ANGELS : Fans Aren’t Exactly Wearing Out Turnstiles

If fan turnout during the Angels’ first weekend of training camp and exhibition game ticket sales are any indication, replacement baseball is not going to be a big hit in Tempe Diablo Stadium come March.

Only one fan was on hand when the Angels began practice Friday morning and just a handful--no more than 12 each day--trickled through Gene Autry Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Kevin Uhlich, the team’s vice president of stadium operations, said the Angels have sold about 10,000 tickets for 15 Cactus League games, down from about 15,000 at this point last season. So far 486 spring season tickets have been sold, compared to 586 last year.

The Angels have sold 9,500 season tickets for the regular season, down from 12,300 last year.

The Angels, who lost more than $10 million during the strike-shortened 1994 season, according to President Richard Brown, figure to go deeper into the red this spring.

Because replacement players are receiving major league meal money (about $53 a day) and are being housed in a hotel, the cost of this spring training is virtually no different than if major leaguers were here.

Uhlich said the Angels usually recoup most spring training costs during the annual Freeway League series, from which the Dodgers and Angels retain all revenues from home games.

But because only one game of the three-game series is in Anaheim this year, Angel revenues will be down. Factor in reduced ticket prices for replacement games, both in Tempe and Anaheim, and the Angels could suffer six-figure spring training losses.

“It’s a little too early to get too worried because so much may happen in the next few weeks,” Uhlich said. “It hasn’t been real promising, but I think a lot of people are waiting to see if the strike is resolved. If it is, I think it will be a late-purchasing crowd.”

Angel Notes

Manager Marcel Lachemann’s assessment of his replacement players after three days of camp with pitchers and catchers: “I’d say most are middle-level minor league caliber. The majority of deliveries are relatively sound. The thing you don’t see is the arm strength you’d get at the major league level, but that’s to be expected.” Asked if any Angel replacements impressed him, Lachemann said, “Well, nobody’s been horrible.” . . . Lachemann and several Angel coaches and trainers attended a 2 1/2-hour meeting with players union representatives in Phoenix Saturday night. Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson’s refusal to coach replacement players was discussed, but Lachemann said there was “no pressure from the union for (managers and coaches) not to come to work.”