Coast to Coast

BOSTON

Evolve Golf executives and pro golfers threw a crate of wood tees into Boston Harbor.

Golfers dump tees into harbor
PGA Tour player Arron Oberholser and other pro golfers joined executives from Sunset Beach, N.C.-based Evolve Golf, developers of a biodegradable golf tee, and members of Massachusetts country clubs aboard the USS Liberty in Boston Harbor on Sept. 1 to throw a “tee party” to promote Evolve’s product. Participants signed a “declaration of independence” from wooden tees after emptying bags of them into a wood crate and dumping the crate into Boston Harbor.

COLLEGE PARK, MD.

Ameritel sponsors club for juniors
Maryland officials have launched the Junior Terps Club, presented by Ameritel Corp. The club is open to children in eighth grade and under. Parents can sign up for $20 for one child or $50 for three or more children. All kids will receive an official membership card, T-shirt, lunch bag, school folder filled with team posters and schedule cards, four issues a year of the Junior Terps Tales Newsletter, a birthday card and invitations to special club events, including clinics and autograph sessions with Maryland student-athletes.

COLUMBIA, S.C.

USC arena drops Ticketmaster
The Colonial Center in Columbia has dropped Ticketmaster and is using its own system, according to The (Columbia) State newspaper. The 18,000-seat arena is owned and operated by the University of South Carolina athletic department. Tom Paquette, general manager of the Colonial Center, told The State that the change is aimed at creating “a more personalized ticket-buying experience.” Patron Solutions, owned by Comcast-Spectacor, set up the Colonial Center’s new system. Global Spectrum manages the arena.

DENVER

GolfTec to open more locations
Denver-based GolfTec expects to open an additional eight locations by the end of the year.

GolfTec plans to open more locations like this one at Cherry Creek in Denver.

DETROIT

MAC title game moves to Ford Field
The Mid-American Conference football championship game will be played at Detroit’s Ford Field for at least the next three years. Previously, the site of the game alternated between division champions, but that always gave the home team a decided advantage, so the conference sought a neutral site. This year’s game will be played at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and will be televised on ESPN. The MAC includes three state schools, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan.

FRESNO, CALIF.

Grizzlies re-up with Giants
The Fresno Grizzlies have renewed for two years their Class AAA affiliation with the San Francisco Giants. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Grizzlies are pressing the Giants for more joint promotions and for more access to the Giants’ top brass. The Grizzlies have been the Giants’ Class AAA team since 1998.

GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS

Lone Star Park expanding
Lone Star Park is ramping up an $8 million expansion in preparation for hosting the 21st Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on Oct. 30. In addition to its 12,000 permanent seats, Lone Star is installing 38,000 temporary seats around its oval race track, and expects to complete most of that work by Oct. 1, when the park’s 19-date Breeders’ Cup thoroughbred meeting begins. It is also installing at least three large video boards in its infield, which comes after previously completed improvements, including three new barns, a 10,000-square-foot banquet hall, and 1,600 permanent outdoor box seats along the grandstand apron.

INDIANAPOLIS

Solheim Cup tickets sold via lottery
Ticket purchasers for the Solheim Cup golf tournament will be determined by a random lottery for the first time in the event’s history. The biennial match-play competition between 12-member U.S. and European women’s teams, which will be played in 2005 at Crooked Stick Golf Course just north of Indianapolis, has become so popular locally that tickets will be sold via a drawing. About 10,000 tickets have already been bought by corporate partners or Crooked Stick members, and event organizers said there are more applicants for the Sept. 6-11 event than there are tickets. About 20,000 tickets remain.

Celebrity club expanding to Indy
A Nashville company that is growing its business by mixing star appeal and a family-oriented private country club atmosphere is targeting Indianapolis for expansion. Executive Golf Partners Inc. has turned Old Natchez Country Club in the Nashville area into a growing enterprise by signing deals with area celebrity entertainers and athletes. Celebrity members often provide memorabilia to be displayed at EGP’s club and also make regular appearances, said EGP Chairman and CEO Jeff Wine. EGP’s business model is built on attracting professional athletes and other celebrities often with ties to the local community as members, which draws a broader membership. Wine said he thinks the concept will work well in Indianapolis. The company plans also to expand in Charlotte and St. Louis by the first quarter of 2005. Wine said a public offering is being planned for early 2005 to fuel the company’s growth. EGP wants to build a chain of 30 golf and country clubs with reciprocal agreements.

McDonald’s to sponsor Champ Car series
McDonald’s has reached a sponsorship deal with the Champ Car open-wheel series to be the official fast-food restaurant of Champ Car. Financial terms of the two-year deal were not disclosed. McDonald’s, which is also the title sponsor of the Newman/Haas Racing team, promised to actively promote the series.

