Braves return home to a crowd (but whose?)
Boston fans cheered the Braves' Derek Lowe (formerly of the Red Sox) at Fenway Park. But they'll invade Turner Field by the thousands to back their own team this weekend. (AP photo)
Fortunately, they will be checking tickets and not allegiances this week at Turner Field.
Revenue isn’t the worst fallback. You take what you can get if you’re the Braves, particularly when three of the visiting teams on a home stand — the Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox – come with overstuffed caravans and the term “meaningful games” locally appears to have a decreasing shelf life.
But if the Braves want to excite somebody other than Bob in accounting, this would be a good time to start. June is melting into July, and a .500 record is starting to resemble some lofty objective. Hammering home the reality of it all, the home team ranks 19th in attendance, creating ample room in the parking lot for incoming convoys from Chicago, New York and Boston.
“We picked up a couple of games on the Phillies in the last three days and we’ve just got to keep grinding,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said Sunday before the Braves finished a series in Boston. “That’s what you’re looking for – a team that will grind and won’t quit. But we know that at some point you can’t just grind, you have to win games. We’re getting close to that point where we have to start winning series.”
Actually, they’re probably at that point. The Braves lost in Boston, 6-5, Sunday. They dropped two of three at Fenway. No shame there. But they lost all three series on a 3-6 trip and have failed to win a series since sweeping Toronto May 22-24 (0-5-3 in series and 9-16 in games since).
Loading ...The Braves own one of the worst home records in baseball: 15-17. It’s not a great backdrop for a 10-game stretch against Chicago (makeup of a rainout), Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
The sellouts at Turner Field will be a nice change of pace. But they’ll be an aberration if this team doesn’t start impressing the masses. For all the spin about bad weather hurting attendance to this point and the expectation of crowds increasing now that school is out of session, franchise officials know this is a hard-to-please market.
Sports fans already seem to be counting down the days to football season. Or even football practice. The Braves never will have a better chance to grab some attention.
Wren understands the crowds this week will be largely opponent-driven.
“You wish that weren’t so but that’s the reality,” he said. “But in past years when we’ve played against teams with a large number of fans, when we play well our fans drown them out. And when we don’t fare well, we hear it from their fans. This isn’t any different from what we’ve seen in the past.”
Slightly more pronounced, perhaps. The economic component can’t be ignored. But there’s also the hangover of three missed post-seasons and failed expectations, particularly last season and this one. The bottom line: The Braves’ average home attendance of 24,828 is down nearly 4,800 per game through 32 home games compared with 2008 (29,622) and is on pace to be the Braves’ lowest average since 12,100 in 1990 at Fulton County Stadium. (Since moving to Turner Field in 1997, the team has averaged under 30,000 only once: 29,399 in 2004.)
Fans want championships, sure. But more than that, they just want a good product. They want a reason to pay, a reason to believe ownership and management are trying off the field and players are trying on it. Somewhere along the way, a lot of people have stopped believing.
The Braves knew the Yankees and Red Sox games would be the year’s hot tickets. It’s one reason why they initially sold them only through multi-game packs, also hoping to limit the presence of New York and Boston fans. But that plan didn’t fill the stadium. Individual game tickets eventually went on sale three weeks ago.
The pitching this season has been solid. The offense, “has shown signs of coming around,” Wren said. This would be a good week to prove it. Crowds will be watching.
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98 comments Add your comment
lagnamor
June 21st, 2009
11:13 pm
Welcome back Jeff and Happy Fathers day.
JSS
June 22nd, 2009
12:10 am
Too bad your momma didn’t tell your daddy that Jack… Stay out of something that wasn’t addressed to you… I’m not the one for you to step to…. Jeff wants to be a big boy, he knows where to reach me… And you best stick to letting a grown man have the backbone to come to the table if he has the guts…
(The Old Street saying) Don’t start none, and there won’t be none
Kudzu Wildcat
June 22nd, 2009
12:10 am
The Braves rank 12th out of 16 teams in the NL and are going into a 20 game stretch where they play the Cubs 4 games, Boston 3 games, Yankees 3 games, Phillies 3 games, Washington 3 games and Colorado 4 games in Denver. This is the make or break part of their schedule, and it does not currently look good for the Braves. Something has got to give with the hitting and the defense if they are to stay alive in the NL East race, and NOW.
