Winter X Games 15 drew a record four-day total of 114,200 spectators at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo., surpassing the previous Winter X record of 85,100 set in Mount Snow, Vt., in '01. Saturday's crowd of 41,800 was an all-time single-day record, and the event also featured record Thursday (15,400) and Sunday (33,400) attendance figures (ESPN). Buttermilk has hosted a total of 705,950 spectators in 10 years of hosting (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 1/31). 

Pizza Hut today will announce that it has sold its 30-second Super Bowl ad slot back to Fox and "will not advertise" during the Feb. 6 game telecast. The chain instead "will focus its efforts mostly on pre-game advertising," according to Pizza Hut VP/Marketing Kurt Kane. The brand is "returning to its more traditional strategy of stacking its commercials before the game" (USA TODAY, 1/31).

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has purchased two 60-second spots during the game, and top execs will "share details on Coke's advertising plans" today in a webcast (AJC.com, 1/28).

Martin Luther King III is "uniting with some heavy hitters" looking to buy into the Mets. The group also includes former Mets player Ed Kranepool, entrepreneur Donn Clendenon Jr., Vobile President of Cable & Sports Larry Meli and a "number of unnamed deep-pocketed investors." King is reportedly "scheduled to come to New York this week to set up a meeting with the Wilpons," who are looking to sell up to 25%. But Meli said that his group is "looking to purchase at least 50 percent" (N.Y. POST, 1/31).

Meanwhile, Georgi Vodka Co. Owner Martin Silver held a Saturday news conference to "express his interest in buying at least a piece of the club" (NEWSDAY, 1/30). Also, Glaceau Founder Mike Repole said of owning part of the team, "It definitely is something that interests me, definitely something that intrigues me, and I want to have a meeting with them" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30).

Sources indicated that the Mets will host the '13 MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field. The decision "isn't being characterized as 'official,'" but "plans are already in the works." The team has not hosted the All-Star Game since '64, the "longest drought of any franchise" (SI.com, 1/29). One baseball official said that an official announcement "may not come for a few months" (ESPNNEWYORK.com, 1/30).

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a press conference before Saturday’s All-Star SuperSkills Competition said a league-wide survey of injuries from this season showed an overall increase in concussions. Bettman said concussions caused by fighting and "inadvertent contact" have risen substantially, while concussions caused by blind-side hits to the head – made illegal last year by the league's controversial Rule 48 – have decreased. Sources said the BOG will likely decide whether or not to add more teeth to the rule at the springtime meeting.

Bettman also touched on several proposed team sales and other franchise issues. See today’s issue of THE DAILY for more from his press conference and complete All-Star weekend coverage.

ESPN eclipsed a significant cable-industry milestone this month, passing the 100 million home distribution mark for the first time, according to February numbers from Nielsen. ESPN becomes the 11th cable channel to pass the 100 million mark. It now has 100.002 million homes; ESPN2 is in 99.904 million homes, ESPNews is in 73.454 million homes, and ESPNU is in 72.550 million homes.

TBS has the biggest distribution footprint of all cable networks with 101.033 million homes. TNT also is above the 100 million home mark, with 100.407 million.

Sporting News Today each day this week will publish special Super Bowl editions. Beginning today, 10-20 pages of additional Super Bowl-related content, including daily video, photo galleries, game analysis and reports from the event social scene in Dallas, will appear before the regular national edition of the digital daily magazine. The Super Bowl content, sponsored exclusively by Pepsi Max, will be in addition to supplemental local material in select markets developed in partnership with Comcast SportsNet. Sporting News is owned by American City Business Journals, parent company of THE DAILY and SportsBusiness Journal.

Twins Exec Dir of Public Affairs Kevin Smith said that official attendance for the team's three-day TwinsFest fan event was 25,000, "which is where the team capped ticket sales." The event was held Friday-Sunday at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/31). 

The Pirates drew a record three-day attendance of 16,839 for PirateFest, "up 1,441 from a year ago." The previous attendance record was 15,980 in '07 (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/31).

The Brewers' On Deck fan event yesterday drew a record crowd of 11,299 at Frontier Airlines Center. That "easily eclipsed" the previous mark of 10,600, which was set last year (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/31).

The Orioles drew "more than 10,000" fans to the Baltimore Convention Center for their FanFest on Saturday (MLB.com, 1/29).  

Bears VP Tim McCaskey died yesterday after a 17-month battle with cancer, the team said. McCaskey was the second oldest of Ed and Virginia McCaskey's children. He joined the Bears in '93, and his "initial role was to spearhead the team's efforts to get a new stadium built." Hiring McCaskey was also a means for his brother, Bears Chair Michael McCaskey, to "concentrate more on football matters" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/31).