Big League Weekend draws record numbers despite cold

Neither rain nor sleet nor ...

OK, it didn't snow during Big League Weekend. But it sure as it heck seemed cold enough to.

Despite no help from Mother Nature -- again -- a record average of 10,678 fans attended the four games of Big League Weekend on Friday and Saturday at Cashman Field, in some cases braving bone-chilling temperatures that dipped below freezing when the wind chill was taken into account. There also was a brief rain delay in Saturday night's Brewers-Mariners finale that attracted 11,616 fans.

"It was pretty impressive," Las Vegas Stars general manager Don Logan said. "It really could have been scary if we had good weather. The walk-up for the games was almost non-existent because of the bad weather. And normally a lot of people wait until the last minute to come."

Logan cited several factors for the best Big League Weekend in history.

"To me it reaffirms how great a year baseball had last year," Logan said. "And having (National League MVP) Sammy (Sosa) here, who was one of the key role players in that drama, was a big plus."

For Logan, watching Sosa, who hit 66 home runs last season, and Chicago White Sox star Frank Thomas spend a lot of their time signing autographs was the highlight of the weekend.

"Watching the way Sammy related to the fans was awesome," Logan said.

"He signed autographs for about 45 minutes before the game with a smile. Frank Thomas started at the on-deck circle and worked his way down to the foul pole signing. He must have signed for an hour. He was just amazing."

The large turnout should also pay big dividends for the Stars, who open Pacific Coast League play on Thursday night at Cashman Field against Omaha. Logan said about 15,000 Stars' pocket schedules were passed out to fans over the weekend.

"We've had good pre-sales anyway," Logan, who hopes for a crowd in the 5,000-range on Thursday night, said. "The whole purpose of Big League Weekend has been to kind of wake up people to the fact that baseball is starting here. I think this will definitely help."

* VOSBERG, MACK TO JOIN STARS: Logan said a couple of longtime Las Vegas favorites, left-handed reliever Ed Vosberg and outfielder Shane Mack, will begin the season with the Stars on injury rehab assignments.

"Those guys were both members of our 1986 PCL championship team," Logan said.

The 37-year-old Vosberg missed the entire 1998 season with a left shoulder injury. He will begin the season with the Stars on a 15-day major league rehab assignment and won't count against the 24-man roster. He spent parts of three seasons with the Stars from 1986-88.

The 35-year-old Mack, who hit .278 with six homers and 29 RBIs in 69 games with Oakland and Kansas City last season, is trying to come back from surgery for a herniated disk in the cervical spine region and also arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder to repair two partial tears of the rotator cuff.

He also played in Las Vegas from 1986-89 before going on to star for the Minnesota Twins' 1991 World Series championship squad.

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