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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:May 17, 2007
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I was just reading the WLW Website and one of the bloggers pointed this out:
Wednesday day game for the Bats, attendance: 13,131.
Wednesday night game for the Reds: 12,756.
At this rate, the Reds will draw something like 1.6 million fans, a big disappointment.
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jan 9, 2008
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Well, when you have Jay Bruce AND Homer Bailey on the same team, it's going to draw a lot of fans. Hear that Jocketty? IT WILL DRAW MORE FANS!! I would go, but a 3 hour drive in a car I don't have isn't exactly realistic.
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Apr 24, 2008
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Yeah, pretty sad attendance... Can't say I'm not trying though but I got rained out tonight... Sunday better be better. I need my GABP fix before I move to DC.
A lot of people actually prefer going to minor league games. They have a lot of things that the big guys don't, like drink/food deals, kids specials, better food, better drink, close knit, old time feel, no hoopla. It's baseball at it's primal form. The Dayton Dragons are ALWAYS sold out. It's just the new thing now.
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:May 17, 2007
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I spent Thursday night in downtown Gary IN at the U.S. Steel Yard for a minor league game.
Like-ta froze off my welldiggers but all the same, minor league ball is an attraction.
The Dayton phenomenon is interesting and it may be that it ends up hurting the true fan base that can't get a ticket. So far, it's trendy and "being there" ... I guess the team loves it.
We don't quite have that problem in Gary, but we did get 2,800 for the opener on a Thursday and colder than crap.
Dang, 3-hitter by the Joliet pitchers ... well, we will do better.
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Feb 14, 2008
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yeah, having Homer Bailey and Jay Bruce (and all the other young talent) will draw a lot of the fans to a game. but the pitchers would only draw on days they pitch theoretically. anyway, i agree that at minor league games, people are also drawn in by food/drink specials and other promotions. the PR guys go a little farther in trying to draw attention and crowds in the minors. also, GABP is a fine park, but i think louisville slugger field is actually even nicer. the prices, promotions, proximity, and availability of good tickets are strong points for minor league teams (or the Bats at least).
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Nov 15, 2006
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I never hear the announcers giv ethe attendance on the game. Now I know why. I thought it looked like there were a lot of fans at GABP dressed up as empty seats. Wow, 13 and 14K home attendance figures, that's not good. I would venture to guess that it will be a tough ticket to the Indians series though.
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:May 22, 2007
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My son is a student at UD and went to a number of Dragons games before coming home to Chicago when school let out for the summer. He said the quality of play was surprisingly good for the Single-A level, and being on a student budget he's attended a lot of minor league ball.
Practically any large city has a half-dozen independent and affiliated baseball organizations within a one or couple hours' drive. It should be enjoyed while gas prices are still under five bucks a gallon and you can get there for less than a plane ticket to Hawaii.
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Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Jan 12, 2007
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When you have to face of the Francise down on the Bats then of course it will have more people. I think the fans will start to come out if the Reds can move into the playoff hunt. With gas the way it is it just isn't worth going to the game to watch a losing baseball team...
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 6, 2007
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Struggling Team + Rising Gas Prices + No Superstar Playing(outside of the Harang/Volquez/Cueto pitching combo) = Poor attendance.
Griffey isnt nearly the draw he once was, considering hes averaging a homer every 30+ at bats. Dunn is struggling this season. The only reason to attend lately has been if Volquez is pitching. Everybody who follows the Reds knows they are moving in a youthful direction, except Bob, Dusty, and Walt. Fans arent coming anymore to see Griffey. Fans would come to see Bruce though. The next big thing in baseball is sitting in the Minor Leagues, batting .366, but your going to leave him down there because you would rather see Corey Patterson bat .235, just because he has some speed, even though he has only 7 stolen bases and has been picked off 3 times? Put the young guys in the lineup, make sure Votto plays, bring Bruce up, Make the rotation young with our top prospects, because not only are these veterans numbers on the decline, but so is their drawing power.
