The more interest they generate in the winter, the more season-ticket packages they will sell, the more corporate sponsorships they will land and the more advertising space they can fill.

They offered a season-ticket package for as low as $14 a game.

The Nationals have sold 20,000 season-ticket packages in Washington, but they drew a more modest sellout of 7,558 in Viera on Wednesday.

Exhibition games are quite unpopular with many fans, who resent having to pay regular-season prices for two home exhibition games as part of a season-ticket package.

"You have to do this, absolutely," said Serge Krikorian, an insurance agent from Wyckoff, N.J., who subscribes to season-ticket packages from both the Rangers and the Devils.

His Reasons But Tisch said the Giants were one of only four National Football League teams that hadn't included exhibition games in season-ticket packages.

When the Mets announced the acquisition of the All-Star catcher Mike Piazza on Friday, the phone began ringing with inquiries about season-ticket packages.

For the first time, exhibition games are being included as a mandatory part of the Giants' season-ticket package this year.

In the early 1970s, he brought a class action suit against the National Football League over its policy of charging full regular-season prices for meaningless exhibition games mandatorily included in season-ticket packages.

These games are part of the season-ticket package and some mini-plans.