Empty seats? Team choking? This time it’s NOT Atlanta
National Anthem, Yankee Stadium, 2012 ALCS Game 1. Note the unpacked pews. (AP photo)
Well, this sounds familiar. Empty seats at postseason games. Team not hitting in the clutch.
Talking about the Atlanta Braves, right?
Wait. One more clue.
Superstar flirting with women from the dugout during an extra-inning game.
OK, not the Atlanta Braves. (At least so far as we know.)
Answer is: The New York Yankees.
Pardon me for being provincial, but how long have we Atlantans been told, often by New York-based media types, that we’re a lousy sports city because we don’t — or at least didn’t; the Braves’ wild-card game was sold out — pack the house for playoff games and that our team pretty much stinks anyway because it won Only One World Series and that hard-bitten New Yorkers would Never Stand For That Sort Of Thing and that All Any Yankee Cares About Is Winning? Pretty much every day for the past 15 years, right? Well, here’s where we get to say …
Heh, heh, heh.
The Bronx Bombers’ postseason run, even conceding that they won their Division Series against Baltimore, has thus far bombed. The new Yankee Stadium has been conspicuously unfilled for both ALDS and ALCS games. The team that finished second in baseball in runs scored has mustered five runs in 30 innings — four of the five coming in one inning — against Detroit, which has seized a 3-0 lead. Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher, identified in a Sports Illustrated poll of players as the two biggest phonies in the sport, have been benched for not hitting, and the als0-not-hitting Curtis Granderson wasn’t in the lineup for Wednesday’s rained-out Game 4. (And Robinson Cano, now considered the Yankees’ best player, just broke a record-setting 0-for-29 postseason drought.)
But back to A-Rod. The ever-diligent New York Post reported the following:
After being replaced in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, the highest-paid Yankee openly flirted with a pair of pretty women two rows behind the dugout — even sending them a ball bearing a note asking for their phone numbers, a witness told the Post.
Talk about watchdog reporting! But the Post didn’t stop there. It discovered that one of the women was, wouldn’t you know, a bikini model named Kyna Treacy. (Who has taken to Twitter to correct the Post. Tweeted Treacy: “Ha I am 27 not 33!!!!“)
A-Rod checks the stands for friendly faces. (AP photo)
We should also note that the Post suggested A-Rod’s shamelessness apparently knows some bounds. A Post source said: “The flirtation stopped once Derek Jeter got hurt.”
Nobody anywhere should wish any ill on Jeter, the classiest Yankee since DiMaggio. But I’m sure those New York voices who chastise our Atlanta sports sensibilities will hold themselves to a higher standard and rip Big Apple fans for not caring and the team for not performing. I’m sure the firing of manager Joe Girardi will be demanded by every New York pundit. After all, it was a writer for ESPN New York who, back in January, penned these deathless lines:
Sadly, there always seemed to be empty seats at Turner Field when the Braves were in the playoffs as well. You still have to wonder how fans got tired of the Braves winning. They had the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball for a decade and won a World Series back in the ’90s. Fans should not have missed a pitch during that run.
Worse is the lack of passion the fans showed after an epic Braves collapse this season. Looking like a shoo-in most of the season, the Braves, who were 8½ games up in the National League wild-card race to start September, gave up their postseason spot on the last night of the season … Heads should have rolled. Instead, Braves first-year manager Fredi Gonzalez wasn’t under fire from the fan base and will be back this coming season. Again, most probably didn’t even notice.
I’m not here to offer a blanket defense of Atlanta. Our teams haven’t won very big very often. Our attendance figures haven’t always been the best. We are a strange sports city. But what gets me is the New York-centric declaration that This Could Never Happen Here. Yet there it is — underwhelming crowds, underperforming team and a Big Name who apparently has better things to do than watch a game.
Pardon me for being provincial, but this is pretty darn funny.
By Mark Bradley
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179 comments Add your comment
BulldogBen
October 18th, 2012
11:47 am
I love a little Humble Pie for Yanks fans but I’d kill to be able to say “Only 1 Championships since 2000″. KILL.
Also, doesn’t change the fact that the Braves HAVE choked the last 2 years. Get our own house in order.
This is also another reason why Falcons fans are happy to be 6-0 but are waiting for the inevitable choke job in the post-season. It’s the Atlanta Way.
Athens born, exiled in South Dakota
October 18th, 2012
11:57 am
Not anymore Bulldog. This curse is over, its flown up to New York.
Realist
October 18th, 2012
12:00 pm
Call ‘em out Mark, I like it.
