Compaq suits run in desperation derby

But we can tell you that Becky Sontag ran her Houston Marathon in 2:50:49 and was the female top finish, while Drew Prisner (sic) ran his in 2:28:43. The Prisner is a product manager for Compaq's Internet services division.

During the Eckhard Pfeifferdom, Compaq bought naming rights to the 17,000 seat "The Summit" (now the Q) stadium for a mere $5.4 million over six years.

And the San Jose Arena is now called the Compaq Center as a result of a deal the Capellans struck in 2000 and which costs $49 million over 15 years.

CGMI, in which the Capellans have a 22 per cent stake, are involved in a deal for an arena imaginatively called CGMI Fields, opening next year, and for which the besuited ones signed a 15 year deal worth $7.6 million a year.

Corporations involved in so called naming rights have had a bad run. The Enron Field, the ProPlayer Stadium, the Psinet Stadium, the TWA Dome, and the 3Com Park have all been through terrible vicissitudes over the years.

Here's a link to the Compaq Desperation Derby. µ