In Pittsburgh, Bob Smizik reviews Pirates management in a three-part series, beginning with Owner Bob Nutting, who "has failed miserably in his attempt to raise the Pittsburgh Pirates from the near-dead." Smizik: "He is, in fact, a smart guy. But even smart guys make bad decisions. Nutting has one major drawback as owner of the Pirates, and it's a serious one: Not enough money. He either doesn't have the kind of money to properly run a franchise or chooses not to spend enough. It's probably a combination of both, with a lack of financing the reason for underfunding some parts of the franchise" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 4/6). In part two, Smizik profiled Pirates President Frank Coonelly, whose "work thus far has been wholly inadequate and a poor reflection on Nutting's hiring instincts" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 4/7). Smizik profiled Pirates GM Neal Huntington in part three of the series.
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New Balance to have prominent presence at
Fenway Park in new deal with Red Sox |
ADDING TO THE ROSTER: In Boston, Thomas Grillo reports the Red Sox "have added some heavy hitters to their lineup this season -- New Balance, Hyundai and Nikon are among the corporate big leaguers attaching their brand to the team and hoping to boost sales or at least get special treatment at Fenway Park." Red Sox Exec VP & COO Sam Kennedy: "The number of sponsors remained about the same this season, but our revenues are up 7 percent year over year" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/8). Also in Boston, Brendan Lynch notes ANC Sports Enterprises has installed "three new high-definition Mitsubishi outfield scoreboards" at Fenway Park. The screens, "measuring 100 feet by 38 feet, 100 feet by 17 feet and 30 feet by 16 feet," were delivered to the ballpark in February. Two ANC workers "will be in a control room near the press box behind and above home plate at Fenway" to "help run the big boards using ANC's software, called VisionSoft" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/8).
ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE: In St. Paul, Tom Powers reports the Twins are "trying to fine-tune the experience" at Target Field. Twins President Dave St. Peter: "We can always do better. We've made some enhancements. We've added the new video board. We're trying to cut the wait time at the concessions. We've added more radiant heat. We expect a few more chilly nights, and we want as many fans as possible to have access to radiant heat" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/8).