KANSAS CITY

Hockey team gets radio deal
Kansas City Outlaws games will be broadcast live by KCKN-AM. The station will air the United Hockey League expansion team’s 80-game schedule. Terms of KCKN’s one-year contract weren’t disclosed, and an announcer wasn’t named. KCKN also carries the Kansas City T-Bones’ Northern League baseball games and the Kansas City Explorers’ World TeamTennis matches.

MIAMI

Jay-Z launches new Reebok shoe
Jay-Z was in Miami to launch the Reebok S. Carter Basketball Mid. The publicity event was scheduled for a Miami Foot Locker and the shoe, which hit retail at the beginning of September, will be worn by the New York Knicks’ Jamal Crawford and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenyon Martin, among others.

Goldberg’s future still unclear
Miami’s WQAM-AM still has not told host and ESPN commentator Hank Goldberg whether he will be brought back from a suspension that began Sept. 3. Goldberg made comments about Marlins managing general partner Jeffrey Loria’s marital situation, The Miami Herald said. Goldberg has been suspended before after making on-air comments about the same subject.

No Dolphins channel this season
A proposed Miami Dolphins channel is not expected to launch this season, the team’s senior vice president for media relations, Harvey Greene, told The Miami Herald. Comcast has been exploring the possibility, the report said.

MILWAUKEE

Entercom to launch all-sports station
WEMP-AM will drop its predominantly religious programming this fall for a combination of local and national sports-talk shows and game broadcasts, giving Milwaukee its only around-the-clock sports radio station. Among the nationally syndicated shows the station will carry are “The Jim Rome Show” and Steve Czaban’s show from Fox Sports Radio. The start date for sports programming on WEMP has not been determined, said Ray Quinn, vice president and general manager of WEMP and two Milwaukee FM stations owned by Entercom Communications Corp. The only all-sports station in Milwaukee is WAUK-AM, owned by Craig Karmazin’s Good Karma Broadcasting Inc. WAUK is an ESPN radio affiliate, but the station’s license requires it to leave the air from sunset to sunrise.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

Minnesota basketball back on FSN
After a season in which the team’s games were seen by few people on television, University of Minnesota men’s basketball will be back on Fox Sports Net in 2004. FSN North reached a multiyear agreement with ESPN Regional Television to televise 13 men’s basketball games. FSN had previously broadcast the games until the team committed to Victory Sports, a cable network started by the Minnesota Twins that never reached agreements with the major cable and satellite carriers in the Twin Cities.

Target Center gets seating upgrade
Midwest Entertainment, made up of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx and Nederlander Organization, will continue to upgrade Target Center this offseason by replacing all 19,000 of the arena’s seats and adding about 450 new seats by filling in two large gaps at the corner of the court leading to the locker rooms. It’s an initiative aimed at improving the fan experience at Target Center and making the venue more competitive with Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, said Chris Wright, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

NEW YORK

Jets launch second season of show
The New York Jets, with television partner WCBS-TV and corporate partners NFL Licensing, Pepsi and Gatorade, will launch the second season of “Generation Jets” on Saturday. “Generation Jets,” produced by B-Train Films, is an educational half-hour weekly children’s show that combines animation with live action. Through the ”JetsStream,” the cast of “Generation Jets” speaks directly with Jets players and coaches, emphasizing values including patience, determination, second chances, discipline, freedom, interdependence and courage.

PHILADELPHIA

Phillies mark Latino Family day
The Philadelphia Phillies held their second annual “Latino Family Celebration” on Sept. 3 at Citizens Bank Park. The event featured a variety of Latin food, music and dancing in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Former Phillie Willie Montanez was be presented with the team’s 2004 Latino Legends Award.

Kearse to appear on radio show
Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse has signed an exclusive deal with Philadelphia FM radio station WMMR 93.3 to appear on its morning show, “The Philly Guys,” on Fridays during the football season to talk about the team. Kearse, whose nickname is “the Freak,” will appear on a segment know as “The WMMR Friday Freak Show with 93 Jevon Kearse.” Kearse wears uniform number 93.

Schmidt to bow out of Florida job
Hall of Fame third baseman and rookie minor league manager Mike Schmidt informed the Phillies he does not plan to return for a second season as manager of the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies’ Class A affiliate in the Florida State League. Phillies general manager Ed Wade said the organization would welcome Schmidt back to the role of part-time hitting instructor, which he has held in the past.

PORTLAND, MAINE

Sea Dogs to host All-Star Game
The Portland Sea Dogs, the Class AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have been selected by the Eastern League to host the 2005 Eastern League All-Star Game at Hadlock Field. The game will be played on July 13 and will pit the 12-team league’s Northern Division All-Stars against the Southern Division All-Stars. Hannaford Supermarkets has signed as the title sponsor of the 2005 All-Star Game.

