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Coast to Coast

BOSTON
Ortiz relaunches Big Papi’s salsa

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz relaunched his Big Papi’s Kitchen Fresh Salsa, touting a more health-conscious, all-natural fresh salsa, according to a Boston Herald report. The new product — a refrigerated salsa that replaces a jar version available since 2010 — is available at Hannaford, Whole Foods and Roche Bros. supermarkets and online at salsafy.com, and will be sold at Shaw’s and Star Markets locations starting this week.

BUFFALO
Sabres envision multiuse district

The Buffalo Sabres have proposed building two indoor ice rinks, a hotel and other amenities as part of a multiuse real estate development, according to a Buffalo News report. The bid, submitted by Sabres owner Terry Pegula and his wife, Kim, is one of three the city received for redevelopment of a 1.7-acre city-owned parking lot, according to the report.

Bills renew with Tim Hortons
The Buffalo Bills renewed a sponsorship with Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop. The three-year agreement retains the Tim Hortons chain as the official coffee of the team. Tim Hortons also will continue its in-game promotion, The Monday Morning Blitz. If the Bills score two or more touchdowns in a home game, fans can take a game-day program coupon to any Tim Hortons in New York state the Monday after the game to receive a free medium coffee.

CHARLOTTE
NASCAR planning social media center

NASCAR plans to open a social media center at its offices in Charlotte that will monitor and respond to digital and social media. NASCAR has partnered with HP Enterprise Services for the effort. HP will develop a software and hardware system that allows NASCAR employees to monitor and engage with fans and media in real time.

CINCINNATI
Stadium smokers can leave, re-enter

The Cincinnati Bengals next season will allow fans to leave Paul Brown Stadium for smoke breaks and come back in, according to a Cincinnati Enquirer report.

An artist’s rendering shows how the massive board will sit atop the east end zone.
Photo by: DAKTRONICS
The team will set up smoking areas outside four gates at the stadium.

CLEMSON, S.C.
Memorial Stadium upgrading displays

Daktronics plans to add an integrated video, scoring and sound system for Memorial Stadium at Clemson University. The LED system will measure 25 feet tall by 61 feet wide and will be incorporated into the stadium’s existing east end zone structure.

EAST LAKE, OHIO
Meyer, still chewing, is presented with a T-shirt at the scene of the feast.
Photo by: LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS
Hungry fan completes Moby Dick feat

The Class A Lake County Captains’ Moby Dick Sandwich challenge was accomplished by Brett Meyer of Cleveland at a game last month. Meyer is the first person to conquer the sandwich among 20 contestants this season. The 15-inch hoagie has five quarter-pound fish filets, cheese, clam strips, French fries, cole slaw, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and tartar sauce. It weighs 5 pounds and tops 4,000 calories.

FOXBORO, MASS.
FieldTurf surface being upgraded

The FieldTurf surface in the Dana-Farber Fieldhouse, installed in 2002, will be upgraded with a new FieldTurf Classic surface this summer. The facility hosts practices for the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. Both the Patriots and Revolution play their home games on Gillette Stadium’s FieldTurf surface, which was resurfaced in 2010.

Two of the bobbles are of midfielder Shalrie Joseph and forward Diego Fagundez.
Photo by: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Revolution plans bobblehead days
The MLS Revolution on Sunday begins a series of bobblehead giveaways for the summer, marking the team’s first such promotional effort since 2003. Bobbleheads of captain Shalrie Joseph, 17-year-old phenom Diego Fagundez, goalkeeper Matt Reis and U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber will be given away at four matches. Following Sunday, the targeted dates are July 14, Aug. 12 and Sept. 1.

GRAND FORKS, N.D.
UND, Front Row reach deal

Front Row Marketing Services reached an agreement with the University of North Dakota to handle sponsorship sales and assist in business development opportunities for UND athletics. Front Row is a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor. The upcoming year will be UND’s first year as a member of the Big Sky Conference.

KANSAS CITY
Collectible versions of the All-Star Crowns are available online and at local retailers.
Photo by: KANSAS CITY ROYALS
All-Star crowns placed around city

As part of the celebration of this year’s All-Star Week in the city, MLB has teamed up with licensee Forever Collectibles to design a series of All-Star Crown statues to celebrate the iconic symbol of baseball in Kansas City. Five statues weighing more than 1,000 pounds each will be stationed at key locations around the city.

Hospital named official All-Star provider
The University of Kansas Hospital was named the official health care provider for MLB’s All-Star Week. The hospital has been providing care for Royals players and fans since the 2011 season at Kauffman Stadium.

