In St. Louis, Derrick Goold reports the Cardinals will wear a patch on their uniforms “to honor Stan Musial,” and there is “no black in any of the three patches.” The Musial patch will “make its first appearance on the road jerseys the Cardinals will wear Monday" in Arizona, where they open the '13 season against the D'Backs. The patch is “a circle defined by a red thread border and it features Musial’s number, 6, in red, with his signature looping through the number.” The field -- or “negative space -- within the patch is the color of the jersey: gray for the road, white for home, and a cream color for the Cardinals’ alternate jersey, which debuts this year at home.” The patch “will be worn on the left sleeve this season” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/28).
THE CUBS CLUB: In Chicago, Lewis Lazare wrote the Cubs' new "Committed" TV commercials “may not satisfy those Cubs supporters who like their advertising messages loud and in your face.” Each of the three new ads posted yesterday on the team’s website “spotlights Cubs fans in a way that is more about charm and less about boisterousness.” The ads showcase “some of the true believers and their undying devotion to a baseball team that hasn't won a World Series in over a century.” Cubs Senior Marketing Dir Alison Miller said that she and ad agency Schafer Condon Carter, Chicago, “wanted to produce a campaign with a genuinely authentic ring to it” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/27).
WALLET WOES: In St. Paul, Mike Berardino reports the Twins “appear set to enter the 2013 season with an Opening Day payroll of $81.01 million, the lowest in Target Field history.” That gives the Twins “their lowest season-opening payroll since 2009 ($65.3 million), their final year at the Metrodome.” They opened the past three seasons with “an average player payroll of $103.8 million, including a franchise-record $113.2 million in 2011” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/28).
LET'S BE HONEST: The AP’s Jimmy Golen noted the Red Sox purchased billboards around Boston and a full-page newspaper ad with the team’s motto "What's broken can be fixed." Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino said, "It's a marketing slogan. But I think this one has the added virtue of being true and transparent" (AP, 3/27).
