Cincinnati's Kroger grocery store chain ordered Ken
Griffey Jr. T-shirts "even before he announced his new
contract" with the Reds. The company "placed a contingency
order with its supplier for several hundred" Griffey T-
shirts the "day before" his contract was announced. While
the stores will initially only carry T-shirts, it could
expand its "merchandise mix," depending on demand
(CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/15)....ESPN placed second behind A&E
in a survey by the Myers Group asking ad execs to evaluate
the interactive TV efforts of 48 broadcast and cable network
brands in terms of "relevance, effective communication and
fulfillment of expectations" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/15)....NJ-based
sports medicine company Becton Dickinson has signed a three-
year deal to become an official supplier of MLS and its 12
teams (MLS)....FedEx has "temporarily pulled" its ad
featuring the Wizard of Oz munchkins "inhaling helium" that
ran during the Super Bowl, after it "received several
complaints" from individuals and from the National Inhalant
Prevention Coalition (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/15).
