Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
Article IndexBY JOE FAVORITO
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING
Last Saturday the tri-state area had their first blast of winter, as up to six inches of snow fell in the area, especially in northern New Jersey. However even with the snow, baseball was on the minds of many, even those who rooted the Giants to victory last Sunday and will do so again next week in the Super Bowl.
The end of this January, like many before, becomes the hottest of Hot Stove times in the area, as the offseason eyes of baseball turn their gaze to New York.
From the Baseball Scouts Dinner to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Thurman Munson Awards and the Baseball Assistance Fund to the Baseball Writers Dinner, Hall of Famers, MVP's, game officials and the everyday rank and file find themselves among thousands of fans and admirers yearning for the first thoughts of pitchers and catcher reporting later in February, even if those balls are being thrown around Arizona and Florida. this time of year, brand baseball comes back to life in the New York area.
The two week period is also a time of great renewal for the 14 minor league teams that dot the area, with some of the better organized ones, like the Lakewood Blue Claws and the Trenton Thunder, holding special events for families, season ticketholders and sponsors to remind them of their great value to the franchise year-round. The school visits, small gifts, and special events are a reminder to all that the fan is the lifeblood of baseball, and that ballpark experience this summer is not forgotten on the coldest of January days.
This "Hot Stove" period serves as a great reminder to all of the power of brand baseball across the region. While the NFL heads to the grandest of stages in Indianapolis next week and the NBA and NHL cruise towards their All-Star events, baseball continues to churn the airwaves with talk of the game almost non-stop. Card shows both large and small fill convention centers and stadia across the tri-state area with thousands of fans wanting to talk about the game, and fantasy fans start picking up magazines and cruising websites to get ready for their March drafts.
