Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 14, 1993                   TAG: 9306140299
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD                                LENGTH: Short

JUST A DIGIT OFF - BUT HE'D LIKE TO WRING SOMEONE'S NECK

That's what happened to a Springfield man after a newspaper in Rochester, N.Y., published his telephone number instead of the one to purchase tickets for 1994 World Cup soccer matches.

Phil Cogan said he has been getting very little sleep since the 800 number for the public relations business he runs from his home was published in the Sunday editions of The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. His number was 800-767-1994. The correct number for the tickets is 800-769-1994.

He said soccer fans began calling him months ago, even before the newspaper error. They either misdialed, or were deliberately trying different numbers to get around a busy signal.

The deluge began Saturday night.

"Some of them insisted they have the right number and that I was wrong." Finally Cogan said he couldn't take it any more and changed his number.