USA TODAY's Mike Dodd reports that tickets for MLB
Cardinals games, home and away, "are selling briskly, and
this is one time being out in left field is desirable."
Seats in the potential landing spots for Mark McGwire's home
runs as he chases Roger Maris's single-season HR record "are
in high demand." Cardinals Dir of Ticket Sales Kevin Wade
said that the left-center-field bleachers in Busch Stadium
are nearly sold out for the rest of the year (USA TODAY,
7/24)....In N.Y., Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner refused
comment, "but the word through the baseball grapevine is
that gossip-page reports" of Reggie Jackson's resignation
from his advisory position with the team "are premature"
(Peter Botte, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/24)....After averaging
19,359 last season, the Phillies are drawing 21,619 a game.
Wednesday night's game against the Braves drew 28,304, and
last night's attracted 28,222 (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/24).
TWIN KILLING? With the Twins close to finalizing a two-
year lease agreement to remain in the Metrodome, NC business
exec and prospective team owner Don Beaver responded to
suggestions that he was a pawn for Twins Owner Carl Pohlad
in his negotiations for a new lease in MN: "That's been the
talk ever since we first started the process. But if we
hadn't thought it was a viable situation, we certainly
wouldn't have wasted our time" (NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/24). An
editorial in today's Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE states, "Given
the current political climate, a new lease gives Minnesota
its best hope of holding the Twins," and adds such a lease
"should be approved today by the Metropolitan Sports
Facilities Commission" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/24).
