MLB Commissioner Bud Selig: "My father always told me
that to be successful, you have to be lucky, too. And with
[Mark] McGwire and [Sammy] Sosa, we've been lucky. Not just
because of the home runs, but because of how they've handled
all this with such class and dignity and graciousness" (N.Y.
TIMES, 9/23)....Columnist George Will writes on Cal Ripken
ending his consecutive games-played streak on Sunday: "In
this tawdry year of our political life, Mr. Ripken's muted
moment, and the Yankees' graceful participation in it, were
welcome reminders of two things often missed amid the
carpet-bombing cacophony of saturation journalism about
people behaving badly. There is much more to the nation's
life than politics. And the reservoirs of America's
everyday decency are deep indeed" (Baltimore SUN, 9/23).
PENNANT WATCH: In Anaheim, attendance for the first
game of the Rangers-Angels series was 33,487, with walk-up
sales of 1,579, and 12,000 "short of a sell out" (FT. WORTH
STAR TELEGRAM, 9/23). Last night's second game of the
series at Edison Field drew 38,987 (THE DAILY). In L.A.,
Randy Harvey calls last night's crowd "not quite
respectable" for a series of such magnitude. Harvey: "These
Angels deserve better" (L.A. TIMES, 9/23). Attendance from
last night's games affecting the NL and AL Wild Card races:
Expos-Mets 32,467 (intermittent rain); Cubs-Brewers 52,287;
Pirates-Giants 16,288; Devil Rays-Red Sox 20,399
(intermittent rain); Orioles-Blue Jays 26,363. The
attendance for the Astros-Cards was 40,739 (THE DAILY).
NEW LEAGUE: The announced attendance at the MD Fall
Baseball League debut last night in Bowie, MD, was 1,118,
with an "in-house count" closer to 500. In its first
season, the league has "assembled leading Double-A and
Single-A prospects" from 26 of the 30 MLB teams. MD
Baseball Limited Partnership CEO Peter Kirk: "I'm very
encouraged. Our target was the Arizona Fall League where
they average about 250" (Baltimore SUN, 9/23).
