Coast to Coast

PGA Tour caddies will don
Bridgestone bibs through 2014
at Firestone Country Club.

AKRON, OHIO
Bridgestone will drive through 2014
Bridgestone reached an agreement in principal to extend its title sponsorship of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational through 2014. Additionally, the PGA Tour and Bridgestone reached a five-year marketing partnership in which Bridgestone will continue to serve as the official tire of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS
Cowboys open stadium doors to public
The Dallas Cowboys held an open house at their new stadium to show appreciation to Arlington residents who voted in 2004 to help pay for part of the facility, according to a report in The Dallas Morning News. The attendees had access to the main concourse and seating areas and were allowed to take pictures. Parking and stadium access was free, and concession stands were open.

ATLANTA
Braves welcome classic cars
The Atlanta Braves and AutoTrader Classics are inviting classic car owners to Turner Field on Aug. 23 for Octane in the Outfield. A pregame car show featuring fans’ automobiles will take place until noon, with prizes available in five categories. Winners will be allowed to drive their vehicles around the field before the first pitch at the Braves’ game against the Florida Marlins.

BOSTON
Fans to get ‘concierge’ hospital services
The Boston Celtics and New England Baptist Hospital are offering season-ticket holders a special “concierge” service at the hospital, according to a report in the Boston Herald. The Celtics sent letters to their Courtside Club ticket holders this month to roll out the initiative.

City wants Fenway’s open bars to end
Boston city regulators plan to order the Boston Red Sox to stop offering an open bar as part of $1,000-and-up packages for some of Fenway Park’s most coveted seats, according to a report in The Boston Globe. The team removed mentions of the open bars from its official Web site. The commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1984 banned free drinks, reduced-price drinks, and open bars at all public drinking establishments, according to the report.

EVANSTON, ILL.
Harris Bank partners with Wildcats
Harris Bank has become the official banking and investment partner of Northwestern University Athletics. The multiyear partnership will support the overall operations of the athletic department at Northwestern as well as the university’s student athletes.

Game tickets bought from the customized
truck will not incur service charges.

HOUSTON
Fans put Biggio’s hit atop ballpark list
Craig Biggio’s 3,000th career hit was recognized by fans as the top moment in Minute Maid Park history in a pregame ceremony prior to the Aug. 3 Giants-Astros game. The first 10,000 fans attending the game received a DVD of Fox Sports Houston’s telecast of the Biggio 3,000th hit game from June 28, 2007.

LOS ANGELES
Snoop takes the wheel for Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers launched the club’s first mobile ticketing unit last week, and fans can purchase tickets from the Dodgers Ticket Truck without incurring a service charge. Long Beach native Snoop Dogg took the truck on its inaugural drive at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers have also partnered with the popular rap artist in the “This is My Town” billboard advertising campaign that can be seen throughout greater Los Angeles.

Dodgers cooking up hot dog promos
The Los Angeles Dodgers will give away a Dodger Dog to every fan attending their Sept. 14 home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The team also plans to hold a hot dog eating contest, and the fan who can eat 10 hot dogs the fastest will win seat upgrades and passes to take batting practice on the field, according to the report.

MANKATO, MINN.
Vikings see rise in camp attendance, gear
Minnesota Vikings executives have been pleased with fan turnout and merchandise sales at the team’s training camp at Minnesota State University-Mankato, according to a report in the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. Attendance at the camp is reportedly up 60 percent over last year and sales of Vikings-related items are up 50 percent.

PHILADELPHIA
Flyers reach agreement with ECHL Wings
The Philadelphia Flyers reached a minor league affiliation agreement with the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings of the ECHL for the 2009-10 season. The Wings will replace the Mississippi Sea Wolves, who served as the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate for the 2008-09 season.

Eagles’ new event attracts 31,000
The Philadelphia Eagles hosted a new event for fans, called Eagles Flight Night, on Aug. 2 at Lincoln Financial Field. More than 31,000 people turned out for the event, which featured a full-contact practice, a fireworks show and appearances by Eagles alumni. Flight Night was created to replace the annual Eagles Carnival and Auction as the team’s fundraiser for its Eagles Youth Partnership. Ticket prices ranged from $10 to $45.

PHOENIX
D-Backs hold prices, add options
The Arizona Diamondbacks will keep season-ticket prices flat for the 2010 season while also offering added-value options to season-ticket holders in select premium seating locations. The team also is guaranteeing priority for all season-ticket holders to purchase tickets to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game at Chase Field and to games at the new spring training facility when it opens in 2011.

PITTSBURGH
Panthers will wear Nike in new deal
The University of Pittsburgh reached a multiyear deal with Nike, which will now outfit each of the school’s 19 sports teams with footwear, apparel and equipment. The school previously had an apparel agreement with Adidas.

The Globetrotters’ mascot dropped in
with a special gift for the Basketball
Hall of Fame.

SACRAMENTO
WNBA, PGA of America plan event
Sacramento is one of the eight sites picked so far for a partnership between the PGA of America and the WNBA that seeks to expand the game of golf. The Game Day Experiences promotion provides free golf instruction from local professionals from the PGA and the LPGA at selected WNBA games. The Sacramento promotion is Sept. 10 at Arco Arena.

SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
Globie ’chutes with out-of-this-world ball
Globie, the Harlem Globetrotters mascot, parachuted from an airplane Aug. 6 above the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and presented the hall with the team’s signature red, white and blue ball. The ball accompanied NASA’s Atlantis shuttle crew on its 11-day mission in May to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

SYRACUSE, N.Y.
Senator backs first AHL outdoor game
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., was in downtown Syracuse on Aug. 3 at the War Memorial at Oncenter to field questions and discuss the possibility of holding the first AHL outdoor game at the State Fairgrounds. The Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated that the Syracuse Crunch home game would pump $1 million in tourism revenue into the local economy.