Did the Rays Sell Out Their Biggest Series of the Year?

[ufojoe]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/17/sp-fans-still-not-flocking-to-the-trop

Fans Still Not Flocking To The Trop

By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 17, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Leave it to a member of the Red Sox to put the Rays' attendance woes in the kind of straightforward terms that public relations-conscious members of the home team have generally avoided.

Boston 1B Sean Casey was mystified to find Tropicana Field more than 6,000 short of a sellout for Monday night's series opener, with many of those in attendance cheering for the visitors.

"If you're not going to come out now for the Tampa Bay Rays, when are you going to come out?" Casey said Tuesday. "Especially against the Red Sox, pennant race, middle of September, you're tied for the lead, you've been leading the whole year. The bottom line is, every city wants a major-league baseball team, and if Tampa Bay can't draw now, when are they going to draw?"

It's a question Rays officials undoubtedly have asked one another in private this summer, but have generally not been so direct in addressing it publicly. They have expressed confidence that playoff games at the Trop would sell out, but by the same token they've been reduced to hoping 16,000 people will show up for Thursday's series opener against a Twins team that may represent the Rays' primary competition for a postseason spot.

In Manager Joe Maddon's mind, the time for attempting to drum up support has come and gone.

"I think I've made my pleas all year long," Maddon said. "It's getting to the point now, based on what's going on, that you'd like to think you wouldn't have to say a whole lot more.

"Having said that, I really want it to be known that I do appreciate the people who do come out - and believe me, that is quite a difference from what it had been in the past, just the group that is showing up."

Indeed, Tuesday's crowd of 32,079 was not only larger, but also noticeably more pro-Rays than the previous evening's gathering of 29,772. With red liberally splashed throughout the Trop, it still wasn't ideal, but the Rays understand the endeavor remains a work in progress.

"We wish it was all blue out there, but we understand even though it definitely disappoints us a little bit," Rays 1B Carlos Pena said. "It's a lot more fun when you've got that packed house and the whole stadium's cheering for you. ... We've got good fans; we just want our base to grow. We want more."

Though the Rays are hoping for a significant uptick in season-ticket sales for 2009, which would give them a larger base from which to work each night, Casey noted that the circumstances might not be the same.

"It's tough to do what they're doing every year," he said. "Especially with the payroll they're on."

[Lamond]

Rays fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for a collapse. I'm rooting for them, don't get me wrong.

For some reason, could be limited income, could be that without any past success fans are nervous about losing it now, could be high humidity, people don't feel it's worth their $$.

I'm not a big baseball fan. Probably because I've been in Florida all my life and for sooooo long we didn't have a single team. Just couldn't be bothered to pay attention until the post season. If the Rays hold on I would expect the Trop to be sold out for playoff games.

Fingers crossed for the Rays though.

[InChuckyITrust]

Hey, everyone here who knows me, knows im a big yankees fan.  I know, i really do -- my team and organization are pitiful, i really truely do believe and acknowledge that, so save yourself the time of throwing that back at me.

Its different with the Rays.  You have a team and org that are well run.  The ball park is nothing special, but is still only 10 yrs old.

The problem with the Rays is the FANS are pitiful.  Poor excuse for a baseball town.  What a joke... you guys have a great shot to be in the ALCS!!!! You cant freakin sell out!?  TAMPA DOES NOT DESERVE A BASEBALL TEAM FOLKS!!! MOVE THOSE BOYS TO A REAL BASEBALL CITY, BECAUSE THEY CAN PLAY SOME FREAKIN BALL! What are the rays this year, something like 21-2 infront of 30k people or more?

Great team, great story.  Pitiful fan base.

I'm rooting for the Rays to win the WS this year, along with the Brewers(come on guys hold on) and the Cubs (just so they dont feel left out) but I am also rooting for the Rays to be moved to a town thats willing to support them!

[InChuckyITrust]

Like I said many times before.....this is a football town. The Bucs have sold out a 70,000 seat stadium every game for the past decade. A new stadium for the Rays would go a long way....along with a better central location.

Plus now the USF Bulls are doing well so that's taking attention away from the Rays.

The Lightning is starting their pre-season next week I think. So that's going to pull even more fans away. I doubt the Rays even sell out their playoff games.

So you're telling me Tampa FLORIDA is more of a hockey town than a baseball town? How?  Who the heck is skating in their leisure time in TB?

And btw, just because the Rays fans wont sell out the trop for a playoff game, doesnt mean the game wont sell out.  If Rays fans dont buy them, I can PROMISE YOU that Sox/Sox/Angels fans will EAT THEM UP.  And then the whole country will get to watch on national TV a teams thats from more than 1000 miles away have a home game in your city, your park, vs your AL East champs (Rays fans, do you understand the history in this div?  The teams you compete against?  This is one amazing accomplishment!!!)

Rays fans, for baseball fans everywhere, show up and support your freakin team!!! I cant bare to see another Sox world series... go rays

[Lamond]

I really think we have a baseball team here because of the retirees from up north who missed having baseball. Locals are just meh about it.

