Interleague play over the weekend brought some record
crowds in major MLB markets. Among the noteworthy:
SUBWAY SERIES': The four-game Mets-Yankees series,
which included one make-up game at Yankee Stadium, drew a
total of 218,404. Last night's game at Shea Stadium drew
54,000, the "biggest crowd at Shea Stadium in 30 years"
(N.Y. POST, 7/10). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Buster Olney reports
that tensions ran so high between the two teams after P
Roger Clemens hit C Mike Piazza with a pitch Saturday night
that the Mets barred Yankee players yesterday from Shea
Stadium's workout room and cancelled plans to have All-Stars
from both teams share a charter to Atlanta (N.Y. TIMES,
7/10). ...Meanwhile, in Chicago, the White Sox-Cubs series
drew 116,751 over three games at Wrigley Field (THE DAILY).
REDS' BIG WEEKEND: In Cincinnati, Chris Haft reports
that the Reds established "a franchise attendance record for
a three-game series" in hosting the Indians. Sunday's crowd
of 51,181 "pushed the series total" to 159,065, topping the
previous mark of 152,565 from September 6-8, 1974 against
the Dodgers. For total attendance, the Reds are 405,749
ahead of last year's pace (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/10).
After 45 home dates, the Reds have sold 353,495 more tickets
than last year, resulting in around an extra $4M in revenue
(CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/9). Meanwhile, on Friday, the Reds
formally announced that Great American Insurance company has
obtained naming rights to the team's new ballpark, scheduled
to open in 2003. The team "confirmed" that the deal is for
$75M over 30 years (see THE DAILY, 7/3). Reds Majority
Owner Carl Lindner said that the team had "taken an
important financial step with the new revenue." Lindner:
"I'd say the team is on a firm footing. You have to look at
it in relation to the size of the city." Reds COO John
Allen said the deal would include Great American signs
outside the ballpark and around the scoreboard. Great
American also will get marketing and media promotional
rights, which Allen said are still being negotiated
(CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/8). Also in Cincinnati, Randy
Tucker reported on the Reds' African-American fan base. A
'99 study by Simmons Market Research showed that nationwide,
blacks account for about 12% of the population, but they
make up "only" 7.5% of fans at MLB games, 9.2% at NFL games
and 14.7% at NBA games. Tucker wrote that in Cincinnati,
where African-Americans make up about 40% of the city's
population, "relatively few black faces can be seen in the
stands during any Reds game." Reds Marketing Dir Rob
Butcher said that the team does not target specific groups
with its promos and is "no better or worse than the rest of
the league" when it comes to attracting non-whites
(CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/9).
TWINS: In Minneapolis, La Velle Neal reports on the
Twins re-signing P Brad Radke to a four-year, $36M deal.
Twins President Jerry Bell said that team Owner Carl Pohlad
"has decided to spend some of the money he receives" in
MLB's revenue sharing on players. In addition to the $15M
in projected revenue sharing for next season, Bell said that
the "potential of shared Internet money" encouraged the
Twins to sign Radke and raise the team's payroll. Bell:
"The range (of Internet income) is so big it is hard to know
for sure right now. If games are telecast on the Internet,
it could be huge, because they could go around the whole
world. [The potential] is just huge, probably in the
billions." One club exec said the Twins, with revenues of
"around" $50M last season, broke even (STAR TRIBUNE, 7/10).
