Coast to Coast

ATLANTA

The Mobile Museum houses interactive displays for Atlanta Falcons fans.

BOSTON

Sox extend RBG deal into 2005
The Boston Red Sox have extended their contract with the Rasky/Baerlein Group for two years. The new agreement extends the contract through May 2005 and calls for the firm to continue as public relations agency of record, providing ongoing consulting services in public relations, community outreach, civic affairs and other strategic areas as needed.

BUFFALO

Sabres woo Ontario fans
The Buffalo Sabres have planned several initiatives to enhance their fan base in southern Ontario. The Sabres will play two preseason games, one in St. Catharines against the Ottawa Senators and another in Kitchener against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In addition, the club unveiled the "Canadian Six-Pack," which allows fans to purchase tickets to any six Sabres home games, including three contests with Toronto, and receive a discount ranging from 4 percent to 9 percent off box office prices. The Sabres will begin their 2003-04 training camp at Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines Sept. 12-14, marking the fifth consecutive season the team has trained there.

CHARLOTTE

Shinn

CINCINNATI

Xavier to host BCA Classic
Xavier University will host the eight-team 2003 Black Coaches Association Classic Nov. 15-17 at the Cintas Center. In addition to Xavier, the men's college basketball tournament will feature two other teams — San Diego (NCAA) and Illinois-Chicago (NIT) — that reached the postseason last year. Rounding out the field are intrastate rival Ohio, UC Irvine, Mercer, Oakland and Coppin State.

COLUMBUS

County will study ballpark issue
Franklin County's commissioners have said they plan to move forward with the first phase of a study on whether to build a new ballpark for the county-owned Class AAA Columbus Clippers of the International League or renovate 70-year-old Cooper Stadium. The commissioners will tap into $350,000 of state funding to pay for the study. Selection of a consultant to conduct the study is expected by the end of July. Among the possibilities for a new ballpark are two sites in downtown Columbus, including one near Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Blue Jackets.

DETROIT

Chrysler-Jeep to sponsor boat race
Hydroplane racing's American Powerboat Association Gold Cup was saved from cancellation when the Chrysler-Jeep Superstores agreed to a three-year title sponsorship. The four-day event annually draws several hundred thousand fans to the riverfront. The race will now be known as the Chrysler-Jeep Superstores APBA Gold Cup.

HOUSTON

HP continues marathon sponsorship
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to sponsor the Houston marathon for three more years, beginning in January. Last year HP acquired Houston-based Compaq Computer Corp., which started a three-year sponsorship agreement with the race in 2001. Steven Karpas, managing director of the HP Houston Marathon, said HP has an option to get out of the new deal at the end of each year. Karpas would not disclose how much HP paid to name the 32nd consecutive running of the event, but said major sponsorships such as this go for $30,000 and up.

Super Bowl panel taking applications
The Houston Super Bowl Host Committee is accepting applications from local events that want to be sanctioned by the organization. To qualify as a Super Bowl Host Committee sanctioned event and obtain limited use of the group's logo, the event must benefit the community; have a charitable component linked to a Houston-based charity; and commit to the host committee's Emerging Business Program for minority- and women-owned businesses. Sanctioned events will be publicized on the committee's Web site (www.superbowlxxxviii.org) and in any official Super Bowl Host Committee guide that's published. Deadline to apply for the designation is Sept. 1.

Race park sets attendance record
Sam Houston Race Park set an all-time attendance record July 4 when 24,316 people went through its gates. The record number of fans attended a special live racing program followed by the Foley's & The Fourth Fireworks Extravaganza. This is the third consecutive year the July 4 event has broken previous attendance records.

INDIANAPOLIS

Colts to broadcast in Spanish
The Indianapolis Colts have a radio agreement for their 10 home preseason and regular-season games during the 2003 NFL season to be broadcast in Spanish on WEDJ-FM. This is the first time an Indianapolis professional sports team has broadcast games in Spanish. The broadcasts will also make the Colts one of the few teams in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball that broadcast games in Spanish.

