The Miami Heat’s “12 Days of Heat” holiday shopping experience kicks off today on the team’s brand new shop on Facebook.

Starting today, the special online shop will feature special deals and promotions that include game ticket giveaways and other items.The team is the first in the NBA to have a retail store on Facebook.

Visit facebook.com/MiamiHeat and click on the “shop” tab. Products are specially tailored to an online audience and include designs by Miami artist LEBO, whose paintings appear on the walls at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Whether you’re live at AmericanAirlines Arena or watching Miami Heat games on TV, you’ve likely noticed the new courtside digital signage that changes frequently and can be altered during games.

ANC Sports Enterprises, a sports marketing company specializing in signage, produces the technology the replaces static or rotational signage under the scorer’s and broadcaster’s tables courtside. The technology gives teams and sponsors more potential advertising inventory and allows them to tailor messages specifically to game results and statistics. For example, if a player records a triple double, a pizza parlor could advertise a two-pizza deal with three toppings, an ANC spokesman said.

“We are committed to providing our partners with different courtside signage options which create marketing opportunities based on each team’s objectives,” Jerry Cifarelli, ANC Sports president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “ANC’s state-of-the-art digital signage applications and patented software solutions generate new creative opportunities courtside while transforming the event experience throughout an arena.”

Continue reading "Miami Heat using digital courtside signage" »

As you might imagine, tickets for tonight’s Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics game at AmericanAirlines Arena are in demand much the way tickets to the Heat’s home opener against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 29 were.

StubHub reports tonight’s game is the most popular NBA game this week on the secondary -- or resale – ticket market.

The average price for tickets sold by resellers on StubHub.com for tonight’s game is $212 with a low price upstairs of $49. Of course, there was the courtside seat that sold for $9,000, the site reports. And there are still 125 tickets listed for sale on the site.

Continue reading "Heat tickets hot for tonight, not so much for Saturday" »

The Miami Heat continues to increase its social media presence through Facebook and Twitter and is offering a special $50 twHEATup ticket to four upcoming games.

The $50 ticket is in the 400 level at AmericanAirlines Arena and includes a T-shirt, Papa Johns arena pizza, and a postgame meet and greet with a Heat player.

The twHEATup games are Nov. 17 against the Phoenix Suns; Jan. 18 versus the Atlanta Hawks; Feb. 25 against the Washington Wizards; and March 16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tickets are selling fast. Go to twheatup.com to purchase tickets, promotion code: twheat.

The team hosted its first-ever twHEATup during the playoffs this year that included a halftime meet and greet with Heat Dancers and a postgame meeting with Tim Hardaway.

Don't forget to follow me: @sarahtalalay

The Miami Heat kicks off "Saturday Night Jersey Night" tonight at the Heat-New Jersey Nets game by rewarding fans in Heat jerseys with a placard shaped like an album cover featuring forward Chris Bosh.

The album covers feature Bosh in his jersey on one side and Bosh in a suit on the other. The Jersey Night promotion, sponsored by adidas, rewards the album covers to fans sporting any type of Heat jersey and anyone who purchases a new Heat jersey Saturday at the Miami Hoops Gear store at AmericanAirlines Arena. Fans wearing Heat jerseys can pick up their album covers (one per fan while supplies last) outside section 102.

The album covers were Heat Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael McCullough's idea. McCullough has a voluminous collection of albums and decorates his office with the covers, changing them up periodically.

“This is the fourth year we’ve hosted the Saturday Night Jersey Night program presented by adidas, and we think fans will love this year’s gift, the HEAT player album covers,” McCullough said in a statement. “Having thousands of fans wearing HEAT jerseys creates an intense atmosphere of love and support inside AmericanAirlines Arena, which is noticed by and motivates our players. This initiative is another way to reward our HEAT fans for their loyalty.”

The promotion offers a different player album cover at each Saturday night home game. The schedule going forward: Nov. 13, Udonis Haslem; Dec. 4, LeBron James; Jan. 1, Dwyane Wade; Jan. 22, Mario Chalmers; March 12, Carlos Arroyo; March 19, Mike Miller.

The Miami Heat’s highly-anticipated home opener against the Orlando Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday is expected to have a little bit of everything. As a result, the team is encouraging fans to arrive early to avoid traffic and a protest rally planned nearby the arena on Biscayne Boulevard by Miami police and firefighters upset about paycuts.

Black is back. Again. The team wants fans clad in black and is giving out 20,000 black “I. Was. There.” T-shirts (courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines) and commemorative programs. (“Yes. We. Did.” was the slogan for the team pulling off the free agency bonanza in getting LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade on the Heat. The team handed out “Yes. We. Did.” signs at the welcoming event July 9).

“Wear black or shop black,” said Andy Montero, the Heat’s senior director of retail operations.

Merchandise: A merchandise tent – typically reserved for the playoffs – is expected to open for business in front of the arena at 3 p.m. Gates to the arena’s east plaza open at 5:30 p.m. for the T-Mobile Tip-Off celebration. T-Mobile, which just entered into a multi-year sponsorship deal with the Heat (it has had a partnership with Wade since the 2006-07 season), is holding a pregame celebration on the plaza for fans with game tickets that includes a performance by Miami rapper Pitbull. DJ Irie and the Heat dancers will entertain and T-Mobile will show off its newest smartphones.

Tickets/Doors/Pregame: Tickets are still available at heat.com. Doors to the arena open early -- 6 p.m. Security could take longer because of the large crowd, but fans can enter at Gates 5 and 6 on the northeast and southeast sides of the arena – not just Gates 1 and 2. Even fans sitting upstairs can go courtside pregame to watch the teams warm up.

Get a Heat license plate: A kiosk outside section 102 will allow fans to purchase or renew their license plates with specialty Heat tags. The tags costs an extra $25, which is tax deductible and goes to charity. To get the license plates, you must have a driver’s license, proof of registration and insurance and cash or check.

Fan Up, Miami!: Fans are being encouraged to get to their seats in time for pregame ceremonies, which will include the debut of the team’s new player introduction video. Read about it here. At halftime, a video highlighting the summer’s events will be shown. A new song celebrating the new-look Heat, called “Celebrate” and written by Emilio Estefan will be officially unveiled. Estefan has created a percussion group called the Miami Heat Rhythm Section to perform at select games. Listen to the song here.

Oh, and there’s a game too. Starts at 8 p.m. on ESPN and Sun Sports.

As if any more build up were needed before this highly-anticipated Miami Heat season, the team is keeping with tradition hosting community events and giveaways leading up the 2010-11 home opener Oct. 29.

Heat Week kicks off Friday with a free Heat car decal giveaway at AmericanAirlines Arena. For more information, visit heat.com. Here’s what’s scheduled this week:

Friday: Heat car decal giveaway from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at AmericanAirlines Arena, while supplies last.
Then join the Heat for Happy Hour, 5 to 7 p.m. at Brickell Irish Pub, 1471 S. Miami Ave., Miami, along with Burnie the Heat mascot, Heat dancers and the Xtreme team.

Saturday: Feel like a pizza? Order from Papa John’s in Broward or Miami-Dade counites between 5 and 7 p.m. and you might just get it delivered by a Heat player, dancer, Burnie or Xtreme team member.

Sunday: The Heat’s Fireball Express bearing giveaways will visit local bars in downtown Miami starting at 4 p.m.

