News - July - December 2002

Mike Piazza a hit in Germany

(November 13) Mike Piazza of the New York Mets, one of baseball's greats, conducted a youth baseball clinic at the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday as part of Major League Baseball's international game development program in Europe.

More than 250 students, parents, teachers and journalists watched the one-hour clinic in which Piazza instructed 20 youth baseball players who participate in Play Ball!, one of the premiere game development programs operated by Major League Baseball internationally. The 20 kids, ages 10 to 13, came from regions throughout Germany and were thrilled to share the same diamond with the perennial All-Star Catcher. „That was just awesome“, said Julian, an 11-year-old catcher from Goettingen, Lower Saxony “I just received some tremendous tips from one of my absolute biggest idols.”

Simon Guehring, who was signed to a professional contract by the Milwaukee Brewers in March and currently plays for the Arizona Brewers in the Rookie League, joined Piazza for the clinic and was also thrilled at the opportunity to get first-hand advice from the baseball superstar.

Piazza himself was surprised at the high-level interest his visit created in Germany. “It’s really amazing how much excitement I’ve experienced these past two days in Berlin. There is definitely a lot of potential for baseball in this country,“ he said. Piazza also showed big support for MLB’s international activities: “Now, that I’m here and had this experience, I wish that I had done this earlier. I definitely hope to come back again soon and I’m sure that there will be quite a few major league players who will want to come over in the future.“ Piazza is currently vacationing in Europe and will make one other promotional appearance in Rome, Italy on November 19.

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ITMS Sports sweepstakes winner visits 2002 World Series

(October 24) Jan-Philipp Exner from Wipperfürth, Germany, the winner of ITMS Sports' Major League Baseball World Series sweepstakes competition, traveled to Anaheim to attend game one and two of the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants this past weekend. The 14-year-old had correctly answered the prize-question, naming the New York Yankees as the record-winning baseball champions.

During the three-day trip, the youngster and friend Jussi Humala, who accompanied Exner on his trip, were invited guests at diverse events during the first two World Series games. "The whole experience was absolutely awesome," said Exner. "Everything was organized extremely well, the games were very exciting and the atmosphere in the stadium was totally electric, especially during the tight second game which the Angeles won 11-10 to even the series."

Exner, previously a baseball fan, now considers himself totally devoted to America's favorite pastime and can't wait for next year's season to start. He had already attended a handful of Arizona Diamondbacks games during past summer vacations with his family in the Phoenix area. The trip to the World Series was a dream come true for Exner, who follows the plight of his favorite teams very closely on German television.

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Adidas, Tennis Magazine and US Airways to promote Nastase Fantasy Camp

(September 27) ITMS Sports has teamed up with Adidas, US Airways and the German Tennis magazine to promote the Ilie Nastase Fantasy Tennis Camp, December 13-15, at the renowned CopperWynd Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. As part of the premium sweepstakes that will run in the November issue of Tennis magazine, two winners will earn the right to participate in the Ilie Nastase Fantasy Camp, and play a match against the former world number one ranked Nastase. The all-expense paid grand prize includes air-travel in US Airways’ luxurious transatlantic business class, accommodations at the CopperWynd Resort and participation in the Camp. Adidas will provide five additional winners with Nastase autographed equipment and items from its current tennis collection.

The Romanian born Nastase was the first player to be ranked number one on the ATP computer. He led Romania to the Davis Cup finals in 1971 and 1972 and won two Grand Slam titles (the U.S. Open and the French Open) as well as three Grand Slam doubles titles (one with Ion Tiriac and two with Jimmy Connors) during his illustrious career.

