No baseball in the buff
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - Take me out to the ball game - but please, put on some clothes.
The chance for fans to watch baseball in the buff day at Palm Springs' 4,400-seat stadium has been canceled, the victim of its own popularity.
"So many people wanted to come it could have filled Dodger Stadium," said the sponsor, Tom Mulhall, owner of The Terra Cotta Inn, a clothing-optional resort. "We were concerned that we might have a safety and security problem."
"Clothing Optional Night" was planned for the Palm Springs Suns game July 8. Nude fans were to have enjoyed the game against the Grays Harbor Gulls from within the privacy of a large tent.
But the tent, apparently, was not large enough. "Can you imagine if 10,000 people showed up?" Mulhall asked.
Even with the cancellation, the promoters still count this one a success because of the attention received. The team is floundering, averaging 755 fans per home game this year. That's the worst in the eight-team, independent Western Baseball League and about half of last year's average.
Baseball on Page D8
For coverage of Thursday's Buzz and major league baseball games, see Page D8.
NBA talks continue
NEW YORK (AP) - Hoping to avert a lockout this weekend, the NBA and the players' union met for a third straight day of talks aimed at completing a labor contract.
The two sides negotiated for more than eight hours, with the talks lasting into the night. The sides are to resume bargaining Friday.
If disputes over details of the collective bargaining agreement aren't resolved, the league has threatened a lockout for 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
That would be one minute before bidding is to begin in the lucrative free-agent market that includes such players as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Reggie Miller.