YANKEES SIGN CORPORATE SPONSORS FOR SUBWAY SERIES WITH METS

          Corporate sponsorship of the Yankees-Mets interleague
     series on June 16-18 is examined by Judy Temes in CRAIN'S
     NEW YORK BUSINESS.  The Yankees have signed a "one-of-a-
     kind, lucrative sponsorship deal" with the New York
     Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), which is spending "close to
     $200,000 on the promotion."  NYMEX will receive 1,000 free
     tickets, its logo on all promotional material and on-air
     mentions, plus the chance for NYMEX Chair Dan Rappaport to
     throw out the first pitch.  The exchange "beat out three
     major corporate contenders for the sponsorship in what the
     Yankees say is the first deal of its kind."  NYC-based
     sporting goods store Modell's is also spending more than
     $600,000 for sponsorship of the series.  CRAIN's Temes
     writes that some marketers "complain" that interleague
     sponsorship "could have been even better, if the interleague
     schedule had been released earlier by MLB."  The
     "controversy surrounding" interleague play delayed MLB's
     schedule by 30-60 days (CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS, 6/9).