ANAHEIM
Pond getting upgrades this year
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim will undergo major capital improvements this year, following a change in building management to Anaheim Arena Management LLC. Improvements will include an LED fascia display, unveiled Jan. 18, which cost $1.2 million. Other improvements include $1.2 million in video room upgrades, $500,000 worth of new carpet on the club level and in all suites and $100,000 in audio visual upgrades in and outside of the building.
Ducks get visit from 'Bachelorette'
ABC's "Bachelorette" and her seven suitors  |
| "Bachelorette" Meredith Phillips and her suitors went to the Pond to see the Mighty Ducks. |
visited the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on the show's third episode this season, scheduled to air Wednesday. Bachelorette Meredith Phillips and the seven finalists attended the Mighty Ducks game at Arrowhead Pond against the Nashville Predators. Each of the bachelors then suited up — skates and all — for an icy competition to win additional time with and the affection of Phillips. On the ice, the guys are greeted by Mighty Ducks left wing Mike LeClerc and former NHL goalie and current Alumni Association Director Guy Hebert. The group date on "The Bachelorette" marks the first time the reality show has worked with an NHL team as part of its programming.
BALTIMORE
Quoth the Raven: Smooch!
The Baltimore Ravens are selling "Poe-Grams" for Valentine's Day from Feb. 13 through Feb. 16. For $100, the Ravens' mascot, Poe, will visit a fan at work, home or school with a rose, a candy tin full of Snickers, a Valentine's Day card, a kiss from Poe and a photo taken at time of delivery. A Ravens cheerleader will come along with Poe for an additional $100.
CHARLESTON, S.C.
City gets second major tennis event
The USTA Southern Section has chosen Charleston to host the USA League Tennis Southern Sectional Championships in 2005 and 2006. Charleston is already home to the Family Circle Cup. Charleston competed against Augusta, Ga.; Baton Rouge, La.; Cary, N.C.; Mobile, Ala.; and Shreveport, La., to host the event. The Family Circle Tennis Center will serve as the host facility for the Southern Sectional Championship. The center features a 10,200-seat stadium, 17 tennis courts and a racket club featuring locker-room facilities, a fitness center and massage therapy.
CLEVELAND
TeamWork now has all 4 majors
Online sports-job recruiting service TeamWork Online has added Major League Baseball to its stable of subscribers, with nine MLB teams now licensing the company's recruitment software. MLB was the final major sports league not using TeamWork Online's products. The products allow job seekers to make detailed applications for posted jobs and for sports properties to do refined searches based on applicant criteria. TeamWork Online is based in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
COLUMBUS
Law firm has new sports subsidiary
Sports agents Bret Adams and Adam Heller will head a new sports and entertainment subsidiary for the Columbus law office of Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs. BDB Sports & Entertainment LLC will build on the coach and broadcaster practice of Adams, whose clients include University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins and former NBA coach George Karl. Heller, who recently joined Buckingham after nearly four years with Pittsburgh-based Cindrich & Co., will lead the practice's efforts to represent professional athletes.
Blue Jackets offer 'Miracle on Ice' pack
In conjunction with the release of "Miracle," 
a film that chronicles the story of Team USA's victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympic Games, gold-medal-winning goaltender Jim Craig will be making an appearance at Nationwide Arena Tuesday as the Blue Jackets host the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. The Blue Jackets are selling an all-inclusive package, the "Miracle On Ice" pack presented by WLVQ FM 96, for $28, which includes a ticket to the game, a voucher for a ticket to see "Miracle" at the Arena Grand, entry to the private pregame meet and greet with Craig, and an official USA Hockey hat from Nike.
DALLAS-FORT WORTH
Soccer team gets new home, name
The Dallas-Fort Worth area's only Professional Development League soccer franchise has a new home, a new owner and a new name. Formerly called the Texas Spurs, the newly named DFW Tornados will kick off their inaugural season at Bedford's Pennington Field in April. The team had been playing at the University of Texas at Dallas. The PDL is a steppingstone on the way to Major League Soccer and will have a total of 55 teams this year, with other Texas clubs in Austin and El Paso.
Cowboys seek taxing district
The Dallas Cowboys are seeking a 
special taxing district in Dallas to raise up to $100 million for a new stadium the team is seeking, according to The Dallas Morning News. The taxing district would reimburse the team for costs of infrastructure around the facility, such as water, sewer, streets and traffic lights. The team wants to raise about $400 million of the stadium's $650 million cost from a hotel and car-rental tax in Dallas County.
DENVER
Crush push link to Broncos
Arena Football League team the Colorado Crush is dangling a piece of Denver Broncos history in front of season-ticket holders. Fans who buy season tickets in blocks of at least four will receive a football signed by two former Broncos greats, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Karl Mecklenburg. The ball also will be signed by Colorado Crush head coach Mike Dailey and offensive MVP Damian Harrell. What's the connection between the Colorado Crush and the Broncos? Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is co-owner of the Crush along with retired Broncos quarterback John Elway.
