In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman notes Target reportedly "still is interested in renewing the naming rights it has on Target Center" that expire in September. Lifetime Fitness and South Dakota-based Sanford Health “are candidates if Target doesn't renew” (Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE, 4/4).
LOCAL FLAVOR: In Baltimore, Richard Gorelick notes yesterday was “opening day at Camden Yards for Delaware North Companies Sportservice, the Orioles' new concessionaire,” and the “big hits of the day had hometown appeal.” Lines were “steady at the new Polock Johnny's stands, corrugated-metal shacks lining the outer loop of the upper and lower concourse.” But there “were a few glitches” as well. Big Boog's was “among the concessions plagued by credit-card processing issues, which created extra-long lines at ATMs around the park.” Also, the “mood at the Free State Tavern, the third-base side counterpart to the Natty Boh Tavern, was flat in part because the two-beers-per-customer signs hadn't arrived.” Patrons heard about the rule “only after reaching the front of the line” (Baltimore SUN, 4/5).
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW: In Milwaukee, Don Walker notes the Brewers’ new 5,940-square-foot videoboard at Miller Park “features a single-screen, pure high-definition display and is the fourth-largest scoreboard” in MLB. The new HD display “has 2,358,720 pixels, giving it nearly 18 times better resolution than the old board.” The photos of players are “so sharp, you can spot the stubble on their chins.” The videoboard is “just the third true 1080 HD display in baseball, and the fifth in existence in all major U.S. sports venues.” In addition to the videoboard, the Brewers also “renovated and upgraded the sound system” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/5).
GONE PHISHING: In New York, Jeff Murray noted Watkins Glen Int'l last week confirmed that Phish “will come to the racetrack for a music festival July 1-3.” The event replaces the IndyCar weekend the track previously hosted, but Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup said that “plans for a concert were in the works even before the track lost" the series. Printup said that track officials “agreed to cap attendance at 60,000 people,” which is “smaller than the average crowd for a NASCAR race” (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 4/4).