[ufojoe]

If the Rays hold on I would expect the Trop to be sold out for playoff games.

Playoff game ticket prices are more expensive than regular season. MLB sets the prices.

I wouldn't expect anything for any weekday/weeknight playoff games in the 1st round.

People may be expecting a collapse but it's still not an excuse why the games against the
RS haven't all been sold out. They're basically playoff games without the elimination of
one team at the end of the series.

[olafberserker]

Bucs didn't sell out until they showed they had a team capable of winning consistently and they built a new stadium  The joke is you jag offs continuing to come here and criticize the fans and use false statements to back it up.


Maybe the Yankee fan can explain why a great sports town like New York could only put 31,000 per game in the seats of Yankee Stadium during the '96 (I believe) World Series run.  Seeing as though joe has refused to address it.

[SnookAU]

Why are so many Red Sox players concerned with the Rays attendance? 

Shouldn't someone be asking them how the team with the SECOND highest payroll isn't even leading their division?

[Lamond]

Or maybe why die hard Red Sox fans aren't picking up all those extra tix?

[ufojoe]

Guess what? If the Bucs were playing a game late in the season, with playoff implications in ANY year,
it would have sold out.

Did the Yanks play a series in mid-September in 1996 with playoff implications? If so, you can bet that
they had over 30,000 fans.

You can point to attendance averages in Milwaukee, the Yankees and the Bucs all you want. But the fact is,
the lack of sellouts against the Red Sox, at this time of the year and with the race so close, is PATHETIC.

Kiss your team goodbye.

[ufojoe]

http://www.theledger.com/article/20080916/COLUMNISTS/809160401/1117/SPORTS&title=Rays__Crowds_Still_Disappointing

There should be no seats available for this Boston series. Under the circumstances, I'm not sure there is another major league city in which three straight sellouts wouldn't be automatic. Maybe Miami, maybe not.

More than 6,000 seats went unoccupied at Monday night's series opener, and a sizable portion of the 29,772 was there for the Red Sox. It was difficult to determine just how large the portion was, since Rays fans had little reason to be vocal at a game in which the Rays fell behind, 11-1, in the third inning.

Tuesday's crowd for the Rays' 2-1 win was a little bigger (32,079), and the crowd was really into it. But come on, this is pretty much for all the marbles of the regular season, and that's 4,000 empty seats.

[InChuckyITrust]

Bucs didn't sell out until they showed they had a team capable of winning consistently and they built a new stadium  The joke is you jag offs continuing to come here and criticize the fans and use false statements to back it up.


Maybe the Yankee fan can explain why a great sports town like New York could only put 31,000 per game in the seats of Yankee Stadium during the '96 (I believe) World Series run.  Seeing as though joe has refused to address it.

And Btw, I, like Joe Maddon, definetly acknowledge the Rays fans who do continue to show up

Olaf, theres a couple different factors.  Baseball attendance has gone thru the roof the last 6 years or so.  Yankee stadium is filled to capactiy almost every night now, and they will again draw the biggest number of fans in a year, breaking the record from last year... but the pt is attendance is up all across baseball

In 1996, despite the NYY winning the WC the previous year, I dont remember many viewing them as they view the Yankees now (that might be a bad analogy).  Remember baseball was 2 years removed from the worst year in its HISTORY, and when you consider that in 96 the yanks drew about 27k fans per night (after almost 2 decades of terrible baseball), while Boston drew 28K per night and the mets were drawing a paltry 19k per night, the yanks attendance figures arent putrid.  They certainly took off in 98.

The other thing that HAS to get mentioned here is this is the first playoff run that the Rays have ever made. The first!  How could you not want to be a part of that?  I'm not trying to toot my "mighty yankees horn" because its broken and inop right now, but the yanks had won 20+ WS before 1996.  This is unprecidented for the Rays which is what really drives me nuts.

[Lamond]

Guess what? If the Bucs were playing a game late in the season, with playoff implications in ANY year,
it would have sold out.

Did the Yanks play a series in mid-September in 1996 with playoff implications? If so, you can bet that
they had over 30,000 fans.

You can point to attendance averages in Milwaukee, the Yankees and the Bucs all you want. But the fact is,
the lack of sellouts against the Red Sox, at this time of the year and with the race so close, is PATHETIC.

Kiss your team goodbye.

One in sixteen vs One of 162 IMO. If the Bucs win or lose we have to live with it for a week. In baseball every day there's a new game.

[InChuckyITrust]

IMO, theres nothing wrong if the Rays draw 30k.  Thats the number I would consistently want.  Lets remember, the sox only squeeze 36k into that wasteland up in boston, and I've gotta imagine the metro population in Boston is a good size bigger than TB.  The 32k crowd was very respectable.  The rays need to maintain that.  Postseason will be a sellout reguardless, even if they played the games in Alaska

[ufojoe]

ROTL,

Give me a break. 1 of 162?

If you don't see the difference between this series and others then you must not follow baseball
very closely. This series is HUGE.

A ticket for this RS series should be the toughest ticket to get all year for them. And the only reason
they have 30K fans in there is because of the RS fans showing up in large numbers.