MLB has created a new logo and is having licensed
companies produce new products for interleague play, "with
the hottest expected to be" those goods sold in stadiums and
stores that "emphasize such local rivalries" as the Mets-
Yankess, Cubs-White Sox, and A's-Giants, according to
Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Majestic Athletic Dir
of Licensing Faust Capobianco, whose company is producing a
reversible jersey with the Cubs logo on one side and the
White Sox on the other: "Baseball is up at retail. There
should be a crescendo of sales over the next few weeks."
Others are "unsure" about the marketing prospects of
interleague play. Starter Dir of Special Markets Steve
Raab: "We're feeling our way. It's not as big a deal as new
teams." Logo Athletic President Tom Shine: "It was a big
step forward for such a stodgy league, but the hype machine
hasn't done much." Sandomir writes that MLB's "hype machine
... "has struggled for the past year under [MLBE President]
Greg Murphy. Baseball has not yet launched broad-based
marketing and promotional initiatives to push interleague
play" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/12). Padres RF Tony Gwynn, on
interleague play: "It's all about marketability. Both
leagues have great players, but the ones people identify
with most are in the American League. All the star power's
over there" (Chris Jenkins, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/12).