Monday: Fans 18 years or older can participate in a pickup basketball game at AmericanAirlines Arena during Heat After Dark, 7 p.m. to midnight. It’s free and participants get a Heat After Dark T-shirt.

Tuesday: Join other fans for the Bacardi Road Rally at AmericanAirlines to watch the Heat’s opening game against the Boston Celtics on the road. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free, but parking in the arena lot costs $5.

Wednesday: Watch the Heat’s second game of the season against the 76ers at the Bacardi Road Rally at Sandbar Sports Grill starting at 7 p.m., 3064 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove.

Oct. 28: Burnie will be giving out free tickets to the team’s home opener on Oct. 29 at AmericanAirlines Arena at various spots around South Florida. You’ll get clues to his location by being a friend on Facebook and checking out details at Facebook.com/MiamiHeat.

Oct. 29: The home opener against the Orlando Magic will include commemorative game programs and 20,000 “I. Was. There.” T-shirts for those in attendance. And the debut of the team’s new player introduction video. The game begins at 8 p.m., but doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the Heat’s encouraging fans to arrive early.

It’s not exactly a secret that South Florida sports fans are a little lax about arriving for the start of games.

Late-arriving crowds are the norm at Miami Heat games and the team has tried for years to coax fans into their seats in time for tipoff with little success. But the team’s blockbuster free agency spoils this summer has given it new impetus to try again.

The team launches “Fan Up, Miami!” at tonight’s exhibition game against the Charlotte Bobcats at AmericanAirlines Arena. The idea is to remind fans the new-look Heat is the kind of team most cities – despite their griping – would be thrilled to have. Rather than letting television viewers see empty seats, the Heat want fans occupying those chairs.

“We want to understand, especially now, why any fan would want to miss even a second of action that could take place with this team in place,” said Michael McCullough, Heat executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Just like the players are using the target on their backs as motivation, so, too, should fans, McCullough says.

"There are a bunch of media and commentators and fans around the country making comments about Miami not deserving this windfall of players, that if this would have happened in Chicago or New York, that would have been more fitting,” McCullough said. “We took offense at that. We want our fans to take offense as well.”

Tickets to see the Heat play other NBA teams around the country are among the highest priced on the secondary market, so the Heat want its fans to show they are deserving of this team.

“We want our fans to wear this as a badge,” McCullough said. “The organization stepped up and put a team together that every other team wants. Let’s show we’re worthy.”

The team is using that criticism to encourage fans to arrive early – you can watch the teams warm up courtside before the game, even if you’re sitting upstairs -- and exit the bars and balconies (they’ll help by putting drinks and snacks in to-go cups and containers) early enough to get to their seats on time.

Among the tenets of Fan Up, Miami: “Fan Up… means being in your seat for tipoff … and staying there until the final buzzer.”

Other admonishments? “Fan Up … means there is nothing fashionable about showing up fashionably late… it’s just late.”

Fans arriving early will be rewarded with discount cards (like the one above) good for merchandise and concessions. Fans in the arena concourses and clubs will notice the sound getting louder as game time approaches.

“We want to get the message across, it’s time for game time,” McCullough said. “Right when that ball goes up, something’s going to happen right away. That’s really the message.”

Individual tickets to see the new-look Miami Heat go on sale to the general public starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the team announced today.

There will be a four-ticket limit for each game and tickets can be purchased at Heat.com, ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. Tickets will not be sold at AmericanAirlines Arena's ticket office on Tuesday, but will be available thereafter. Ticketmaster retail outlets will begin selling tickets on Thursday. Tickets start at $10, but vary depending on location and opponent.

For example, tickets in the front rows of the 400 level of AmericanAirlines Arena are running $167 ($150 for the ticket and $17 for fees) for the home opener against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 29. Seats for the Heat versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 15 in the 400 level are $88 ($75 for the ticket and $13 in fees).

Most of the seats are in the 400 level, but some scattered singles may be available in other locations throughout the arena. The team is encouraging fans to purchase tickets early, as prices are likely to rise closer to the games. It is also possible that some tickets may be available on game days, depending on whether tickets are returned by the opposing team.

There will be some tickets available to all home games, because the team held back some seats, even as it sold out its season ticket inventory and gave season ticket holders, those on the "Heat Hopefuls" season ticket waiting list, and on a LiveWire email database first crack at individual game tickets this week.

Meanwhile, you can already buy individual tickets on the Sun Sentinel's ticket broker site here.

Individual game tickets to see the new-look Miami Heat are expected to go on sale next week – the team has yet to release the date – but season ticket holders and others are getting a first crack at the coveted tickets this week.

Season ticket holders, followed by fans on the team’s season ticket “Heat Hopefuls” waiting list and then those from a LiveWire email database are each getting a 10-hour window in which to purchase individual game tickets ahead of the general public.

There are only a limited number of tickets available and the price varies depending on the location and opponent.

And they are not inexpensive. For example, tickets in the front rows of the 400 level of AmericanAirlines Arena are running $167 ($150 for the ticket and $17 for fees) for the home opener against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 29. That’s the high end, obviously. You can catch the Heat versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 15 in the 400 level for $88 ($75 for the ticket and $13 in fees).

Should know about general public on sale date soon.

Meanwhile, you can already buy individual tickets on the Sun Sentinel's ticket broker site here.

OK, several hot tickets. Not exactly a newsflash here, but with the full NBA schedule now released, there’s even more evidence of what a popular ticket the Three Kings-led Miami Heat have become.

According to ticket search engine, FanSnap.com, the average ticket price on the secondary market for last year’s Heat home opener against the New York Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena was $116.

This year’s Oct. 29 opener versus the Orlando Magic? Try $805.

The website says the average price for the highly-anticipated Christmas Day matchup when the Heat travel to Los Angeles to take on the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers is already at $717. And the team’s season opener at the Boston Celtics on Oct. 26 is averaging $545 a ticket.

Returning Miami Heat guard Carlos Arroyo has his own theme music accompaniment at AmericanAirlines Arena – El Gran Combo’s “Fiesta de Pilito.”

Now he has a new single out with reggaeton recording artist and fellow Puerto Rican, Yomo. You can listen to the song called “Se va Conmigo” (“She comes with me”) below and purchase it at iTunes.

You can also watch a photo shoot of the pair here.

Arroyo, who is a reggaeton fan, released “Oculto Secreto” (“Hidden Secret”) last year – you can watch it here.

+ With the release of the full NBA schedule today, the Heat has just 29 nationally televised games this season. The team can have a maximum of 34 on national TV. Fans can vote on NBA.com for games they want to see broadcast nationally on “Fan Night” – Tuesdays on NBA TV.

+ And with the release of their schedule, the Heat reminded that fans still seeking season tickets for the 2010-11 season, can sign up for the Heat Hopefuls Waiting List for a non-refundable $100 per seat. Those on the waiting list will be given the first shot at partial season ticket plans. Email seasons@heat.com or visit heat.com. Details of the plans are scheduled to be released next week.

+ And according to TMZ.com, LeBron James has sought business assistance from a higher power. The website carries an exclusive photo of James meeting “today with Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto, ... a man known around New York as the 'Rabbi to the Business Stars.'" Sources told the website James consulted Pinto for guidance on business matters relating to some merchandising deals.

