Sparse Crowd sees loss.

[section18]

The older man/usher who wears glasses and stands at the entrance to sections 23-28 was feeling his oats last night.  Anybody that stopped for five seconds in the lower concourse or back underneath at the concourse entrance was told to move.  I stood in line for 20 minutes to get a coke and walked part way into the entrance area and was at least 8-10 feet inside of it and he walks in and waives me away.  I waived him away and he did it again.  He says "move." I yelled at him don't you have anything better to do.  He just stared at me. Later in the 8th inning one of the young people who sits in Jeppi's seats was leaning forward with his arms on the roof of the Oriole dugout.  I kid you not........he rushed down the aisle steps and points to the young guy and motions to get back from the roof of the dugout that now has a net in front of it. I'm reporting this to management tomorrow. I almost got up and went over to confront him. Freezing cold being no-hit and he acts like a horses ass. I doubt he would have done that if Steve Jeppi was sitting there. Walking in and out of both games Thursday and last night every usher I saw was very nice and those near the exits where you show your tickets said please come back again. Very nice!

[Frobby]

23 minutes ago, MDtransplant757 said:

Let’s have the opening weekend on Easter. Way to go geniuses at MLB

What’s the alternative?    The union bargained for four extra off-days during the season, so it’s either start four days earlier or end four days later and risk playing WS games in November.

[atomic]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

What’s the alternative?    The union bargained for four extra off-days during the season, so it’s either start four days earlier or end four days later and risk playing WS games in November.

I don't understand the Orioles schedule in April.  They were supposed to add all these additional days off during the season and yet the Orioles are playing more game in April than I can remember them doing before.  

[Bingotown]

7 hours ago, ScGO's said:

So I moved from Baltimore to western NC back in 2014, so I haven't been around the city in a while.  What exactly is pushing our attendance numbers down?  I saw that ticket prices went back up.  Is there still a stigma from the 2014 riots that scares people away?  Last year's fall from grace effecting sales for this year?  The population is poorer year by year and becoming more frugal?  Nats stealing fans?  All of the above? What does it take to return to the glory years of attendance that we saw in the 90's.

Personally I’ve about had it with Buck. If you get a mgr in there that gives the team a fighting chance. If you wait to pull a picture after 5,6 or 7 runs it’s already too late. There is a pretty decent batting lineup but not when your constantly playing from behind. 

[Il BuonO]

27 minutes ago, Frobby said:

What’s the alternative?    The union bargained for four extra off-days during the season, so it’s either start four days earlier or end four days later and risk playing WS games in November.

Yeah, file under ‘Not a big deal’.

[NashLumber]

1 hour ago, section18 said:

The older man/usher who wears glasses and stands at the entrance to sections 23-28 was feeling his oats last night.  Anybody that stopped for five seconds in the lower concourse or back underneath at the concourse entrance was told to move.  I stood in line for 20 minutes to get a coke and walked part way into the entrance area and was at least 8-10 feet inside of it and he walks in and waives me away.  I waived him away and he did it again.  He says "move." I yelled at him don't you have anything better to do.  He just stared at me. Later in the 8th inning one of the young people who sits in Jeppi's seats was leaning forward with his arms on the roof of the Oriole dugout.  I kid you not........he rushed down the aisle steps and points to the young guy and motions to get back from the roof of the dugout that now has a net in front of it. I'm reporting this to management tomorrow. I almost got up and went over to confront him. Freezing cold being no-hit and he acts like a horses ass. I doubt he would have done that if Steve Jeppi was sitting there. Walking in and out of both games Thursday and last night every usher I saw was very nice and those near the exits where you show your tickets said please come back again. Very nice!

That’s ridiculously unnecessary. You should definitely speak to someone about it. 

[LocoChris]

4 hours ago, Tx Oriole said:

More dangerous than El Paso,  Chicago, Detroit or New York? 

Don't forget East St. Louis 

[Tx Oriole]

3 hours ago, Bingotown said:

Personally I’ve about had it with Buck. If you get a mgr in there that gives the team a fighting chance. If you wait to pull a picture after 5,6 or 7 runs it’s already too late. There is a pretty decent batting lineup but not when your constantly playing from behind. 

