Splain me this...............

[Geezer2]

How come, the two best teams (Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees) in baseball lock up with two potential Cy Young award winners pitching (CC Sabathia, David Price) the game goes 11 innings before the FIRST run is scored (the only one by the way) and they only 26,900 people in the stadium???????????????

That game should have been a sell out!!

The Rays need a new stadium. PERIOD

[IC2]

How come, the two best teams (Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees) in baseball lock up with two potential Cy Young award winners pitching (CC Sabathia, David Price) the game goes 11 innings before the FIRST run is scored (the only one by the way) and they only 26,900 people in the stadium???????????????

That game should have been a sell out!!

The Rays need a new stadium. PERIOD

...for only a billion or so(2.3++++) bucks, you too can have a stadium like the New Yankee Stadium and charge lots to the taxpayers(1.2BILLION USDollars and counting).

[Bob Parmenter]

$10 hot dogs, and $14 beers (or whatever the real inflated numbers are)....folks of all sorts of interests are pulling in their horns a might.

I'm not a baseball fan (hey I live in Seattle!), but the league sounds like they're trying to drop gate prices, but there's still the cost of parking, food, yada yada. Folks like to point to the NASCAR empty seats, and NHRA is even worse percentage wise, but it's in almost all venues. I usually ebay parts twice a year, right about now for the winter builders, and in late spring for the guys who want stuff for "the season". The number of hits and watchers is WAAAAYYYY down. I ended up selling my moderately expensive finned Buick brake setup from an ad on one of the hot rod oriented sites because the bidding was so poor. I did get emails from the three bidders who all thought they'd waited me out and were going to get the parts extra cheap, but I had to pop their bubble. But that's way off your topic. Just that people are being much more careful with their money right now. Entertainment like stadium events is a "luxury".

[MelloYello]

They lost me in Houston years ago with that $6 "dome foam" they call Beer and one trip thru the Nachos made with plastic cheese did it for me !

Just not the same as the good old bleacher days

[pastor bubba]

Have to agree that it is probably the prices for everything. I am not a big baseball fan, but have gone to a couple of games with my father in law and I have to say that my money comes hard and if I happen to have a little extra, it will go to my car or as reality has dictated, to my daughter's car. These multimillion dollar contracts are catching up to the various sports because the people are not paying to get in.

[NTFDAY]

When I received my tickets last May for the drags at Topeka included was a piece of paper informing me that they were going to charge for general parking ($10 a day). I voiced my displeasure with both Topeka and the NHRA, I emailed NHRA and didn't receive an answer, and the gal I talked to at Topeka just beat around the bush. I haven't renewed for next year and I probably won't if they charge for general parking. I don't even want to get started on the prices at the concession stands including water.
I wasn't charged for parking at Topeka this year and in all of my years attending drag races I've never been charged for general parking and I don't plan on starting now.

[Geezer2]

Tickets for the games tsart at $12.00 and I've parked 1/2 a block away for $15.00.

They also allow you to bring your own food.

[glennsexton]

I hear ya – I love sports – baseball, football, basketball, hockey –it’s all good. Took the wife and my MIL to a Mariner’s game (yeah I know –they are bad) as she and my FIL used to really enjoy watching them years ago. She’s 83 and I just wanted to do something nice for her.

I got nice tickets about ten rows off third base - $65 each, dogs $7 each, beer $6 for Bud, $7 for craft brew – but we could see the field really well. Safeco is a nice place and they do a good job however; the four “twenty-something” kids in front of us were so dog gone drunk by the third inning it was embarrassing and their conversation consisted of the “f” bomb every few words. Not wanting to make a scene, I asked the one fellow if he could maybe watch his language as it was offensive –he was wise enough to comply, but they still detracted from the game. The two little gals would jump up when something exciting happened which effectively blocked our view of the game while giving us a view of their little thong panties that should have required a marriage license to see!

I was hoping they would leave early, but they stayed until the end. My MIL was almost in tears as she really wanted to capture a bit of what she and her husband use to enjoy at the ball park – but the crowds of the 1970s and 80’s are long gone and the atmosphere is just different. She was thankful and appreciated the gesture, but we’ll not be returning.

I’m thinking the local high school football games may be more to my liking - $5 ticket, $2 dog ($2.50 w/kraut!), $2 soda and more fun that a pickup load of circus clowns!

Yep - It's a different world for those of old enough to remember what "some esplaining to do..." was all about..

Thanks for the post,
Glenn

[NTFDAY]

I agree, the young ones of today have no manners, no morals, and no regrets.

[Geezer2]

Hard to argue with you Glen

[RestoRod]

however; the four “twenty-something” kids in front of us were so dog gone drunk by the third inning it was embarrassing and their conversation consisted of the “f” bomb every few words. Not wanting to make a scene, I asked the one fellow if he could maybe watch his language as it was offensive –he was wise enough to comply, but they still detracted from the game.
Glenn

This certainly brings back some not so fine memories to me. A number of years ago, my brothers and I took my dad (major baseball fan) to see a Blue Jay's game in Toronto. We also had about 6 yahoos sitting in the row below us. They would troop out at the end of every inning to get beer and then stagger back to their seats after the next inning started. The result was that we usually missed the first one or two "at bats" as it seemed to take them forever to get to their seats and they completely blocked our view. None of us were impressed and it was the last time any of us went to see a game.

[vara4]

I was delievering a load of fuel down in Sarasota Florida and was talking to this older guy in the station. He was probably in his mid 70's and we kind of got in to a heated argument about the cost of taking the family to a base ball game.
I told him I could not aford to do it with 4 of us. Anyway he got pissed and told me I was full of it, after he left the cashier told me that the guy was one of the best out fielders that ever played the game. I don't remember his name but thats probably why he thought I was full of it. I just could not to aford to pay thier salaries and feed my family. I would rather go to a park and watch the little kids play base ball anyway and then pay $20 dollers to feed the family at the game. I think alot of the problems at the kids games are the parents and not so much the kids. The kids are just following the parents lead, atleast thats the way I have seen it.
Kurt

[pastor bubba]

Since you mentioned the kids' games, I am a member of the Optimist Club in town and we run the concession stand during the summer so we can sponsor up to 20 teams. And I have watched the behavior of coaches and parents go down over the years. Last year a coach that we sponsored had to be removed by police because he was threatening somebody. Needless to say, we did not sponsor him this year because his actions were way below our standards. I have also seen police called for parents over the years because they could not control themselves either. With the youth, I think we may have a lot of parents who want their kids to be the best so that the kid can make it into the pros and take care of them when they are old. That bad part about it is that it only takes a few to ruin it for all.

[robot]

Back to the original question, Tropicana field is the only non-retractable dome stadium (I think) and holds about 37,000 for baseball. Yes, the game should have been a sell out, however, the Florida market is a strange one.....who lives in Florida? If you think there are a lot of retirees, you may be right. Since the games are televised, the seniors (on a fixed income?) probably stay home...for the reasons cited....tickets, parking, beer cost, etc.

IT appears that here in Arizona and in Florida, the seniors like spring training...tickets are cheap....