I’m dying to ask my Chicago White Sox insider connections how this came to be. It looks like it was the brainchild of the Seven-11 convenience store chain to sponsor the start time of baseball night games — the first pitch will be thrown out at 7:11p — but I’m curious to know what the backstory is on this. Did anyone think about the consequences if the first pitch doesn’t get hurled in that 60-second block? Will they fill the extra 11 minutes with Slurpee ads?
Here are some suggestions for other great opportunities (or ones to avoid) awaiting sports sponsorship:
- 30 Rock — Live! From Cellular One Ballpark … It’s Saturday Night! (Or, perhaps just reserved for Tim Raines appreciation night.)
- 1 vs. 100 — Annual Beating of the Coach By Drunken Fans now come with yellow security slickers with Bob Saget’s face.
- Numb3rs — Pitch counts are now regulated to coincide with mathematical constants Charlie Eppes needs to solve this week’s mystery.
- 21 Jump Street — Designated driver free-softdrink wristbands promote the 20th anniversary of this FOX-TV vehicle for Johnny Depp
- 24 — Every two dozen pitches now comes with a sponsored bomb threat.
- The 4400 — First 4,400 fans entering the park get a cavity transmitter and anal probe.
- 7th Heaven — Home team guaranteed a go-ahead rally after Haylie Duff sings “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
- 7 Days — Although long cancelled (hey, Operation Backstep can fix that), promotions include a do-over with the Yankees and Tigers to start the second half of the season.
- Casino Royale — Free martinis when opponents finish with no runs, no hits and seven errors.
