In Milwaukee, Bill Glauber cites a Public Policy Polling survey as stating that Brewers LF Ryan Braun's "favorability plummeted to 15% in September" among Wisconsin voters, compared to 39% who "viewed him unfavorably." Braun in February '12 "was viewed favorably by 59% and unfavorably by 7%." Former NFLer Brett Favre "is now viewed favorably by 50% of those polled and unfavorably by 28%," nearly the "reverse of what a December 2010 poll found." Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has a favorability rating of 75%, though that is "down from when the Packers were riding high in Nov. 2011 and Rodgers' favorability reached 89%." The poll of 1,180 Wisconsin voters was conducted Sept. 13-16 and the margin of error was plus or minus 2.9% (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/20).
I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE: Biotech firm Amgen on Thursday announced that it has renewed its title sponsorship of the Tour of California pro cycling event, a designation it has held since the race's inception in '06. The renewed deal will build on Breakaway from Cancer, a national initiative aiming to increase awareness of certain resources available to those affected by cancer. Other returning partners for the event are Champion System, 10 Speed Coffee, Bissell, Carmichael Training Systems, Crunchies Natural Snacks, Michelob Ultra, SRAM and ZD Wines (THE DAILY).
THE IDEAL PITCHMAN? In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes Mets P Matt Harvey's "rate of compensation could not possibly be commensurate with the recognition he provided" for Qualcomm during his interview on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday, as the company "wasn’t exactly on the tip of anyone’s tongue." Harvey was "just following industry standards." In his role as a "paid spokesman, he was putting Qualcomm’s best interests ahead of Patrick’s radio agenda" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/20). Harvey on Thursday called back to "The Dan Patrick Show" to apologize for his initial interview and said that he "didn’t mean to make Qualcomm sound bad." Harvey: "That wasn't me at all. The interview I gave you was completely awkward and it's not the person that I am" ("The Dan Patrick Show," 9/19).
RUNNER'S WORLD: In Baltimore, Alexander Pyles wrote although Under Armour will no longer be the title sponsor of the Baltimore Marathon going forward, the company "has signed a multi-year deal with Corrigan Sports Enterprises Inc., which organizes the running festival, to be the official race-themed apparel and footwear provider." Race participants "have received Under Armour shirts" since '03 (BALTIMORESUN.com, 9/19).