DETROIT
Tigers hold the line on tickets
The Detroit Tigers, who set an American League record for losses last season, announced that they would not increase ticket prices for the third straight year.
Motor City Bowl sets record — again
For the second straight year, the Motor City Bowl attracted a record crowd to Detroit's Ford Field. This year's game, featuring a 28-24 Bowling Green victory over Northwestern on Dec. 26, attracted a crowd of 51,286. The previous record of 45,765 was set at last year's Boston College-Toledo game. Next year's game will be played Dec. 27.
HOUSTON
Texans bump ticket prices up
The Houston Texans have increased 
season-ticket prices for 2004 by an average of 6.3 percent, or $3.64 per ticket. Price increases for the franchise's third season are included in invoices that were recently mailed to season-ticket holders. NFL teams increased ticket prices from 2002 to 2003 on an average of 6.75 percent — a figure the Texans considered when determining their own rate hike, said Jamey Rootes, the team's senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Clemens deal shuts down Astros phones
The Houston Astros received so many calls for season tickets on Jan. 12 when Roger Clemens signed to pitch for the hometown team that the baseball club's phone system was jammed for two days. "We had so many inbound calls that it shut down our ability to call outbound," said Astros spokesman Todd Fedewa, who added that it was a "good problem to have." John Sorrentino, vice president of ticket sales and services, said that in the four days following the commitment by Clemens the Astros sold hundreds of full-season-ticket packages and thousands of 27-game mini-season-ticket packages. The Astros will not know the total tally on season tickets until February because current season-ticket holders have until the end of the month to renew.
Rockets give away duck — with a robe
The Houston Rockets gave away Cuttino Mobley  |
| Cuttino Mobley’s Celebriduck comes with its own bathrobe. |
Celebriducks, complete with red bathrobes, to the first 5,000 fans to enter the Toyota Center for the Rockets' Jan. 17 game against Minnesota. The Rockets were the first to offer the ducks with bathrobes.
INDIANAPOLIS
RCA extends dome naming-rights deal
The RCA Dome, home of the Indianapolis Colts, will not be changing its name anytime soon as Thomson, RCA's parent company, announced it will pick up a contract option to keep the stadium's naming rights for five more years. Thomson officials said Jan. 16 that they would accept the first of two five-year options, which calls for the company to pay the city $1.3 million annually for naming rights to the dome. That option will keep RCA's logo on the dome through June 2009, said Thomson spokesman Dave Arland.
MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF.
Tour grows in attendance, ratings
The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour showed increases in fan attendance, television ratings and media exposure during the 2003 season. Attendance was up more than 60 percent to 550,000, while events increased to 10 from seven; broadcast partner NBC Sports posted a 15 percent increase in ratings, to a 1.7 average in nine hours of coverage, up from four; and the tour generated over 500 million media impressions, a 21 percent increase.
MIAMI
Royal Caribbean ends sponsorship
Royal Caribbean International in Miami will not renew its agreement as title sponsor of the Champions Tour's Royal Caribbean Classic in Key Biscayne, Fla., after this year's event in February, a Sun-Sentinel report said. That ends a 15-year association with the event. The company wants to move on to other marketing programs, it said, leaving Miami-Dade County officials in a search for a new title sponsor.
Marlins heading out on caravan tour
The Florida Marlins 
will take to the road with their annual caravan tour beginning Saturday at Pro Player Stadium. The 2004 Bank United Marlins Caravan will run through Feb. 6, culminating with FanFest at the stadium on Feb. 7. Participating in the caravan, which will tour Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties, will be Marlins players, front office executives, Billy the Marlin and the 2003 World Series trophy.
MILWAUKEE
Brewers to honor Molitor
The Milwaukee Brewers, for whom 
future hall of famer Paul Molitor played 15 years, will honor Molitor with a special night at Miller Park on June 16. The event will include a presentation to Molitor of a large card signed by Brewers fans congratulating him on his induction into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Molitor is entering his first season as a full-time hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners. The Brewers plan to honor him when the Mariners visit Milwaukee for an interleague series.
Camp Randall sells out suites
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department has received commitments for all 72 of the Camp Randall suites, which will be available for occupancy in the 2004 football season, said Vince Sweeney, senior associate athletic director. The suite sales are part of the financial plan for a $83.7 million renovation of Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Now that the suites have been sold, the athletic department will shift its emphasis to marketing the club seat sections and the regular season-ticket renewals, he said. The luxury suites sold for $49,000 a year, of which $40,000 is considered a gift and a tax write-off.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
City unveils downtown stadium plan
Minneapolis announced its plan for a new 
Twins stadium near the city's downtown, as part of a statewide call for stadium proposals before the 2004 legislative session. The plan calls for a $535 million retractable-roof stadium that would be part of a broader development called "Twinsville." The project would tie into Minneapolis' entertainment neighborhood, the Target Center — home of the Minnesota Timberwolves — and a newly built light-rail line. Funding for the project, which will go before a state screening committee, would come from county-sold bonds, state and city money, and contributions from the team.
