MLB has teamed up with licensee Forever Collectibles to place 35 six-foot-tall apples around N.Y. in celebration of the '13 All-Star Game at Citi Field. The apples, modeled after the Home Run Apple that has been a part of Mets home games since '80, will be placed at landmarks around the city including Grand Central Terminal and the N.Y. Public Library. Each of the 30 MLB clubs have their own themed statue along with apples focused on the ASG, AL, NL and two former N.Y.-based MLB teams – the Brooklyn Dodgers and N.Y. Giants. The apples mark the eighth ASG-themed series of statues to be placed in the host city (MLB).

Univ. of Kansas Athletics and ESPN have agreed to a seven-year media rights deal, starting with the '13-14 academic year, in which ESPN3 will annually carry a minimum of 70 live events distributed nationally. ESPN claims this is one of the largest deals to date for ESPN3. Kansas recently announced a deal with Time Warner Cable for 50 KU telecasts on K.C.-based Metro Sports. ESPN3 will deliver those 50 events nationally outside the K.C. market, plus a minimum of 20 exclusive contests (ESPN).

The Univ. of Cincinnati trustees this morning approved an $86M expansion of Nippert Stadium "even though the project's cost has risen" from the $70M price tag announced in December. The higher cost "will be offset" by club seat sales and two donors promising at least $1M. Construction will take 12-18 months, so UC football "will play at Paul Brown Stadium" for the '14 season. UC "will sell naming rights" to a new pavilion, but AD Whit Babcock said the venue "will always be Nippert Stadium" (CINCINNATI.com, 6/25).

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment has signed a marketing partnership deal with BlackBerry making the company the official mobile computing partner of the Maple Leafs, Raptors and AHL Marlies. Financial terms of the multiyear deal were not disclosed. BlackBerry will work with MLSE to create new platforms to allow fans to connect with the teams. The company also will create a fan app for BlackBerry smartphones. In addition, BlackBerry will have signage throughout Air Canada Centre. This marks MLSE’s first deal with BlackBerry.

The Glendale City Council today was expected to vote on whether to use City Hall as collateral to borrow $30M to "help pay off other loans the city gave itself to cover sports-related debt." The proposed loan is "separate from discussions city officials are having" with the potential new Coyotes owners to manage Jobing.com Arena. If the council approves the plan, city officials "will seek outside investors to lease back the City Hall complex for 20 years" by making a one-time $30M payment (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/25).

Delaware North Cos. averaged per caps of just under $50 for food/beverage and retail during the three Stanley Cup Final games at TD Garden, according to arena Pr Dir Tricia McCorkle. The exact number was $49.94 and covers items sold in the Bruins Pro Shop. Attendance for last night’s Game 6 clincher was 17,565, which translates to about $877,000 in total sales for food and merchandise. The breakdown of per caps separating food/drink and retail was unavailable. Delaware North owns TD Garden, arena concessionaire Sportservice and the Bruins.

The IOC today issued a report that identifies several concerns around the three competing bids to host the '20 Summer Games. These include concerns about the "guaranteed maximum" hotel rates in Tokyo. The IOC also said it is "cautious" about whether Madrid can meet its target of $694M in sponsorships. Spain is currently in the "sixth year of an economic slump." It also said that in Istanbul, there is "a 'high' risk of traffic congestion because of plans to stage sports in the European and Asian sides of the city" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/25).

Clothing brand Dickies today announced that Blue Jays P R.A. Dickey will be part of a "Built To Work" Facebook contest. The activation is an extension of the brand's recently launched ad campaign of the same name, and it will run through the back-to-school and holiday seasons on digital and print channels. Now through Sept. 29, consumers can upload an image or video of themselves to the Dickies Facebook page demonstrating the "Built To Work" theme (Dickies).

The Univ. of Nebraska and adidas today unveiled the alternate uniform NU football will wear Sept. 14 at Memorial Stadium for adidas' annual "Unrivaled Game" (adidas).

FS Arizona has added Thursday's D'Backs-Nationals game to its lineup. The game, which was not part of the net's 150-game D'Backs package, features the pitching matchup of Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg and D'Backs 9-0 rookie Patrick Corbin (FS Arizona).

Sprint announced the kickoff of its CONCACAF Gold Cup sponsorship (Sprint).

"While it's an honor to be considered, I am under contract with the Phoenix Mercury and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls" – WNBA Mercury C Brittney Griner, on being one of the five selections drafted today by the Harlem Globetrotters (ESPNW.com, 6/25).

"Maria promoting her sugary sweets is OK but only if she makes clear that you can only eat sweets like that every day and look like her if you are playing tennis 15 hours a day" – Tam Fry, a member of the National Obesity Forum and Chair of the Child Growth Foundation, on Maria Sharapova's Sugarpova brand of candy (REUTERS, 6/25).

Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman: "77 yr old Gary Player to pose nude in ESPN mag Body Issue. Guessing Jack & Arnold won't join him as honorary starters on this one."

N.Y. Times' Jack Bell: "Request to http://MLSsoccer.com ...could you please stop using tired cliches like 'giant' to describe a team? NOT authentic. Jargon."

ESPN.com's Dan Graziano: "Tell me if I'm wrong: If someone wanted to change a pro sports team name TO 'Redskins' in 2013, there would be no chance."

The Globe & Mail's Allan Maki: "Harvey the Hound's head found in flooded Saddledome. Still no sign of Jimmy Hoffa."

SI.com’s Andy Staples: "Funny thing about ESPN/Kansas deal. People read it and say, 'Oh, it's on the Internet.' Then they realize way more people can watch than LHN ... Don't assume a shift to the web means the end of ESPN's stranglehold. They own the rights to the games. ... If anything, this is ESPN preparing for the inevitable waaay ahead of its competitors."

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

"Dan Patrick Show" producer Paul Pabst shared this image showing how Blackhawks fans congratulated coach Joel Quenneville after the team clinched the Stanley Cup last night. Nothing says "Kudos" like the time-honored "TP" treatment. Pabst later shared a photo of Quenneville surrounded by the pranksters' handiwork, signing autographs for neighbors.

NASCAR driver Aric Almirola will throw out the first pitch at a Blue Jays-Rays game at Tropicana Field. The appearance promotes the July 6 Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Int'l Speedway.

Carnival Corp. today announced its plan to split the roles of Chair & CEO. Heat Owner Micky Arison will continue to serve as Chair, while board member Arnold Donald will assume the CEO role, effective July 3. Arison has been CEO since '79 (Carnival Corp.).

Just as CBS' "One Shining Moment" marks the culmination of the college basketball season, the CBC's annual NHL playoff montage (here set to the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter") signals that a Stanley Cup champion has been crowned.

Packers LB Clay Matthews and former NFLer Donald Driver will appear on ABC's "Extreme Weight Loss" at 8:00pm ET.

13 – The number of times Blackhawks Senior Advisor/Hockey Operations Scotty Bowman has won the Stanley Cup – nine as a coach, four as an exec (QMI AGENCY, 6/25).