Coast to Coast

BOSTON
Take batting practice at Fenway
Fenway Park will allow fans to enter the visiting team’s batting cage and take swings when the Red Sox are out of town, in an attempt to attract more year-round traffic to the Fenway area, according to a report in The Boston Globe. The experience is open to groups of at least 20 people paying $50-$75 per person for a private party at Game On, a nearby restaurant, according to the report.

It will cost about five morebills to
see a Bills game.

BUFFALO
Cost of tickets going up 10 percent
The cost of a season ticket to a home Buffalo Bills game in 2008 will rise by an average of 10 percent, the second straight year the team has raised prices. The team said the average per-game cost will jump to $51.24, up from $46.45 in 2007. The Bills will play eight games at Ralph Wilson Stadium, seven in the regular season and one preseason game. Two other games are being relocated to Toronto.

New Era planning special Yankees cap
Buffalo-based New Era Cap Co. will be adding to its “Spike Lee Joint” collection starting with a new cap design involving the New York Yankees. The first in the annual collection ties in the 26 years of New York Yankees championships as the team closes out its tenure in the old Yankee Stadium. The cap will be released during the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium and at New Era’s flagship store in New York City.

Congressman fond of Packers’ model
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., asked the NFL to amend its constitution to allow either total or partial community ownership of the Buffalo Bills, borrowing from the model of how the Green Packers are owned, according to a report in The Buffalo News. Also, Erie County executive Chris Collins suggested that a new stadium, possibly on the waterfront, would be an issue in any future negotiations with the team, according to the report.

CHARLOTTE
Wachovia weekly ticket books sold out
Weekly ticket books for the 2008 PGA Tour Wachovia Championship in Charlotte are sold out. The packages have traditionally been available until mid-March. Also sold out are Saturday daily tickets. Last year’s championship was one of only nine tournaments worldwide where all of the top 10 players in the rankings gathered to compete.

Experts say Meineke will pay from
$1.25M to $1.5M each year for
the sponsorship.

Meineke extends bowl deal with Raycom
Charlotte’s college football bowl game gained two more years of financial security last week through an extension of its title sponsorship with Meineke Car Care Centers. The company signed a two-year deal with bowl operator Raycom Sports, keeping the Charlotte-based franchisee’s name on the game through 2009. Industry experts estimate Meineke will pay $1.25 million to$1.5 million per year for the sponsorship.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.
City hosting Australian football tourney
The United States Australian Football League will bring its 2008 national tournament to Colorado Springs this fall. The event is the biggest Australian football tournament in the world and will attract 1,000 American and Australian players, officials and coaching staff, with 32 men’s teams spread across four divisions, as well as up to six women’s teams. Tournament dates will be announced next month.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
Sprint Cup race switches to Coke
Coca-Cola’s Zero brand will title sponsor the July 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. The event, formerly the Pepsi 400, will be dubbed the “Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.” Coke Zero and the speedway are hosting a fan contest this week and next week on NASCAR.com to vote on the official race logo.

ISC buying back $100 million in stock
International Speedway Corp. will repurchase $100 million of the company’s Class A common stock. The action was approved by the Daytona Beach-based company’s board of directors and comes as ISC has $34 million remaining under a previous $150 million authorization to buy back shares.

DETROIT
City council rejects Silverdome proposals
The Pontiac City Council voted to reject all seven proposals submitted in October for the Pontiac Silverdome, including the top offer of $12 million that would have built a horse racetrack on the site, according to a report in The Detroit News. City Council President Arthur McClellan said that a rebidding with a Feb. 22 deadline would enable submissions by several developers who had missed the last deadline and were willing to pay more than $12 million, according to the report.

GREEN BAY
Packers find more room for office space
The Green Bay Packers are building additional offices in the Lambeau Field atrium to accommodate the team’s public relations, IT and marketing departments, according to a report in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The expansion will provide an additional 7,200 square feet of office space, and a concession stand and some public area on the third-floor concourse will be eliminated, according to the report.

