In Cincinnati, Mark Curnutte cites Bengals execs as
saying yesterday that the team's new "loyalty" clause in
their contracts "is the final sticking point" in signing
draft picks Curtis Keaton and Robert Bean. The clause "is
tied to" the players' signing bonus and a player "could lose
some or all" of the bonus if he publicly criticizes the
organization. Bengals President Mike Brown, on what the
clause covers: "Outrageous things. Not 'Joe should have
caught that ball' or 'Al shouldn't have fumbled.' That's
bad form, but it's not malicious" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER,
6/13)....In Detroit, Charles Robinson writes on the WNBA
Shock promoting the entertainment value of attending a game
versus play on the court. During a game at The Palace,
stuffed bears were given away. Robinson: "It represents
every reason promotional giveaways are hurting the WNBA. A
team can play a tremendous game and still be run out of its
own arena by a Beanie Baby. ... The Shock's season motto is
'Whatever it takes.' ... Eventually that becomes a
hindrance. ... Unfortunately, a contingent of fans out there
actually crave good basketball, not free hot dogs. There's
no way to tap that resource unless someone is willing to
show them what they're missing" (DETROIT FREE PRESS,
6/13)....In St. Paul, Gordon Wittenmyer writes that new
Twins CEO Chris Clouser "is working his way through the
organization -- literally," as he spent one-and-a-half hours
before Saturday's game working "anonymously" at two ticket
windows at the Metrodome. Tonight, Clouser plans to work as
a stadium usher and "has plans for shifts" in the fan
relations booth, the Rewards Program booth and the PA
announcer's station behind home plate (PIONEER PRESS, 6/13).
...In Calgary, Nadia Moharib writes that Molson has made a
contribution of more than C$150,000 to the Flames' season
ticket campaign. Molson "is pitching in" C$1 "from every
equivalent of a dozen Molson products sold to buy season
tickets." Molson Regional Manager Shawn Bailer: "To date,
we have contributed [C]$150,000 to the campaign." Moharib
adds that "depending on where Molson selects its seats, it's
possible the beverage company could walk away with in excess
of 200 season tickets." To date, 11,982 season tickets have
been sold. The team's goal is 14,000 by June 30 (CALGARY
SUN, 6/13)....FSN's Jim Rome, on the Wizards' possibly
hiring Univ. of Miami basketball coach Leonard Hamilton:
"What is Wizards boss Michael Jordan thinking? ... MJ is
clueless in the front office" (FSN, 6/12).
