The Sparks won their fourth consecutive game last night
before a season-low crowd of 5,079. The Sparks' average at
the Forum dropped to 7,055 and they "will fall far short of
a goal of a 10,000 home average" (L.A. TIMES, 7/28).
BUSY DAY IN TORONTO: Last night's Red Sox-Blue Jays
game drew 38,631, the third-largest crowd this season at
SkyDome. In Toronto, Allan Ryan writes that the walk-up
sales, "presumed to be the greatest in Blue Jay history,"
accounted for "an estimated third of that" (TORONTO STAR,
7/28). In Toronto, Stephen Brunt writes that the team
recorded the "largest one-day cash sale" in its history, and
the game's first pitch "was delayed 10 minutes" because
"there were still mobs of people outside trying to buy
tickets" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/28)....The Toronto City Council
"approved" the IHL Roadrunners' C$32M development proposal
that would see Edmonton business exec Lyle Abraham and
partners Frank Racioppo and Ernie Coetzee "renovate the
Exhibition Place Coliseum, make it the Roadrunners' new home
and operate the facility on a 49-year lease." The team
could begin playing in the fall of 2001 (TORONTO SUN, 7/28).
MORE NOTES: As speculation on the future of Lions RB
Barry Sanders continues, Mike O'Hara of the DETROIT NEWS
reports that a clause in Sanders' six-year, $36M contract
"requires" him to "repay the prorated portion of the signing
bonus if he left football voluntarily," meaning he would owe
the team $7.3M. O'Hara: "It is unclear how the Lions will
collect the money" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/28)....The disorderly
conduct charges brought against five Cubs fans for throwing
"O'Henry" candy bars on the field "will be dropped ... at
the request of the Cubs," who initially filed the complaints
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/28)....The first-year WISL Utah Freezz
have sold "more than" 700 season tickets, with a goal of
1,000 for the inaugural season. Ten of the team's 14 home
games will be sponsored (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/28).
