Astros' downtown ballpark to become Minute Maid Park

[supermanpal]

Astros' downtown ballpark to become Minute Maid Park
By JOSEPH DUARTE
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

The Astros will now put the squeeze on opposing teams at newly named Minute Maid Park.

Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr., speaking from behind home plate this morning, announced the deal with the Coca-Cola Co., which owns the Minute Maid orange juice line, to rename Astros Field.

McLane said it was "a new partnership but an old friend," referring to the Astros' relationship with Coca-Cola since Houston began playing major league baseball in 1962. He said Minute Maid is a company that represents "great financial stability, which was very important in the decision to the Houston Astros."

The deal is for 28 years, similar to the one the team struck with Enron prior to the energy giant falling on hard financial times. An Astros spokesman said McLane was very comfortable with the deal and said the agreement was close to what the owner wanted, and is reported to be in excess of $100 million.

McLane said Minute Maid afforded the Astros a brand name that "we didn't have to explain what the name meant."


SPORTS POLL
How do you like the new name for the Astros' stadium, Minute Maid Park?


It's a great name
It's better than Astros Field
It's a joke, right?
Who cares, so long as the Astros win





Not a scientific poll; for informational purposes only.

He said the company presents the kind of company that offers values for kids. In fact, part of the deal includes a $100,000 donation for youth baseball programs in the Houston area.

Permanent signs with the Minute Maid logo will be going up around the field in two months of less. A team spokesman said they plan to have temporary signs up by Monday when the Astros return from a road trip.

Donald R. Knauss, president and CEO of Minute Maid-North America, was on hand for the announcement. "This is a great opportunity for our business and our brand and we are proud to have this relationship with the Astros."

The Minute Maid Co., based in Houston, since 1960 has been a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Co., based in Atlanta.

RESOURCES


• Houston Chronicle special on stadium's opening in 2000
• Minute Maid Park, 360-degree photo tour
• Harris County-Houston Sports Authority
• Minute Maid
• Coca-Cola Co.
• Astros
• Astros audio update
• Box scores
& results
• Astros directory
• Schedule
Graphic: Public transportation to Astros Field


Pam Gardner, president of business operations for the Astros, also said Minute Maid's image was a big selling point for the deal.

"The image piece was very important," Gardner said. "It's a healthy lifestyle and Houston-based. ... It had everything to it. It really did become the perfect match."

The announcement was followed by fireworks in left field, while the home run locomotive, complete with a Minute Maid sign, made a run atop the left field wall, its bed loaded down with oranges.

The stadium's name was up for grabs after the Astros agreed in February to pay $2.1 million to buy out Enron's 30-year, $100 million naming rights deal for the stadium. The Astros had sought to end the deal with Enron following the energy giant's financial woes.

An Astros' spokeman said a field of 10 competitors came down to four -- Conoco, Shell, Hewlett-Packard and Minute Maid.

The new name gives baseball a second park with a juice company sponsor. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays play in Tropicana Field, sponsored by Florida-based Tropicana Products Inc., a division of Coca-Cola rival PepsiCo.

Tropicana is the nation's largest juice maker. Minute Maid is No. 2.



I don't know it does not sound right to say Minute Maid Park,But every since Enron troubles, they needed a other name for the park and I guess it's not that bad of a name.

[Andy Mancini]

I feel bad for the Minute Maid people. I'm really goning to miss them. Their fruit punch rules. After all, it's a known fact that when a team names a stadium after a company, they company hits the proverbial "crapper", so to speak. Here are few examples:

PSINet Stadium - Baltimore
3Com Park - San Fransisco
Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh
Enron Field - Houston
Pro Player Stadium - Miami

[Seafaring]

What about Wrigley field? (actually I don't know if Wrigley has anything to do with Cubs stadium, but I would think it would) But then of course w/a field that beautiful, it is really hard to go down hill, unless of course your are the Cubs.

[Djm912]

I like Minute Maid.

[Pilmedium]

I am not trying to say anything against Minute Maid, but in general, naming sports stadiums after companies is stupid. About one of those examples, does it mean pro players went "downhill"?

[ccffan01]

Astros field was just starting to get catchy.

[Zorakfan]

Don't forget the Tigers and Comerica park. God, sometimes capitalism sucks.

[Andy Mancini]

I think that they should rename these parks with the coroporate action taken by the companies they are named after. Here are few examples:

Enron Field --> Turns Into ---> Illeagal Accounting Practices Field
PSINet Stadium --> Turns Into ---> Chapter 11 Stadium
Mellon Arena --> Turns Into ---> Merger With the Scottish Arena (Mellon Bank just merged with Scotland's Citizen's Bank, FYI.)

[Galaxia]

I can see it all now...

"OJ! Get your freshly squeezed OJ here!"

[RogueMartian]

I truly hate commercialization. Where I am from my baseball team still plays in camden yards. I am thankful for this, but I'm sure one day that I will have to visit the Orioles at Starbuck's Yards. My football team used to play in RFK stadium and now plays in FedEx field. I simply don't understand how people can allow something like this to happen. I'm sure corporations are the first to start quoting shakespeare's "what's in a name?", but the fact is that it seems disrespectful to people and history to push advertising on them this way.

Here's some very interesting sites on the topic that I'm sure is pretty sad to most of us.

http://www.commercialalert.org/index...&article_id=98

This article is pretty funny, definitely one to make you think:
http://www.sfbg.com/MediaBeat/122.html