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St. Louis Cardinals Fernando Vina and Edgar Renteria are going to bat for rap singer Nelly's apparel line, Vokal Clothing Co.
Vina and Renteria are among a number of athletes and celebrities here and around the country that endorse the clothing line in exchange for clothes.
"Our promotional budget is going crazy. It's now at least $140,000 for the year," said Yomi Martin, president and co-founder of Vokal, which stands for "Very Organized Kids Always Learning." He declined to discuss the value of any individual deals involving the clothing line, which includes Tshirts and jeans and is developed here and distributed nationally.
The Vokal deal is one of only a handful of national endorsement deals picked up by Cardinals players this year, and veterans in the field said they are not surprised.
"You don't have a Mark McGwire," said Bob Williamson, the president of Burns Sports & Celebrities Inc. in Chicago.
Stars such as McGwire take months or years to reach a point where advertisers take an interest. Even stars such as Albert Pujols, last year's Rookie of the Year, who came out of nowhere and put up great numbers, "still does not register with national advertisers," Williamson said. "if he has another season like...