Unfortunately I do not hold out much hope for the rest of 2009.
Wayne
June 22nd, 2009
12:25 am
The Braves need to think about working out a deal with the Dodgers. Manny will soon be coming
back and a good outfielder will have to go back to the bench as a part time player.Give Jeff to the
Dodgers and what ever else they want and we will have 300 hitter and a speedster to play right field.
That just might be the piece this team is missing . Pay the money and we will never miss Jeff in
the long run.
homemanagement.co.in » Blog Archive » Braves return home to a crowd (but whose?) | Jeff Schultz
June 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
[...] Continued here: Braves return home to a crowd (but whose?) | Jeff Schultz [...]
Ken Stallings
June 22nd, 2009
1:04 am
I’ll tell you Jeff, and you should have known the answer yourself.
Baseball is played nearly every day. A football game is played once a week and a basketball game at most three times a week.
Half the games on the road. You can do the math.
Also, attendance wise 10,000 at a Hawks game is good attendance, while it would be considered a terrible crowd at a baseball game.
Lastly, the Bulldog’s and Jacket’s season’s completed before the economy turned south and the unemployment rates hit double digits. The Hawks’ season was on the brink of a playoff run with the season nearly over anyway by the time things got bleak.
But it wasn’t until May that the unemployment rate hit 12%. So, what does a football season and college basketball season that concluded before March have to do with an economy that didn’t reach it’s terrible condition until mid-May?
Any other questions for me?
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 22nd, 2009
1:12 am
They’re done, stick a fork in them. Lets eat.
scottbravesfan
June 22nd, 2009
1:27 am
Chuck UGA,
Hey genius, who is Derek Lowe’s agent? That’s right Scott Boras, who encouraged Lowe to sign with the Braves saying how they have a lot of talent in the minors about to be major league ready. Go jerk off to some UGA highlights because you are absolutely an idiot when it comes to baseball and just making crap up.
And Schultz,
Original column how an Atlanta sports team is going to be outdrawn by another team’s fans like that never happens. And there are a few more baseball home games than football or basketball so your analogy concerning the Hawks and especially the Falcons is a waste of time. The Falcons couldn’t even sell out games last year and they made the playoffs and the Hawks made the playoffs again and averaged around 16,000 fans a game. The Braves are averaging 24,000 fans a game, play every day, and have been a bad team for the last three years I think there is a huge difference between the franchises.
Brett
June 22nd, 2009
2:24 am
Many people who have never even set foot in Boston are now calling themselves Red Sox fans. Even though they have virtually no connection to Boston or anywhere else in New England. These people are all over the country. One thing you have to understand is these are not real Red Sox fans. The “B” is for bandwagon.
Sowega Dawg
June 22nd, 2009
2:52 am
Good point Brett-I know an idiot Yankee from New York who has absolutely no ties to the University of Florida, but he is the most obnoxious Gator fan you ever met. We,ll see how much Gator stuff he flaunts in the near future when they come back down to Earth-and mark my words-they will.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 22nd, 2009
3:26 am
.407, that the the current BA of Joe Mauer. Not to mention the 14 HR’s and 42 RBI in just 42 games played……Ridiculous isn’t it ?
In my not so humble opinion, we may be watching the greatest baseball player to ever set foot on a major league baseball diamond. Just maybe. Albert Pujols is in the process of obliterating the record books and the man doesn’t even consider himself a power hitter. I believe that the Cardinals first baseman is the best pure hitter in the game today. Pujols is driven, intense, prickly and motivated to be the best.
