Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day Baseball? Not in Houston.
It's a beautiful day in Washington DC. The high today is 78 degrees. There is not a cloud in the sky. Considering this, and the fact that today is Memorial Day and I don't have to go to work, I think it's a great day to go to a ballgame.
Fortunately, I am here. I can go see the Nats play the Brewers and the O's play the Yankees. But if I were back home in Houston, I wouldn't be able to do it. The Astros are off. On Memorial Day.
It's little things like this that make me think that MLB just doesn't have a clue. The Astros played a 4 game series Thursday through Sunday against the Phillies. Then on a national holliday, when absolutely nobody goes to work, the Astros have an off day.
Let's see here. A winning, popular baseball team + nobody going to work + air conditioning = a sellout crowd. Instead of taking Thursday off and having a 4 game series with 4 sellouts, the Astros drew 29,263 on Thursday night. Thats 13,000 less tickets, which means less hot dogs, beers, sodas and souveniers sold. Plus, thousands of fans who were going to watch the game on TV today couldn't.
I'm not sure who is responsible for this. But whether it be MLB or the Astros, Bud Selig or Drayton McLane, somebody just doesn't have a clue. Whether it be alienating fans who want to spend a summer holliday watching baseball, or throwing away thousands of dollars, someone dropped the ball on this one.
Fortunately, I am here. I can go see the Nats play the Brewers and the O's play the Yankees. But if I were back home in Houston, I wouldn't be able to do it. The Astros are off. On Memorial Day.
It's little things like this that make me think that MLB just doesn't have a clue. The Astros played a 4 game series Thursday through Sunday against the Phillies. Then on a national holliday, when absolutely nobody goes to work, the Astros have an off day.
Let's see here. A winning, popular baseball team + nobody going to work + air conditioning = a sellout crowd. Instead of taking Thursday off and having a 4 game series with 4 sellouts, the Astros drew 29,263 on Thursday night. Thats 13,000 less tickets, which means less hot dogs, beers, sodas and souveniers sold. Plus, thousands of fans who were going to watch the game on TV today couldn't.
I'm not sure who is responsible for this. But whether it be MLB or the Astros, Bud Selig or Drayton McLane, somebody just doesn't have a clue. Whether it be alienating fans who want to spend a summer holliday watching baseball, or throwing away thousands of dollars, someone dropped the ball on this one.
# posted by Bevo @ 11:55 AM 
