Marlins and Devil Rays officials say they believe
Florida can support two teams, according to Steve Kornacki
who previewed the MLB market in a Sunday special in the
ORLANDO SENTINEL. Officials from both teams said they can
co-exist because there are "very little, if any" fan
crossover areas, since Miami and St. Petersburg are 253
miles apart. The D'Rays have sold more than 21,000 season-
tickets, exceeding by 1,000 the Marlins' first-year total.
As of Saturday, the Marlins were averaging 30,370 fans after
ten home dates (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/27).
BRONX OUT? In N.Y., Murray Chass writes on the Yankees
under the header "Yanks Not Champions At Box Office In
Bronx." Chass: "Fans have heard for years how dangerous the
Bronx is. Yankee Stadium is in the Bronx. The man with the
biggest megaphone has been none other than the owner of the
Yankees, George Steinbrenner, who has done more to denigrate
the Bronx than the 1981 film 'Fort Apache, the Bronx.'" But
Chass notes a police detail says the safest place in the
city on game days is Yankee Stadium. ... Maybe the owner
would be better off trying to lure fans to the Bronx.
Baseball officials suggested to Steinbrenner long ago that
the Yankees run buses from mid-town Manhattan to the stadium
... but he dismissed the idea, thinking perhaps it could
work against his real desire" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/30).
