ESPN's Chris Berman opened the network's coverage of
last night's "Century 21 ESPN Home Run Derby" by saying, "We
are in Hotlanta, and we mean that literally for the Century
21 Home Run Derby." Century 21 had signage behind home
plate and along the outfield wall. ESPN's graphics
depicting the rules and scores identified Century 21.
During the first commercial break, Century 21 ran a 30-
second spot, followed by a 1:00 spot and three more 30-
second spots throughout the rest of the 2:20 broadcast.
Sammy Sosa's "Home Run Derby" victory also earned Morris, MN
native Dennis Orvedahl a $250,000 home from Century 21.
Orvedahl said of Sosa, "He's the king" (ESPN, 7/10).
Orvedahl was interviewed on CBS's "The Early Show" today
wearing a Century 21 golf shirt (CBS, 7/11).
ARE ATLANTA COMPANIES STAYING ON THE BENCH? In Atlanta,
Maria Saporta writes that the city's "corporate flavor at
tonight's All-Star Game will be understated," and "part of
the reason for limited Atlanta involvement" is MLB's
corporate sponsor roster. Saporta: "Because Pepsi is the
cola sponsor, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. is not
devoting much attention to the game." Coca-Cola PR Manager
Scott Williamson said, "It's certainly fair to say that we
haven't made a big deal about it." Also, Atlanta-based UPS
is not an official sponsor, as the USPS has that
designation. Bank of America-MidSouth President James
Lientz said, "We would have been interested in further
participation [in the All-Star Game], but because of [MLB's]
prior arrangement with Fleet, we were limited in what we
could do" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/11).