+ Perhaps it’s not enough these days to live like a “king” in a Miami hotel. Kimpton’s EPIC Hotel is getting in on the excitement of new-look Miami Heat, offering “king-sized savings” as well as “king-sized accommodations” to season ticket holders. Season ticket holders, who book through heat.com can take advantage of the savings during the 2010-11 season, and receive a free appetizer at the hotel’s Area 31 restaurant, and a complimentary upgrade when available with proof of season ticket holder status. EPIC, at 270 Biscayne Blvd., and not far from AmericanAirlines Arena, has 13 rooms featuring extra-long beds for its especially tall visitors. I’m told that even those season ticket holders who live nearby might want to take advantage of the offer. And if you’re not a season ticket holder, you can also book through the Heat’s website for 20 percent off the best available rate.

+ More on the business of the Three Kings: A little late, but here’s a link to a radio interview I did on the business of the new-look Heat with Greg Linnelli at Fox Sports Radio WBGG-970-AM in Pittsburgh. The interview starts after the commercials.

+ As Dallas gears up for the 2011 Super Bowl next year, two South Florida businesses that got contracts from the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee are being recognized in Texas for being part of the Super Bowl’s Emerging Business program, which gives a boost to local small, minority- and women-owned businesses: Coral Springs printing company TypeStyles Inc., and McCray’s II Backyard BBQ in West Palm Beach. Read more here.

+ Love this ode to junk food from Sunday’s New York Times, with stadium staple Cracker Jack being first on the list. I’m not sure the Big Gulp qualifies, but in my book, a Slurpee definitely does.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter: @sarahtalalay

Since ESPN's Outside the Lines’ exhaustive report on food vendor safety at North America’s 107 pro sports venues was released last weekend, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat have sent letters to their season ticket holders ensuring their venues’ food is safe.

Executives from both the Miami Dolphins and AmericanAirlines Arena took pains to point out what they say are inaccuracies in the ESPN report. Despite scoring among the worst percentages of vendors with “critical violations” in the report, the executives say none of their vendors failed any of their inspection tests and none was shut down.

Our followup on the ESPN report, which you can read here, detailed the state of Florida’s strict food safety inspection standards and assured that none of the concessions stands at South Florida’s three venues – including BankAtlantic Center – had failed inspection tests.

The Dolphins called the reports “misleading and inaccurate.” Calling the report and subsequent stories “inflammatory,” Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said Sun Life Stadium has passed all of its inspections and its food is safe.

The Dolphins' note also included a link to a letter from Centerplate, the concessionaire at both Sun Life Stadium and BankAtlantic Center.

AmericanAirlines Arena pointed out – just as we did – that their violations were not related to food preparation, but had to do with equipment issues, such as wiring, and all were fixed immediately. “Fans can be assured that when they visit our venue for a sporting or entertainment event, all of the food is prepared within the cleanest, safest environment possible,” the note said.

Read the full AmericanAirlines Arena letter from arena general manager Kim Stone, here.

Florida's pro sports venues -- particularly those in South Florida -- scored record high numbers of food vendor safety violations, according to ESPN's Outside the Lines’ exhaustive report that examined the health inspection records of all 107 pro sports venues in North America.

Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and University of Miami Hurricanes; and AmericanAirlines Arena, the Miami Heat’s home, were tied for third worst with 93 percent of vendors scoring critical violations.

Only St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Washington D.C.’s Verizon Center, which is home to the Washington Wizards and Capitals, scored worse. Both showed 100 percent of vendors with critical violations.

An excerpt from the inspection report for Sun Life Stadium says: In June 2009, an employee complained anonymously that small insects and other debris were blended into frozen alcoholic beverages at a stand where equipment wasn't being cleaned. When inspectors checked, they issued a critical violation for a buildup of slime inside the frozen drinks machine.

Centerplate, the stadium's food concessionaire released the following statement:

"Centerplate takes the topic of food safety and the well-being of our fans seriously, and works with the local health department to actively manage safe food service operations. Employees are trained and operations are routinely inspected to ensure that they meet standards for safe operation. Any deficiencies that are identified during the course of an inspection are immediately corrected, usually in the presence of the inspector," Bob Pascal, Centerplate senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

"The Florida state health department system has a rigorous and stringent approach to inspections, and evaluates stadiums based on whether they have met standards for safe operation--which Sun Life Stadium has done in 100% of its inspection reports for 2009 (ESPN's sample) and to-date in 2010."

The stadium, too, addressed concerns fans might have:

"It is important to note that the stadium has passed every health and safety inspection," Todd Boyan, the stadium's senior vice president of operations, said in a statement. "In fact, because the State of Florida is more strict than most states and demands more detailed and frequent testing, the stadium and its concessionaire are required to be more publicly diligent in meeting safety requirements. Any past inspection infraction has been corrected and we expect our concessionaire to meet every health and safety recommendation made by the appropriate local and state inspectors. Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety, and entertainment experience at Sun Life Stadium."

Meanwhile, the AmericanAirlines Arena report says: Critical violations included several safety issues related to electrical wiring and such equipment as gas boilers.

Just 67 percent of the vendors at the Florida Panthers' BankAtlantic Center recorded critical violations. The report said: Inspectors issued several violations for soiled ice bins and coolers.

Read ESPN’s full venue rundown.

According to the report, Florida’s venues “scored among the worst when it came to violations cited by inspectors. Inspections are performed by a state agency, and officials say that makes their standards more uniform and stringent.”

Couldn’t get enough of the Miami Heat’s Summer of 2010 Welcome Event for LeBron James, Chris Bosh and the return of Dwyane Wade on Friday? Or missed the hastily arranged event at AmericanAirlines Arena entirely?

Sun Sports is broadcasting a condensed one-hour version of the welcome spectacle. Broadcast times are: Saturday at 6 p.m.; Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.; and July 23 at 1 p.m. And starting on Saturday at 6 p.m., fans can also watch the show online at FoxSportsFlorida.com.

Sun Sports is also producing a 30-minute special from this weeks’ Summer Groove presented by Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade. The first airdate is Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.

More random thoughts on the Miami Heat’s big free agency coup, in no particular order:

+ The LeBron effect: In Cleveland, LeBron James made the perennial cellar dweller Cavaliers relevant. The arena sold out. The team had the NBA’s best regular season last year. Television ratings about quadrupled since before his arrival.

While the impact of James playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh is immeasurable at this point, it’s clear it can’t be quite as dramatic as what occurred in Cleveland. Cleveland had much farther to rise. Although the Heat didn’t sell out last season, attendance was at 90 percent of arena capacity and the team did go to the first round of the playoffs.

+ Since most people didn’t think it was possible James would join the Heat, the price of Heat season tickets on the secondary market remained fairly steady for the first week of free agency. The day after James announced? The price went up 2.5 times, according to ticket search engine FanSnap.com, which reported sales rose from $3,238.61 on Thursday to $8,249.99 on Friday. Check out FanSnap.com’s chart showing season ticket package prices from July 1-9.

+ Joe Johnson is getting the maximum. The trio isn’t.

+ The Heat’s decision to halt season ticket sales on Thursday was a strategic one. Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth said it helped that the team had the history of trading for Shaquille O’Neal in July 2004. The trade had an instant impact, including selling out season tickets.

