudad Obregón, los Venados se llevaron un triunfo 5-2 con buen trabajo monticular deWalter Silva. El venado Rubén Rivera produjo dos carreras.

Reunión de hermanos El “utility” Jerry Hairston Arellano está a punto de firmar por un año y alrededor de dos millones de dólares con los Padres de San Diego, acuerdo que lo reunirá con su hermano Scott, con quien jugó con la selección mexicana en el Clásico Mundial del año pasado.

Andres Cantor before departing to South Africa confirmed, “FDP will have extensive coverage of the Final Draw, including , live and exclusive interviews with all the coaches for their reaction immediately following the draw and interviews with the most important people in the world of Soccer who will be in attendance.”

Vision on or off the field: The ability to see the whole field and anticipate the next move is what separates the best from the bunch. Parties before matches are an excellent way to meet girls, but with so much to do, many guys don’t notice little things that could result in a good hook-up.

At parties, make sure you’re friendly, mingle with people and keep an eye out for all the signs, from a seductive smile to a flirtatious gaze. In a game of 90 minutes, it only takes a second to score, so always be ready for a
goal-scoring opportunity.

Due to this “NASCAR playoffs” final, Radio Caracol will broadcast its show De Regreso a Casa live from the speedway this Friday from 4 to 7pm. In addition, a series of special reports will bring all the news and excitement of the race to Carrusel Deportivo listeners on Sunday, between 3 and 7pm.

This unprecedented competition will certainly bring excitement as Miami resident Juan Pablo competes for the title, while Jimmie Johnson seeks his fourth consecutive championship, at the same time four time second place winner Mark Martin also looks for the victory. Deportes

"We would like to thank PASO and in particular, PASO President, Mario Vasquez Rana for having confidence in us and allowing us this great honor. We will work hard to stage the best Pan Am Games ever."

According to Nielsen Media Research data, the Mexico vs. El Salvador match delivered over 2 million Adults 18-49 (2,359,000) and over 3 million total viewers (Persons 2+) (3,368,000) garnering a 76% share of the Spanish-language television audience among Adults 18-49. Rumbo al Mundial was watched by more viewers in the Adults 18-49 demographic, on average, than other sporting events broadcast on other major networks, regardless of language, including Futbol Liga Mexicana, Saturday Night Football on ABC, and Home Depot College Football 2 on CBS.

The Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago match on 10/14 reached over 5.6 million total viewers and 3.75 million Adults 18-49 on the Telemundo and mun2 telecasts. *

On Telemundo, the game delivered over 1.7 million Adults 18-49 (1,751,000) and over 2.5 million total viewers (2,524,000). The match was the number one primetime program on Spanish-language broadcast TV among Men 18-49 and 18-34. During the Rumbo al Mundial match, from 8-10pm, Telemundo achieved a 42% share of Spanish among Adults 18-49 and a 54% share among Men 18-49 and 55% share in Men 18-34.

Locally, Rumbo al Mundial: Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago was the number one program in the time period across all stations in the market among Households (Persons 2+) in the NSI market Los Angeles. It was also the number one program in the time period across all stations in the market among Adults 18-49 in Los Angeles and Dallas. In the NSI markets San Francisco and Las Vegas, the match was the number one program in the time period among Spanish-language stations. The match out-delivered the October 14 ESPN 2 match featuring Costa Rica vs. USA in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Source: NTI- live+same day program average data; 10/14/09 fast national cume for three telecasts combined using 6+ minute qualifier; Local data- NSI.

Loarte will manage SBN and lead the business development efforts working with Bill Kulik, SBN president and founder as well as Sergio del Prado, SBN vice president of sales to create multi-layer marketing and content platforms for its MLB teams and sponsors. In addition, she will work with Celeritas Management and ANC Sports Enterprises, another Celeritas Management affiliated company, on various business development initiatives.

"I'm thrilled to be part of the Celeritas Management company," explained Loarte. "I'm committed to helping achieve the Celeritas mission through my leadership and experience in Hispanic sports marketing. I look forward to collaborating with the talented managers at Celeritas, SBN and ANC Sports in developing innovative and turnkey solutions for sports property owners and brands looking to connect with Hispanic audiences."

