Root for me! Root for me!

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A few things are unavoidable at Boston sports events these days -- overpriced food, bad beer, and the name Steve Pagliuca.

First, Pagliuca, a US Senate hopeful, paid to have his name emblazoned on WEEI-sponsored rally placards that were handed out at last month's Red Sox-Angels game in the ALCS. At Wednesday's home opener for the Celtics, the placards -- this time awash in green and bearing the words "Bring On Banner 18!" -- reappeared.

Pagliuca, remember, co-owns the Celtics, so it's probably a safe bet many of the fans in the Garden already know who he is. (The gesture was not greeted warmly by all: Some fans could be seen ripping his name off the bottom.)

But Pagliuca's campaign says the placards have paid off.

"The card campaign has been successful on several fronts -- we're supporting the home teams, we touched people at the games, the cards have been seen and talked about on TV during game broadcasts, and news photos," Will Keyser, a Pagliuca spokesman, said in an email.