Brown mentioned the Yankees, whose attendance is off 10.4 percent.

"When the most desirable products in the market are off 25 percent it's clear that business is very bad," he said.

Sometimes they'll chip off 25 percent or so and call it a sale.

National advertising was hardest hit, off 7 percent for the year.

About 359,000 were sold last year, off 4.8 percent from the record 377,000 in 1999.

Total car sales, as a result, were off 3.9 percent.

Over all, through yesterday, the index is off 16.8 percent.

Still, he said, his pepper crop is off about 15 percent.

He said business was probably off 30 percent so far this month.

Through three games, that time zone's rating is off 24 percent.