Albany, N.Y. River Rats now affiliated with CarolinaThe Albany (N.Y.) River Rats hockey team has a new NHL affiliate, the Carolina Hurricanes, after parting ways with the New Jersey Devils after 13 seasons. The River Rats, of the AHL, and the Hurricanes signed an affiliation agreement to cover the 2006-07 season, as well as each of the following two seasons at the mutual agreement of both franchises.
Arlington, Texas
Rangers ready for HD installation
The Rangers signed a deal with Arena Media Networks to install HD video displays near concession stands and box office windows at Ameriquest Field. The monitors will televise programming, ads and team and event information. Other feeds include ESPN’s Sportsticker, entertainment news, team highlights and trivia, weather forecasts and financial updates.
Atlanta
Bring $12 to park, or buy in advance
The Braves have increased the game-day parking fee at Turner Field from $10 to $12 this season, but parking will remain $10 if passes are bought in advance, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves said that they will add about 1,000 parking spots, bringing about 9,600 under the team’s control, along with another 1,000-plus in independent lots.
Chicago
Bud Light sits in new Cubs bleachers
The newly renovated Wrigley Field bleachers will be officially named the “Bud Light Bleachers.” Anheuser-Busch has been a longtime sponsor of Chicago Cubs baseball on WGN-TV and the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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| Sox fans can show "Pride" with new club |
Sox fan club offers game-day perksThe White Sox launched an online fan club to connect Sox fans across the world. Fans can register for the Sox Pride Club at www.soxprideclub.com and www.whitesox.com. Memberships for 2006 are available for $9.95. Benefits include a membership card and greeting letter from the White Sox, free 2006 subscription to MLB.com Gameday Audio, online access to postgame press conferences live from U.S. Cellular Field, and special ticket availability in lower reserved sections for home games.
Bulls smell a game-day giveaway
The Chicago Bulls partnered with Ermenegildo Zegna Parfums to present Z Zegna fragrance samples to the first 20,000 Bulls fans attending the April 8 game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fans also had the opportunity to fill out raffle cards to be entered in a sweepstakes to win a new Ducati Monster motorcycle.
Marathon running with The Score
WSCR-AM The Score will be the official radio broadcaster of The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. The station will broadcast the Oct. 22 marathon live and provide coverage of LaSalle Bank’s other premier sports events, namely The LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle and LaSalle Bank Open. The two-year commitment with The Score will include marathon coverage along with four one-hour programs in advance of the race.
Cleveland
EchoStar net offering 130 Indians games
EchoStar Communications Corp. is launching SportsTime Ohio, the television network of the Cleveland Indians. Sports-
Time Ohio is a Northern Ohio regional sports network. Dish Network customers who subscribe to America’s Top 60+, DishHD Bronze or any higher package now have access to 130 regular-season Indians games in 2006.
Indians pick up second pitching simulator
ProBatter Sports completed a deal with the Cleveland Indians for the ballclub to acquire its second ProBatter Professional Baseball simulator. Already used by the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, the Indians become the first pro club to have purchased two of the proprietary pitching systems. The new simulator will be installed at Jacobs Field for training purposes and to warm up hitters before their at-bats.
Columbus
Bob Evans replaces Johnsonville Brats
Bob Evans Farms Inc. has taken over the rights to provide bratwurst for the Columbus Crew’s “Buck-A-Brat” nights at Wednesday home games this season. The MLS team signed a three-year agreement with the Columbus-based restaurant chain and sausage-making company. Bob Evans replaces Johnsonville Brats, which had held the bratwurst rights at Crew Stadium since 2002.
Fort Worth, TexasTWC gets naming rights at speedwayTime Warner Cable signed a five-year agreement for naming rights to the new Victory Lane Broadcast Center at Texas Motor Speedway, which will be called the Time Warner Cable Broadcast Center. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Denver
Rockies renew with Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines renewed its title as the official airline sponsor of the Colorado Rockies. The renewed contract extends the original three-year agreement, signed in April 2003, for another five years, providing Frontier with promotional opportunities, advertising inclusion and in-stadium signage at Coors Field. Frontier passengers who fly from now through Sept. 28 can show their boarding pass at the ticket window of Coors Field to receive two pavilion tickets for the price of one.
