MLB: Cubs rookie P Kerry Wood's Wrigley Field debut on
Saturday "was a bonanza at the box office," as the Cubs-
Dodgers game drew a crowd of 34,652. Cubs Ticket Dir Frank
Maloney said that 7,287 fans bought walkup tickets, the
largest walkup crowd in 15 years (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/20).
..Royals VP/Marketing Mike Levy, on MLB attendance: "You're
not going to get people to every game. You have to maximize
your best dates -- Friday and Saturday -- and use your
advertising dollars wisely. More people attend baseball
every year than hockey, football and basketball combined"
(K.C. STAR, 4/19)....Cardinals Minority Owner Andrew Baur
said that Mark McGwire's impact on the club's finances
"probably will not become clear until late in the season."
Baur: "Probably any attendance we have over 2.8 million is
going to be attributable to McGwire, especially if he makes
a run at the home run title" (POST-DISPATCH, 4/18).
NHL: Wild CEO Jac Sperling was the subject of a Q&A in
yesterday's ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Sperling, on the team's
fan base: "The in-arena audience for the NHL is 40 percent
women, and we expect that number to be even higher in [MN]
because of popularity of girl's and women's hockey. We're
taking special measures to ensure that our women fans are
treated as well as our men fans" (PIONEER PRESS, 4/19).
...Stars President Jim Lites said the team's new six-year
contract with Mike Modano will finally allow the team to
"promote him in a big way. He has been signing one-year
deals for some time, and with the nature of this sport, you
don't want to plaster his face all over programs and bill
boards when you don't even know if he'll be here" (FT. WORTH
STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/18)....Lightning attorney Stephen Wayne
said that the team and the Ice Palace "will be sold before
next season begins." Wayne said that "multiple parties
continue to express interest," including a group led by
Atlanta real-estate developer David Berkman and financier
Charles Felix (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 4/19).
