NL Central Pissing Match - 2011

[MUBurrow]

I do enjoy seeing all of the anti-Cubs t-shirts at Miller Park.  I think it's funny you care more about making fun of the other team than supporting your own.

as opposed to getting wasted and not even being aware of the baseball game going on?

[TallTitan34]

as opposed to getting wasted and not even being aware of the baseball game going on?

Riiiiiigggghhhtttt.  That doesn't happen at Miller Park.  Doing the wave must help the fans focus on the game.

[MUBurrow]

Riiiiiigggghhhtttt.  That doesn't happen at Miller Park.  Doing the wave must help the fans focus on the game.

I'll still take the pretense of baseball awareness any day

[muwarrior87]

That'd be better. But then I'd point to market size, team salary, and other factors to poorly back up my point.  

Glad it amuses you, TT. Many Brewers fans choose to wear those shirts which, I agree with you, make them look like whiny children. I am not one of them. Have plenty of Brewers shirts, hats, jerseys, training tops...no Chub hating clothes in my wardrobe, just put out through the world wide interweb since I know deep down you hate the fact your team is alway in the top 5 in payroll and have nothing to show for it.

[TallTitan34]

If you have the money spend it.

[🏀]

I'll still take the pretense of baseball awareness any day

That's not happening in Miller Park either.

[TallTitan34]

It amazes me the Brewers don't have a larger payroll.  I've never seen a ballpark with more advertising.

Does the ball really need to be delivered to the mound by a bat boy on a Harley?  Does a Chevy need to drive across the warning track everytime the Brewers change a pitcher?  Hey lets throw giant scoops of ice cream into an inflatable ice cream tub!

Where does all of this advertising money go?  You should be leading the majors in payroll the way you sell everything.  

[🏀]

That'd be better. But then I'd point to market size, team salary, and other factors to poorly back up my point.  

Glad it amuses you, TT. Many Brewers fans choose to wear those shirts which, I agree with you, make them look like whiny children. I am not one of them. Have plenty of Brewers shirts, hats, jerseys, training tops...no Chub hating clothes in my wardrobe, just put out through the world wide interweb since I know deep down you hate the fact your team is alway in the top 5 in payroll and have nothing to show for it.

We've been out of the top 5 for two straight seasons now. I'd rather be in the top 5 payroll with the division titles then be hanging banners about the Wild Card.

[🏀]

It amazes me the Brewers don't have a larger payroll.  I've never seen a ballpark with more advertising.

Does the ball really need to be delivered to the mound by a bat boy on a Harley?  Does a Chevy need to drive across the warning track everytime the Brewers change a pitcher?  Hey lets throw giant scoops of ice cream into an inflatable ice cream tub!

Where does all of this advertising money go?  You should be leading the majors in payroll the way you sell everything.  

If I'm a Brewers fan, I would be legitimately concerned about the attendance thus far.

[muwarrior87]

It amazes me the Brewers don't have a larger payroll.  I've never seen a ballpark with more advertising.

Does the ball really need to be delivered to the mound by a bat boy on a Harley?  Does a Chevy need to drive across the warning track everytime the Brewers change a pitcher?  Hey lets throw giant scoops of ice cream into an inflatable ice cream tub!

Where does all of this advertising money go?  You should be leading the majors in payroll the way you sell everything.  

Attendance is consistently poor, don't care if we have 3m tickets sold or not, and when tickets are as cheap as they are at Miller Park, which you can attest to having going to multiple games in Mke and at Wrigley, they have to make up for it somehow.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

as opposed to getting wasted and not even being aware of the caring that a baseball game is going on?

Fixed.

[TallTitan34]

On Saturday I decided to check out tickets for Sunday's game.  Nearly every single section in the ballpark was available to me.  

It was an 80 degree Cubs/Brewers game and I could sit wherever I wanted the day before the game.

[muwarrior87]

We've been out of the top 5 for two straight seasons now. I'd rather be in the top 5 payroll with the division titles then be hanging banners about the Wild Card.

top 8 since 2005, my mistake. Also haven't been out of the top 10 for nearly a decade.
someone is mistaken then...
http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team/2011

[MUBurrow]

On Saturday I decided to check out tickets for Sunday's game.  Nearly every single section in the ballpark was available to me.  

It was an 80 degree Cubs/Brewers game and I could sit wherever I wanted the day before the game.

stubhub?

[🏀]

top 8 since 2005, my mistake. Also haven't been out of the top 10 for nearly a decade.
someone is mistaken then...
http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team/2011

Should never be out of the Top 10. I never understand anyone's argument about spending too much. I can imagine it sucks knowing you have no way to improve you team outside of the farm system.

[muwarrior87]

On Saturday I decided to check out tickets for Sunday's game.  Nearly every single section in the ballpark was available to me.  

It was an 80 degree Cubs/Brewers game and I could sit wherever I wanted the day before the game.

That's what I'm saying, the fanbase as a whole sucks. Friday was littered with empty seats. If I was still in the Milwaukee area, I'd probably be going with you to those games.

Burrow, don't try defending our fanbase. There were two completely empty sections on either side of the diamond along the field level on Friday.

[🏀]

Burrow, don't try defending our fanbase. There were two completely empty sections on either side of the diamond along the field level on Friday.