KANSAS CITY
Kauffman project on time, on budget
The Kansas City Royals said the $250 million renovation of Kauffman Stadium is on time and on budget. About 90 percent of the renovation project will be completed by the 2009 home opener, with the remainder completed by the 2009 all-star break. Bob Rice, Royals vice president of ballpark operations and development, said in a press release that the cost of the stadium overhaul will be very close to the $250 million budget.

LAS VEGAS
If Junior wins, fans get free tickets
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering free tickets to 8,888 race fans should Dale Earnhardt Jr. power his No. 88 Chevrolet to the 2008 Sprint Cup title. The promotion, known as Dale Jr.’s South Point Jackpot, is sponsored by the South Point Hotel of Las Vegas. Fans who renewed their weekend race tickets for 2009 by Feb. 17, were included in the promotion.

Kareem blends history and basketball
online.

LOS ANGELES
Abdul-Jabbar sky-hooks for L.A. Times
The Los Angeles Times launched a new blog on its Web site in which basketball hall of famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will post daily entries. Current entries discuss the state of the NBA, music, education, history and personal experiences.

MILWAUKEE
Bucks, Harley-Davidson sign sponsorship
Harley-Davidson Inc. signed a sponsorship deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, in part because of the team’s growing Chinese fan base. The sponsorship includes having the Bucks’ mascot, Bango, ride a Harley onto the court before each game, Harley signage in the Bradley Center and advertisementson the Bucks’ radio broadcasts.

150 Brewers games on TV this season
The Milwaukee Brewers will have 150 games broadcast this season, the most in team history, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. FSN Wisconsin will air 135, while independent station WMLW will show 15.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Ailing Garnett = free tickets
Kevin Garnett was unable to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves Feb. 8 in his first return to the Target Center since being traded in July 2007. To assuage fans who purchased tickets to the game in anticipation of seeing the former Timberwolves star, the organization gave all fans in attendance a voucher redeemable for one ticket to an upcoming Wolves game.

Vikings season tickets start at $99
The Minnesota Vikings announced an overall average increase of 3 percent on season-ticket prices for 2008, compared with the league average increase of 6.5 percent for 2007. The team will have 11 pricing options for season tickets, ranging from $99 to $1,230 for a 10-game season package.

Cranes and crew at new Yankee
Stadium are working toward an
April 2009 opening.

Wild, WCCO continue flagship status
The Minnesota Wild and WCCO Radio 830 AM reached a new multiyear agreement. WCCO, which has carried Wild games since the team’s inception in 2000, will continue to serve as the official flagship station of the team and broadcast all preseason, regular-season and potential Stanley Cup hockey games. The new agreement begins with the 2008-09 season.

NEW YORK
Yankee Stadium estimate reaches $1.2B
The cost of the new Yankee Stadium is now about $1.2 billion, not $930 million as originally estimated, according to a report in The New York Times. About $150 million in higher costs are going to a fancier scoreboard than originally envisioned and enhancements to luxury suites, club suites and restaurants, according to the report.

‘Piano Man’ to play at Shea
Billy Joel will perform “The Last Play at Shea,” the final live concert at Shea Stadium on July 16. The show will make Joel the first artist in history to perform at all four of New York City's major sporting venues; Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium and Madison Square Garden. The New York Mets will move into their new home at Citi Field in 2009.

ORLANDO
Magic, Embarq sign three-year deal
The Orlando Magic and communications company Embarq agreed to a three-year deal, making Embarq the official integrated communications provider of the team. Embarq will receive branding in key aspects of Magic marketing and communications, including in-arena interactive promotions and signs at Magic home games, as well as on-court contests featuring cash and other prizes for current and prospective Embarq customers.

Last year’s cycling tour included the
windmilled hills near Tracy, Calif.

