BASEBALL TEAM NOTES: FISH SLOW AT GATE; ALLEN WINS RAVES

     In St. Petersburg, Larry Lebowitz looks at the Marlins
attendance.  After the Panthers were eliminated and the school
year ended, "the Marlins were the only game in town."  But save
for one homestand against the Braves, the "crowds still stayed
home."  Team season-ticket sales have fallen each year since '93,
and now sit at 12,000 (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/15)....SCRIPPS
HOWARD's Todd Archer examines the "new" Reds since team
Controller John Allen took over for Marge Schott.  In addition to
Allen's popularity with the fans, he "also seems to have won over
[NL] President Leonard Coleman and other owners."  Schott is
scheduled to select her successor on August 12 (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 7/16).... Austin (TX) Baseball Interest is offering
2,100 shares in a AA baseball team and stadium at a cost of
$10,000 per unit in a securities offering.  ABI intends to use
the funds to buy a minor league team and build a 7,000-seat
stadium for a team starting in '99 (AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL,
7/15).