At a press conference yesterday, MLB and Century 21
formally unveiled the uniforms for the inaugural Century 21
"Turn Ahead the Clock" promo (see THE DAILY, 7/20), which
begins tonight in S.F. and will continue in 12 ballparks
throughout the remainder of the '99 MLB season. The effort,
which MLB Senior VP/Domestic & Int'l Properties Tim Brosnan
said is designed to attract casual fans and families to
baseball, will feature 22 teams donning futuristic hats and
jerseys. In addition to the uniforms, players will field in
futuristically-renamed positions -- SS will become the
"intermediate station" and LF will be called the "left
sector." The scoreboards will feature special effects and
sound systems will be digitally modified. The first 15,000
attendees to each of the 13 games will receive a souvenir
futuristic cap. Century 21 will auction jerseys autographed
by select players, and a portion of the proceeds will
benefit charities, including Easter Seals (MLB).
SUPPORT OF THE CENTURY: In N.Y., Stuart Elliott reports
that Century 21 is "spending about" $2.5M a year on its MLB
sponsorship and "about" 10% of its annual $45-50M marketing
budget on promos. The new uniforms were designed by MLB,
Century 21, the participating teams, Russell Athletic and
New Era. Each team will receive about 60 uniforms at a cost
of $150,000. The Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees, all "considered
to be among baseball's more tradition-minded" franchises,
are among the eight teams not participating. The promo,
helped conceived by PSP Sports VP/Marketing Steve McKelvey,
received "a test run" June 26 in Anaheim (N.Y. TIMES, 7/21).
Other teams not participating in the promo are the Blue
Jays, Rangers, Expos, Astros and Reds (THE DAILY).
