We're dipping into the mailbag this morning, courtesy of Of Fair Hooker's second-most faithful reader (after my lovely wife), Jeff Brown:
Yes, the Tribe won their baseball game [yesterday] 3-2 against the ChiSox, however we have a major problem shaping up: this was a Saturday game, traditionally the day of the highest attendance across MLB, and the Tribe drew a grand total of 12,885 fans (barely 1/4 of the capacity of Jacobs Field).I'm not sure if Jeff is employing hyperbole here, but taking his comments at face value, let's examine that attendance figure. Obviously, the Indians would be happier with a number much closer to the capacity of Progressive Field. But first of all, while the sun may have been out, it was cold yesterday. I don't know what the mercury hit in downtown Cleveland, but here in Windham, it never broke out of the 40s.
This, Steve, is not a good sign when our hometown heroes draw a measly crowd like that. It's downright embarrassing, humiliating, and cause for starting the argument that the Indians might move out of Cleveland to greener pastures.
I mean, how can you justify continuing to function when you draw that kind of a crowd on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Steve?
Second of all, the game started at 4 p.m., in order to accommodate the Fox network; exactly one hour after the Cavaliers started their first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls right across the street from the Indians. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say a lot of people who might have gone to the Indians game went to the Cavs game instead, but I will suggest that a number of Tribe fans chose to stay home and watch the Cavs on TV.
Don't misunderstand me: The Indians' attendance figures HAVE been down in recent years, and that IS a problem. But I think to point to one game and say that game's figures are cause for sending the Indians to Portland or Las Vegas is a bit much.
Speaking of yesterday's game, it was the Indians' third straight victory, after Asdrubal Cabrera's homer off Jake Peavy tied it in the eighth, and Shin-Soo Choo's RBI double off Matt Thornton gave the Tribe a 3-2 lead that would be the final score. Chris Perez, who had been so bad his last couple of outings, pitched an uneventful ninth for his third save. (And he might not be getting any more save opportunities for a while, as Kerry Wood appears close to returning.)
It was also the third straight game in which the Indians gave up exactly two runs. Jake Westbrook didn't go the distance like David Huff and Mitch Talbot the previous two days, but he was pretty good for seven innings, and this win was more his doing than the guy who got the win, Jensen Lewis.
At 5-6, the Tribe is now alone in third place, 3 1/2 behind the Twins.
1 comment:
Jeff, if you read this...Don't feel bad,I made him write that about me...
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