LAKEWOOD, N.J.
Blue Claws to host 2013 all-star game

The Lakewood Blue Claws were selected to host the 2013 South Atlantic League All-Star Game. Presenting sponsors for the game are Barnabas Health, OceanFirst Bank and Shore Point Distributing Co. The Blue Claws are a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

LOS ANGELES
MSG Co. buys Forum

The Madison Square Garden Co. acquired the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., for a purchase price of $23.5 million. The acquisition will be followed by a comprehensive renovation of the historic venue, which is scheduled to begin later this year.

Dodgers, Galaxy promote each other
The Los Angeles Dodgers and MLS Galaxy have teamed up in a bid to appeal to each other’s fans. June 23 was Dodger Night at the Galaxy’s Home Depot Center, and there will be an Los Angeles Galaxy Night at Dodger Stadium on July 30. The Dodgers in the past have offered similar promotions with the Los Angeles Kings, who, like the Galaxy, are owned by AEG.

LOUISVILLE, KY.
AEG to manage KFC Yum! Center

AEG Facilities was chosen as the new manager of the KFC Yum! Center, beating out Global Spectrum and SMG for the job. AEG replaces the Kentucky State Fair Board in that role for the arena.

MEXICO CITY
U.S. men’s soccer plans friendly abroad

The U.S. men’s national soccer team will play an Aug. 15 friendly against Mexico at Azteca Stadium, according to a Washington Post report. The game marks the first friendly in Mexico City between the two national teams in 28 years.

NASHVILLE
City OKs $8.4M for Predators annually

Mayor Karl Dean agreed to pay the Nashville Predators up to $8.4 million annually in subsidies and incentives to operate Bridgestone Arena, according to a Nashville Tennessean report. The deal reportedly includes higher ticket surcharges to pay for improvements to the arena, such as new seats and a revamped entrance on the building’s south side.

NEW YORK
Jets promote $500 season ticket

The New York Jets are lowering the price of about 12,000 seats in the 300 level at MetLife Stadium for the 2012 season. The last seven rows in four sections of sideline seats will fall from $105 per game to either $75 or $50 per game, depending on the row.

NORFOLK, VA.
Admirals switch affiliation to Ducks

The Norfolk Admirals have agreed to a multiyear affiliation deal with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks will provide the AHL Admirals with a full roster of players as well as a coaching and training staff. The Admirals were formerly affiliated with Tampa Bay.

OKLAHOMA CITY

A Chicago musician is not happy with how Kevin Durant has been portrayed.
Musician suing over ‘Durantula’
A trademark lawsuit was filed in federal court in Chicago against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Nike and Panini America alleging unfair infringement on musician Mark Durante’s “Durantula” trademark. The guitarist has been known on stage as “Durantula” since the 1980s, a persona he officially trademarked in 2010.

OMAHA, NEB.
New arena picks New Era Tickets

Ralston Arena, set to open in October, selected New Era Tickets to provide customized ticketing technology and related services. The facility is located south of Omaha, in suburban Ralston, Neb., and will be home for the USHL Omaha Lancers, University of Nebraska-Omaha men’s basketball and the Omaha Beef of the Indoor Football League.

Royals, Storm Chasers extend affiliation
The Kansas City Royals extended their player development contract with the Omaha Storm Chasers through the 2016 season. The Class AAA team has been affiliated with the Royals since the inception of both clubs in 1969.

ORLANDO
EA, UCF open ‘Innovation Lab’

Officials from EA Sports and the University of Central Florida opened the EA Sports Innovation Lab at the UCF Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando, according to an Orlando Sentinel report. The 3,000-square-foot facility will serve as an extension of EA Sports’ Maitland, Fla., operation.

Sorenstam attends First Tee program
The First Tee of Central Florida was scheduled to hold an interactive golf day last Friday at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Expected highlights were a skills clinic with hall of famer Annika Sorenstam followed by a round of golf for participating supporters. Arnold Palmer, a national trustee of The First Tee, donated the course, food and facilities, and Golf Channel, a new national partner of The First Tee, helped coordinate the day’s events.

PHILADELPHIA
Flyers land 2014 NHL entry draft

The NHL selected the Philadelphia Flyers to host the 2014 NHL entry draft. It will mark the first time the draft will be held in Philadelphia. Next year’s draft is scheduled for Newark.

Zombie plans Flyers film
Musician and film director Rob Zombie is planning to write, direct and co-produce a film about the NHL Flyers’ fabled championship teams. Zombie told deadline.com he recently acquired the rights to the story about the 1970s Stanley Cup-winning teams and has received the full support of the Flyers organization.

