A "police crackdown on counterfeit World Series wear
hit a grand slam" Saturday with a "raid on a high-tech
Brooklyn factory jammed with about" $1M worth of "illicit
merchandise," according to NYPD officials cited by Alice
McQuillan of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Authorities found 7,000
shirts with the Yankees championship logo and 8,000
"knockoffs of brands" like Fubu, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and
Disney. NYPD Detective James Fogarty, on the
counterfeiters: "Somehow, they had a master computer disk
that [MLB] only supplies to licensees" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS,
10/29). On Long Island, Melanie Lefkowitz reports that the
seized merchandise had a "street value of about" $370,000
and a retail value "closer to" $1M. The warehouse also had
about $500,000 worth of counterfeiting equipment (NEWSDAY,
10/30). MLB General Counsel Ethan Orlinksy said that while
"all licensed merchandise has a hologram sticker with the
2000 World Series logo," counterfeit goods "often have slit
labels" (AP, 10/29). In N.Y., Larry Celona reports that the
counterfeiters had "plans to sell" the goods "illegally" at
the Yankees' victory parade today (N.Y. POST, 10/30).
TO THE MAX: In N.Y., Chrisena Coleman reports that pop
artist Peter Max "got an urgent call" from MLB execs last
Wednesday, asking him if he would "design an official
poster" for the Series and "could he do it in 24 hours."
The posters and collectibles Max created include "painted
baseball bats and a brightly colored baseball mounted to
canvas," and their prices range from $35-$5,000. MLB Exec
VP Tim Brosnan said that the league "wanted artworks that
would become keepers." Max said that "creating for the
World Series was special because it was the first time MLB
named an official artist" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/30).
SERIES MARKETING NOTES: In N.Y., David Seifman cited
sources as saying that N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani "wants to
put his pen where his mouth is by composing a book about his
lifelong love affair" with the Yankees (N.Y. POST, 10/28).
Giuliani said that he has "no problem with kids taking a day
off from school" to attend today's parade. Giuliani: "I get
in trouble for this every year" (AP, 10/29)....In NJ,
Stancavish & Lynn wrote under the header, "Subway Series
Gives Business A Hit, Not A Homer." Sales at the Modell's
in Paramus, NJ, "rose an estimated" 20% during the Series.
Meanwhile, Yankees merchandise "outsold the Mets" 60% to 40%
at O'Shea's Sporting Goods in Bergenfield (Bergen RECORD,
10/28)....David Elenko, assistant manager at Modell's in
Roosevelt Field, said that by Friday afternoon, more than
3,000 people had been in the store, and two trucks had
"already stopped by to deliver inventory" (NEWSDAY,
10/28)....MLB runs a full-page ad in today's N.Y. TIMES,
congratulating the Yankees (N.Y. TIMES, 10/30).