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World Series Promotion in Germany

(September 15) Building on sponsorships and strategic partnerships with Burger King and Germany’s leading youth sports publication, Bravo Sport, ITMS Sports has launched a promotional and public relations campaign for the 2002 MLB World Series. This is the second promotional campaign of the year in the German market after having run a similar campaign to promote the 2002 All-Star Game.
The World Series promotion is being featured on over one million tray liners in every Burger King restaurant in Germany as well as in diverse articles and full-page ads in both Bravo Sport and King Magazine, Burger King’s in-store lifestyle magazine. The campaign, designed to promote the World Series and enhance MLB’s image and brand recognition in Germany, will run from mid September until mid October. The tray liners also highlight MLB’s grassroots activities and baseball in Germany. As part of the campaign, consumers can take part in a sweepstakes competition and win a trip to the 2002 World Series this fall.
Burger King has more than 350 restaurants in Germany with 50 additional store openings planned by the end of the year. King Magazine is distributed monthly to over 300,000 customers, while Bravo Sport, published bi-monthly with a sold circulation of 300,000, is available at newsstands and retailers throughout Germany.

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MLB Strike averted

(August 31) The sport with no clock completed one of its most memorable deadline performance in history Friday morning. Major League Baseball owners and the players association -- through an exhaustive sequence of all-night discussions Thursday that led to a climactic late-morning gathering in Commissioner Bud Selig's office -- settled their differences on various off-the-field adjustments and, for the first time, successfully negotiated a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) without enduring a work stoppage.

The four-year CBA includes initiatives designed to more effectively address economic disparity among franchises -- expanding the use of local revenue sharing and a competitive balance tax on payrolls -- while at the same time elevating minimum salaries from $200,000 this season to $300,000 in 2003 and providing a $500 million benefit plan. Furthermore, a new rule that's part of the deal would shorten the four-year period to fund deferred contracts.

In an unprecedented gesture, players accepted a policy that authorizes random testing for steroid use -- a policy that originally was proposed by management as one with more substantial teeth. Both sides also signed off on the introduction of a worldwide draft aimed at improving opportunity for all teams to secure talent from around the globe. The disagreement in that matter had to do with the number of rounds in the selection process. The final number will be disclosed in the near future.

The owners also pulled back on their plans to eliminate any teams, agreeing to not revisit contraction during the life of the agreement, set to expire on October 31, 2006. Friday's deal ends a negotiation that intensified after the players set the deadline for Aug. 30 two weeks ago.

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English version of ITMS Marketing now online

(July 26) As our parent company and market continue to expand globally, ITMS Marketing, has now re-launched the English version of its website. Continuing its pledge to provide a full range of services to its customers throughout the world, the Internet portal
(www.itms-marketing.com), will keep clients and interested visitors up-to-date on ITMS Marketing-related news, projects and events. ITMS Marketing is a fully-integrated communications group, offering clients a range of advertisings and marketing services.

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MLB All-Star Game celebrates 70th Anniversary in 2003

(July 18) Baseball's sparkling new contribution to the glamour and romance of American sports, the All-Star Game, made its debut on the sweltering afternoon of July 6, 1933, at Chicago's Comiskey Park. There were 47,595 fans in the stands, all eager to see a novel concept in action – action that would be performed by the most glittering assemblage of ball playing talent ever brought together on the diamond at one time. And the baseball gods couldn't have planned it any better. With one man on in the bottom of the third, George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit the first home run at the first ever All-Star Game. The Midsummer Classic will again return to Comiskey Park on July 15, 2003 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of this fan favorite tradition that showcases the top talent in baseball.

ITMS Sports will soon unveil plans for a spectacular campaign planned to promote the 2003 All-Star Game. Chicago, coined ‘the last great American city” by author Norman Mailer, is the United States’ fourth most popular destination for both business and leisure travel. In addition to the inaugural event in 1933, the Chicago White Sox have hosted the All-Star Game in 1950 and 1983. This will however be the first time that baseball's Midsummer Classic will be played in the new Comiskey Park, which opened its gates on April 18, 1991.

