The MLB Rangers' signing of SS Alex Rodriguez has
"spurred sales for game tickets and A-Rod merchandise,"
according to team officials cited by Jason Trahan of the
ARLINGTON MORNING NEWS. Rangers execs estimate that '01
ticket sales "could surpass" the team's previous sales
record following the '96 season, the first time the team
made the playoffs. Rangers VP/Ticket Sales Brian Byrnes
said that on Saturday, the Rangers sold 360 ticket plans,
including 36 full-season packages and 324 partial-season
packages. Trahan wrote that in the "five days following the
Rodriguez deal, Byrnes' staff has processed more than" 1,500
ticket orders. Byrnes: "We've sold the equivalent of more
than 800 full-season tickets this week" (ARLINGTON MORNING
NEWS, 12/17). In Ft. Worth, T.R. Sullivan reported that the
as of Friday, the Rangers had sold 640 full-season tickets
"in the five days since" news of the Rodriguez deal. The
team has sold 1,131 new full-season tickets this off season.
As of January 8, 2000, the team had sold 78 new season
tickets for last season (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/16).
HOW IT PLAYS IN TX: In Boston, Ron Borges cited the
Dallas Morning News Web site as stating that the "most read
story" last Tuesday, the day after the Rodriguez deal, was
one on "oft-concussed" Cowboys QB Troy Aikman's future, and
the "fourth-most read story" was the Cowboys notebook.
Meanwhile, the "eighth-most read story, trailing four on the
Cowboys, was the one" on Rodriguez (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/17).
NHL OWNERS WATCH HICKS: CBS SportsLine's Keith Gave
wrote that Rangers/Stars Owner Tom Hicks "strikes fear among
NHL teams who fear he'll do something similar [to his
Rodriguez deal] next season with several prized free agents
expected to be available" (CBS SportsLine, 12/17).