"Sara's international experience and expertise will be a valuable asset," stated Jerome Cifarelli, president and CEO of ANC Sports Enterprises. "We look forward to collaborating with her as ANC Sports explores future growth opportunities."

Loarte began her career in the sports industry with Major League Baseball and served as MLB's Director of Latin America. As MLB's highest-ranking Hispanic female, she developed the League's Latin America business plan, collaborated in the World Baseball Classic tournament plan, and helped grow the television, sponsorship and licensing business. In 2004, Loarte founded the Hispanic marketing firm, Cultiva Entertainment, where she spearheaded Cultiva's business development and relationships with multi-national clients and professional sports teams. In 2005, Cultiva acquired the Caribbean World Series tournament, and Loarte grew the television distribution to 70+ million households and successfully sold sponsor activation programs. Most recently she worked on the Hispanic marketing initiatives for the 2009 World Baseball Classic tournament that resulted in sell out crowds at MLB stadiums and record breaking merchandise sales for Latin teams. Loarte will be based in New York City. Born in Puerto Rico, she attended college at Bernard M. Baruch.

Formed in 2008, Celeritas Management seeks to invest in and build complementary businesses in the sports, entertainment and marketing services industries. Led by sports and entertainment marketing veteran Del Wilber, Celeritas Management assists companies with their growth plans through capital investment, collaboration and oversight, strategic input, and corporate resource support. Celeritas Management first acquired the Spanish Beisbol Network www.beisbol.net, a premier Spanish-language sports media broadcasting and content company in September of 2008. SBN currently has contracts with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Oakland A's, and the Caribbean World Series, plus affiliate sales relationships with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. ANC Sports Enterprises, LLC www.ancsports.com was the second company to be brought under the Celeritas Management umbrella in June of 2009. Celeritas Management is backed by affiliates of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC.

About Celeritas Management, Inc. - Based in Virginia, Celeritas Management, Inc. is a company funded by Palladium Equity Partners, LLC that acquires and builds complementary organizations in the sports, entertainment, and marketing services industries. Celeritas Management was founded with the mission of creating value by bringing together innovative assets with talented management in the sports, entertainment, and marketing fields. Driving the Celeritas Management operating approach is the strategic integration of a variety of disciplines for investment and acquisition, as well as governance and operational management. For more information on Celeritas Management, please visit its web site at www.celeritasmgmt.com

In addition to being a record breaking audience number of streams for a live game, user interaction was also at an all time high; during the game there were over 2,500 users connected in over 60 chat rooms discussing every angle of the exciting action. Upon the conclusion of the game and extending to the day after, there were an additional 144,000 streams of related content. On game day alone, Terra’s sports channel received a record 290,000 US unique users.

“In partnership with FutbolEstelar.tv, Telemundo was able to live-stream a soccer match for the first time in network history,” said Peter Blacker, Executive Vice President, Digital Media and Emerging Businesses, Telemundo. “This was the most comprehensive “360” event we have brought to Telemundo audiences, and the tremendous success of the live-stream demonstrates our ability to reach loyal viewers across all platforms.”

For advertisers, it too was an unprecedented experience. Clients received over 216,000 pre-rolls and over 2 million media units in total delivered on game day.

On the heels of this exciting success, it has been confirmed that two upcoming high-profile games will also be streamed live; Costa Rica vs. Mexico on September 5th and Mexico vs. Honduras on September 9th.
The partnership between Terra, a leading original digital content producer with a primary focus on the U.S. Hispanic experience, and Telemundo, a leading producer of innovative and high-quality content for Hispanics in the U.S. and around the world, launched in February. While the partnership offers consumers unprecedented access to premium content of the Mexican Soccer League, it also gives marketers the unique opportunity to sponsor soccer games across multiple platforms.

The United States could be in prime position for a World Cup bid with a win in Mexico City, where it has gone 0-18-1. The year was 1997, two days after Halloween, and the United States men's national soccer team put one heck of a scare into Mexico.