JACKSONVILLE

Jags fans to go high-tech
Jacksonville Jaguars fans this season will get a high-tech boost to their game-day experience. For the upcoming NFL season, the Jaguars are rolling out a stadiumwide access control system, which means there will be no more tearing of tickets at stadium gates. Workers instead will scan ticket stubs for admittance into the stadium perimeter. The new technology will help prevent access via counterfeit or incorrect game tickets. The technology also will allow the purchase of single-game tickets as an e-ticket by using a credit card for entry. Stadium entry points will no longer be at just the four gates of the stadium. The perimeter gates will be extended approximately 100 feet from the stadium and will be around the entire stadium.

KANSAS CITY

Wizards hold Hispanic Heritage Night
The Kansas City Wizards drew 16,349 on July 12 to Hispanic Heritage Night. The event featured a doubleheader beginning with the Columbus Crew facing a Mexican club team. The Crew and Wizards are both owned by the family of Lamar Hunt, who led a campaign to boost the Wizards' season-ticket base this season. Hispanics make up as much as one-fifth of the MLS team's attendance, said Wizards GM Curt Johnson. The Wizards have averaged 15,273 through the first eight games of this season.

MIAMI

Marlins say they'll put up $100M
The Florida Marlins told Miami City Manager Joe Arriola that they are willing to contribute $100 million toward a proposed new downtown domed ballpark, The Miami Herald reported. The city manager said he believed the city could come up with funding sources if the team came up with the $100 million. Marlins President David Samson wouldn't confirm or deny the offer. The team is confident its plans for securing the franchise will work, he said. Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas in May said any county contribution would be contingent on the team changing its name to the Miami Marlins.

Nextel sponsors Gold Cup soccer
Nextel Communications signed on as an official sponsor and the exclusive wireless carrier of the Gold Cup international soccer tournament, which is being held in Miami, Boston and Mexico City through July 27 and televised on Univision and Galavision. The event features teams from North America, South America and the Caribbean. Nextel's sponsorship includes advertising, in-stadium promotion, wireless-device content and online activities at www.univision.com. No detailed financial terms were disclosed.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

Wild's parent company buys Aeros
St. Paul-based Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, has purchased the AHL Houston Aeros. The Wild bought the team from its private owner, Chuck Watson. Watson is a former CEO at Houston-based Dynegy Danskammer and a part-owner of the Houston Texans. Terms of the transaction were not announced, but a January story in The Des Moines (Iowa) Register placed the value of an average AHL franchise at between $2 million and $3 million. The Aeros have been the Wild's highest-level minor league affiliate since May 2001.

Vikings throw Packers fans a curve
Minnesota Vikings single-game tickets went on sale last week, with a twist. This year, in order to buy tickets to the Vikings' Nov. 2 game against the Green Bay Packers, fans must purchase an equal number of tickets to the Aug. 9 preseason game against Jacksonville. Packers fans quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune called it a ploy to keep them from attending the game. Steve LaCroix, vice president of sales and marketing, called it a strategy for maximizing revenue and profits.

Saint Paul

PHILADELPHIA

Eagles launch new foods
The Philadelphia Eagles and three Pennsylvania food manufacturers are teaming up to

The Eagles "Touchdown Sundae" is just one of several new team food products.

Comcast signs Ripken
Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. has signed Cal Ripken Jr. to serve as the cable company's spokesman. The two-year contract has an option for a third year. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. As part of the agreement, Comcast will sponsor the Aberdeen IronBirds, a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cal Ripken World Series, the national championship series of the Babe Ruth League Inc.

PHOENIX

Safeway to name LPGA tourney
Safeway Inc. has agreed to become the sole title sponsor of the LPGA's Phoenix golf tournament. The Safeway International will be held March 18-21. The tournament had been called the Safeway/Ping Championship in 2003 and the Ping/Banner Health Championship in 2002.The announcement means that Safeway will be title sponsor for two LPGA events in 2004 — the Safeway International in Phoenix and the Safeway Classic in Portland. The Phoenix LPGA event just completed its 21st year, and the Portland event is in its 32nd year in 2003.

PITTSBURGH

Slots proposed to help finance arena
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and House Speaker John Perzel have proposed a slots parlor in Pittsburgh that would help finance a new arena for the Penguins, who currently play in the oldest facility in the NHL. It's anticipated that proceeds from the parlor could generate $150 million for a new arena, as well as provide additional funds for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

PORTLAND, MAINE

Pirates strike Road Runner deal
The Portland Pirates of the AHL have entered into a two-year agreement with Time Warner Cable of Maine's Road Runner Business Class to provide the team with broadband Internet services. Road Runner Business Class becomes the official host of the Pirates' Web site, portlandpirates.com. As part of the agreement, Road Runner also will provide the Pirates with a dedicated site from which fans can securely order team merchandise. That site, shop.portlandpirates.com, may be accessed by clicking the "Merchandise" button on the Pirates' home page.

