Outside the Box
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ESPN.com - Major League Baseball - Rumblings and Grumblings
Stark leads with some thoughts on the possible work stoppage this off-season. I agree with probably 80% of what he says, but in the interest of partisan dickering I'll dwell on the 20%.
He believes that another work stoppage would be "suicide" for the game. This is bunk. Baseball wasn't supposed to survive the last work stoppage, but it has and is nearly back to the previous attendance levels. Besides as a huge baseball fan I wouldn't mind one bit seeing fewer people at the game. Cheaper seats, better parking, less hassle.
I can go along with 1-5 for the most part. I disagree vehemently with number 6. The Twins and Expos misery is caused not by uncaring fans or a bad market, but by a terrible owner and management group and an abysmal stadium. When teams win they draw well. Any team that wins for multiple years will draw well.
If the Expos were to win more than 80 games in a season (which they haven't done since 1996 and the Twins haven't done since 1992) they would start to draw well. In the early 80's they were always in the top two or three in attendance. The Twins' fans behave exactly the same way. We should be lauding them for not supporting a loser like the Cubs' fans do.
I know what you are thinking. The A's finished 11th in attendance last year. Well that's true, but the big payoff is always in the following year. The Twins led the league in attendance in 1988 and then saw a bump in attendance again in 1992. Oakland and the White Sox will be in the top half of the league in attendance this year, just wait.
Stark leads with some thoughts on the possible work stoppage this off-season. I agree with probably 80% of what he says, but in the interest of partisan dickering I'll dwell on the 20%.
He believes that another work stoppage would be "suicide" for the game. This is bunk. Baseball wasn't supposed to survive the last work stoppage, but it has and is nearly back to the previous attendance levels. Besides as a huge baseball fan I wouldn't mind one bit seeing fewer people at the game. Cheaper seats, better parking, less hassle.
I can go along with 1-5 for the most part. I disagree vehemently with number 6. The Twins and Expos misery is caused not by uncaring fans or a bad market, but by a terrible owner and management group and an abysmal stadium. When teams win they draw well. Any team that wins for multiple years will draw well.
If the Expos were to win more than 80 games in a season (which they haven't done since 1996 and the Twins haven't done since 1992) they would start to draw well. In the early 80's they were always in the top two or three in attendance. The Twins' fans behave exactly the same way. We should be lauding them for not supporting a loser like the Cubs' fans do.
I know what you are thinking. The A's finished 11th in attendance last year. Well that's true, but the big payoff is always in the following year. The Twins led the league in attendance in 1988 and then saw a bump in attendance again in 1992. Oakland and the White Sox will be in the top half of the league in attendance this year, just wait.
posted by Sean Foran # 11:13 AM 
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