In New Jersey, Melanie Anzidei reports local sporting goods stores like Modell's and Sports Authority "were buzzing with Mets fans Thursday" after the team clinched its first pennant in 15 years. The Modell's stores in Woodland Park, Clifton and Paramus, N.J., "opened their doors late Wednesday night as soon as the Mets beat the Cubs." Clifton-based Modell's Assistant Manager Andy Heiser said of Wednesday night, "We had a line outside our door before we opened." Modell’s Sporting Goods Marketing & PR Manager Jason Karlowski said that the locker-room T-shirt that the Mets wore after clinching "is expected to be one of the most popular Mets items." Other "big hits" include jerseys for P Jacob deGrom and 2B Daniel Murphy (Bergen RECORD, 10/23).
AN IMPROBABLE FORMULA: In Austin, John Maher reports coffee chain Alaska Coffee Roasting Co. will have "some patches" on the suit and helmet of American F1 driver Alexander Rossi at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. While many F1 sponsorships "are calculated business decisions and frequently short-lived," Alaska Coffee Roasting Co. Founder Michael Gesser’s support for Rossi’s career "has been about following a nearly impossible dream of getting onto the starting grid" of F1. Gesser said of Rossi, who is the only American in the series, "I have been with him since he was 11 years old and in a go-kart. It has been quite a slog" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23).
THE MONSTER MASH: ESPN’s Michael Smith noted Texas A&M will wear “Light Up The Night” adidas uniforms for its football game against South Carolina on Halloween, as the helmets "glow in the dark." However, the game is scheduled for a 11:00am CT kickoff, and Smith asked, "How do you plan on lighting up the night?” ESPN’s Jemele Hill: “They’re going to wear glow-in-the-dark uniforms to an 11:00 start? Am I the only one confused by this?” ("His & Hers,” ESPN2, 10/21). In Austin, Suzanne Halliburton reported the uniforms in fact work in the daylight. She wrote, "All it takes is a flash, although it’s unclear how powerful the flashes need to be to see the best effect" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23).