NCDawg
October 18th, 2012
12:00 pm
Anyone who wasn’t born in NYC or lived in the area for a long time and calls themselves a Yankees fan, is a frontrunner. I hate the Wankees. They are the epitome of arrogance. I hope they disappear from the scene for a good long time. Baseball will be better for it.
NCDawg
October 18th, 2012
12:02 pm
BulldogBen, the Brave choked in 2011…they were screwed in 2012.
Democratic Plantation Dweller
October 18th, 2012
12:13 pm
Vote for Obama.
It is easier than getting a job!
*{jj}*
October 18th, 2012
12:15 pm
yea..3 errors (choked)and bad call.
DIPEN PATEL
October 18th, 2012
12:17 pm
WHAT’S UP with this pro-yankees article on AJC regarding the ONE AND ONLY BRAVES/??????????????????The ENTIRE BASEBALL WORLD has ALWAYS KNOWN that the BRAVES have GIVEN the yankees TWO WORLD SERIES TITLES in 1999 and 1996, ESPECIALLY because the BOBBY COX’S LOYALTY to certain BRAVES PLAYERS was TOTALLY forcing HIM to make HORRIBLE PITCHING and BULLPEN DECISIONS when WORLD SERIES GAMES and other POSTSEASON GAMES were on the line for the BRAVES, not to mention the BRAVES gave WORLD SERIES TITLES to toronto, minnesota and st louis 1991,1992 and 2011 by TOTALLY COLLAPSING in OCTOBER when it MOST COUNTED as far as this ENTIRE BASEBALL WORLD has ALWAYS KNOWN.And it’s because of the BRAVES making 3 errors in the ONE-GAME PLAYOFF GAME –not to mention the nationals letting them come back and later giving them a win in the NLDS earlier if the cardinals win a second straight WORLD SERIES TITLE in 2012.GO BRAVESNATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dick whiskey
October 18th, 2012
12:23 pm
glad to see the fans starting to wise up,ticket prices are outrageous,to watch a bunch of millionaires play a dumb ballgame,with the tough economy i don’t blame them
DIPEN PATEL
October 18th, 2012
12:28 pm
HEY SO WHAT if the BRAVES have a SAD HEARTBREAKING OCTOBER HISTORY this BRAVES ORGANIZATION will start WINNING in OCTOBER ANNUALY, ,ESPECIALLY WHEN the redsox and the whitesox were both losing in for 80-plus YEARS and yet these TWO teams have won WORLD SERIES TITLES IN 2004,2005 and 2007.The BRAVES are losing now Aand I can GUARANTEE ALL BRAVES-HATERS the BRAVES will be WINNING the BIG ONES in OCTOBER ANNUALY and the redsox and the whitesox have ALWAYS been PERFECT EXAMPLES of that. GO BRAVESNATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DIPEN PATEL
October 18th, 2012
12:36 pm
This article is TOTALLY WRONG in EVERY ASPECT, ESPECIALLY when it says that derek jeter is the CLASSIEST yankee since JOE DIMMAGIO, ANDY PETTITTE and MARIANO RIVERA have ALWAYS the CLASSIEST yankees since the YANKEE CLIPPER, I mean these TWO PLAYERS on the yankees have ALWAYS had ZERO ARROGANCE and have ALWAYS played the GAME the WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED by TOTALLY STAYING QUIET and WINNING.Now that has ALWAYS been the TRUEST ATTITUDE, speaking of CLASS.
maxman
October 18th, 2012
12:37 pm
dipen patel, i bet you own a minit mart or dairy queen don’t you
P Rose
October 18th, 2012
12:38 pm
“Well, here’s where we get to say …
Heh, heh, heh.”
No, here’s where we get to say, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!
dean
October 18th, 2012
12:45 pm
Greenburg, the little Mike, said this morning that Gonzales’ phone number retrieval was not a big deal. “Happens every day at every ball park.”
I ain’t buying that.
Gary
October 18th, 2012
12:50 pm
Still doesn’t change the fact that Atlanta is an awful sports city.
DIPEN PATEL
October 18th, 2012
12:51 pm
HEY maxman I don’t even know what a mini mart is–I’VE heard of WALMART, I haven’t even heard of minit mart.
Dum-Bass
October 18th, 2012
12:55 pm
“maxman” a motel would be more like it.
Dum-Bass
October 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
What has crossed my mind several times are the parallels between the Yankees season and the current administration in the WH. Come November hopefully both will be relegated to “obscuredom”. (I just invented a new word, proud of me!)
C
October 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
Great article MB. Down with the northeastern based sports “journalists”!
IlliniBrave
October 18th, 2012
1:00 pm
The guy did get one thing right, IMHO. Fredi should not be managing this team. I fear that we will have to go through a couple more years of underperforming before the front office decides to make a change.