“We learned a lot of lessons both good and bad,” Woolworth said. “We certainly enjoyed the status of having the most season tickets in the league, but in retrospect, it wasn’t the best thing we could do. The more season tickets you have the more you have to service, the more you have to renew every year. Certain locations are great locations but not great season ticket locations.”

Woolworth said that means team staff has to spend time working to renew season ticket holders in the least expensive seats.

That’s part of the reason for deciding to hold back a quarter to a third of AmericanAirlines Arena’s 19,600 seats – including all of the 400 level – to sell in the future in season ticket mini-plans and to groups and individual game ticket buyers. Woolworth said the team also wants to have inventory so more fans can attend games.

“There is community aspect to it,” he said. “When you sell out almost of all of your season tickets, you start playing to almost an exclusive audience. There aren’t as many people in the community who can see games. We want to make sure there are tickets available to every game.”

+ With all this talk of Pat Riley impressing free agents with his championship rings, I share some insight he gave me about using the rings as motivation. This comes from a story about championship rings I wrote in 2004, just as the Marlins were to receive their 2003 World Series championship rings, and two years before Riley’s Miami Heat picked up their first rings in 2006. Here’s the beginning of that story:

Pat Riley keeps five of his championship rings in a small velvet bag and occasionally as a coach he'd bring them to practice and jingle them in his pocket.

"I'd let players wear them for like a week just because it's what we all play for. It's a symbol of absolute professional significance. The worst thing as a player is to retire and know they never won a championship." said Riley, who won two as a player and four as coach of the "Showtime" Lakers. "It's a very, very significant achievement, despite all of the negative things we read about professional sports ... This is what it's all about, when you're part of a team and win a championship, it's something that really matters and counts."

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @sarahtalalay

Talk about a “Hot Market.” Better yet, a “Heat Market.”

Printing machines were working overtime overnight to ready name and number Heat T-shirts for sale today. LeBron James No. 6, Dwyane Wade No. 3 and Chris Bosh No. 1 Tees are available.

Jerseys will take a little bit longer, but you can pre-order at heat.com. And apparently, fans were ordering even before they knew which players would actually land with the Heat, says Andy Montero, Heat senior director of retail operations.

The Heat doesn’t release sales figures, but Montero said the orders placed since James made it official last night he was coming to Miami, were equivalent to a typical two months of sales.

“It’s like getting Elvis,” Montero said. “It’s hot market, it’s code blue, whatever you want to call it. One of the key things it is helping the local economy.”

That’s because printing is taking place in South Florida.

5th & Ocean Clothing of Hialeah, which specializes in women’s merchandise, is making shirts with the names and numbers of the Heat’s big trio on the front. The items are expected to be delivered to the Miami Hoops Gear store at AmericanAirlines Arena this afternoon, said Robert Fonseca, 5th & Ocean director of sales.

The arena store is open today starting at 10 a.m. until at least 4 p.m. Merchandise is also available at the Hoops Gear Store in Dolphin Mall in Miami.

“This is huge and I think it’s going to be for a while,” Fonseca said. “It’s a big thing, the next Michael Jordan. I think it’s good for sports licensed business, it’s good for the league, for the NBA, which has been a little weak as far as sales and attendance and good for the economy.”

When Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Heat in 2004, it was big, but this – this is different.

“You’ve got three of top five players in the league on the same team and then you’ve got the mastermind of Pat Riley putting this deal together, preparing for this for x amount of years.”

So much that the team has sold out of its available season ticket inventory. But fans who want to get in are being encouraged to call 786-777-HOOP to be placed on a waiting list because some tickets should become available “in the near future,” Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth said in a statement.

The Heat won’t release sales figures, but Woolworth said,” the sale of premium seats and season tickets over the last couple of weeks has been extremely brisk, peaking in a new intensity the last couple of days.”

The team has raised prices for any future season ticket sales.

We make a big deal of Florida being one of the few states without an income tax. It’s one reason lots of wealthy athletes make their homes here.

While it’s doubtful any of the top free agents, including LeBron James, still mulling where they plan to play for the next several years will make their decision solely based on the potential tax savings, we still wondered how much that savings could mean.

Martin R. Press, a tax attorney, and Brandon L. Chase, a summer associate, at the Gunster law firm in Fort Lauderdale crunched the numbers for us. Of course, there are a number of caveats, but Press and Chase looked at last year’s Miami Heat schedule and figured James’ max free agent salary next season – expected to be $16.6 million – and compared that to the tax rate in states the Heat visited last year. They excluded the two games in Toronto and didn’t figure in credits, deductions, real estate taxes and other sources of income, such as endorsement deals, which would also be taxed in tax-levying states.

Florida doesn’t have a state income tax, but states that levy taxes may tax them for the days they work there. If James were to play for the Heat – he’d likely pay other states $436,818 in state income taxes. Play in New York for the Knicks, and that number, which includes the New York City tax, rises to $1.45 million. It costs more than a million in New Jersey to play for the Nets, too: $1.16 million, Press and Chase figured. Find the chart that compares playing in Florida versus Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and New York here.

The $16.6 million salary works out to $202,439 per game. There would be no state income tax implications for the 41 games played at AmericanAirlines Arena, two games in Orlando and three played in Texas, which also doesn’t have a state income tax. The state on the Heat’s schedule with the highest tax rate appears to be Oregon – the one game played there would cost $21,863 in state taxes. Four games in California cost $77,236; two in New York $31,783 and so on.

+ Meanwhile, decisions are yet to be made as to which free agents will actually play for the Heat, but the team is already prepared and selling jerseys.

Of course, right now the jerseys are listed at heat.com with a question mark, but you can place a pre-order.

They’ll be shipped out 14 business days after the new players choose their numbers. You’ll then need to email or call the team with your preference. The items include this description: “Your Miami HEAT is set to rock the NBA world with blockbuster player moves during the HEAT Summer of 2010. Be among the first HEAT fans to sport the jersey of our next new superstar!” Replica jerseys are $55, shooting shirts $65, authentic jerseys $170.

+ And while Burnie continues his vigil atop a ledge at AmericanAirlines Arena until Wade signs with the Heat, "We Want Wade" week continues Monday with fans encouraged to wear Wade gear. Jungle Island is celebrating Wade too, naming its new camel “Flash” after the superstar Heat guard.

Jungle Island is calling Monday “Wild for Wade” day and inviting fans to have their photos taken with the new camel. If you’re wearing Wade gear, you can get the photo for free. The event is all day, but photos with the camel will be taken from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Heat dancers and the Heat Banana Man will appear from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Expecting an uptick in season ticket sales once this summer’s NBA free agents decide where they will be playing, the Heat has officially launched a new online season ticket sales system.

Called Heat SeatPick, the system -- designed by the team’s information technology department -- allows fans to check seat availability in real time and purchase tickets without needing to speak with a sales representative. The system also includes a 3-D seat viewer that shows views from the AmericanAirlines Arena stands.

“In recent years, consumers have become increasingly comfortable with the secure online purchase of big ticket items, so we designed Heat SeatPick with this trend in mind,” Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth said in a statement. “Season tickets are a substantial investment often accompanied by questions about seat locations, sightlines and inventory, and we believe the platform directly and thoroughly addresses these concerns.”

The system can be accessed at Heat.com where it says Heat SeatPick – you choose your price level, number of tickets and the system shows you how many seats are available and where. The 3D viewer shows your view from that section.

