The White Sox are a "fallen franchise, victims of their
own mismanagement, miscalculations and misperceptions,"
according to Dave Van Dyck of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, who
writes that the team has the "dubious distinction of being
the least-watched team" in the AL and the "second-worst draw
in the majors behind Montreal." For the season, the team is
averaging 12,383 fans per home game, with a "projected"
total attendance of 1.2-1.3 million, "half the total of
seven years ago." White Sox Senior VP/Marketing Rob Gallas:
"At least we know where bottom is. But we feel we're on the
right track, and now it's just a matter of time." Gallas,
on rebuilding with younger players: "I've been here 10
years, and this is as positive an atmosphere as I've seen.
... We look on this as a process that will take time. But
all we can do is keep working as hard as we can to put the
positives out there" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/30).
EXPOS: In Montreal, La Presse reported yesterday that a
financing deal "is in place to provide" C$100M for a new
Expos ballpark, Labatt Park. But The Solidarity Fund's
Raymond Bachand, a member of the team's ownership
consortium, called the report "premature." In Montreal,
Jack Todd writes: "So it goes. A step forward, a step to
the side, a quarter-step back" (Montreal GAZETTE, 4/30).
The Expos drew 5,253 last night in their loss to the Giants,
and the team has advance sales of 15,000 per game for a
weekend series against the Cardinals. Going into a meeting
of the consortium last night, Bachand said, "Hopefully,
we'll talk about a marketing plan. How are baseball fans
going to know that Mark McGwire is coming to town, except
from you (reporters)? That's a bit annoying, but as you
know, we don't run the team" (CANADIAN PRESS, 4/30).
NOTES: The Orioles' are 5-16, and the last two nights
in Baltimore have produced the smallest back-to-back crowds
for the team at Oriole Park -- excluding make-up rain dates
-- since Camden Yards opened in '92 (WASHINGTON POST, 4/30).
...In K.C., Kevin Keitzman, who is organizing a protest by
Royals fans for tonight's Yankees game, said that he's sold
about 5,000 "Share the Wealth" T-shirts. Keitzman: "We
can't make them fast enough" (USA TODAY, 4/30).
