PHILS ATTENDANCE WOES HAVE GILES CONCERNED

     In an extensive piece in today's PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER,
Jayson Stark examines the "staggering" drop in Phillies
attendance and its possible causes.  The team's 22% drop is the
largest decrease of any NL team, and it has Phillies President
Bill Giles saying, "I've got to be honest. I'm concerned."
Stark: "There is a feeling for baseball that used to be present
in this town, and suddenly it's missing.  At times, in fact, it
has been replaced by a feeling that borders on hostility."
Answers could be "weather, the strike, the injuries, and the
Flyers," but also some "bigger forces at work."  Stark notes the
team's lack of a marquee player and the perception that Giles is
more "committed to pitching pennies that to winning."  Giles also
says the talk of a new ballpark has stigmatized the Vet as a bad
facility.  Stark also notes a link to the way baseball is treated
on all-sports WIP. "'Exciting as watching someone mow his lawn'
is a typical description" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/16).