MARLINS: In Miami, Mike Phillips reports that for the
second straight night, the Marlins drew a franchise-low
crowd, as 6,955 fans attended Pro Player Stadium for their
game against the Padres. Marlins P Ryan Dempster: "It's
kind of funny when you go to throw a pitch and you can hear
a guy yell `throw the slider.'" The team's four smallest
crowds in its seven-year history "have all come this
season," and it has had nine crowds of less than 10,000
through 25 home games despite a 15-10 record. Meanwhile,
Phillips reports that the Marlins' Single A affil in Kane
County, IL, drew 7,691 fans Tuesday night, almost 1,000 fans
better than the Marlins (MIAMI HERALD, 5/18).
DEVIL RAYS: FSN's Tracy Ringolsby reported that Devil
Rays Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli "allowed" his
baseball execs "to go out and spend a ton of money this
winter to sign some free agents trying to figure out a way
to get the fans in Tampa interested in the team. Well, it
didn't do much for their season-ticket base. ... The Tampa
Bay team has financial problems [and] it looks like they're
going to tell their people, 'Let's get moving with some of
these [high-priced] players'" ("Baseball Today," FSN, 5/16).
BLUE JAYS: With the Blue Jays drawing a crowd of only
20,078 at the SkyDome last night to see the first-place Red
Sox and P Pedro Martinez, team Senior VP/Sales & Marketing
Terry Zuk said an attendance turnaround for the franchise is
"not going to happen overnight." The Blue Jays, despite a
22-20 record, are averaging only 18,672 fans after 24 home
dates. Zuk, on possible reasons for the small crowds: "A
lot of money was taken out of the market by the [Maple Leafs
and Raptors]. ... [And] People still talk about the players'
strike (in '94)" (TORONTO STAR, 5/18).