Fans have already begun purchasing tickets through the system and Heat officials say sales have picked up since free agent rumors heated up over the weekend. The team has also created this introductory video to explain how the system works – makes me want a cup of diner coffee and a slice of pie:

With politicians, schoolkids, Miami Heat officials and fanfare, Miami-Dade County was officially renamed “Miami-Wade County” this morning – through July 8 -- in honor of South Florida’s favorite NBA (imminent) free agent, Dwyane Wade.

And so begins “We Want Wade Week” – coinciding with the first week of NBA free agency, which officially begins at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. With the richest free agent class in years and the potential to vastly re-shape a team’s and its city’s fortunes, the Miami Heat has been making sure the community shows Wade some super love.

The We Want Wade campaign was launched last month, complete with wewantwade.com website, fan kits with stickers and souvenirs, opportunities for fans to send Wade messages and upload videos. The team hoisted a billboard with just the signature portion of a contract awaiting Wade’s autograph near his Miami home. It gave out We Want Wade T-shirts at the NBA draft party at AmericanAirlines Arena last week.

This week, the campaign goes full force:

The county’s been informally known by Heat fans as “Wade County” for years, but the county’s proclamation at the county government center this morning made it official for this week. The logo is even in the Heat's black and red colors, rather than the usual blue and green.

Wade now appears larger than life -- along with his highlights -- on AmericanAirlines Arena’s MediaMesh marquee overlooking Biscayne Boulevard.

Burnie the Heat mascot plans to live on the ledge of the arena’s main entrance for the week, with his living arrangements on view 24 hours a day online, much like the Jim Carrey movie, The Truman Show.

Staring Friday, Wade highlights will be all over Heat.com. On Saturday from noon to midnight, Sun Sports will replay four of Wade’s most notable games (Heat v. Hornets, playoffs, April 18, 2004; Heat v. Knicks, March 15, 2005; Heat v. Mavericks, Finals, June 13, 2006; Heat v. Bulls, March 9, 2009).

For July 4th on Sunday, the Heat Street Band entertains people around AmericanAirlines Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear Wade gear on Monday. On Tuesday, at 3:33 p.m. – in honor of Wade’s No. 3 jersey – fans are encouraged to write messages on Wade’s Facebook wall – at facebook.com/dwyanewade. And on July 7, the team launches a social media scavenger hunt for five oversized No. 3 figurines that will be hidden around South Florida. Finding the figurines gives fans entry into a VIP event at the arena.

In Miami Heat fashion, the team wants to make sure fans are not only appropriately attired and excited for the 2010 Back is Black playoffs, but also keeping up with these social media-centric times.

This afternoon, the team is giving away “Black is Back 2010 Playoffs Kits” containing a Black is Back T-shirt and clacker, team poster and Dwyane Wade “This is My House” placard, to fans who stop by Miccosukee Resort & Gaming between 3 and 7 p.m. The Xtreme Team and Burnie will also be in attendance. Tim Hardaway is scheduled to sign autographs and pose for photos between 4 and 6 p.m., when the 2006 Larry O’Brien championship will also be on display. Miccosukee Resort & Gaming is at 500 Southwest 177th Ave., Miami.

Tomorrow, the “Heat Experience” visits Lincoln Road Mall on South Beach from 6 to 7 p.m. for festivities that include a playoff parade and ticket and prize giveaways.

And during Friday’s first 2010 Heat home playoff game against the Boston Celtics, the team is holding its first-ever Twitter gathering with a nifty name – twHEATup. For $50, you can sit in a special twHEATup section at AmericanAirlines Arena for the 7 p.m. game and will be treated to a halftime meet-and-greet with the Heat dancers and a postgame meet-and-greet with Hardaway. The seats are in section 307 and the $50 price represents a discount of $8 to $20 off the regular individual ticket price. Check out more information here.

Meanwhile, the team just changed its Twitter handle from @MHEAT to @MiamiHEAT.

And don’t forget to follow me @sarahtalalay

Starting with tonight’s game, the Miami Heat is being prominently featured in this season's NBA’s “éne•bé•a” “Noche Latina” tribute to Latin heritage.

The Heat isn’t pulling out the “El Heat” jerseys again until next week’s games at AmericanAirlines Arena – on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs and Thursday against the Orlando Magic – but the Chicago Bulls will be “Los Bulls” at AA Arena tonight.

The NBA launched a comprehensive Hispanic marketing initiative last fall with the creation of “éne•bé•a,” – the Spanish pronunciation of NBA. This month’s Hispanic Heritage/Noche Latina celebration is aimed at celebrating the league’s Latin players and more than 16 million Hispanic fans across the country.

Celebrations are taking place at games this month in nine NBA markets – Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York and Orlando. Noche Latina was first held during the 2006-07 season.

The special nights include the uniforms with team names in Spanish, musical performances, giveaways and other activities. The uniforms and other products with the teams’ Spanish names are for sale at the NBA store in Manhattan, Champs stores, NBAStore.com and at the in-arena stores for the participating teams. The Miami Hoops Gear store sells a variety of El Heat items.

Meanwhile, the Florida Marlins this season are dubbing Friday night home games at Sun Life Stadium as “Fiesta Fridays” replacing “Fish Fridays.” Fiesta Fridays will have a heavy Latin flare, says Sean Flynn, the team’s vice president of marketing.

Hispanic baseball legends will sign autographs and salsa and pleneros bands will perform before games. And with the exception of Opening Night on April 9, the Marlins will be known as “Los Marlins” at Friday home games and will wear a Los Marlins patch on their uniforms.

With the massive popularity of cooking shows, why not cook with the Miami Heat?

The team, broadcast partner Sun Sports and AmericanAirlines Arena concessionaire Levy Restaurants have teamed up to create a cooking show of sorts called “Recipes for Success.” The show pairs Heat players, coaches and broadcasters making some of their favorite dishes with arena executive chef Eric Chopin. The show is airing during halftime at Heat home games this month, during the Heat Live post-game shows on Sun Sports and on heat.com and FoxSportsFlorida.com.

The series started on Saturday with forward James Jones preparing curry chicken and curry shrimp enchiladas and spinach salad. You can watch the first part of the video below – the second part is at heat.com, as are the recipes.

Meanwhile, fans who eat in the Flagship and Dewars’ 12 lounges at the arena during games can sample that night’s featured recipe.

The rest of the schedule: tonight forward-guard Yakhouba Diawara is dishing up tilapia and steamed vegetables. On Friday, guard Daequan Cook makes pasta salad, steak and potato. On Sunday, guard Mario Chalmers serves jambalaya and garlic bread. March 16 brings broadcaster Tony Fiorentino’s calamari pasta, calamari salad and appetizers. On March 20, Joel Anthony makes oxtail with black eyed peas and plantains. The March 28 game will feature assistant coach David Fizdale’s macaroni & cheese, pork chops and string beans.

The end of the decade also corresponds with my first decade as the Sun Sentinel’s sports business writer. When I first got the job in September 1999, people would congratulate me and then ask: “What are you going to do with the rest of your time?” As if this somehow wasn’t a full-time job!?

Just in case those people are still wondering what I do with my time, here’s my $2 added to the end of the decade lists with a by the numbers sampling of South Florida sports business stories. (Disclaimer -- this does not purport to be a full or complete list):

5 NEW TEAM OWNERS: Alan P. Cohen and his group bought the Panthers from H. Wayne Huizenga in 2001. Jeffrey Loria took ownership of the Marlins from John W. Henry (by way of Major League Baseball) in 2002. Steve Ross completed his purchase of the Dolphins from Huizenga in 2009. And Cohen’s partners Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel (I’m counting them as two) took over majority ownership of the Panthers this fall.

