Fans say baseball is back . . .
Fans say baseball is back . . .
If they're not in ballpark seats, you can be sure somebody's looking for them. Something fascinating is at work this spring. There's little doubt interest in baseball is up, higher than it's been in a few years. Momentum has been building from Nomo-mania to Cal Ripken to the playoff sagas of the Mariners, Indians and Braves. More important was a relatively normal winter, complete with free agency, trades and hot-stove speculation that fuels interest in baseball more than any TV promo, ticket campaigns or marketing strategies.