NEW YORK Major League Baseball's average attendance was 30,298 for its first 183 games over the opening two weeks of the season, a 6.9 per cent drop from last year's final figure of 32,539.

The average declined from 31,111 in the opening week. The average usually drops during the second week of the season, as the significance of opening-day sellouts in the average lessens. The Toronto Blue Jays are averaging 22,056 through seven home dates, ahead of only the Kansas City Royals in the 14-team American League.

Attendance around Baseball is usually weakest in April and September, when cold weather causes a drop for some teams in the Northeast and Midwest.

OTTAWA CFL commissioner Mark Cohon told Ottawa civic officials yesterday that the league's third foray into the city would succeed because of strong ownership combined with a modern facility. Cohon made the comments at a planning-economic development committee made by the two groups proposing competing stadium plans for Ottawa. The CFL has awarded a conditional expansion franchise to a group led by Ottawa 67's owner Jeff Hunt who is looking to renovate Frank Clair Stadium as part of a re-development of Lansdowne Park. But Ottawa Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk wants to bring a Major League Soccer club and city officials are also weighing his group's plans for a new 20,000-seat soccer-only venue in nearby Kanata.

Obama meets Tiger and Sox

WASHINGTON On a day when he met with his Cabinet and visited CIA headquarters, President Barack Obama made time for Tiger Woods and members of the Chicago White Sox. Obama greeted Woods in the Oval Office. He also chatted with members of his favourite Baseball team, the White Sox, in the Washington area to play the Baltimore Orioles.