5 (at least) TEAM MOVES: The Heat moved to AmericanAirlines Arena in 2000. Hurricanes football moved to Dolphin Stadium in 2008. FAU moved from Dolphin Stadium to Lockhart Stadium. FIU football moved into a new stadium. The Baltimore Orioles ended their spring training run at Fort Lauderdale Stadium and are moving to Sarasota next year.

10 (and counting...) TEAMS LOST: Miami Fusion (Major League Soccer); Miami Sol (WNBA); Miami Tropics (Spring Football League); Miami Manatees (minor league hockey); Florida Bobcats (AFL); Florida Pitbulls (ABA); Miami Morays, Palm Beach Phantoms and Florida Frenzy (all of the National Indoor Football League); Miami Diamantes (baseball); and others too numerous to count…

2 VENUES BUILT: UM opened BankUnited Center in 2003; FIU opened its new football stadium in 2008.

2 TORN DOWN: Both the Orange Bowl and Miami Arena came down in 2008.

4 TEAMS STARTED (and still exist in some form): Miami FC (soccer), Miami Caliente (Lingerie Football League); Miami Fury and Palm Beach Punishers of the Independent Women’s Football League.

NAME CHANGES get their own section: In 2001, Sports & Sponsorships President Scott Becher was more prophetic than he might have imagined when he told me this for a story about the golf tournament at Doral changing its name to Genuity:

"You're going to start to see names change for a second and a third time," Becher said. "I think by and large, fans get it, but from the sponsor's standpoint, it's like buying a used car. The car is never going to smell like new. The value of the sponsorship is diminished when you have to untrain fans to think of it as one name and reteach them a new name."

3 (Three-way tie) – Dolphins’ home stadium: Started the decade as Pro Player, then Dolphins Stadium, followed by Dolphin (no s) Stadium, and Land Shark Stadium. It’s set to become Dolphin Stadium again in January.

-- Key Biscayne tennis tournament: Lipton became Ericsson Open then Nasdaq-100 Open. Now it’s Sony Ericsson Open.

-- Golf tournament at Doral: Doral Ryder Open became Genuity Championship, then Ford Championship, and now it’s CA Championship.

2 (two-way tie) – Panthers home arena: National Car Rental Center became Office Depot Center and is now BankAtlantic Center.
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FIU’s basketball arena: Golden Panther Arena started the decade as Golden Panther Arena, became Pharmed and is now U.S. Century Bank.

1 ZILLION Marlins ballpark plans: But the ballpark is under construction and scheduled to open in 2012.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, AmericanAirlines Arena, the home of the Miami Heat, is inviting fans to sit down.

Well, sort of.

The arena is hosting a “Sit-In” contest on Dec. 4 to win four tickets to every event – Miami Heat games, concerts and family shows – at the venue in 2010, starting with the Phish concert on New Year’s Eve. (If a show has multiple dates, the winning team wins four tickets to one of the dates). The package of tickets is valued at about $35,000. Parking, however, is not included.

Teams of four are to compete by sitting in every seat for no more than five seconds each in the 19,600-seat arena within 24 hours. People who sit for longer than five seconds will be disqualified.

Teams must include at least two people, but no more than four. Only one team member can do the sitting at one time, but is able to tag the next sitter on the team when he or she is ready to switch. Arena staff will monitor the participants. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 70 teams had signed up.

If more than one team completes the task, a Heat trivia contest will determine the grand prize winner. A trivia contest will also be held if no team completes the task. Eligible teams at the end of the contest that don’t win the grand prize will receive six-game partial Heat ticket plans for the 2009-10 season for each team member. And team members that sit in every seat in at least three pre-determined sections will receive two tickets to a Heat game this season.

To compete, teams must register by Dec. 3 at AAArena.com. The contest begins at 8 a.m. Dec. 4.

The arena opened with a Gloria Estefan concert on Dec. 31, 1999.

Knowing it was going to be a challenging year on the business side, the Miami Heat has made upgrades at AmericanAirlines Arena to increase sponsor and advertising opportunities. The team’s new MediaMesh – the giant LED marquee on the front of the arena – was unveiled in May. New high definition television screens and menu boards have been installed for this season.

In a meeting with reporters Tuesday, Heat owner Micky Arison said the innovations appear to have made a difference, although he can’t say for sure what’s helped drive sponsorship sales during the recession.

“On the cruise side, one of our brands recently did a consumer survey, trying to find out if people will buy vacations this year. The questions dealt with what will consumers cut back on next year, and sports was number one in the answer of cutting back. This is a national issue, probably a global issue,” said Arison, who is also chairman of Carnival Corp.

In the NBA, Arison said, “The league is dealing with significantly less ticket sales, but … sponsorship has held up better than I would have expected. We’re in a very tough market, because it’s very real estate and banking oriented. We’ve also had some sponsors like Stanford Financial, and others that have failed on us, so there’s no question this is going to be a tough year and a tough period, financially for the franchise. But I don’t think that’s unique to us. It’s a national and global problem.”

Stanford Financial had signage across the Heat’s VIP lobby entrance until earlier this year when R. Allen Stanford was charged with fraud. The signs were pulled from the lobby after the company missed a payment. Meanwhile, with law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler now in turmoil since Scott Rothstein’s alleged involvement in what federal authorities are calling a massive fraud scheme, RRA advertisements are no longer appearing in the Heat’s game program.

But the team’s sponsors sales, including signing Assist-Card to the team’s first-ever presenting sponsorship this season, have been healthier than he anticipated.

“We’re in good shape with sponsorships, surprisingly good shape, but really struggling with ticket sales,” Arison said.

As for why sponsor sales have increased, Arison pointed to the new inventory such as the MediaMesh and speculated that some companies may be excited about the Heat’s young team.

“Because it’s such a banking, real estate oriented community, I thought it would be really murder. And last spring it looked that way,” Arison said. “As the summer progressed, it came around. Where we’re struggling is premium seating and ticket sales, which is really hard right now. People can watch it at home and consumers are very, very price conscious. It’s a unique product, you can sit at home and get it for free. You can’t do that with a cruise.”

If you’re a sports fan in South Florida, chances are you’ve seen RRA’s logo. Or heard of one of the companies Scott Rothstein’s invested in. That’s because Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler has been rapidly racking up sports sponsorships and teaming with local athletes and their charitable organizations.
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Remember those billboards featuring Rothstein with Dan Marino, promoting RRA’s partnership with the Dan Marino Foundation? RRA served as a presenting sponsor of The Summer Groove, hosted by Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, held in July at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

Ten days ago – not long before it became public Rothstein was under investigation -- RRA was the sponsor of the Miami Dolphins 2009 Alumni Weekend. RRA sponsors the Heat and messages promoting the firm's connections with Marino’s and Mourning’s charities have flashed from the giant MediaMesh LED marquee on the front of AmericanAirlines Arena that overlooks Biscayne Boulevard. There’s even an RRA ad in the Miami Heat’s opening night program.

