MLB hoping Cuba can play in WBC

The news blackout of business announcements related to the upcoming World Baseball Classic can be boiled down to one word: Cuba. Both Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are seeking to have the U.S. Treasury Department reverse a December ruling that barred Cuba, largely ...

Tags: Other News

Baseball hits the road to drum up business

Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter can’t help but be amused when he sees other MLB clubs embarking in winter caravans to meet fans, deepen regional ties and drum up ticket sales. The Twins are in the midst of a mammoth, four-state, 52-city tour covering 11 days, dwarfing three- an ...

Tags: Marketing and Sponsorship

Less-than-legendary year for Hall of Fame

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is projecting attendance to stay essentially flat in 2006 as it wrestles with changing dynamics in the museum industry and the lack of a megawatt-star inductee this year. Museum executives, in New York last week to announce new inductee Bruce ...

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MSpot bringing sports talk from around the country to mobile phon ...

MSpot, a California-based wireless entertainment company, will introduce a battery of sports radio offerings this week for mobile phone users. The radio content, including shows from Sporting News Radio and sports talk statio ...

Google gets in the game with NBA

Google Inc., perhaps the most ubiquitous brand name on the Internet, is making its first entry into the sports world through a video download deal with the NBA. The new Google Video Store, located at video.google.com and announced last week at the International Consumer Electronics S ...

Tags: E-Sports

Next for iPod: NHL and NASCAR

The sports industry’s fascination with the new video iPod has turned into a full rush of dealmaking, with the NHL and NASCAR close to reaching agreements with Apple Computer Inc. for video downloading. ESPN and ABC Sports an ...

Tags: E-Sports

MLB clubs attacking their sales challenges

The winter is a time of transition around Major League Baseball. Here is a look at seven teams facing a busy offseason: Arizona Diamondbacks 2005 attendance, MLB rank: 2.06 million, 20th Key sales issues: Reversing three-year attendance slide; convincing fans last y ...

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Ballpark controversy in D.C. refuses to take a holiday

Both Major League Baseball and the Washington, D.C., Council are officially shut down this week for the holidays, but each side is still scrambling to save a once-certain stadium deal for the Washington Nationals that has devolved into chaos. A decisive showdown is now set for early ...

Kasten opens firm to further fan wireless options at venues

Former Atlanta sports executive Stan Kasten has formed a new sports marketing company aiming to establish a niche in wireless applications for stadium and arena operators. In-venue text messaging creates opportunities for sponsorship ties for ...

Fiscal turnaround fuels Jays’ spending

The Toronto Blue Jays, just two years ago awash in red ink and facing an uncertain future, have repositioned themselves for a remarkable economic recovery. The club made the biggest headlines at Major League Baseball’s recent Winter Meetings in Dallas by signing pitchers B.J. Ryan and A. ...

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