MLB: The Mets drew 30,336 last night for Hideo Nomo's
pitching debut. On Monday and Tuesday, 12,336 tickets were
sold for the game against the Devil Rays (N.Y. TIMES, 6/10).
The more than 12,000 in walk-up sales was "about 10,000 more
than usual" (NEWSDAY, 6/10)....Expos SS Mark Grudzielanek,
on the team's fans: "It's got to be hard for the fans to see
great teams come and go, and I don't know how they deal with
it, but if I were a fan, I would not come out to the games"
(OTTAWA CITIZEN, 6/9)....In S.F., "hundreds" of Giants fans
got their heads shaved yesterday in exchange for four free
tickets each on "Brian Johnson Buzz Cut Night," named after
the Giants C. The number of people who showed for the promo
"surprised" the team and the radio station that promoted the
event. Giants Senior VP/Business Operations Pat Gallagher:
"We could have shaved 2,000 heads. It was ridiculous. We
had to cut it off at 500" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/10).
NOTES: Jazz Owner Larry Miller said he will pass his
team on to his children when the time comes: "My plans right
now are to pass it on to the kids. I wouldn't wish it on
them emotionally, but maybe they can learn from my mistakes"
(DESERET NEWS, 6/9)....USA TODAY's cover story examines the
end of the Michael Jordan era in Chicago. Chicago magazine
writer Jonathon Eig: "I couldn't imagine this city without
him any more than I can imagine it without the Sears Tower.
And if you gave Chicagoans a choice, they'd probably pick
Jordan" (USA TODAY, 6/10)....The WNBA expansion Shock has
sold more than 21,000 tickets for its opening game Saturday,
and is "fewer than 1,000 tickets away from a sellout" (USA
TODAY, 6/10)....NHL Oilers President & GM Glen Sather
notified the expansion Atlanta Thrashers yesterday that
"he's not interested" in being the team's GM. Sather "was
at the top of Atlanta's short list" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/10)
