In Raleigh, Jason deBruyn reported Gale Force Sports & Entertainment President Don Waddell "is in the process of beefing up the ticket sales staff" for the Hurricanes. Sales staff positions "have already increased from seven to 15 in the past few weeks, with plans to grow to about 30 in the near future" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/25).
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: ESPN WISCONSIN's Jason Wilde noted the Packers are now "free to create a new alternate third uniform this season." NFL rules dictate that because the Packers in '10 "selected their 1929 throwback uniforms as their alternate unis," it was "the only alternate uniform they could wear for a five-year period." The Packers "haven’t announced any plans for an alternate third jersey" in '15, but it is "a safe bet that they’ll have something planned" (ESPNWISCONSIN.com, 2/24).
COME ON, RISE UP: ESPN.com's Paul Lukas noted the Suns "have a new alternate uniform, and it's a mix of old and new." The design, dubbed "Phoenix Rising," contains "two elements that will be familiar to longtime Suns fans." The chest lettering "is rendered in a more subdued version of the western font that appeared on the team's uniforms" from '73-92. However, in most other respects, the new uniform "has a modern look" (ESPN.com, 2/25).
FLEX BALL: D-Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that it is "remarkable, all things considered," that the team's season-ticket renewals are running around 85%. Hall also said that the organization is "comfortable" with payroll in the $90-$91M range, but that "as of right now, it is higher than that." MLB.com's Steve Gilbert noted the roughly $16.5M paid in the signing of Cuban P Yoan Lopez -- $8.27M plus a 100% penalty -- also "has to be figured in, even though it's not technically part of the big league payroll." Hall: "We're going to have to get creative in trying to find flexibility" (MLB.com, 2/26).
