Opening week crowds smaller around majors

COMBINED DISPATCHES

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball averaged 31,111 fans for its first 93 games of the season, down 4.5 percent from the 2008 final average of 32,539 that the commissioner’s office announced at the end of the season.

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

MLB would not announce what a comparison between the first week of 2009 and the first week of 2008 because it has not announced weekly comparisons for several seasons, spokesman Rich Levin said Monday.

“We’re actually doing OK. We’re actually doing quite well, but it’s much too early to tell,” baseball commissioner Bud Selig said as the New York Mets played their first official game at Citi Field. “Easter weekend is a very tough weekend, very tough weekend. The weather has been horrendous. The weather in the middle west has been a disaster.”

A-Rod working on diet

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hip surgery wasn’t the only thing that agreed with Alex Rodriguez during his time away from the Yankees.

As he rehabbed in Vail, Colo., A-Rod said he was able to settle his thoughts and re-organize his priorities. “Cut some of the fat out,” Rodriguez said, “and really focus on what I do best, and that’s playing baseball.

A-Rod still hopes to be back in the lineup sooner than the club’s May 15 target date, though “the next seven to 10 days are very important as we enter phase two of this rehab,” he said.

On Monday, for the first time since surgery five weeks ago to repair a labrum tear in his right hip, Rodriguez went through baseball drills at the Yankees’ minor league complex. For nearly an hour, A-Rod played catch, including long toss, fielded 40 grounders, ran lightly — and swung a bat.

A-Rod took 36 swings off a tee, hit another 42 soft-toss pitches, and said it felt good to be back in spikes.

“I’m doing all I can to get back as soon as possible ... but I don’t want to jump the gun,” said Rodriguez, who was back on the Yankees’ bench to watch Monday night’s game against the Rays.

Arizona puts Webb on DL

PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks put Brandon Webb on the 15-day disabled list due to tightness in his pitching shoulder.