If he maintains his current pace, sometime in 2017 or 2018, Pujols will surpass both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds for the all time HR record. Pujols will be just 38 years of age in 2018. I think he will eventually be the greatest player the game has ever seen. Think about it. Both Aaron and Bonds were 42 when their respective careers ended. Pujols could potentially put the HR record out of reach.
So sit back and enjoy baseball fans! we are watching history unfold before us.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 22nd, 2009
3:29 am
The the current BA of Joe Mauer is .407, not to mention the 14 HR’s and 42 RBI in just 42 games played……Ridiculous isn’t it ?
In my not so humble opinion, we may be watching the greatest baseball player to ever set foot on a major league baseball diamond. Just maybe. Albert Pujols is in the process of obliterating the record books and the man doesn’t even consider himself a power hitter. I believe that the Cardinals first baseman is the best pure hitter in the game today. Pujols is driven, intense, prickly and motivated to be the best.
If he maintains his current pace, sometime in 2017 or 2018, Pujols will surpass both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds for the all time HR record. Pujols will be just 38 years of age in 2018. I think he will eventually be the greatest player the game has ever seen. Think about it. Both Aaron and Bonds were 42 when their respective careers ended. Pujols could potentially put the HR record out of reach.
So sit back and enjoy baseball fans! we are watching history unfold before us.
RBrave
June 22nd, 2009
7:00 am
What’s with all the negative beat writers (and that Fisher blog?) Are you just trying to create controversy ? There may be a lot of fans at the home stand rooting for other team, but they are not rooting “against” the Braves. Atlanta is a big metropolitan area with new residents from all over the country. Don’t spin that negative crap !
The Real Fan
June 22nd, 2009
8:02 am
8th in the wild card race.
It will not even be close.
Mikey101
June 22nd, 2009
8:16 am
Maybe just my imagination, but Bennet does a great impersonation of Chris Reistma (remember him?)
Mac
June 22nd, 2009
8:25 am
Bennett needs to be gone. Today.
Ken
June 22nd, 2009
9:05 am
Nothing about the “Braves” other than Chipper resembles Braves. Our young guns are old and gone, we have no Crime Dog, no Skip or Pete, no Ted Turner. You hate to say it, but why do we even keep putting a team on the field. As for Frank Wren, here’s a guy that got fired by making the ORIOLES even WORSE than usual. As long as Time-Warner owns the team and Wren is GM, expect the Braves to strongly resemble the Orioles. Ho-hum team with a few good pieces, but not enough talent to win. Fire Wren NOW!
Steve McP
June 22nd, 2009
9:21 am
If the Braves had made it a bit easier for fans to buy tickets early then they might have got more support. The refusal to make single game tickets (or even series tickets) available until the last minute put me off making plans to go and see them.
Braves fan since '66
June 22nd, 2009
9:45 am
I suppose that, since the Braves are now a small market team, we should be satisfied to be the underdogs against the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs and many more. I’m not. I pulled for the Braves through the 25 years (mostly losing) from ‘66 to ‘91 and don’t like being back to doing so…particularly since they are so close to being a good team. LF, RF and 2B are glaring problems. Is there no way that any of them can be fixed?
Chris Jackson
June 22nd, 2009
9:54 am
Time Warner doesn’t own the Braves any more!!! You just watch I predict a second half turn and a division title then where will all you brave bashing losers be!!!!!!!!!
Kentavo
June 22nd, 2009
10:02 am
Bennett joins a long list of Braves relievers that I abhor.
I guess we could give him the Golden Kolb Award.
Ben
June 22nd, 2009
10:06 am
If the Braves have to depend on hitting from Diaz and pitching from ole Bennett to win games, the Braves are in trouble. Diaz swings at one over his head and Bennett throws the ole home run ball. How many other teams could these guys play for?
Paul H
June 22nd, 2009
10:12 am
How some of these guys can still put on a major league uniform baffles me. Moylan and Bennett especially. And yes, we “need” a 7-3 homestand. We’ve “needed” stuff like that from day 1. Problem is, we never get it. IT’s same old same old. This team hasn’t gotten what it’s “needed” in 3 years. Why will that change with the league’s best coming to town?
