Why you should read Ben's Biz Blog

Do you read Ben's Biz Blog? You should, because if you don't you'll miss out on Ben's reports of some classic baseball promotions, including:

• LeHigh Valley Ironpigs: "Ballpark Wedding" night (including players in tuxedo jerseys)
• Brooklyn Cyclones: "Bellies and Baseball" (the bellies being pregnant bellies)
• Idaho Falls Chukars: "Potato Night" (love the photos)
• State College Spikes: "Night of 100 Promotions" (self-explanatory)
• Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Punctuation Night (!?)

Thirty year anniversary of Disco Demolition Night

Disco Sucks! Disco Sucks!
July 12, 1979.
A twilight doubleheader at Comiskey Park.
The White Sox vs. The Tigers.
Between games, 24 year old Steve Dahl, popular disc jockey from Chicago White Station Route 98 would take the field at the head of his so-called Anti-Disco Army to blow up thousands of disco records.

What happened next is part of baseball history. Here's a video from ESPN looking back at the infamous night. (The actual moment of demolition is about halfway through.)


Interesting video, not just for the recap of Disco Demolition Night. Also videos and photos of Bill and Mike Veeck, and some of the other wacky promos at Comiskey in the 70's. I liked the shot of the old scoreboard, set up to politely read "PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS." And Bill Veeck and Harry Caray singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" in a futile effort to calm things down.

Mike Veeck says at the end: "We did a promotion that caused a forfeiture. I regret that. As a cultural event, I'm kinda proud of it."

Here's more on the event Wikipedia...

New video scoreboards coming for Carolina and Dallas

Fans in Carolina and Dallas will have new video scoreboards to watch.

In Carolina, work is underway to replace the scoreboard at RBC Centre. The technical team has a blog with behind-the-scenes updates on the removal of the old scoreboard and installation of the new one. Lots of pics and videos, plus technical info too. Check it out: Canes Vision HD


Meanwhile at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, fans of the Stars and Mavericks will have a new scoreboard being marketed as the "First and only 1080 HD Video Scoreboards in the NBA or NHL, plus an audio upgrade to boot. I guess they felt they had to compete with that big scoreboard the Cowboys installed.

New Dallas Cowboys stadium opens tonight

Country star George Strait opens the new $1.15-billion Dallas Cowboys stadium tonight. Earlier this year we gave you a preview of the video scoreboard, and in the past month a few videos of the screen have been published online. The Dallas Morning News has a good review of the design and architecture of the new stadium, which describes the scoreboard as "the size of a house". (via The Sports Economist)

All about Detroit Red Wings music

Check out this article about the music played for the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, as well as a list of Detroit's player goal songs. The music is programmed & played by T. Campbell aka DJ T. Some highlights:

It wasn't always that way. In the pre-Campbell years, the team tried to pump up the crowd with old-fashioned organ-driven chants.

That all changed in the early 1990s when the Wings did away with the organ and brought in a DJ. The original DJ didn't work out, so in came Campbell. He had been the music-spinner for Michigan State games at Munn Ice Arena.

"They know I have a feel for the game because I've been playing hockey since I was 5 years old," said Campbell, who is 49 and whose three older brothers all played for the Spartans. He himself won two state championships as a prep player.

He continues to DJ at Spartan games and makes the 80-mile drive from his home in Okemos for every Wings home game - his license plate reads "HCKYTWN."

Campbell arrives 2 to 2 1/2 hours before each game. He wears a suit and stands for the entirety in his perch high above the ice. His booth is behind press row, and he shares it with the replay official.

Campbell wears a headset to communicate with the onsite event producers and is surrounded by black and silver machines that help pump his music to the masses. The tracks are listed alphabetically, so all he has to do is turn a dial, click and button and whoosh - the song heads into 20,000 sets of ears.

At Wednesday night's Western Conference championship clincher over Chicago, Campbell kicked off the pregame festivities by spinning Kid Rock's "Intro" chant, which goes: "It ain't no party like a Detroit party/'cause a Detroit party don't stop."

When the Wings made their way through the tunnel and stepped on to the ice, Campbell quickly queued up the thrash-metal rocker "Adrenaline" by 12 Stones.

But his musical selections aren't all rock tracks. He'll play anything from techno, dance or trance tunes to rap and classic rock. On Wednesday, he even played the soft Kiss ballad "Beth" in honor of a young lady who earned a Zamboni ride between the first and second periods.

Miami Heat unveil outdoor LED marquee

Sarah Talalay has a good article on The Business of Sports about a giant outdoor LED marquee that the Miami Heat have installed outside of American Airlines Arena. Here's an excerpt:

The Heat unveiled its MiamiMediaMesh LED marquee Wednesday night with great fanfare. The 3,400-square foot stainless steel mesh screen covers a dozen window panels on AmericanAirlines Arena’s west façade – so it’s hard to miss.

I described it in today’s story as being like a curtain, but it’s really more like a screen since it’s attached to the arena. (See photos by the Heat's Omar Vega). But at just ¾ inch thick and 70 percent transparent, it doesn’t block your view from inside the arena, and you almost don’t know it’s there, if it’s not turned on.

When it is on – arena officials plan a 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. schedule – it’s the size of 320 50-inch plasma TVs blasting game and concert footage, sponsor advertising messages and even the public’s Twitter and email messages. Send Tweets to @MiamiMediaMesh or emails to MiamiMediaMesh@heat.com for possible display.