RRA has a sponsorship deal at BankAtlantic Center with the Florida Panthers. Three other companies in which Rothstein has an investment -- Bova, Renato and V Georgio Vodka -- also have sponsorship agreements with the team and arena. Bova sponsors the Panthers' Ice Dancers.

The Heat, Panthers and Dan Marino Foundation all declined to comment Tuesday. But don't be surprised if RRA's logo is no longer included as part of the Panthers' game presentation.

The Florida Marlins are the only one of the four major pro sports team in South Florida that doesn’t have any sort of partnership with RRA or Rothstein-connected company.

In January, attendees at a VIP party before the BCS National Championship Game received a football-shaped luggage tag featuring the BCS and RRA logos.

On Monday, Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown broadcast his weekly radio show, “The Ronnie Brown Show,’” on WQAM-560 AM from Bova Prime in Fort Lauderdale, just as he's done all season.

Last month, Rothstein announced the formation of RRA Sports & Entertainment, a division to handle marketing and endorsement deals for athletes. Its first clients are Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder and junior tennis player Sachia Vickery.

Rothstein is also a member of the corporate marketing committee of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, but so far has been missing in action, host committee chairman Rodney Barreto said Tuesday.

“I did have lunch with him to discuss the Super Bowl and if he wanted to get involved with us. He’s involved with a lot of great charities. He agreed,” said Barreto, who met with Rothstein a few months ago.

“He’s attended no meetings, participated with no referrals or anything to date. As far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t done anything with our committee yet. I wish he would have,” Barreto said adding he thought someone of Rothstein’s stature and connections could help the host committee.

“He was a force, don’t kid yourself,” Barreto said. “It was brought to my attention, why don’t we consider having him help open doors for us, to help find potential sponsors. It didn’t work out.”

A little delayed on this, but I’ve been getting my thoughts together since the news last week that renowned architect Frank Gehry’s design (see left) for the Nets’ new arena in Brooklyn was being tossed aside for a less expensive one by Ellerbe Beckett (see below right).

Economics were cited as the reason – the Ellerbe Beckett version is to cost about $200 million less than Gehry’s $1 billion glass-walled arena that is part of the Atlantic Yards development. Kansas City-based Ellerbe Beckett has designed stadiums and arenas, including Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and BankAtlantic Center, the Sunrise home of the Panthers.

According to a New York Times story last week: “Officials who have seen the design say that while it resembles Conseco Fieldhouse it also bears a likeness to an ‘airplane hangar.’”

Say what you will about South Florida’s two arenas -- and plenty of fans have. I hear routinely how much fans love BankAtlantic Center for its ease of parking, wide concourses, comfort and carpeting. I’ve heard the Heat’s AmericanAirlines Arena is too stark, looks unfinished, isn’t as cozy.

But if we’re comparing architecture, AmericanAirlines Arena, designed by Miami-based Arquitectonica with Heinlein Schrock Stearns Architecture + Design, says Miami. It’s sleek and different and wouldn’t be deemed to look like an “airplane hangar.” By contrast, BankAtlantic Center could be described as a bunker in the swamp.

Clearly, this isn’t the time showy. But the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project has been delayed for years. Now Nets owner and Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner is rushing to begin arena construction by year’s end so he can take advantage of tax-exempt financing.

You may think Gehry’s design was unrealistic to begin with – as one local team official expressed to me earlier this week – but it was ground-breaking and unique. It might not have changed arena design forever, but it would have become a showplace, a symbol of Brooklyn and the Nets.

Consider this: the past two decades have been spent replacing outdated stadiums and arenas that didn’t have revenue-generating premium seats and club seats. Dual-purpose (baseball and football) concrete doughnut stadiums have been replaced by ballparks with unique features. Of course, even those have become cookie cutter, as some teams have chosen to duplicate the red brick, green steel design.

But those that chose to be different have successfully built sports venues that represent their communities, ones for which fans can immediately identify their place. Think PNC Park overlooking the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh; the old brick warehouse that’s part of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore; and, even American Airlines Arena, overlooking Biscayne Bay.

Isn’t making progress correcting bad decisions of the past? Do we want to regret a decision that was made based on economics? Miami Arena, anyone? The pink elephant was obsolete when it opened in 1988, lost its tenants and was demolished last year.

Nicolai Ouroussoff, the New York Times architecture critic, called the scuttling of Gehry’s design "a shameful betrayal of the public trust, one that should enrage all those who care about this city." Read Ouroussoff's thoughtful piece here.

During the SportsBusiness Journal’s conference on sports facilities and franchises this week, Nets officials defended their decision, according to the Associated Press.

“Unfortunately the world we live in today is very different than what it was three or four years ago when we hired Frank," Nets chief executive Brett Yormark said Wednesday according to the piece. "The world is more simplistic. It's not as grand and glitzy. And I'm not sure that design would have been appropriate right now, as much as we all loved it. I think the design that we have now is very appropriate. It speaks to Brooklyn."

I’m not so sure.

What do you think?

Follow me on Twitter: @sarahtalalay

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.

“One of the things we’ve never had here is a true marquee and almost as soon as we opened we started talking about how we might really get one,” Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth said. “We’ve been through many versions of what we thought might work or what’s been done elsewhere. Because of some of the limitations of our site, because we’ve got a rounded building, we wanted to do it right.”

A couple of Heat employees saw the technology at a trade show about three years ago. The Heat’s marquee is the first use of the technology developed by a German company and installed and operated by Boston-based A2aMEDIA on a sports arena in the United States. A2aMEDIA is talking with other sports venues, as well as hotels, office buildings, retail centers, casinos and other large-scale buildings that are seen by lots of people.

The Heat’s arena, for example, gets 1.4 million visitors at its events each year, 65,000 cars traveling by each day on Biscayne Boulevard and more than 3.8 million cruise passengers passing through the nearby Port of Miami.

Although the Heat isn’t saying how much the marquee cost, it does expect to cover its expenses from the advertising dollars. Already, American Airlines, Bacardi, the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming and Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler are among several advertisers already signed up to place their messages on the marquee.

Martha Pantin, an American Airlines spokeswoman, said the airline plans to put up shortened commercials and other messages.

“We think it gives us great visibility,” Pantin said. “For us AmericanAirlines Arena is one of our crown jewels and this makes the crown a little bit sparklier.”

Since R. Allen Stanford was charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission in February, his Stanford Financial Group’s numerous sponsorships with local sports venues have begun to disappear.

Stanford’s name was blacked out – well, greened over – at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne prior to the start of the Sony Ericsson Open last month. Those with sharp eyes could see where the company’s name had been on the stadium court walls.

And thanks to my colleague, Heat beat writer Ira Winderman, for noticing the VIP lobby at AmericanAirlines Arena no longer bears the company’s signage. The lobby has been stripped of the Stanford logos, which have been replaced with just generic Heat logos. Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth told Ira a missed payment led to cancellation of the deal, which he said had an additional year to run.

Got time to sit around? The Heat is reprising one of its popular promotions to win playoff tickets: "48 Hours of Intense Heat."

Fans interested in winning free playoff tickets and a shot at free 2009-10 lower level season tickets are invited to sit for 48 hours (yes, there will be restroom breaks and food) in front of AmericanAirlines Arena starting at 5 p.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Saturday, just in time for the 6:30 p.m. start of Game 3 of the Heat-Atlanta Hawks first round playoffs series.