BravesFan
June 22nd, 2009
10:18 am
“Maybe just my imagination, but Bennet does a great impersonation of Chris Reistma (remember him?)”
PERFECT!!!
Tell It Like It Is
June 22nd, 2009
10:18 am
Braves fan since ‘66,
I really believe that this team needs to be gutted from top to bottom(except Chipper, McCann and Escobar). I have been here since the 70’s and this team could not beat our worse teams during that period. No matter how you look at it,the talent on this team is that bad. I can not spend my money to bring my grand kids to Turner Field to view this inferior and boring team. Braves management has a big problem to overcome.
fieldofdreams
June 22nd, 2009
10:26 am
Because the East is so weak, the Braves are alive and kickin’. Plug Infante into second, and deal for a home run hitting right-fielder, and you’ve got the division champs.
beantown
June 22nd, 2009
10:39 am
GO SOX!!!
yellerjacket
June 22nd, 2009
10:41 am
I know it is natural to desperately seek out a scapegoat, but this is getting a little ridiculous. I have read these blogs over the last several weeks as the Braves have floundered in mediocrity and inability to put together a run and have consistently chuckled to myself as bloggers scream for the heads of Bobby Cox, Terry Pendleton, Frank Wren, and now Terry McGuirk of all people. Bobby Cox is untouchable, you all know it, so let it go. TP has kept the Braves near the top of the NL in all batting categories that matter since he came over, until this year. Frank Wren made move after move this past offseason and during the current season to make this team better while being forced to operate in a relatively limiting payroll situation (compared to the top teams in baseball, at least).
It is ridiculous for you armchair quarterbacks on here to whine and bellyache about how the Braves aren’t what they used to be. I’m pretty sure that Smoltz, Glavine, announcers we no longer have, and any one else that is gone that y’all bemoan would not have improved the W-L record this year. Let’s try and remember that Smoltz has yet to throw a pitch in the majors this year and Glavine himself admitted that he wasn’t going to pitch this year. We’re better off without them. If nothing ever changed on the Braves roster we’d have geriatrics on the field, people. Releasing 40+ year old pitchers following multiple arm surgeries is a no brainer when you’re operating under budget constraints.
As the immortal Lloyd Christmas screamed to the nurse on the elevator in the number one comedy of all time, “Move it or lose it, sister!!!” I say the same to you Braves “fans” out there who do nothing but call for firings and demotions, but fail to offer any semblance of a solution. Let the real Braves fans handle the blog comments from here on out. The fans who are excited about the next few years for the Bravos and who commend Frank Wren for bringing Lowe, Vazquez, (the constantly improving and adjusting) Kawakami, the budding ace Jurrjens, and the building block that is McClouth.
Oh, and just to rile up any else out there who hasn’t felt a ruffled feather yet: Francouer’s defense, frozen rope spewing right arm, and underrated speed in the field mitigate the .250 average for the must part, for me.
Kelly Johnson is poop, Infante will become the everyday man ASAP, and Prado is the only utility man we need.
Bring back DeRo, forget Holliday, and we can win this division.
Mark my words, if the Braves can emerge from this gauntlet that is the next two weeks near .500, Wren will make a move for a slugging 2B or OF and the Braves will get hot and expose the Phillies and the Mets for what they are (thin), enroute to a soul-stirring run at the pennant (or Wild Card). WHO’S WITH ME????
bocagator
June 22nd, 2009
10:43 am
Sowega Dawg – Gators coming back down to earth? When are you predicting this? That has to be the funniest thing I have heard in awhile. You do realize that the Mighty Gators will win another National Championship this year don’t you? UGA will lose another 3 or 4 this year and including the yearly beat down in Jax. Stick to gymnantics!!!
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
June 22nd, 2009
10:53 am
Funny thing, yesterday when Bennett came in I told my wife, this guy sucks- there goes the game. One minute later, and one pitch later….game over. I hate being right sometimes.
