MLB celebrated its 70th All-Star Game last night at
Fenway Park, and the event was highlighted with the pregame
introduction of 31 players who had been selected to be among
MLB's 100 greatest players, followed by Ted Williams
throwing out the first pitch. In DC, Thomas Boswell writes,
"Baseball intended to hold its final all-star game of the
20th century last night in Fenway Park. Instead, by a
blessed serendipity, the evening came very close to summing
up the entire century of baseball" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/14).
In Phoenix, Dan Bickley calls it "a night for the ages"
(ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/14). In Miami, Mike Phillips writes
the pregame ceremonies "gave us one of the game's sweetest
moments in recent memory" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/14). In Boston,
Dan Shaughnessy writes, "So there you have it. Boston
pulled it off. .... In a city where it's easier to fix an
election than a pothole, the All-Star festival played out
almost perfectly" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/14).
PARTNERS HAPPY: CNBC's "Power Lunch" was held at Fenway
Park yesterday and focused on the business of MLB. MLB
Senior VP Tim Brosnan: "The game is way back. Ours is the
best game in America. It's the best game around the world.
If we keep the game on the field, fans are emotionally
connected ... and they'll love it if we let them." Hasbro
Chair & CEO Alan Hassenfeld said that MLB is "beginning to
work with us on a concept called 'Children's Day,'" and the
league "has been sensational." CNBC's Bill Griffeth asked
Fleet Financial Chair & CEO Terrence Murray whether the
company's MLB sponsorship is "a smart marketing ploy" or if
it "is just Terry Murray's love" of the game. Murray: "I
think it's a little of both, but hopefully more the former.
We're close to baseball as a bank. We have relationships
with over a dozen teams. ... It's a natural extension of a
marketing and advertising program" ("Power Lunch," 7/13).
NOTES FROM THE FENS: MLB announced that 105,363
attended the FanFest at the Hynes Convention Center, setting
a FanFest record for an indoor facility. Also, over 25,000
attended Monday's session, setting a record for Monday
attendance (THE DAILY)....MasterCard and MLB officially
kicked off their All-Century Team promotion. Voting runs
through September 10 and the team will be announced before
Game One of the World Series (Mult., 7/13). While Pete Rose
and Joe Jackson have been banned by MLB, they are eligible
to be on the team. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig: "Their
official status has nothing to do with the selection of the
All-Century team. They're great players and they're
entitled to be on the ballot" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/14)...Selig
sat in front of former Commissioner Fay Vincent during the
game, and the AP's Josh Dubow writes that Selig "has tried
to patch up their relationship in the past year" (AP,
7/14)....The City of Boston and John Hancock Cos. held a
free public simulcast of the All-Star Game at the city's
downtown plaza. One source involved in the event's planning
said the cost "ran into six figures" for the insurance
company. An estimated 40,000 people attended the event
(BOSTON HERALD, 7/14). MLB officials "already have indicated
it probably will be added to the Atlanta venue next year"
(BOSTON HERALD, 7/14)....Final scalper prices for last
night's game ran from $750 for bleacher seats to "roughly"
$1,100 for seats closer to the field (BOSTON HERALD, 7/14).
MLB WORLD CUP? MLB Exec VP/Operations Sandy Alderson
said MLB could stage its own World Cup sometime between the
2000 and 2004 Summer Games. Alderson: "I wouldn't want to
be held to that time frame, but there's significant interest
among owners to do this" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/12).
