Taco Bell Engages Fans at MLB All-Star Game with
$1 Million Pitch

Detroit, MI - As part of its national sponsorship of Major League Baseball, Taco Bell offered one lucky fan a chance to pitch for $1 Million prior to the 2005 Major League All-Star Game in Detroit. "We had to have a high impact promotion to entice the media to air it and enable us to grab the viewers' attention," said a representative from MLB.

The official quick service restaurant of Major League Baseball invited all fans in the Detroit area to visit their booth at the John Hancock All-Star FanFest from Friday, July 8th to Sunday, July 10th, and register for the "Rapid Fire Sweepstakes."

Frank Nelson of Michigan was randomly selected from the entries to participate in the pre-game event at Tuesday night's All-Star Game. He was awarded two free tickets to the game, a one-year supply of Taco Bell food, and the opportunity of a lifetime to pitch for the $1 million grand prize.

The challenge on game day was to throw five baseballs through a Taco Bell target, placed at home plate, within 30 seconds. To increase the excitement among the fans, former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych joined Frank Nelson on the mound as his personal pitching coach.

"Fidrych is well loved by Detroit baseball fans," said the MLB representative. "The crowd immediately turned their attention to see him and the contestant on the field. The thrill that someone could become a millionaire was incredible."

This was not the first year in which one million dollars was offered to baseball fans at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Last year, Taco Bell made Tom Grey of Houston, TX a millionaire when he successfully threw five balls through a target with just one second left.

Although Nelson was defeated by the clock this year, "the fast-pace structure of the Rapid Fire Pitch kept baseball fans of all ages engaged as they watched Nelson try to win the million," said the MLB representative.

Major League Baseball has continued to have a valuable working relationship with SCA. "Our experience with SCA over the past few years has proven to be a success, so it was natural for us to turn to them for prize coverage on this year's million-dollar prize," said the MLB representative.