JUNIOR HELPS LAUNCH MLB'S 69TH ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Ken Griffey Jr. won the All-Star Home Run Derby last
night in front of a Coors Field record-crowd of 51,231,
according to Larry Whiteside of the BOSTON GLOBE. Griffey,
who had said he would not participate, was "showered [with]
insults" during batting practice by fans who had paid $35
per ticket, apparently changing his mind. Griffey: "I don't
like getting booed. I usually get booed on the road, but
this is the All-Star Game. The fans wanted me in the home
run competition, so I did it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/7).
TAP THE ROCKIES: Denver tourism officials estimate that
the All-Star Game and related activities will have an impact
of "about" $40M on the city's economy, according to a
BLOOMBERG NEWS report. The Rockies however, "will have to
settle for exposure," as they "don't expect to make a cent
off the event" as the host team's "principal rewards are
prestige and goodwill." Rockies Chair & CEO Jerry McMorris:
"The community will benefit, and we thought this was a great
way to reward our fans. But it's a lot of hard work for the
team. And if everything goes right, you break even." All
proceeds from the event go into MLB's general fund. The
Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau projected attendance at
the All-Star FanFest at about 100,000 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/6).
LOCAL: CO-based companies "are taking full advantage"
of the public relations, marketing and sales opportunities
that come with the "national spotlight" of the All-Star
Game, according to Narvaes & Parker of the DENVER POST.
Coors "is rolling out heavy artillery," as it has
"commandeered" four downtown restaurants to host "roughly"
4,000 distributors and their guests. Coors also has
Nuggets, Avalanche and ex-Broncos players appearing at bars
that sell Coors products. Other companies using the game to
entertain customers include MCI, U.S. West and Blue Cross
and Blue Shield. MCI, an official MLB sponsor, attached its
name to yesterday's workouts and Home Run Derby and has a
hospitality suite at Coors Field (DENVER POST, 7/5).
WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR: The Greater Boston Convention &
Visitors Bureau projects that Boston will realize "at least"
$40M in revenue from hosting the '99 MLB All-Star Game.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is in CO to meet with Denver
Mayor Wellington Webb for "advice on hosting the event"
(Gregg Krupa, BOSTON GLOBE, 7/7). The amount of media
coverage "presents a problem" for the Red Sox next year, as
its press box "can accommodate perhaps" 100 reporters --
"nowhere near the amount of space needed." In '46, when
Fenway hosted its first All-Star Game, "almost half" of the
195 reporters had to watch the game from the roof. Next
year, the team will "more than likely ... be forced to set
up an area where the working press can watch the game on
television" (Howard Manly, BOSTON GLOBE, 7/5).
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