Spider-Man ads on bases don't fly

NEW YORK -- Spider-Man ads on bases didn't fly with baseball fans.\nA day after announcing a novel promotion to put advertisements on bases next month, Major League Baseball reversed course Thursday and eliminated that part of its marketing deal for "Spider-Man 2."\n"The bases were an extremely small part of this program," said Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. "However, we understand that a segment of our fans was uncomfortable with this particular component and we do not want to detract from the fans' experience in any way."\nUnder the original plan, red-and-yellow ads were to appear on bases -- but not home plate -- during games from June 11-13. The plan began to crumble Wednesday night when the New York Yankees said they would only allow the ads on bases during batting practice -- and only for one game that weekend.\nWhile the logos will not be put on bases in big league games, it's still not certain whether they will appear during warmups.\n"I thought it was good to pull it," Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams said. "For so many years, we've just had uniforms and bases with no logo. It doesn't surprise me, baseball being the conservative sport that it's always been. It's so slow to change."\nThe ads were to appear as part of a deal involving Major League Baseball Properties, Marvel Studios and Sony Inc., the parent of Columbia Pictures, which is releasing the movie on June 30. The promotion will go on with giveaways and other ads at ballparks that weekend.\n"We listened to the fans," said Geoffrey Ammer, president of worldwide marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. "We never saw this coming, the reaction the fans had. It became a flashpoint--the reaction was overwhelming."\n"We don't want to do anything that takes away from a fan's enjoyment of the game," he said. "Some people thought it was a great idea, but others saw it as sacrilegious."\nAmmer said his group approached baseball about pulling the bases promotion.\n"We could easily solve it," he said.\nMany baseball purists denounced the plan, including Fay Vincent, a former baseball commissioner and president of Columbia Pictures. Having watched jockeys earn the right to have ads on their uniforms for the Kentucky Derby, some thought it was a step too far in the increasing commercialization of sports."\n"I think they made a good decision to change their minds," former commissioner Peter Ueberroth said. "I don't think it makes any sense at all. It's a clutter."\nBaseball officials were surprised by the reaction, which included several front-page stories in Wednesday's newspapers.\n"It just shows the strength of major league baseball and the place people put it," Parkes said.\nMinnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter -- nicknamed "Spider-Man" for his acrobatic catches -- was disappointed by the reversal.\n"It's for kids, and kids love it," he said. "It would have been cool to see the Spider-Man logo for those three days. Kids could have worn their Spider-Man gear to the stadium."\nOakland outfielder Billy McMillon liked the decision.\n"I just wonder where this leads to. Will it be the Bad News Bears with Chico's Bail Bonds on the back of our uniforms?" he said.\n"I understand revenue, but I didn't think it would invade baseball. I never thought it would come to this. They're wise not to put it on our uniforms"