The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Spider-Man is coming to a base near you.

In the latest example of a sponsor's stamp on the sports world, 4-inch ads for the movie Spider-Man 2 will be placed atop bases at 15 major league ballparks during games June 11-13. The Reds are in Cleveland that weekend, so the ads will not appear in Great American Ball Park.

The promotion, announced Wednesday, is part of baseball's pitch to appeal to younger fans.

But the move angered baseball purists, who think that America's pastime is selling out.

"I guess it's inevitable, but it's sad," former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent said. "I'm old-fashioned. I'm a romanticist. I think the bases should be protected from this."

While commemorative logos have been on bases for special events such as the All-Star game or World Series, the Hall of Fame knew of no other commercial ads on bases, spokesman Jeff Idelson said. Ads will not be on home plate.

Spider-Man 2 opens June 30, and the weekend in early June was picked because it is during interleague play, which draws higher attendance than usual.

Baseball will receive about $3.6 million in the deal, a high-ranking baseball executive said.

Ralph Nader, a presidential candidate and consumer advocate, harshly criticized the deal: "It's gotten beyond grotesque."