In summary, get rid of Bennett. Moylan makes me nervous too, but what else we got?
Also, just think how bad we would be if Nate M. wasn’t here…..thank God at least he seems to be a tough out. Thats about the only one on the team i want up in the clutch. Even Chipper has been swinging at crap lately.
On a positive note, we are only 4.5 games out and still have a chance. Big things have to happen! If the team of 91 could do it, maybe these guys can…………….. (just don’t bet on it)
Tell It Like It Is
June 22nd, 2009
11:15 am
yellerjacket,
You need to stop smoking those funny cigarettes. You are delusional to think that this team can win anything.
Helluva Engineer
June 22nd, 2009
11:18 am
Braves are done. Stick a fork in em.
Kelly Johnson is horrible.
Just A Fan
June 22nd, 2009
11:44 am
How many days until football season? Go Falcons
Lee
June 22nd, 2009
11:53 am
The economy is not the reason attendance is down. Atlanta has not supported this team for years. Turner Field didn’t even sell out for playoff games. Red Sox and Yankee fans have been filling up this staduim every year they come to town. This is nothing new and it’s not the economy. Ken Stallings, go look at the box scores when the Braves play the Red Sox and Yankees in 2007 and 2005, those games sold out. Go read the game stories from those games, the stories reflect that a “large number of Red Sox and Yankee fans filled up the staduim.” The economy is not the reason Turner Field is empty. The reality is the city of Atlanta is largely a transplant city with fans from up north moving down here and the fans simply don’t support the Braves. This was the case when they were winning the division.
J williams
June 22nd, 2009
12:05 pm
Brownie,
Your 7:03 pm post hit the nail on the head! Nothing left to say.
James
June 22nd, 2009
12:24 pm
I was born and raised in Toronto I’ am a Blue Jays and Braves fan I root for both teams and wish nothing but the best for them. As for the Jays they are playing well I hope they can stay competitive in the Al East but as for The Braves I think they really need a change in coaching Bobby Cox is not the right fit for the braves right now I think they also think a few players need to go such as Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, Manny Acosta, Jeff Bennett, Peter Moylan & Eric O’ Flarherty,
James
June 22nd, 2009
12:29 pm
I agree with Lee @ June 22nd, 2009 11:53 am
This City of Atlanta is a transplant city with fans who have moved to Atlanta from other cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York, L.A. & Philadelphia. I think it is dumb though that people who move to Atlanta still root for their home cities cause why would they have moved to Atlanta then obviously their home city wasn’t good enough so who not show some support your new home city which is Atlanta.
blazerdawg
June 22nd, 2009
12:29 pm
Lee-
Check the Baseball Almanac for attendance for the Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves over the last 30 years. You will be very surprised. The Braves have been at or above the National League average 23 out of the 43 years in Atlanta, and that includes some bad teams. Braves outdrew the Yankees and Red Sox all through the 90s.
j
June 22nd, 2009
12:41 pm
sure is some venom being spit out on this blog
JK
June 22nd, 2009
12:51 pm
move the stadium to gwinnett county and you will sell tix
TPM
June 22nd, 2009
12:53 pm
Let’s avoid whining about the Yankiee and Red Sox Fans. For the first time this year Turner Field will be soldout and fans will spend money at hotels and restaurants. That is a good thing. The construction on the downtown connector last summer killed the Braves. The Atlanta economy needs a week like this.
Lee
June 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
blazerdawg, you’re correct in the 1990’s the Braves outdrew the Red Sox and Yankees at times. However, that has not been the case since 2000. The Braves DO NOT sell out their stadium unless the other team’s fans fill it up. Look at the 2002 playoffs against the Cubs, the Cubs filled up our stadium. Being at the National league average is nice but it’s not selling out your stadium. The fact that fans of Atlanta didn’t come out when the Braves were winning the division in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, says it all. I love the Braves and I will be in town for the Red Sox series from North Carolina. For whatever reason, the City of Atlanta and it’s citizens don’t come out and fill up Turner Field. Atlanta is a transplant city full of Yankees, Red Sox, and Cub fans.
