An urgent plea to Annika: Play here

Annika, please come to Vienna.
That's probably not a request the best women's golfer in the world hears every day.
For one thing, I'm not aware of any professional golf tournaments in Austria (where that other Vienna is located). For another, Ms. Sorenstam has rarely visited the weekend outing in our little neck of the woods.
This is the 14th year of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic tournament (including its predecessors by various other titles); if Sorenstam decides to play, it will mark only her second visit to the Valley (in 1998, she finished tied for ninth).
The problem the tournament organizers face is this: They (and we) need her a whole lot more than she needs us.
Attendance needs help
You'll never hear anyone officially involved with the Giant Eagle Classic say it, but it's hardly a secret that attendance has been down in recent years.
Take a look at the number of corporate tents, in comparison to past years. There's several fewer.
It also sure doesn't help this year that there's no television coverage (despite tournament officials' belief that the blackout will spike attendance).
And, there's very little incentive for Sorenstam to play here.
Her schedule wouldn't seem to be very encouraging. After the media and gallery circus she endured two weeks ago at The Colonial in becoming the first woman in over 50 years to compete on the PGA Tour, and a similar to-do at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic this weekend, there's the McDonald's Classic, one of the LPGA's majors. She's sure to attract most of the attention there, as well.
So there's a good chance Sorenstam could decide to take a break the following week -- which is the date of our get-together.
The U.S. Women's Open is the first weekend of July. Sorenstam could easily decide to skip the Giant Eagle and the tournament in Rochester, N.Y., the following week, and still have one tournament to play in before the Open.
Giant Eagle Classic organizers have already made assurances that Sorenstam is playing. They first floated that idea at media day in April, as recently as May 7 tournament manager Eddie Thomas was quoted in a story published in this paper that his sources told him she would play here.
Unfortunately, her representatives haven't been quite so forthcoming with a similar confirmation.
Shell out
Here's a suggestion for Mr. Thomas and his group: Ante up to Annika. Pay her an appearance fee, lavish her with gifts -- anything -- to convince her to play here. In other words -- beg.
(Pleading, falling to your knees and holding your breath could also work. If that fails, you could always hold her caddie hostage or hide her clubs.)
The Mahoning Valley Sports Charities won't suffer -- the payout has increased every year, despite the lagging attendance. It's sure to be greater this year as well, regardless of whether or not Sorenstam appears.
The most recognizable and popular gallery queen of all-time, Nancy Lopez, has retired; she, along with Tammie Green, have always been the most popular draws here. Dottie Pepper and Michelle McGann have had pretty strong followings, as well.
But the rest of the field doesn't generate a whole lot of excitement. Dorothy Delasin will have a decent gallery because she's a former champion.
And no disrespect to Mi Hyun Kim, the defending champion, but her shy personality doesn't play well to the gallery. If she wasn't the defending champ, she wouldn't draw any crowd to speak of.
Enticing Sorenstam to play here would be just the jump start the Giant Eagle Classic needs to start attendance back on an upward curve.
Are there any houses on Creekside available?
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.