Fans who sit for at least the first four hours will win a pair of tickets to Game 4 on Monday. Those who make it through all 48 hours will win a pair of tickets to each of the Heat’s 2009 home playoff games. If more than one fan makes it through the full endurance test, the team will hold a trivia contest to determine the grand prize winner of the season tickets that also come with free concessions and parking. Other prizes will be awarded throughout the 48 hours of the contest.

The contest is limited to the first 200 fans, who are at least 18 with identification and proof of residency. Registration starts at 3 p.m. Thursday. The team will provide hot dogs and soft drinks, water, umbrellas and entertainment by the four-time NBA Dance Team contest-winning Heat Dancers, the Xtreme Team and Burnie the Heat mascot.

For more information, visit heat.com.

The last time the Heat held this contest was prior to the playoffs in 2000. A total of 172 fans entered the competition with 91 making it through the full two days. The grand prize was awarded to the winner of a trivia contest. This time, the Heat is encouraging participants to chart their progress on their Facebook and MySpace pages and via Twitter.

More MV3

Meanwhile, Goodyear Blimps are encouraging fans to vote for their favorite candidate for NBA MVP from among Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The blimps, which are providing aerial coverage for ESPN and TNT NBA telecasts flew over Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and Staples Center in Los Angeles yesterday to gather votes by displaying the toll free number – 1-800-773-9614 – where fans can register their votes: 3 for Wade; 23 for James and 24 for Bryant.

Goodyear happens to have blimps in the area of each MVP candidate’s team. The Spirit of Innovation, based in Pompano Beach, is to fly over AmericanAirlines Arena from 6-10 p.m. Saturday.

Last week, the Heat announced its home arena had received coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for making the building environmentally friendly. Now the team is taking its efforts a step further by turning its old banners into new products.

The team is partnering with RetroActif, a Pembroke Pines company that takes old banners and turns them into handbags, travel pouches and portfolio folders and sometimes sells them back to the banners’ original owners for corporate events. My colleague Doreen Hemlock wrote a piece about the company that ran last month – you can read it here. See Sun Sentinel photo of company founders Monica and Ziad Shuman with some of their products at left.

After the story ran, Heat officials saw an opportunity to recycle the team and player banners that hang from street poles at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"It's a simple equation of sports plus recycling equals fashion--and the solution is creative, chic and most importantly, it's environmentally responsible," said Lorrie-Ann Diaz, Heat director of marketing communications.

Ziad Shuman said the partnership is the company’s first with a sports team. He said he is waiting for the banners to be delivered. The company has agreed to make carry-all tote bags that will sell for $24 and letter size portfolio folders for $28. Both will be sold at the arena.

“I don’t think they’ll use banners showing faces of guys no longer there, like Shaquille O’Neal,” Shuman said.

I suggested that might be a collector’s item, but Shuman quipped: “We’d have to make a really big bag.”

The bags and folders won’t be ready in time for the playoffs, but the Heat says, look for the new products next season.

AmericanAirlines Arena is bathed in green for tonight’s Heat-New Orleans Hornets game, in honor of the venue receiving LEED (which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The coveted designation was bestowed upon the Miami venue and Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers, this week. Heat and Miami officials announced AmericanAirlines Arena’s “green” stamp of approval Tuesday morning. My colleague Doreen Hemlock, who covers “green” business, was there to capture the sentiment.

Among the green features at the arena are its roof paints and sealants that reflect the sun, instead of absorbing heat; drought-resistant plants and irrigation system; and its purchase of chilled water from a nearby plant for more than $100,000 a month rather than building a water plant that would have cost about $30 million and requires high energy to operate.

Eric Woolworth, Heat president of business operations, said the decision to seek LEED certification was "strategic" to differentiate the arena from others and boost business.

"This is a really challenging time to attract sponsors, and this is one way to separate ourselves from the pack," he said, noting that Waste Management already has signed up as a partner in a multi-year deal. "And hopefully, it will attract entertainers and acts that want to play green venues and visitors who want to support green venues."

Costs for certification were minimal, because nearly all paperwork was handled in-house and few improvements were needed to qualify, said Kim Stone, the arena's general manager. The nearly 10-year-old building already boasted many of the electricity- and water-saving features to earn the certification, such as underground parking that produces less heat than above-ground asphalt lots.

Green has now reached the consciousness of sports teams and leagues. BankAtlantic Center has adopted environmental measures, and has explored LEED certification, but it not pursuing it at this time. The Sunrise venue that is home to the Panthers uses green cleaning products, recycles everything from cardboard to light bulbs to cell phones and is considering adding solar panels on the venue’s roof, arena officials said.

And Silver LEED certification is a requirement of the Marlins’ planned $515 million ballpark in Little Havana. Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami have agreed to contribute up to $1.75 million each toward the certification; with Major League Baseball pledging $1 million to the cost. The team would pick up any additional costs. The ballpark would become the second silver LEED certified building in the league, after the Washington Nationals’ ballpark.

Michigan State and North Carolina will close out the 2009 NCAA tournament with the title game in Detroit tonight. But the question remains, will South Florida host a portion of the tournament again?

Despite crowds that barely broke 10,000 at 20,000-seat AmericanAirlines Arena for the March 20 and 22 first and second round games last month, South Florida officials hope to bring men’s college basketball tournament games back. Bid specifications for the first and second rounds and regionals for 2011, 2012 and 2013 are to go out shortly, NCAA officials say.

“Most certainly,” Pete Garcia, athletic director at host school FIU, said of bidding again, “because it’s not just good only for FIU, but it’s good for the entire basketball community in South Florida.”

But it wasn’t lost on the hosts that the colleges assigned to AmericanAirlines Arena held scant attraction for South Floridians, who aren’t hugely supportive of college basketball to begin with.

“You worry about the things you control, what we couldn’t control was the matchups,” Garcia said. “We did the best with the teams that got awarded to us, it’s nobody’s fault. Team like Florida didn’t get to the NCAA tournament.”

Mike Sophia, executive director of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission, said he was disappointed with ticket sales, but understood the matchups weren’t a draw.

“This year, we had first and second round and you wound up with the eight teams that may or may not sort of fit,” Sophia said. “I think Syracuse was an interesting team for us, a Big East team for us, but the rest of the group, was certainly strange.”

South Florida also lost out on the destination factor with two teams from warm weather Arizona.

“I just think now, we’ve got to look at it and I think they [the NCAA] should look at trying to make sure all the sites have some sort of geographical or national attractiveness to the teams that are playing at each site,” Sophia said.

As a result, Sophia said the host group will look at whether to apply for first and second round games (like those it hosted last month) or a regional (Sweet 16 and Elite 8), or both.

Jeanne Boyd, NCAA director of Division I Men’s Basketball, praised the hosting of the games at AmericanAirlines Arena and said a host of factors are considered for hosting in the future.

“They’ve done a very good job, the building has been very responsive,” she said.

Boyd said a thorough evaluation of everything from the experience at the arena to hotels will be taken into consideration, as well feedback from the hosts, the schools and others.

Meanwhile, the World Baseball Classic second round games at Dolphin Stadium last month didn’t draw as well as hosts had hoped – in part because the Netherlands were among the four teams, rather than the Dominican Republic. But officials were pleased with the turnout and are planning to bid for games in the next WBC in 2013, perhaps even the Finals. The Marlins hope to be hosting games in a new ballpark in Little Havana, scheduled to open in 2012.