UGA Fan
June 22nd, 2009
2:07 pm
Where are all the fans that were screaming playoffs and World Series during the preaseason? I got trashed on here for saying that the Braves were at best a 3rd place team in the NL East.
Here is the reality though. As bad as the Braves are right now, they are still only 4 1/2 games out of first. The pitching is good but the offense stinks. It is time for Mr. Wren to make a trade to try to get some offense in here. Not an over the hill player that is trying to hold one but a good young offensive threat that is in his prime. I remember when McGriff came in and set the Braves and the stadium on fire. That is the kind of trade that I am talking about and I have a name to throw out…Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres. Has Mr. Wren done any asking to see if he is available? It may costs us a few good prospects but he has the kind of bat that we need. Just a thought, but Frank needs to do something and he needs to do it fast.
Lee
June 22nd, 2009
4:25 pm
Agreed UGA fan. I actually think this Braves team is a lot closer then a lot on here realize. The pitching is outstanding and for the most part the bullpen is solid with Soriano and Gonzalez. This team needs a big bat to put it all together. The lineup is strong in parts but needs that big bat threat.
varodrunner
June 22nd, 2009
6:28 pm
Brownie
I won’t argue with you except on one point – Furcal. Otherwise, you are as entitled to your opinion as I am. Wren has not been able to “close” the deal far too many times. We almost had Bay. We had the name on the back of a jersey, but didn’t close the deal. And in my limited mind, he has missed many moe opportunities. but like I said, I won’t argue, just state my opinion.
xoxoxoxox
Ken Stallings
June 22nd, 2009
9:46 pm
Lee, the Braves’ home game attendance during the balance of the 90’s was among the best in baseball. Fenway is a small park, and therefore we outdrew the Red Sox that entire decade.
The attendance this year is significantly down from last year. Yes, the attendance since the team started failing to make the playoffs did go down from the excellent numbers of the 1990’s. However, it’s significantly down from last year.
The only difference is the economy. Twelve percent unemployment is a horrible development. Again, people, it is the worse unemployment numbers for Georgia since the Great Depression. I do not recall the numbers during the 1970’s downturn got over double digits.
If this year’s Braves team played like the championship teams of the past, then no question the attendance would be up somewhat, but I think it wouldn’t be as much as folks might expect. The issue is that vice a season ticket, or planning to attend 20 games, folks might put aside the money to attend one series, perhaps two.
The impact is overall the attendance is down. But was that because said fan was less loyal or enthusiastic? Clearly, said fan is more concerned about losing his job and thinking how badly he might need that extra $500 that attending one series vice 20-60 games represents.
Honestly, anyone who cannot see this point obviously hasn’t had to face a dire economic situation themselves. To those who have faced, or are currently facing, such a challenge, the logic of my point is undeniable.
michaelgee
June 22nd, 2009
10:48 pm
since Peachtree TV took over control of the Braves, most of South Georgia has lost interest. How much did peachtree TV pay to control viewership for the entire state? I followed the Braves for decades but lost contact when PTV blacked out the rest of the State except for the ATL viewers. Isn’t what PTV has done the REAL REASON the Braves are no longer followed in Georgia and the main reason that nobody attends the games? Why buy a local ticket when teh games are all on local TV? doh, what a brain fart!
Lee
June 22nd, 2009
11:00 pm
Ken, please explain why the attendance has been poor well before this season and why series against the Yankees in 2004, 2005, and 2007, series against the Yankees and Red Sox fans filled up Turner Field and were the only times during those seasons when the stadium was full. Explain why Atlanta fans failed to sell out playoff games since 2000? The economy was not the problem then. Yes, the economy hurts but the economy is not why Turner Field was full of opposing fans in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, etc. Yes, the economy hurts but the Braves attendance has been POOR for 8-9 years now.