Read the entire article or read the official press release

NHL National Anthems: The Final Four

This post is for my 3-year-old daughter, who stays up late each night so that she can watch the anthems. Her favourite is Jeff Jimmerson, with Katherine Fritsch a close second.

The final four national anthem singers in the 2009 playoffs -- 2 guys, 2 gals, 4 different styles, all great singers.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jeff Jimmerson
   First performance for the Pens was in December 1990. Has been a regular with the Pens since the mid 1990s. Performs in local band Airborne. Appeared in the film "Sudden Death", playing himself.
   Video: Youtube
   Article: Anthem singer fires up Mellon crowd (TribLIVE)
   Other: Jeff Jimmerson Fan Club via Facebook
   
   
2. Carolina Hurricanes - Katherine Fritsch
   10 years old, in her second season with the Hurricanes. First sang with the 'Canes back in 2006-07. Took over from Holly Wilver, a former Hurricanes Storm Squad member. Discovered by 'Canes staff at the Jimmy V Junior Golf Classic. Wants to be a vet when she grows up.
   
   Video: Youtube
   Articles: NC Spin Online, Canes Country
   
   
3. Detroit Red Wings - Karen Newman
   Has been singing with the Red Wings for over 15 years. Before that she was a multiple winner on Ed McMahon's Star Search, sang backup with Kid Rock and Bob Seger. Has released a few cd's, including a holiday album. Was once a hairstylist and has a twin sister, Kathy.
   
   Video: MySpace
   Articles: Wikipedia, Kukla's Korner
   Other: Karen on Facebook, Karen on Myspace
   
   
4. Chicago Blackhawks - Jim Cornelison (singer) & Frank Pellico (organist)
   From NHL.com: "Chicago's anthem tradition began during the 1985 conference finals against Edmonton. After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, Hawks fans entered Chicago Stadium on May 9 fully energized and ready to help their team get back into the series. The crowd was so excited they cheered all the way through the National Anthem — and the tradition stuck."
   
   Jim Cornelison is a former professional opera singer, coaches basketball in his spare time, and is currently a real estate agent in Chicago with Rubloff Residential Properties. He's been a professional singer since 1993. Sung off-and-on with the Blackhawks since 1995. Has been the full-time singer for the Hawks since the start of the 2008-09 season.
   
   Pellico is 66 years old and has been playing the organ for the Blackhawks since 1991. He's also played for the Chicago Cubs. He plays a custom-designed Allen organ, installed in the United Centre to replicate the original Barton organ at Chicago Stadium. Cool link: Pellico & roller rinks.
   
   Articles: Jim Cornelison, Frank Pellico
   Video: Anthem, A night in the life of Jim, Frank Pellico, Blackhawks organist
   Also: Jim's YouTube channel (includes full bio + videos)
   

The 10 worst national anthem performances of all time

Time Magazine counts down the 10 worst national anthem performances of all time. Most of them are from pro sports.

• Roseanne Barr
• R. Kelly
• Carl Lewis
• Michael Bolton
• Hockey Girl
• Chattanooga Police Officer
• Hillary Clinton
• Kat DeLuna
• Anonymous, Enthusiastic Man
• High School Homecoming
  

Also from Time: Top 10 worst first pitches

Producing in-house video for the NFL draft

Here's an article about Big Screen Network - a company that produces video scoreboard shows for events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, Olympics, and the NFL Draft:

When the NFL Draft takes place today and Sunday in New York's Radio City Music Hall, the Triangle will be prominently represented even if no one from area schools gets selected.

The Big Screen Network, with headquarters in Los Angeles and Raleigh, will be in the building, just as it is for dozens of major sporting and entertainment events.

Most fans probably don't recognize the name. But if those fans have attended Super Bowl games, NCAA Final Fours and Olympic competition in recent years, they've seen and heard the Big Screen team at work. The company is an industry leader in the production of in-house video, scoreboard and information services.

The company was founded by Paul Kalil, a Los Angeles resident and a pioneer in the video board business. His first project was as scoreboard operations director for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early 1980s. In the years since, Kalil has expanded Big Screen's reach throughout all areas of athletic and concert presentations. Through last season, Big Screen had produced 17 Super Bowl scoreboard shows for the NFL.

Becker, a 37-year-old Philadelphia native, became head of the Raleigh branch about five years ago. He'll direct the BSN team for this weekend's draft. It's a complicated undertaking that requires hundreds of hours of preparation.

...

Shortly after the draft ends, Becker will start getting ready for the next project. In addition to its work for the NFL and the Olympics, Big Screen produces video shows for 88 NCAA Division I, II and III national championship competitions. That list includes events as varied as the College World Series, the Frozen Four and the men's and women's Final Fours.

"One thing about it, this kind of job never gets dull," Becker said.

Read the entire article from The News & Observer...

Chicago Blackhawks Goal Song: Chelsea Dagger

The Chicago Blackhawks goal song this year is "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis. The Chicago Daily Herald has the scoop:

"We were searching high and low for a goal song," Tom O'Grady said. "It was a little quirky, and it was certainly contagious. I really respect Blackhawks fans, and I wanted something uplifting that could be pretty organic once it got going."

It wasn't an immediate hit, however

"The first few games we were getting some pretty bad responses - we were like, 'We might not make it,'" O'Grady said with a smile. "(Hawks president) John McDonough has a great vision; he said, 'Let it roll for a while.'

"Now it's pretty contagious and people really like it and it's become our goal song - more by patience than design."