Vikings heading out of town?
Anoka County and Blaine, Minn., are making a push to draw the Minnesota Vikings away from nearby Minneapolis. County officials proposed a $1.5 billion mixed-use stadium, hotel, retail and housing development. Anoka and Blaine have pledged to contribute $240 million of that funding. The Anoka project was the biggest effort to court the Vikings in a statewide push for stadium proposals for the football team and the Twins. Minneapolis, which is proposing a new Twins stadium, suggested that the Vikings stay in a refurbished Metrodome.
PHILADELPHIA
Phantoms wear 'retro' third jersey
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the  |
| Phantoms defenseman Wade Skolney plays in the team’s retro third jersey. |
American Hockey League debuted a "retro" third jersey Jan. 16 when the team played the Hershey Bears. The purple sweaters with white sleeves are scheduled to be worn in three additional games later in the season. Immediately after the jerseys are worn for the final time March 21 in a game against Grand Rapids, the jerseys will be auctioned off at Bullies, a restaurant in the Wachovia Spectrum. Proceeds will benefit Phantoms Wives Charities.
Phillies to auction, sell Veterans items
The Philadelphia Phillies completed plans for a Veterans Stadium memorabilia auction and sale, which the organization is calling "The Final Pieces." The daylong event, open to the public, will be held Feb. 6 at the Wachovia Center. Fans will get a chance to bid on hundreds of pieces of Veterans Stadium memorabilia in a live auction. Sold separately from the auction will be other items including pieces of Vet turf and the outfield wall, dirt from the pitcher's mound, home plate and the three infield cutouts and various dugout items. The Phillies begin play in the new Citizens Bank Park this spring.
SAN DIEGO
MTS offers pass to Padres fans
The Metropolitan Transit System will make it easier for Padres fans to get to the new downtown ballpark with a discounted Game Day Pass good on all trolley and bus routes. The pass, which will be honored only on days when the Padres have a regularly scheduled home game at Petco Park, costs $98 for the 37 game days through June 30 and $116 for the 44 home dates from July 1 through Sept. 30. That averages out to $2.64 a day, compared with the $6 a fan from the far reaches of the trolley line would ordinarily pay for round-trip service.
SAN MANUEL INDIAN NATION, CALIF.
Begay to endorse Mission enterprise
PGA Tour pro Notah Begay III  |
| Notah Begay, and his bag, will endorse Big Bear Mountain water. |
has signed a two-year endorsement deal with the San Manuel Bottled Water Group, an economic enterprise of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The deal is for two years, at mid-six-figures per year, according to Begay's agent, Mark Freeland. Begay is a full-blooded Native American, and the relationship includes three appearances a year and included Begay addressing the National Congress of American Indians in Albuquerque, N.M., late last year. Begay will carry a golf bag designed to resemble the Big Bear Mountain water bottle.
ST. LOUIS
Cards break ground on ballpark
Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon served as master of ceremonies for the Cardinals' official groundbreaking on a new $387 million ballpark Jan. 17. Joining Shannon for the ceremony were former Cardinal greats Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith, as well as St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and Cardinals general partner Bill DeWitt Jr. During the groundbreaking ceremony, the team announced that seats in the ballpark will be Cardinal red. In an online poll, fans voted for the red seats over more "traditional" green seats by a 6-to-1 majority.
SUNRISE, FLA.
Spirit sponsoring 'funway'
Spirit Airlines will sponsor a Spirit Airlines Funway at the main plaza of the Office Depot Center. The Spirit Airlines Funway is the primary gateway into Office Depot Center for all events, including every home Florida Panthers game. For select games, the Spirit Airlines Funway will also feature pre- and postgame entertainment, autograph sessions, interactive activities and food and drinks.
TORONTO
Board weighs buying part of Argos
A possible deal to acquire a piece of the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts was on the agenda for a meeting of the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment board of directors, and the board decided to continue discussions, but made no firm decision. MLSE has approached the University of Toronto about building a dual purpose football/soccer stadium on the site of the university's torn-down Varsity Stadium. The new facility would be home to the Argos. CFL President Tom Wright told The Toronto Star the league would enthusiastically support MLSE involvement with the Argos, including a new outdoor stadium.
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y.
Bills renew tournament sponsorship
The Buffalo Bills recently renewed their sponsorship of the USTA Pro Circuit entry-level men's tennis tournament held on the clay courts of the Village Glen Tennis & Fitness Club in Williamsville June 28-July 4. The Buffalo Bills 2004 Futures is the first of three consecutive $10,000 clay court events on the USTA Pro Circuit, followed by Pittsburgh and Peoria, Ill. It is one of only six clay court events at this level in the United States. The tournament was first played in 2002 when Village Glen took over the event just four weeks before it started. The Buffalo Bills became title sponsor in 2003 and renewed for a second year.
