There is no such thing as a pitching prospect.
Let's let the week thru Sunday play out.
It is a tough time of year. Many families probably had to pick a night or two to go to a game this week, and many probably eliminated Tuesday night first.
Day after a holiday, getting back into your routine...I'd lean toward Wed/Thurs, or even the weekend.
If the weekend is poor, then there is a valid complaint.
My question about attendance, or lack thereof-
Why does lack of attendance matter to people?
Does it detract from your viewing experience? Either in person or on TV?
Does it represent a frustrating lack of interest by Tri-State citizens?
Does it embarrass you because of what other teams are drawing?
Do you feel bad for the players because they deserve more tangible support?
I'm curious to hear the majority sentiment on the topic. I've been upset by lack of attendance at college football games before. For me, it was a bit of embarrassment about some of the attempted production to create a 'good' atmosphere combined with feeling the players deserved a bit more tangible support for their efforts. I couldn't chastise someone for their decision not to attend, though. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
Last edited by Fil3232; 09-04-2013 at 03:46 PM.
I don't really care what people do with their lives. There are very legitimate reasons not to go to a game. Stuff going on, and Cincinnati is still a pretty small market. I *definitely* don't want to hear ownership complain about low attendance. Find new ways to get people in there.
That said:
- I love hearing a loud crowd in the background of a broadcast.
- I fight my own jealousy thinking about all the people in Cincinnati who could be watching Homer Bailey pitch these kinds of gems (against the Cardinals, no less) when my option on any given day is to go watch AJ Burnett continue to glean magical jerk powers from his titanium necklaces and have my view obstructed by stupid jolly roger flags.
There is no such thing as a pitching prospect.
HeatherC1212 (09-04-2013),RichRed (09-04-2013)
FYI: Most school districts were all ready back in school before this week but Northwest Local came back late this year (construction at Colerain High School gave the district a longer summer) and their first day back was yesterday. That's a pretty decent sized district so that may have played a factor for anyone who would have driven in from the suburbs. Just throwing that out there in case anyone didn't know that (one of my best friends is a teacher there which is why I know their schedule).
I don't want to speak for anyone else but the attendance issues don't bother me that much. I am EXTREMELY glad that we went to the game last night. The crowd may have been smaller but those who were there did scream and cheer when the game called for it (not just for pizza ). Personally I love going to games but I just can't afford to go to every game during every home stand. I feel like I'm doing good when I get to at least two during a home stand and even that is pushing it sometimes with the drive (I live 25 minutes away), parking, food, ticket costs, and especially when I have to work the next day. People still have bills to pay and with most of the games being on FSO, I can see how some folks would rather stay home and watch there than take their families out too many times a week. It's a bummer but it happens and I just can't be that upset with people who are putting their families or their bills above going to see the Reds play. With the Dodgers coming to town and the Great Eight reunion going on, I fully expect the crowds to be HUGE for all three games this weekend.
"I tried to play golf, but I found out I wasn't very good." -Joey Votto on his offseason hobby search
An MLB.com reporter asked what one thing Votto couldn’t do. “I can’t skate or play hockey,” Votto said. “Well, I can skate ... but I can’t stop.”
I've found the Reds ticketing tool on reds.com as a pretty good indicator of attendance. It shows you exactly how many tickets and in what locations tickets are available. It looks like tonight and Thursday will be pretty close to last night's attendance, whereas every game this weekend will be close to a sellout.
"In our sundown perambulations of late, through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties of youngsters playing 'base', a certain game of ball. Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our close rooms, the game of ball is glorious"
-Walt Whitman
Moving back to Homer for a sec here, I'm curious what folks think about his maturity. A friend of mine was really ticked off that Homer had a temper tantrum in the dugout when Dusty informed him that he was done for the night. I disagreed, because I think Homer's bulldog pants sometimes give him a short fuse -- but it's also that short fuse that plays a role in making him successful. The difference between today's Homer and yesterday's Homer has to do with his ability to harness emotions when he's on the mound, IMO. If he has to let those emotions flare in the dugout later on, that's fine with me as long as we're seeing results on the field. Which we most certainly are.
I think there are a couple of reasons why lack of attendance matters to people. First of all, fewer butts in the seats mean less money for the Reds to use to pay their players and use for other expenses. I think it also matters to the players. I think most players would rather play in front of a capacity or near-capacity crowd than to a half-full house. It also contradicts the statements of fans who say that if the Reds win, fans will come out. It also reflects poorly on the area and revives several canards such as downtown is a violent place or there's nothing to do downtown or whatever.
I think it does detract from my viewing experience.
Is it a frustrating lack of interest? Probably not. Go to Retrosheet and look at home attendance for April/May/September weekday games and no matter what year you choose, you are going to find some low - some embarrassingly low - attendance figures. For example: Wednesday, September 22, 1976. 17,669 came out to watch the Reds win their 98th game against San Diego.
In a way it does. You see the Cubs drawing upwards of 2.5M every year to watch an also-ran. But I also realize that Chicago has a much larger pool of people to draw from. Milwaukee has a covered stadium so if the weather is cool, they can close the roof. StL is a pretty good comparison but they have had much more success in the past 15 years than the Reds have had.
I do feel bad for the players. It has to be frustrating for them.
Boss-Hog (09-04-2013)
“I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn't get there as fast.” — Eddie Bane
“We know we're better than this ... but we can't prove it.” — Tony Gwynn
I am not admonishing anyone individually. Of course individual people may have very valid reasons for not attending. But I think in this situation it is ok to look at it as a whole and draw some judgements as a fanbase. If I lived in Cincy I absolutely would not attend every game and I'd likely attend very few weekday games for many of the reasons Sun Deck listed. But for only 20K to show up in that situation absolutely makes the fanbase look bad.
Because it affects the payroll for future Reds rosters. I like the excitement of being in pennant races and October baseball.
I think the overall viewing experience is always better when the place is packed. But I enjoy it either way.
I would say no. The Reds are among the top 2 or 3 teams in the league in viewer ratings.
I would LOVE to see GABP be the place to be. We're on our way, but it takes time. Given the situation with this series, it was disappointing to see a small crowd.
Hard to feel sorry for players regardless of the situation. They've got it pretty good. But every player will tell u, it's nice to play in front of the big home crowds and they do have an impact.
Last edited by Redlegs; 09-04-2013 at 07:10 PM.
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
Boss-Hog (09-04-2013)
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