As of 10:00am ET yesterday, The Sports Authority (TSA)
in Farmington, CT, "was shipping" all Mets merchandise to
TSA stores in N.Y., where shelves "had been stripped in a
matter of hours," according to Silverman & Kauffman of the
HARTFORD COURANT. TSA sales exec Woody Stark: "We sold over
$3,000 in Mets merchandise in our Queens, New York, stores
Wednesday." SGMA Dir of Communications Michael May said the
Subway Series will be a big boost to licensed merchandise
sales: "We've never had something this big before. We're
going into uncharted waters here" (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/19).
Some sports stores in N.Y. were "doing five times their
normal business" yesterday. The Modell's store near Grand
Central Terminal opened at 6:30am ET and "already, there
were people ... lined at the door" (N.Y. POST, 10/19).
NBR's Susie Gharib, on merchandise sales: "There's been a
mad rush all day long to buy the official 'Subway Series' T-
shirt. [One] retailer sold out its first batch of ...
shirts and hats shortly after opening this morning.
Meanwhile, New York street vendors aren't wasting any time.
They're already selling ... knockoffs" ("NBR," 10/18).
TOP(PS) SHELF: N.Y.-based Topps will be producing a
special boxed set commemorating the Subway Series to be
released in early December. The planned 100-card set will
feature 50 player cards -- Mets and Yankees 25-man World
Series rosters -- two managers, an ALCS and NLCS MVP, one
World Series MVP and 45 playoff/World Series highlights.
Additionally, each boxed set, which will include design
elements from both the No. 4 and No. 7 trains, will feature
a special insert containing a N.Y.C. subway token (Topps).
SPECIAL EDITIONS: SI printed two special N.Y. editions
of this week's issue commemorating the Subway Series. SI
reprinted the October 23 issue -- which went to print on
Monday evening and features Raiders QB Rich Gannon -- with
two separate covers and the same additional editorial
content on the Subway Series matchup in each. Over 100,000
of the special N.Y. editions will appear on newsstands in
the N.Y. DMA by this morning. This marks only the second
time that SI has gone back to print on a current issue. In
September '98, SI went back to print after Cardinals 1B Mark
McGwire hit his 62nd home run to set a MLB record (SI). The
covers were featured on "Live! With Regis" today (10/19).
TICKETS, ANYONE? In N.Y., Clemente Lisi cite ticket
brokers and Internet-based sellers as saying that the
"demand for ducats is so high that anyone hoping to score
choice seats will need to dish out as much as" $5,000 per
game for Games One and Two. Tickets are selling from $1,500
to $4,500 for box seats and $800 for higher level seats
(N.Y. POST, 10/19). NEWSDAY's Melanie Lefkowitz writes that
the face value of tickets range from $50-160, but tickets
posted on several Internet auction sites yesterday "ranged
as high as" $2,000 each (NEWSDAY, 10/19). BLOOMBERG's
Soshnick, Coates & Crasnick write that if all season-ticket
holders "exercise the right" to buy their tickets for the
World Series, that "would leave about" 17,000 tickets
available to the public for each game. With about nine
million people in the area, it is "not surprising that
brokers and scalpers could get rich" (BLOOMBERG, 10/19).
N.Y. STORIES: Howard Rubenstein, spokesperson for
Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner, said, "George is treating
the Mets' ownership royally. He's giving them 10 seats next
to their team dugout, plus an executive box upstairs" (N.Y.
POST, 10/19)....Although "no specific threats have been made
against the city, local officials vowed yesterday to be
prepared in the event the upcoming Subway Series becomes a
potential target for terrorists" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/19).
BAHA MEN ON ABC: The Baha Men appeared on this
morning's "GMA" and performed "Who Let The Dogs Out?"
Drummer Moe Grant was asked by ABC's Charles Gibson if he
knows the group is "alienating half the city" of N.Y. by
releasing a remake titled "Who Let The Mets Out?" Grant
said there was "no harm intended," but he has been a Mets
fan for years. The group will also perform at Shea Stadium
during the Series. Mets 1B Todd Zeile also appeared on the
show and spoke with Gibson ("GMA," ABC, 10/19).
HONK IF YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH OF RUDY: On the "Late Show,"
N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani offered the "Top Ten Cool Things
About Having The World Series In New York." No. 10) We're
going to add a Mike Piazza-style mustache to the Statue of
Liberty. No. 8) Regardless of who wins, it's just great to
sit in the stands and watch sweaty guys hug each other. No.
2) It's so exciting, even people who just moved here and are
now running for the Senate can enjoy it. No. 1) More
business for the city's illegal knock-off T-shirt factories.
Meanwhile, the "Late Show" offered its baseball quiz: The
most expensive T-shirt at Shea Stadium is: A) All-cotton B)
Embroidered C) Bulletproof; Fans stop at this concession
stand when they want: A) A bottle of beer B) A can of soda
C) Something to throw at the opposing team; A baseball
enthusiast is wondering: A) When the game will be over B)
Whether we'll have a Subway Series C) Why his "hot dog" has
a long, thin, hairless tail ("Late Show," CBS, 10/18).