PHOENIX

D-Backs’ Hall tweets ticket offer
Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall announced via Twitter (@DHallDbacks) a $10 ticket offer as a thank you for helping him reach 10,000 followers. Half of the proceeds from the $10 ticket sales will benefit the Valley of the Sun United Way’s efforts to fight hunger in Maricopa County. Hall also will donate $1 to the effort for every additional follower over 10,000 he gets through July 26.

Hyundai signs with Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have a new multiyear deal with Hyundai in which the automaker will become the presenting sponsor of the team’s training camp. The deal also includes the placement of a Hyundai logo on Cardinals practice jerseys throughout the year, and naming rights to the University of Phoenix Stadium’s Gate 1.

Suns, Verizon launch mobile app
The Phoenix Suns joined with Verizon Wireless to launch their first smartphone mobile app, available for Android, iOS and BlackBerry operating systems. Fans who downloaded the free app before NBA draft night last week were eligible to win a personal phone call from the player the Suns selected in the first round.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.
Olympians join new bid group

A group that is considering bidding for the Lake Tahoe region to host the 2022 Winter Olympics has attracted five U.S. Olympians to the cause. Andy Gabel, Bret Hedican, Jonny Moseley, Tamara McKinney and Kristi Yamaguchi are joining the board of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee. The group formed recently to replace two other groups that were exploring bids: the Sacramento-based California Winter Games Coalition and the Reno, Nev.-based Reno-Lake Tahoe Winter Games Coalition.

SUNRISE, FLA.

Panthers keep seeing ‘Red’
The Florida Panthers launched their marketing campaign last week that will continue through the 2012-13 NHL season. The “Red Rising” initiative is a continuation of last season’s “We See Red” and postseason “Believe Red” campaigns. It was developed by Zimmerman Advertising and will be activated through radio, television, print and online.

SYRACUSE, N.Y.
Galaxy stations to carry Bills programs

Galaxy Communications agreed to a deal to have its WTKW 99.5-FM and WTKV 105.5-FM carry Buffalo Bills radio broadcasts throughout the Syracuse market. The deal includes Bills pregame and postgame shows, as well as player and front-office programming.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
Grand Prix contract extended

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will continue locally despite complaints about barriers and fences on city streets, according to a Tampa Bay Times report. The City Council unanimously approved a three-year contract extension with race officials that will keep the Izod IndyCar Series race in the city through 2017.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.
Free mobile app guides track fans

Watkins Glen International launched a free application for spectators with nearly 300 locations pinned at the track. The mobile app allows fans to search for parking locations, eateries, rest rooms, souvenir trailers and driver appearances through its interactive GPS facility map.


COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS

DOHA, QATAR
U.K. engineers tapped for Cup

Hyder, the 150-year-old design consultancy that built London’s Tower Bridge, is set to hire 500 engineers, mostly from the U.K., in preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to a Financial Times report.
 
LONDON

Goalkeeper Petr Cech poses with Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s SVP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Photo by: CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB
Delta, Chelsea FC strike deal
Chelsea FC and Delta Air Lines agreed to a multiyear deal that makes Delta the official airline partner of the Premier League team. Delta will have exposure at each Chelsea home game and on the club’s website. The company’s logo also will be included on media backboards for interviews conducted around home matches at Stamford Bridge.

Wimbledon may alter schedule
Wimbledon could be moved back a week in the future to give players added time to recover after the French Open, according to a BBC report. Play at Wimbledon currently starts two weeks after the French Open final at Roland Garros.

IOC works to prevent fixed events
Organizers are confident that they can prevent gangs behind illegal gambling from fixing events at the Olympics in London, according to a Reuters report. The International Olympic Committee has been working closely with British authorities to ensure that fixing does not blight the London Games.

Saudi women cleared to compete
Saudi Arabia will send female athletes to the Olympics for the first time at the London Games, according to an Associated Press report. The Muslim nation is one of three countries that has never included women on its Olympic teams. Qatar and Brunei are the others.

BBC adds Kinetrak to coverage
The BBC is adding an on-screen device to its Olympics coverage that will allow presenters to point to graphics and move them around the screen, according to a Guardian report. The device is called Kinetrak and is designed by Mammoth Graphics. It will be used for the first time on BBC1 and BBC3 during the London Games.

Send your Coast to Coast news to: CoastToCoast@sportsbusinessjournal.com or phone (704) 973-1436.


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