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Sundern sets record for ticket sales in Germany's premiere tennis division

(July 17) Blau-Weiss Sundern, located in the State of Sauerland, begins its second season in Germany’s premiere team tennis division, the bundes league, this Friday. And motivated by advance sales of 10.000 tickets and the setting of a new ticket sales record in the 31-year history of the German tennis bundes league, TC Blau-Weiss Sundern's tennis professionals are peaking at the right time. After André Sa's surprise run at Wimbledon reaching the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament, Sundern's newest player, Alexander Popp, advanced to the second round of the $ 375.000 ATP Tour event in Newport, Rhode Island, beating Axel Pretsch (Blau-Weiss Halle) 6:2, 6:2. At the ATP Tour Challenger tournament in Scheveningen, Holland, Alex Calatrava defeated his teammate Edwin Kempes in the first round 6:2, 7:6 while Tomas Behrend knocked off Blau-Weiss Neuss' Mariano Hood in straight sets (6:0, 7:6). Also, in the doubles competition Kempes/Verkerk (NL) defeated Kohllöffel/Lenho from TC Neheim 6:2, 7:5.

Jan Siemerink from the Netherlands has announced plans to retire at the end of this year’s bundes league season. Siemerink, who has been ranked among the world's top hundred for 10 of his 13 years on the pro tour, is looking forward to the upcoming team matches: "Many journalists and friends will come out to see me play in the bundes league. I will give my best for Sundern and hope to finish my career on a high note."

ITMS Sports has been a consultant to TC BW Sundern since 1994. The sports marketing agency has helped the team advance from a fourth division club eight years ago to one of the best teams in Germany's premiere division today.

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ITMS Sports to promote Fantasy Camp with Ilie Nastase

(July 15) ITMS Sports announced today that it will initiate a nationwide sweepstakes to help promote the Ilie Nastase Fantasy Tennis Camp at the renowned CopperWynd Resort and Club in Arizona. Ilie Nastase, the world number one player in 1973, will be the featured celebrity at the Fantasy Camp organized by International Tennis USA and CopperWynd Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event will take place from December 9 to 14, 2002 and is being presented by Adidas and US Airways.

ITMS Sports announced plans for a premium sweepstakes that will include air-travel in US Airways’ luxurious transatlantic business class, accommodations at the CopperWynd Resort and a doubles match with Nastase. The Romanian born Nastase was the first player to be ranked number one on the ATP computer. He led Romania to the Davis Cup finals in 1971 and 1972 and won two Grand Slam titles (the U.S. Open and the French Open) as well as three Grand Slam doubles titles (one with Ion Tiriac and two with Jimmy Connors) during his illustrious career.

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Mitch Franke at MLB All-Star Game in Milwaukee

(July 8) Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter and the rest of the legends of the game are scheduled to take the field on Tuesday night for the 73rd All-Star Game at Miller Park. Omnipresent at the 2002 Midsummer Classic in Milwaukee is also Germany's Mitch Franke. While not actually in Milwaukee, Franke, who plays minor league baseball for the Brewers, is highlighted in the official All-Star Game program and also featured as a life-size cut-out at the MLB FanFest in downtown Milwaukee. The International display at this the 12th All-Star Game Fan Festival, presents some of the games most successful imports - Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez and Ichiro Suzuki are featured as is Mitch Franke, the first German player to be signed by a major league team.

Given the amount of foreign-born players in baseball, the international theme is appropriate at virtually every major-league event. A recent study showed that 222 of 849 players (26.1%) on major-league rosters were from outside the United States. Of the 5,781 players signed to minor-league contracts, 2,865 (49.6%) were born outside the U.S. Over 100,000 baseball fans are expected to attend the five day FanFest. The 2002 All-Star Game will be broadcast in 220 countries and is expected to draw close to 100 million viewers. This is the first All-Star Game in Milwaukee since 1975 when Hank Aaron, then with the Brewers, made his 24th and final All-Star appearance. The only other time the Midsummer Classic came to Milwaukee was 1955, two years after the then Milwaukee Braves moved from Boston.

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