El Tri, as Team Mexico is known, had the greatest home-field advantage in this hemisphere -- particularly against its rival to the north. The United States never had won or even tied at Azteca Stadium, the 120,000-seat coliseum that housed raucous fans in its smog-tinged air.

``The fans turned on Mexico,'' longtime American defender Marcelo Balboa said 12 years later, still with a degree of incredulity.

``They were cheering for us. It was a completely different atmosphere,'' the National Soccer Hall of Fame member continued. ``It's probably one of the best experiences I've ever had.''

Fast-forward a dozen years, and the Americans are looking to make history again -- this time by winning in Mexico for the first time. The teams battle in a World Cup qualifier Wednesday (4 p.m., Telemundo) in a match dripping with importance for both teams.

For the Americans, motivation is three-fold: finally breaking through in Mexico City, where they are 0-18-1 lifetime; revenge for the 5-0 thrashing Mexico handed their ``B'' team in the Gold Cup final last month; and putting themselves in prime position for a World Cup bid six matches through the 10-game qualifying round.

But that's a tall order in the stadium coach Bob Bradley calls the toughest place to play in CONCACAF.

``Playing in Azteca is never just another qualifier,'' Bradley said. ``It's a date that we have had circled on our calendars for a long time.''

WORLD CUP HOPES

The United States (3-1-1) is currently second in the final-round hexagonal, with the top three nations earning automatic berths in the 2010 World Cup. The fourth-place team would need to beat the No. 5 nation out of CONMEBOL in a play-in game to get to South Africa.

Mexico (2-3-0) is currently that fourth-place team. El Tri earned just one point through its first four matches before beating Trinidad and Tobago on June 10. Three matches into the round, the team replaced coach Sven-Goran Eriksson with Javier Aguirre.

Still, Mexico is one of the most dangerous teams in the region, with players such as Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

The United States counters with its varsity squad. Led as always by Landon Donovan, who has long been the nation's all-time leader in goals and assists, the American offense showed newfound punch in teaching the Confederations Cup final back in June.

CONFIDENCE IS UP

Boca Raton's Jozy Altidore has entrenched himself in the starting lineup, and Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey have aptly held down the midfield. But the hottest player on the team might be goalkeeper Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove award as the tournament's best goalkeeper.

``We need to continue doing what we did in South Africa for a large part of the [Confederations] Cup,'' Donovan said. ``We're confident with how we're playing. We're comfortable.

Futbol de Primera radio will be on site at Azteca Stadium next Wednesday August 12, 2009 to broadcast exclusively the historic World Cup Qualifying match between Mexico and the US. FDP’s coverage will begin at 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT and the game will reach 96 radio stations (of which 36 are FM’s). Andrés Cantor will lead its World Cup Team in Mexico City which includes former Mexican icon Carlos Hermosillo who played 90 games for El Tri becoming one of its top scorer with 35 goals, José Luis “Tato” Noriega a former Mexican International, Jaime Gallardo, Eduardo Luna with Carlos Quiroz and Aldo Lara who will be the sideline reporters. At the conclusion of the match Futbol de Primera will originate its syndicated daily show live from Azteca Stadium with all post game comments and interviews.

Fútbol de Primera is the home of the most important soccer radio rights in the country, including the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and all other FIFA events and the Mexican National Team, the recently concluded Concacaf Gold Cup and FIFA Confederation’s Cup, among many other.. FDP’s Daily Show and Sunday Show, hosted by Andres Cantor, are the longest-running nationally-syndicated Spanish-language radio programs and can now be heard on over 96 radio stations throughout the US. In partnership with XM Satellite Radio for the last two years, Fútbol de Primera also produces XM Deportivo (Ch 147), the first 24-hour Spanish-language sports channel on satellite radio.

The first round of the tournament is scheduled to begin on August 4 and end on September 17. Round of 16 action will take place during the weeks of September 21, 28 and October 5. The quarterfinals are scheduled for the weeks of October 19, 26 and November 2, while the semifinals will take place between November 11-18. The two-legged finals will be on November 25 and December 2.