PORTLAND, ORE.

Umpqua sponsoring PGA Tour event
Umpqua Bank is presenting sponsor of the JELD-WEN Tradition, a PGA Tour event. This will be the first year of a three-year commitment that the bank has made to the JELD-WEN Tradition. The JELD-WEN Tradition, the final major on the Champions Tour, will be played Aug. 25-31 at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Ore. The tournament marks the first time an official PGA Tour event has been played in Portland since 1982.

SACRAMENTO

Masters Games begin Saturday
The inaugural weeklong Pan Pacific Masters Games with an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 athletes 30 and older will be held Saturday through Aug. 3 at 15 venues around Sacramento and Yolo counties. The 14 diverse sports that make up the competition include single-action shooting, netball, archery, handball, baseball, basketball, fencing, golf, racquetball, track and field, triathlon, soccer, road race and Eppie's Great Race triathlon. PanPac is based on the successful Asia Pacific Masters Games that Queensland, Australia, has held every other year. A year ago event organizers in Queensland forged a 10-year partnership to share the games with Sacramento. The event name was changed to Pan Pacific this year as part of that partnership. Sacramento will hold the games in odd-numbered years.

SAN DIEGO

'Seabiscuit Day' at racetrack
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club kicks off its 64th season of racing Wednesday, just two days before the much-anticipated film "Seabiscuit" hits theaters, so it's not surprising that a "Seabiscuit Day" will highlight the promotions schedule during the 43-day meet at the seaside track. On Aug. 2, fans will receive a free hand-painted, 22-ounce mug honoring the legendary racehorse, and one of the horses that portrayed Seabiscuit in the film will be on hand.

ST. LOUIS

Roddick returns for Aces
Andy Roddick returned to the St. Louis Aces tennis team

Andy Roddick played with the St. Louis Aces for his third consecutive year.

Cardinals adjust ballpark design
The Cardinals have tweaked the construction design of their proposed new ballpark, which will allow Busch Stadium to stay fully intact during the 2005 season. Under the previous design, the Cardinals would have had to cut a hole into the center-field portion of Busch Stadium during the season in order to make room for the new ballpark. The new design allows for the same overall square footage but moves certain facilities to other parts of the ballpark.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG

Republic becomes Bucs' official bank
Republic Bancshares Inc. in St. Petersburg signed a multiyear agreement to become the Bucs' official bank. Republic Bank was among several area banking organizations bidding to replace Bank of America Corp., which was a Bucs "Pewter Partner" corporate sponsor the past five years. The Bucs now have 20 Pewter Partners.

Progress to sponsor pro-am tourney
Progress Energy has agreed to sponsor a pro-am golf tournament as part of the 2003 Chrysler Championship, a PGA Tour stop, to be held Oct. 27 through Nov. 2 at Westin Innisbrook Resort near St. Petersburg.

TORONTO

New law may mean blank car
If this was Player's goodbye to racing, it was quite a way to go. Hometown boy Paul Tracy of Team Player's led wire-to-wire to capture the 18th Molson Indy on July 13. On Oct. 1, Canada's federal law banning tobacco sponsorship and advertising in sporting events kicks in, meaning Tracy may be driving a blank, white car for the last two months of this year's Champ Car circuit. Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., which markets Player's cigarettes and shares sponsorship of the Player's team with American Gerald Forsythe, held a special reception prior to the Molson Indy to say its official goodbye to the racing world.

Women's channel in trouble
Bell Globemedia is considering various options to pull its women's sports digital channel WTSN out of what it has called "significant" financial challenges. The information was contained in a filing presented to Canada's broadcast regulator, the Financial Post reported. WTSN had operating losses of $2.4 million ($1.73 million in current U.S. dollars) in 2002, its first full year of service. Analysts say WTSN struggles for audience because much of the top women's sports programming is shown on the much larger TSN, also owned by Bell Globemedia.