PALO ALTO, CALIF.
Rock Racing outfitting Amgen Tour
Rock Racing was named the official fashion apparel sponsor of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race. Featuring elite professional teams, the eight-day stage race, which attracted more than 1.6 million spectators in 2007, started Sunday in Palo Alto and finishes in Pasadena on Feb. 24.

Soul practice at renovated coliseum
The Philadelphia Soul began practicing at a new training facility this year. The team is taking over the Coliseum in Voorhees, N.J., which once served as the Philadelphia Flyers’ practice facility. Develcom, a real estate company that is renting the indoor facility to the Soul, spent about $500,000 on renovations including the installation of a regulation turf field. The complex also features office space, meeting rooms, a weight room, a kitchen, and expanded training and locker rooms.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.
Amica titling Ironman race
Amica Insurance will title-sponsor the inaugural Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island on July 13. The sponsorship was secured by Providence-based Eident Sports Marketing. The triathlon race course will use a variety of Rhode Island's scenic areas, including Narragansett, the picturesque communities along State Road 102 and downtown Providence.

SAN FRANCISCO
Niners raise prices, add categories
The San Francisco 49ers are raising ticket prices this year, making the average ticket price $71, up from $64 a year ago. The team will have six price categories this season, up from four a year ago. The team’s attendance has been flat the last two seasons. The team said an average of 68,028 fans attended in 2007, compared with 68,150 in 2006.

Giants promoting 50th Bay Area season
The San Francisco Giants will have a seasonlong celebration of the team’s 50th anniversary on the West Coast. Among the promotions are Forever Giant Fridays, when a “mystery” alumni from the past 50 years will meet fans and sign autographs at AT&T Park.

SPARTA, KY.
Pepsi sponsoring speedway’s season
PepsiAmericas Inc. will serve as the official soft drink sponsor for Kentucky Speedway’s 2008 season, which begins May 10 with the ARCA Re/Max Series “Drive Smart. Buckle Up Kentucky 150.” Pepsi-Americas will receive exclusive on-site soft drink marketing and vending rights, facility and souvenir program advertising, display space, grandstand tickets and a luxury suite license.

ST. LOUIS
Tour of Missouri generates $26.2M
Last year’s inaugural Tour of Missouri bicycle race brought in an estimated $26.2 million in new tourism dollars for the state. The 600-mile, six-day bicycle race featured internationally recognized professional racers and drew more than 367,000 spectators.

Collinsville approves stadium funding
In support of efforts to attract an MLS expansion team, the city council of suburban Collinsville, Ill., approved a tax increment financing plan to help pay for a 400-acre mixed-use development that would house an 18,500-seat soccer stadium. St. Louis is competing with Philadelphia to land the league’s 16th team.

Cardinals renew Quad Cities affiliation
The St. Louis Cardinals signed a two-year player development agreement with the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League to continue as the club’s Class A affiliate. The Quad Cities franchise, based in Davenport, Iowa, has been a Cardinals affiliate since 2005.

The upside: Original season- ticket
holders will not need to pay new
seat deposits.

SUNRISE, FLA.
Arena completes point-of-sale upgrade
Every concession area inside the BankAtlantic Center is now equipped to accept credit cards from patrons. This point-of-sale upgrade is something that fans have suggested through a number of customer service forums and surveys over the past year. The credit-card initiative began with the Feb. 12 Van Halen concert.

TAMPA
Bucs raise ticket prices as much as $23
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers raised season-ticket prices for the sixth straight season, and this increase appears steeper than those in the past, according to a report in the St. Petersburg Times. Tickets will range from $42-$99 a game, and some seats will increase as much as $23 a game, according to the report.

TORONTO
Olympic committee eyes $30M grant
The Canadian Olympic Committee is close to realizing a $30 million a year grant from the Canadian government to help athletes achieve international success. The House of Commons Standing Committee of Finance recommended Feb. 8 that the federal government provide the $150 million boost — spread over five years — for the Road to Excellence program. The goal of the summer sport initiative is to copy the success of the winter sports program, called Own The Podium.