SACRAMENTO

Sheriff has arena financing plan
Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas has unveiled a plan to finance a new sports arena for the Sacramento Kings that would create a nonprofit organization to accept donations of land in the area north of North Natomas, sell it and use the proceeds to pay for construction. The proposal calls for the owners of some 10,000 acres in the area — including some of the region’s largest developers — to donate 20 percent of their holdings there to the new organization. Based on estimates of $300,000 an acre for land that has been zoned and otherwise readied for development, such a plan could conceivably raise as much as $600 million. The Kings would lease the arena from the new nonprofit, which would retain ownership. Backers of the new plan say it could generate up to $10 million a year for charitable purposes. It could also accelerate development in the area, assuming voters approve the proposal.

SAN DIEGO

Sky Show draws fans to Qualcomm
The San Diego State football team set a single-game attendance record of 57,216 in its home opener Sept. 4 at Qualcomm Stadium, thanks in large part to the KGB Sky Show, an annual postgame fireworks extravaganza that until this year had followed a Padres game. The previous mark was 56,737 for a game against Brigham Young University in 1991.

Petco Park named ‘New Park of the Year’
Petco Park was named “Baseballparks.com’s New Park of the Year” among five new ballparks to open in 2004, beating out Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Phillies’ new spring training facility in Clearwater, Fla., and two minor league parks.

SAN FRANCISCO

No night races at Bay Meadows
Bay Meadows, located in nearby San Mateo, will not hold night racing this year because a dwindling number of participating horses has dramatically reduced betting volumes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Last year, the track averaged 47.6 horses, and it has had as few as 39 for eight night races. Magna Entertainment Co., which has operated Bay Meadows under a contract with the property owner since 2000, has been told its lease will not be renewed when it expires Dec. 31. The Bay Meadows Land Co. plans to operate the track in 2005 under a subsidiary to be known as the Bay Meadows Racing Association. Bay Meadows has held night races since 1979.

SAN JOSE

Businessmen interested in ’Quakes
The Mercury News reported that a pair of Iranian-American businessmen have said they are interested in negotiating with Anschutz Entertainment Group to buy the San Jose Earthquakes. The $10 million deal could include an AEG contribution of money toward a soccer-specific stadium in the Bay Area, although no location has been found. Tony Amanpour, CEO of First Portfolio Mortgage Planner, and Pejman Nozad, a former professional soccer player from Iran, are leading a group of 50 or so investors. AEG said the team will be sold and likely moved if a local investor cannot be found by Friday.

ST. LOUIS

Radio station up for sale
A St. Charles, Mo.-based radio station whose owners include a handful of former professional athletes is up for sale after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. KIRL-AM has been licensed to Bronco Broadcasting Co. since 1979, beaming religious messages and gospel music. The station is expected to sell for at least $500,000, said Ray Rosenblum, a Pittsburgh-based media broker assigned to sell Bronco’s license and assets. Bill White, a former baseball player with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League, started Bronco with a small group of friends in the 1970s. Other owners include Johnny Roland, a two-time NFL Pro Bowl running back who played seven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1972 , and Roland’s former teammate, Mel Gray, a wide receiver and four-time Pro Bowler who played with the Cardinals from 1971 to 1982.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG

IRL gives St. Pete the Honda Grand Prix
The Indy Racing League has included St. Petersburg on its IndyCar Series 2005 schedule. The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for April 3 and will be IndyCar’s first street-circuit event. The 1.8-mile road course includes an airport runway and a stretch along the city’s waterfront. Andretti Green Promotions will serve as promoter of the St. Petersburg race, with former Indy-style race team owner Barry Green as its managing director.

Forbes: Bucs’ value up by some 16%
The value of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football franchise increased by 16 percent in the last year to $779 million, according to Forbes magazine. However, the Bucs dropped two spots to No. 9 in the magazine’s annual ranking of all 32 NFL teams. Forbes calculates the value of the teams based on their stadium deals without deducting for debt other than stadium debt. Forbes said the Bucs generated revenue of $175 million during the 2003 season, including $20 million in club seat revenue.

TORONTO

Cherry’s name going on composite sticks
“Hockey Night in Canada” personality Don Cherry is still gung-ho on wooden hockey sticks, but he’s got coin on the composites. Cherry’s name is appearing on a line of composite sticks and mouthguards manufactured by Fox 40, makers of the Fox 40 sports whistle. Cherry says it’s no longer realistic to expect that wooden sticks will retain much of a market share given the shots that players can get off with composites. Fox 40 is marketing the stick as one of the most affordable composites available. The top-priced stick of four models is retailing for about $140.

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