Cubs RF Sammy Sosa hit his 55th HR last night against
the Reds, tying Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire, who went 0-3
against the Marlins. Last night's Reds-Cubs game at Wrigley
Field drew 36,700 fans, which was a 15% increase from their
season average of 31,767. The Cardinals-Marlins game at Pro
Player Stadium drew 36,584, representing a 73% increase over
the Marlins' season average of 21,123 (THE DAILY).
NUMBERS: STATS Inc. President & CEO John Dewan has
predicted that McGwire will hit HR No. 62 on September 22
against the Astros at Busch Stadium, and finish the season
with 64. Dewan also predicted that Sosa will tie Maris' 61
HRs the next day, but will not hit 62 (STATS Inc.).
OFF THE MARK? In Toronto, Garth Woolsey writes that
while McGwire is "the hottest marketing vehicle to drive by
an advertising agency in a long, long time," there is "one
problem. McGwire wants none of it" (TORONTO STAR, 9/1).
In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz writes under the header "This
Year, Big Mac Is Striking Out In Affairs Of The Heart."
Miklasz: "McGwire seems to be lonely. Mac lives in a St.
Louis-area hotel. He keeps his food in the kitchen, and
friendly strangers cook it for him. ... It's no wonder why
McGwire has drawn 143 walks this season; this gives him the
chance to chat with the other team's first baseman, and he
could use the company" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/1).
BALL GAMES: Rawlings Marketing Manager of Baseballs
Scott Smith, on the prices being offered for McGwire and
Sosa HR balls: "It's quite amazing to see what people
apparently will be willing to pay for a $10 baseball. This
obviously is a great tribute to the talent of McGwire and
Sosa. But a million dollars?" Each of McGwire's 442 HRs
has been hit with a Rawlings bat, and Smith said that the
company "is working on something to commemorate No. 62,
assuming it comes off McGwire's bat" (Montreal GAZETTE,
9/1). In Toronto, Allan Maki reports that McGwire's batting
practice HR balls are going for $1,000, while his rookie MLB
card has "shot up" from $30 to $100 (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/1).
NICK OF TIME: DAILY VARIETY's Rich Katz reports that
Nickelodeon "will join the hoopla" surrounding McGwire's and
Sosa's chase of the single-season HR record. Nickelodeon
will run a 45-second "Home Run Record Race" vignette every
night beginning today. The vignettes, produced in
partnership with MLB, will update the chase, and feature
"kid interviews with players, including McGwire and Sosa."
The daily spot will run "just prior" to the net's 7:00pm
programming lineup. The vignettes will also be offered to
all MLB teams for in-stadium use (DAILY VARIETY, 9/1).
FALL LINEUP: WGN-TV will pick up five September Cubs
games that had been scheduled for CLTV, including the
September 8 Cards-Cubs game. In Chicago, Ed Sherman writes
that Sosa "even is big enough to bump 'Buffy the Vampire
Slayer'" on September 22, when the Cubs play the Brewers.
It "wasn't a hard decision from a ratings standpoint" for
WGN, as Sunday's Cubs-Rockies game, which featured Sosa's
54th HR, earned an 8.2/21 local rating (CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
9/1)....Fox Sports Pittsburgh has added the September 4
Cubs-Pirates game to its schedule (Fox Sports Pittsburgh).
NATIONAL APPEAL: McGwire and Sosa are profiled on the
front page of the WASHINGTON POST by Richard Justice under
the header, "Opposites Attract A Nation's Attention."
Justice writes that while McGwire "occasionally has seemed
burdened by his summer's pursuit of baseball history. ...
[Sosa] appears to be having the time of his life, basking in
the interviews and adulation" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/1). Also
in DC, Tony Kornheiser writes, "What we're seeing this
season is the re-greening of baseball. Nobody even mentions
the strike that was supposed to have left baseball wrecked
and dead four years ago" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/1). In
Philadelphia, Bill Lyon wonders, "Who cannot root for
[Sosa], a creature of such unbridled exuberance and joyful
spontaneity? The man is entranced by what he does for a
living and cannot wait to display his pleasure and
gratitude. What a quaint concept" (PHILA. INQUIRER, 9/1).
