Mark McGwire hit his MLB-record 63rd HR last night
against the Pirates in front of a doubleheader crowd of
41,271 at Busch Stadium. Sammy Sosa went homerless against
the Padres in front of 37,995 at Qualcomm Stadium. The
Cubs-Padres game on Monday drew 60,515 (THE DAILY).
MLB DID RIGHT: In Chicago, Carol Slezak writes under
the header "Baseball Made Right Call On Sosa." Slezak, on
MLB not having any ceremony for Sosa's 62nd HR: "Bless [MLB]
for not subjecting us to another spectacle so soon after the
display that accompanied McGwire's 62nd. In fact, everyone
who witnessed the recent hoopla in St. Louis should be
thrilled that America is not in the habit of celebrating
second-place finishes. For when it came to that historic
home run, once was enough" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/16).
PERFECT PITCH: Sosa's agent Tom Reich "said plans are
in the works for Sosa to sponsor products nationally and
take advantage of his new-found celebrity." In Chicago,
Mike Kiley writes that Sosa's "infectious smile" is becoming
a marketing tool, "much like" the "winning grin" of Michael
Jordan (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/16)....Neither McGwire nor Sosa
have inked deals for autobiographies. Jane Ginsberg of
Simon & Schuster's Archway Paperbacks: "This is a story of
two guys resisting market hype." Archway will release bios
on both players on October 6. Each will be "modestly
priced" at $4.99 (Esther Gross, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/16).
HALL HELP: The HR race has "helped rejuvenate interest"
in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where attendance is
up for the first time since the strike four years ago. As
of September 14, more than 256,000 fans had visited the HOF,
up "about" 7% from around 240,000 on the same date last
year. HOF Dir of Sales Ken Meifert: "Since the [HR] record
was broken, we've been doing really well" (AP, 9/16).
LOOKING TO CASH IN: Jack Grass, 46, who caught
McGwire's 63rd HR is "the first to try selling one of
[McGwire's] recent homer balls." Gross: "They just gave out
raises at work, and mine was not too swift" (USA TODAY,
9/16). More Gross: "The ball is worth something to someone,
and I'd like to have something for it myself" (AP, 9/16).