Indianapolis
New collection honors longtime Pacer
In conjunction with the retiring of his No. 31 jersey, the Indiana Pacers launched a special Reggie Miller collection of merchandise to commemorate his 18-year NBA career. “The Reggie Miller Collection” includes hats, pennants, replica banners, T-shirts and a special-edition program commemorating Miller’s all-star career. The collection initially will be available at the Pacers’ retail store at Conseco Fieldhouse, but will likely later be sold at other sporting goods retail outlets throughout central Indiana.
Los Angeles
Kaiser to title-sponsor annual triathlon
Kaiser Permanente signed on for a three-year commitment to sponsor the City of Los Angeles Triathlon. Beginning with this year’s event on Sept. 10, the City of Los Angeles Triathlon will be titled the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon.
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Kirby Puckett will be honored at this week's home
opener and throughout the season. |
Minneapolis - St. Paul Target sponsoring Twins home openerMinneapolis-based Target Corp. will sponsor the Twins’ home opener April 11, which will feature a pregame tribute to Kirby Puckett. Puckett’s children, Kirby Jr. and Catherine Puckett, will throw out the first pitch before the game. The team will unveil “34” patches that will be worn on jerseys and displayed in center field during the season.
Twins add multifaceted sponsor
The Minnesota Twins added Continental Diamond as a sponsor for the 2006 baseball season. The St. Louis Park, Minn.-based jeweler will sponsor the Twins Thursday Night daily ticket offer. Fans purchasing lower reserved tickets for Thursday games will receive $26 gift certificates to Continental Diamond.
Twins get OK to sell 12 more suites
As part of the team’s agreement with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to use two expanded “Terrace Suites” at the Metrodome, the Twins will receive 12 additional suites they can sell this season. The Metrodome’s suites are owned and have been controlled by the Minnesota Vikings.
New York
Yankees lead with 86 corporate deals
The Yankees have signed 86 corporate sponsors for this season, the most of any team in the four major sports leagues, according to a report in the New York Post. Forbes estimated the Yankees pulled in more than $45 million in sponsorships last season.
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The Yankees' 86 corporate sponsors are the most of
any team in majoy U.S. leagues. |
Giants tickets going up $5 this season The New York Giants’ ticket prices have been raised $5. The NFL team’s new ticket prices are $75 for the upper and lower tiers and $85 for mezzanine seating. Last season, the Giants’ gross average ticket price of $73.57 ranked 11th out of the 32 teams in the league.
Mets ahead of pace on ticket sales
New York Mets executive vice president of business operations David Howard said that the team has sold more than 2.2 million tickets for this season, up from about 2 million at the same point last year, according to a report in Newsday. In final preseason news, more than 14,000 fans attended a special Mets practice session at Shea Stadium on April 2.
Philadelphia
Phillies light landmarks, dip Phanatic
The Philadelphia Phillies promoted the start of the 2006 season with a weeklong “paint the town red” campaign. The highlight of the campaign was the Phillies Phanatic mascot temporarily changing colors from green to red after being “dipped” in a giant can of red paint. Other events included Philadelphia landmarks the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Love Park Fountain, the National Constitution Center and the PECO, Cirra and PNB buildings being illuminated in red.
New Era Tickets handling Penn Relays
New Era Tickets was named as the new ticket provider for the Penn Relays. The 112-year-old event features track-and-field athletes ages 8 to 80 from around the world competing. The Penn Relays will be held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field from April 27-29. New Era Tickets also will handle phone and Internet inquiries from customers regarding relays.