What's that have to do with attendance after 3 games?

[atomic]

5 hours ago, Tx Oriole said:

More dangerous than El Paso,  Chicago, Detroit or New York? 

Definitely more dangerous than NYC.   

[NashLumber]

10 hours ago, Frobby said:

They’re not great but they don’t have to be awful either.   AL attendance rank:

2011 -  11th

2012 - 7th

2013 - 8th

2014 - 6th

2015 - 8th

2016 - 9th

2017 - 12th

I’ve posted about this numerous times, but the O’s were 5th in 2005, the first year the Nats were in DC, even though the Nats drew more fans that year than in any subsequent season.    So, I don’t feel that their attendance decline since then can be significantly blamed on the Nats.     

I think the slow offseason probably cost a couple hundred thousand tickets in season ticket plan sales.     Maybe they can make up some of it if the team stays in the race all year.    But attendance went down from 2015 to 2016 even though the ‘16 team was better and was in a playoff race that went down to the final day of the season.    

Not totally convinced winning ball through the summer will make up the difference. Folks were not flocking there during the tight pennant races in recent years during important series. Makes me wonder if there will be an in-season adjustment to the shortage of season ticket holders? Something along the lines of more discounted tickets or more student nights or whatever to just get some folks in the park and spending money while there. 

[bpilktree67]

7 hours ago, Tx Oriole said:

More dangerous than El Paso,  Chicago, Detroit or New York? 

Chicago is actually pretty safe minus the west side.  The south side is not great either.  Chicago is much bigger and actually the large population. Is in the North.  If it was just west side of Chicago compared to any part of the city that is like comparing Beverly Hills to Compton.

New York is actually a safe area they did major work on pushing the rough people out by rebuilding the city with expensive apartments and made affordable housing impossible to find.  This pushed those people across the river.  I had lot of friends that moved up after graduating college about 10-15 years ago the price for apartments sky rocketed and pushed low income out.  I know work in Charlotte and the same thing happening here.  The place they put the new stadium downturn used to be as rough as anywhere but they bought up land put stadium the upper income apartments and restaurants and businesses.  The easiest way to cut crime is eliminate the places to live in the area it also brings in income from high property taxes and those have money to spend.  It is basically a way to raise taxes without telling people you are raising them.  Baltimore has done the complete opposite they have allowed the affordable housing to spread to all areas of the city.

[sportsfan8703]

I could sense that the orioles knew something about attendance and were going all out on Opening Day to try and keep the fans that were there. 

The crowd was just dead. No seven nation army chants. I think the ravens killed that. I think the ravens stuff killed the sports vibe in this town. 

Plus we’re just a boring team as constructed. Lots of strikeouts. No speed. Not a lot of strategy. Baseball games are long. It’s the chess match that keeps people interested. Sitting around and rooting for homers turns everyone into an 8 year old fan. 

[Luke-OH]

2 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

I could sense that the orioles knew something about attendance and were going all out on Opening Day to try and keep the fans that were there. 

The crowd was just dead. No seven nation army chants. I think the ravens killed that. I think the ravens stuff killed the sports vibe in this town. 

Plus we’re just a boring team as constructed. Lots of strikeouts. No speed. Not a lot of strategy. Baseball games are long. It’s the chess match that keeps people interested. Sitting around and rooting for homers turns everyone into an 8 year old fan. 

I for one prefer HR and strikeouts over bunts and grounders finding their way through an infield on a hit and run, but to each their own.

[sportsfan8703]

Just now, Luke-OH said:

I for one prefer HR and strikeouts over bunts and grounders finding their way through an infield on a hit and run, but to each their own.

Hit em where they ain’t  

Stubbornly hitting into a shift is cool. Bunting against it is shameful. 

Strikeouts and shift pounding, has gotten real old. 

[weams]

16 hours ago, Frobby said:

What’s the alternative?    The union bargained for four extra off-days during the season, so it’s either start four days earlier or end four days later and risk playing WS games in November.

It has to be earlier.