Despite the lowest rated prime-time All-Star Game ever, Sam
Donnellon of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS notes "goodwill
permeated Philadelphia this week. And good luck, too." With
many players signing autographs and interacting with fans, there
"were signs players are starting to get it." MLBPA Exec Dir
Donald Fehr believes labor strife could be off the fans mind,
adding "I think fans have moved on." But Donnellon writes "some
fans have moved on," as the game is "still paying dearly for its
sins" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/11). MLB's "recovery" is the
focus on front-page piece in USA TODAY by Chuck Johnson. Johnson
writes MLB hopes labor and leadership questions "will be offset
by individual exploits and tight races" in the second half of the
season (USA TODAY, 7/11). MLB's All-Star FanFest had its most
successful event ever. Attendance at the five-day festival was
103,000 (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/11). The All-Star Game next
year is at Cleveland's Jacobs Field, while the '98 game will be
held at Coors Field in Denver (THE DAILY).
KC WANTS IN: The Royals have been lobbying AL President
Gene Budig over the last three weeks to host the '99 All-Star
Game. K.C. STAR's Jeffrey Flanagan notes the Royals expect
competition from the Marlins, and expansion teams in Phoenix and
Tampa Bay (K.C. STAR, 7/11).