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:May 3, 2007
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You forgot $7 beer prices + $10 parking!!! This is outrageous! I would go to every game if I could. We pay for this damn stadium so loosin' up Redlegs.
I want to be one of those dad's that take my son to tons of games. Just can't afford it.
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:May 17, 2007
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Everyone here has some great points, but it is important to note that the 13,000 the Bats drew was probably more than normal. Promotions can fill up a park at the minor league level but without them, the crowds are usually quite lower. They can't afford to squander too many promo nights, though.
In the Chi area, as Frantic points out, we have about 7 teams to pick from, and more if we go up toward South Bend and Kazoo, Michigan.
I also think the youth movement point is well taken. My girlfriend was telling me last night about how "cute" the players are, and said where she works, she knows a lot of women who just hang around the ballpark in Joliet looking at the players' butts. Well, who knew?
And BTW, if you haven't been to a minor league game, your kid will like it just as much. In Gary, the kids can go down by the bullpen and talk to the players before the game, get autographs and really enjoy the atmosphere. For under 10 bucks, that's priceless.
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:May 22, 2007
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The next big thing in baseball is sitting in the Minor Leagues, batting .366, but your going to leave him down there because you would rather see Corey Patterson bat .235, just because he has some speed, even though he has only 7 stolen bases and has been picked off 3 times?
Funny, here in Chicago, we used to gripe the same way about Patterson languishing endlessly in AAA while Dusty played his non-performing vets, and the more the Cubs sucked, the louder the fans griped. In reality, though, the decision on how soon (if ever) a prospect comes up is in the hands of a slew of scouts, execs at the lower levels and even the coaches in AA and AAA who need to keep their rosters balanced for the good of all the players developing below major league level.
I don't know exactly what my point is, except perhaps that the Reds aren't likely to bring Jay Bruce up while his BB/K ratio is as horrid as it is. While that 1-in-1,000 switch may flip for Bruce and he suddenly gets a better handle on the strike zone, the major league level is not a place for developing young talent. And for a struggling Reds team, it could be devastating, IMO. They need look no further than Felix Pie of the Cubs to see that even when a player absolutely rakes at the AAA level, there are hints of vulnerabilities that major league pitchers will be quick to exploit. Bruce has the physical skills to cut it; he either gets the mental part down or he doesn't.
My girlfriend was telling me last night about how "cute" the players are, and said where she works, she knows a lot of women who just hang around the ballpark in Joliet looking at the players' butts.
This is most excellent information to have. Due to the gut, my baseball pants are considerably tighter than twenty years ago. Think I can fool 'em?
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Apr 24, 2008
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Yeah, the thing here in Dayton is pretty crazy. The first time I wanted to go to a game I thought it would be easy to just go online and buy a ticket considering it was just a minor league team... Turns out you couldn't buy a ticket if your life depended on it these days. It's good though because downtown Dayton was falling apart before they put Fifth Third in. Now, in combination with the Oregon district it's getting nicer down there. Now they just need to get rid of the big bus stop that draws all the, well, undesirables to the area, and you could really turn the place into a trendy place to be. They are trying to draw in younger people with some loft style condos and apartments. 5 years from now it could really be nice if they do it right way.
Minor league games are great in the fact that you can really have a more one of one experience with the game while still being in an atmosphere of great baseball. It's more fun when a game is sold out and people get into it.
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Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Nov 4, 2007
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thats pathetic that an MLB team doesn't attract as many fans as its AAA team.
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Nov 15, 2006
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I know what you mean Nasty. I grew up in North Dayton. I lived on Alaska St. only about 8 minute drive from 5/3 Ball park. That area sure ain't what it once was, but the ball park there is great. I love the way it is dug in, and you can sit in the outfield grass area and have a picnic if you want to. The last time I went to to a game there, Willy Mo Pena was playing with the Dragons in 2001. EE was on that team to. Willy wne tyeard that night, and the place was jsut crazy. It was a really fun atmosphere. It was still relatively new back then and was still a tough ticket.
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Apr 24, 2008
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