Baseball Tries To Get Well, But Runs Into Ill Will Empty Seats Tell The Tale: Not All Fans Will Forgive And Forget

Jose Canseco chatted with fans and signed autographs for 15 minutes after batting practice at Fenway Park.

Players caught pitches from Little Leaguers at County Stadium, and several Brewers threw their caps into the stands.

Red Sox rooters got into Fenway for half-price and were welcomed by a “Thanks Fans!” sign on the centerfield scoreboard.

In an effort to win back fans angered by the 7-month baseball strike, players and teams made a number of goodwill gestures on the opening afternoon of the season Wednesday.

Not everyone was satisfied, and it showed in the attendance figures. Atlanta and Kansas City both drew slightly more than 24,000 fans - the Royals offered free grandstand seating - and Milwaukee had its smallest opening crowd at County Stadium since 1973.

In Cincinnati, a plane flew over Riverfront Stadium with a banner that read: “Owners & Players: To Hell With All Of You.”

In Boston, a woman carried a sign outside Fenway Park that proclaimed: “They Will Strike Again, I Know. Hell, No. I Won’t Go.”

There was a mixture of cheers and boos when players were introduced at many stadiums, with non-players getting the biggest applause in New York, Kansas City, Boston and Milwaukee.

At Fenway, there was a 30-second standing ovation for Jim Rice, the former Sox slugger and current batting coach.

At Yankee Stadium, Joe DiMaggio received the warmest welcome when he threw out a ceremonial first ball. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki also threw out first pitches, but they got Bronx cheers.

The most popular man at Kauffman Stadium was longtime groundskeeper George Toma, who wore a tuxedo and was driven in from the bullpen in a pink Cadillac to throw out the first pitch.

But a 35-year-old Royals fan, Bryan Kuhn, also got a big cheer after he caught a foul ball, and then threw it back on the field.

“That was just my way of saying, ‘Hey, here’s one back at you,”’ Kuhn said. “I figured with all the money both sides whine about losing during the strike, they probably needed it more than I do.”

It was a subdued scene in Cincinnati, where the traditional opening day parade was held three weeks ago. There were thousands of empty seats when the game started despite sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s.

Canseco, acquired in a trade with Texas during the off-season, autographed baseballs, caps, programs, ticket stubs, a batting helmet, a license plate and a “Sex Pistols” compact disc cover before the Red Sox game against the Minnesota Twins.

“Welcome to Boston, baby. Welcome to Boston,” one fan yelled.

Canseco shook the man’s hand.

“You all are going to cheer for me, right?” he asked the crowd. “No matter if I strike out?”