There’s a price to being a baseball fan

With opening day hours away, an Associated Press survey found many baseball fans concerned this season with being able to afford a day at the ballpark.

According to the survey, 45% of fans said their major concern with baseball was the high cost. Twenty-nine percent listed high baseball salaries as their top concern and 19% said steroids in baseball was their No. 1 concern.

“The prices at the concession stands are insane,” Cleveland Indians fan Larry Jameson said at spring training in Arizona. “Eight bucks for a beer. My wife bought a T-shirt. It cost her 22 bucks. She was going to get me a golf shirt. It was 55 bucks. I said forget about it, we need a plane ticket home.”

Not surprisingly, 11% of those surveyed who attended a game in 2008 said they would not be back in 2009.

Trivia time

Which schools have reached the Final Four the most times without winning?

Going long and large

Spring football practice is a time for experiments, and the one Army is trying at wide receiver is literally a big one. Army is giving starting left tackle Ali Villanueva, who stands 6 feet 10 and weighs 286 pounds, a trial at wide receiver.

“Why not?” Cadets offensive coordinator Ian Shields told the Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald-Record. “It’s a little bit of a journey and discovery. But what if he can? . . . How cool would it be if there was a 6-10 wide receiver out there who can be a green-zone target?

“And think about the blocking possibilities: He can really put the hurting on some DBs and linebackers. It could be fun.”

Mr. Clutch 2009

As Tiger Woods heads to Augusta next week to resume his chase of Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major golf championships, Greg Norman says Woods has already eclipsed Nicklaus in one category: pressure putting.

“Tiger Woods is the best clutch putter I’ve ever seen,” Norman told reporters at the Houston Open. “I think he and Nicklaus are equal inside six feet. Outside nine feet, Woods is by far the best you’ve ever seen play the game.”

Norman, however, believes Woods was a better ball striker in 2000 and 2001 when he won an unprecedented four consecutive majors.

“His ball striking is not as good now, but his mind is better and his putting is better,” Norman said. “His putting now [added] to his ball striking in 2000, he would win every golf tournament by four, five or six shots.”

Trivia answer

Houston and Illinois, each school making five trips to the Final Four without winning a championship.

And finally

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, tweeting after getting fined $25,000 for criticizing referees on Twitter: “Can’t say no one makes money from Twitter now. The NBA does.”

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