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Part of the "paint the town red" campaign included
a crane-assisted dip of the Phanatic. |
MLL Barrage plans summer camps The Philadelphia Barrage of Major League Lacrosse unveiled plans for a summer lacrosse program, in a partnership with Lacrosse Evolution of Exton, Pa., for kids ages 8 to 18. The instructional camps will be held at three locations in the Philadelphia region in June. The $350 entrance fee includes Barrage tickets and giveaways and a one-year subscription to Inside Lacrosse magazine.
Arenas agree on city’s favorite hoagie
Philadelphia-based Campo’s Deli is now the official hoagie for the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum. The collaboration combines almost 100 years of Philadelphia tradition, as the Spectrum opened in 1967 and Campo’s was established in 1947. Campo’s was voted Best of Philly in 2001.
Fans snap up free, draft-party tickets
Five thousand tickets for the Philadelphia Eagles’ free April 29 draft party were gone within three hours of when fans could first register for the event on the Eagles’ Web site. PhiladelphiaEagles.com and WYSP 94.1-FM will broadcast live from the event at Lincoln Financial Field. Activities will include tours of the locker room and playing field, autographs with Eagles players, raffles and the introduction of the 2006 Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.
Phoenix
Cardinals partner with Aristar
Aristar Resorts Club of Phoenix entered into a multiyear strategic alliance with the Arizona Cardinals. The new sponsorship makes Aristar the exclusive vacation ownership partner of the NFL team. The Aristar-Cardinals alliance will be visible through a variety of promotional opportunities and event productions.
Raleigh
Turnstiles spin with MEAC’s move
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournament enjoyed a 50 percent boost in total attendance during its first year in Raleigh. The 2006 tournament recorded a total turnstile attendance of 22,508 at Raleigh’s RBC Center, compared to 15,015 last year in Richmond, Va. The tournament generated 4,946 total hotel room nights, resulting in $3 million in direct visitor spending, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Region named for ’08 youth soccer event
Raleigh and nearby Wilson, N.C., have been named as co-hosts of the 2008 United States Youth Soccer Association Southern Regional Championships. The event will bring 184 boys and girls teams from 11 states to North Carolina and will generate about 20,000 hotel room nights with an estimated economic impact of $4.2 million, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Sacramento
Tennis teams land Kournikova, Sampras
The Sacramento Capitals professional tennis team landed Anna Kournikova as a marquee player this summer for the second consecutive season, and will get Pete Sampras as a visiting marquee player with the Newport Beach Breakers. This is Sampras’ debut in World TeamTennis.
San Francisco
MediaOne outfits ballpark with HDTV
MediaOne completed upgrades at AT&T Park to make high-definition television pervasive throughout the venue. Media-
One’s engineering team planned and implemented the upgrade of the existing infrastructure to carry HDTV signals, and then directed the installation of 70 50-inch Sony plasma screens at new locations on the main Promenade Level.
St. Louis
More tickets available in Busch sections
With Busch Stadium construction ahead of pace, the Cardinals will open five seating sections ahead of schedule, offering fans the opportunity to purchase additional tickets in the left-field loge sections for the 2006 home schedule. Priced from $16 to $43, most of the tickets will be located in left-field loge sections 261 through 268.
Tampa
Rays cutting some concessions prices
The Devil Rays are reducing the price of hot dogs, popcorn, bottled water and other items at Tropicana Field by 25 cents and the price of coffee and hamburgers by 50 cents, according to a report in the St. Petersburg Times. The team also is adding items such as fruit cups, apples and milk to the children’s menu in response to fan requests for healthier fare.
Toronto
XM Canada starts MLB radio channel
XM Canada satellite radio is launching a Major League Baseball news and information channel, produced in Toronto, in conjunction with its broadcast of MLB games this season. MLB games will be carried on channels 176 through 189, in addition to airing MLB Home Plate, a year-round baseball talk channel, on XM channel 175.
Track investing in Polytrack surface
Woodbine racetrack this summer will become the second North American raceway to install Polytrack, a synthetic dirt surface that holds up better in wet and cold weather and is said to be safer for horses than traditional surfaces. A Woodbine official said the roughly $9 million cost will be recouped in five to 10 years through lower maintenance costs.
