Baseball Still A Big Draw -- In Most Places

In most of the country, baseball is still going strong. Whether this is city based (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis) or regional is anybody's guess. But one thing is clear -- The Florida Project in baseball is not working.

Once upon a time, the Lords of Major League Baseball looked around for markets to expand in. Lo, there sits Florida. Teams draw great during spring training. You have a lot of retired folks from fan bases all over the country settling there. And let's factor in the huge (yes, YUGE) population of people from Latin American countries (including Cuba), where baseball fans go crazy for the sport.

So baseball placed teams in Tampa and Miami. What could go wrong?

Apparently quite a bit. As of May 16th, for example, the Los Angeles Dodgers topped MLB in attendance, averaging 46,663 fans. Milwaukee's Brewers, averaging 32,995 (626, 916 fans through home 19 games, great for a small market club) was 10th. The rest of the Top 10 were St. Louis, the New York Yankees, San Francisco, the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Houston, Colorado and Boston. Boston, by the way, averages 33,564 in Fenway Park, where the maximum attendance is 37,731 for night games and 37281 for day games.

Now, let's look at The Florida Project. Ranked 29th, Tampa has averaged 14,710 (264,795 in 18 games) while Miami is 30th with 245,538 fans in 23 games, an average of 10,675. By the way, 30th is dead last, folks.

On Mother's Day, there were 15 games played. Of those, 14 drew 470,546 fans for an average gate of 33,610. Then there's Miami, which drew a whopping 7,435 for a game with Atlanta. Keep in mind, that's tickets old, not fannies in the seats. That means that just over 30,000 fans showed up dressed as empty seats. (Reminds me of the bad old days of UW football under Don Morton and his "explosive" veer offense -- 45,000 fans dressed as empty seats in a stadium that held 70,000-plus.)

WOW! It seems in Miami, when they have Fan Appreciation Nite, it is just that -- singular. And this is a franchise now headed up by Mr. Yankee himself, Derek Jeter, who came into his maiden voyage armed with dynamite to blow up the franchise (goodbye Christian Yelich; so long, Giancarlo Stanton). Unfortunately, the shrinking fan base has been down this road before. And was especially burned AFTER previous ownership conned them into building fancy, splashy new digs -- then torn down the team yet again.

Over on the other coast, Tampa ownership has been grousing for a new stadium. But if you build it, they probably won't come. History tells us that. Even in years with contending teams, neither city drew all that well.

The only real solution would be for baseball to bite the bullet and move the squads. I continue to be hopeful that relations with Cuba will get to a more normal state. Why? Havana is a baseball-crazy market just waiting for the MLB to tap it.

Random Thoughts On America's Pasttime

It gets a bad rap now and then, because today's perception is that baseball is just too slow. No, the sport is MEANT to be played at a leisurely pace.

What's slowing down baseball? Constant pitching changes, delays between pitches, delays with replay. I do like the move towards a set number of mound visits in a game (call this the "Wilson Contreras Rule" since the erstwhile Chicago Cubs pitcher would make a mound trip on pretty much every friggin' pitch).

But the overuse of replay seems to be taking baseball's soul. Personally, I like the human aspect of the umpire. Right or wrong -- and usually right -- it's nice to have that aspect. Do the Men In Blue need to call the strike zone on a consistent basis? Of course, but as long as they call 'em the same for both teams the whole game, I'm good.

I don't think we'll see a .400 hitter again, nor will we see anyone break. Why? Several reasons. These marks were set when baseball didn't have an outpost west of the Mississippi, when St. Louis was the farthest outpost. Travel was done by train. More leisurely. And less media scrutiny as well. Today's instant news, and need for it, keeps a player in an ever-growing spotlight as he nears records. It's just a fact. 

Here's a tidbit I ran across recently that astonished me. Before the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee, just as the 1953 season was starting, there was a move afoot to buy the St. Louis Cardinals. In financial trouble, the Cards could have been moved. But the Auggie Bush family stepped forward and saved the day. Who knew?