I didn't see how bad it was until I got to the NYCE Club. Really, really empty. If it means anything, Brewers fans outnumbered Cubs fans 3 to 1, so you got that going for you.

[muwarrior87]

Should never be out of the Top 10. I never understand anyone's argument about spending too much. I can imagine it sucks knowing you have no way to improve you team outside of the farm system.

Not saying you spend to much, saying what you're getting for that money is crap. Look at the overpaid wastes on the Cubs. Guys like Soriano, Zambrano...they don't even deserve half of their salaries. For that payroll, you should be challenging for a division title yearly and making the NLCS regularly, not finishing 5th. That's where payrolls like the Pirates belong.

[shiloh26]

That's what I'm saying, the fanbase as a whole sucks. Friday was littered with empty seats. If I was still in the Milwaukee area, I'd probably be going with you to those games.

Burrow, don't try defending our fanbase. There were two completely empty sections on either side of the diamond along the field level on Friday.

I think its misleading not to point out how much larger of a market the Cubs are catering to.  I mean, not to make excuses, but there are lots more people with which to fill the seats.  Its also really misleading that you're basing this on one game in April.  

Brewers have been in the top 1/2 of NL attendance since '07, when the started posting above .500 again (6th, 6th, 7th, 8th the last 4 years, descending).  The fact is that smaller markets don't have the people power to draw when the team sucks, which the Brewers did for a long time.  Look at the Cleveland Indians, from 1994-2002 (the Thome, Manny, Lofton, Belle years) they were in the top 5 of AL teams in attendance every year, even hitting #1 in 1999.  Outside of 2002, they won at least 86 games each season in that span. Then, they sucked pretty bad, and attendance has never recovered.... and last year they drew dead last in the AL.  

The Cubs were pretty bad in 2000-2002 and their attendance dipped, too.  Not so drastically, since, again, way more people, but when the team is bad the year before, less season tickets are sold, less early year attendance, etc.  

Edit: Links: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/attend.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/attend.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/attend.shtml

[muwarrior87]

I understand it's hard for a team like the Brewers to draw large numbers consistently without success but I'm talking about weekend games during the nicest weekend of the year so far. With they hype that the off-season moves created, I expect to see butts in seats for the weekend games and not whole sections of the field level empty. Saying the fanbase sucks may be a bit off-base and the wrong word but it is really disappointing to see that with the relatively strong spring training performances and the buzz around a number of new signings.

[shiloh26]

I understand it's hard for a team like the Brewers to draw large numbers consistently without success but I'm talking about weekend games during the nicest weekend of the year so far. With they hype that the off-season moves created, I expect to see butts in seats for the weekend games and not whole sections of the field level empty. Saying the fanbase sucks may be a bit off-base and the wrong word but it is really disappointing to see that with the relatively strong spring training performances and the buzz around a number of new signings.

FWIW, myself and 3 buddies bought into that hype and purchased 20 game packs. Unfortunately, two of us are still at school out of the city and couldn't go to our first 2 games.  Without anyone willing to actually go scalp, it's pretty hard to offload those tickets (put different butts in our seats).  I mean, our butts weren't in the seats, but the Brewers got what they wanted out of us.  Maybe that hasn't happened a lot, but I remember reading that after the Greinke trade, they closed 1,500 more season ticket deals.  I think that says way more about an excited fanbase than any single game attendance.  

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/2010-12-22-2831093380_x.htm.  

Relatedly, if anyone wants 2-4 tickets to a Brewer's game on April 26 against the Reds, let me know!  I'll be about 3 days away from finals, so its not really an option to go.  RF bleachers, 6th row.  Not to hijack, so PM me.  

[TallTitan34]

stubhub?

Brewers.com

[MUBurrow]

Brewers.com

crapty.

[TallTitan34]

I did best 2 available thinking it would be close to a sellout and it put me a few rows behind the dugout.  Then I tried the seats right in front of the press box which were also available.  I moved on to various club level seats and upper deck seats all of which were available.

I know on the Cubs site it removes sections of seating which are no longer available.  I don't know if it's the same on the Brewers website but it appeared every section was still listed.

I was really surprised they got +37,000 on Sunday when I got tickets so easily.  There must have been a huge walkup crowd.

[NavinRJohnson]

I understand it's hard for a team like the Brewers to draw large numbers consistently without success but I'm talking about weekend games during the nicest weekend of the year so far. With they hype that the off-season moves created, I expect to see butts in seats for the weekend games and not whole sections of the field level empty. Saying the fanbase sucks may be a bit off-base and the wrong word but it is really disappointing to see that with the relatively strong spring training performances and the buzz around a number of new signings.

April is a tough draw around here. With school still in session, it means my kids activities are still rolling, among a million other things that I have to do on most weekends, and I couldn't go to the game if I wanted to. Teh relatively low number of Cub fans is probably further evidence of that. If I wanted to, is also a big point. With the Cubs being the opponent, I am automatically out. Seems to be getting better recently, but I stopped going to Cub-Brewer games at MP a couple years ago. Simply not worth dealing with all the morons on both sides. I know many people feel the same way.

With 3M plus again this year, I'm not sure attendance is anything anyone should be complaining about.