Lou Piniella's cap
October 18th, 2012
1:09 pm
Heisenberg
October 18th, 2012
11:43 am
That was a GM plant at 285/85. Not sure what is going on with it but good location with direct access to Marta. No shuttle buses needed.
——————————————————–
Why would you even consider putting a new stadium (theoretically if they were talking about getting a new one) on a site located near the hands down worst afternoon rush hour traffic in Atlanta?
Braves 73
October 18th, 2012
1:12 pm
Mark, you are correct. The NY showing by the fans has been pretty abysmal. In fact, they were asking fans to move from some sections and covering areas so it wouldn’t look as bad on tv.
On another topic, baseball in general has taken a huge back seat with me for the lack of a progressive thinking by their idiotic commissioner. I know that this is beating a dead horse, but the MOST successful/profitable sport in the U.S. is football for reasons that would be seem to be common sense:
1.) An actual Salary cap with real penalties for those who exceed, which makes teams reliant on hiring appropriately, from top to bottom
2.) Replay system that actually improves the quality of the game and leaves very little doubt
3.) Progressive commissioner (love him or hate him) who is not stuck in the ice ages when it comes to looking at ways to improve
I could go on and on, but it would too long.
gtt
October 18th, 2012
1:13 pm
Serves them right. Tearing down Yankee Stadium was like tearing down the Coliseum in Rome, or the U.S. Capitol, or the White House. It’s just not something that should have ever been thought of, much less done.
Loser Talk
October 18th, 2012
1:17 pm
Losers gloat when winners won’t.
bill
October 18th, 2012
1:31 pm
my Yankee fan friends they are all sphincter holders but recently I got to ask them about a horrible call that went against them after they talked bad about us complaining about being jobbed. When I talked about our injuries they said that a good team would have a ready replacement for any injured player. Then ARod’s brain went deat and Jeter broke his leg. Swisher lost his eyesight and ARod has hormonal problems and they are losing and whining and SPENDING 200 Million Dollars. All the Yankee hats have suddenly disappeared.
JoeBravesFan
October 18th, 2012
1:31 pm
As much as it costs to go watch a game in Yankee Stadium now, why would you pay that much money to see them perform they way they have lately, when you can watch it on TV for free?
I think Braves attendance would pick up if there was a better transit system to and from Turner Field. The parking lots are crazy, especially after games. If you take MARTA, you have to walk the full length of Underground Atlanta (scary) just to catch a MARTA bus that drops you off at the stadium. Then, after the game, people are literally crammed into the buses that take them back to the train station. We are passionate about our team, as the fans at the play-in game showed with their reaction to the bad infield fly call.
wxwax
October 18th, 2012
1:33 pm
Said Joey at 10:29 am
“Mark, I read back when the new Yankee Stadium opened, regular-season tickets for those seats between the dugouts were $2500 each.
They hardly ever are full, and in this economy, it’s easy to see why.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————
That’s it, Joey. Prices that make your eyes bleed, to pay for their new palace.
It’s a shame that the Yankees have managed to damage the great attendance and spirit of their fans. I’m not a supporter, but I like a stadium filled with passionate fans. It’s one of the attractive things about sports. It’s kinda sad to see so many empty seats at important playoff games.
Bradley Curse
October 18th, 2012
1:36 pm
Raul Ibanez was pretty much the only reason the Yanks were offed in the first round
bill
October 18th, 2012
1:37 pm
gtt yeah but for a billion dollars they got a new yankee stadium not a new Georgia Dome.
gatorsc1
October 18th, 2012
1:48 pm
ugh more bradley crap…
blue
October 18th, 2012
1:56 pm
Heisenberg; a LOT of good points. Will debate you on one (as a Tigers fan) that is going to be very hard for you to defend. Fielder’s line for the season; .313 BA, .412 OBP, 30 HR, 108 RBI, 182 hits, 85 walks…that’s “Moderately productive”? He hit every “cornerstone number” for a great season (300plus BA, 400plus OBP, 30HR, 100plus RBI). Come on dude…be intellectually honest and admit that you are wrong about that one. And, not AS quantifiable but certainly factors in…it is not a coincidence that the guy hitting in front of him had such a good season (triple crown). Guarantee you that Cabrera, although he will always be a beast, would not have the same numbers without someone so “moderately productive” behind him. But based on your assessment, Cabrera’s season would probably rate as “pretty good”, I’m guessing?
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
October 18th, 2012
2:02 pm
The Yankees have 27 WS championship rings.
Atlanta has 1.
In other words, it’s best to keep your mouth shut.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
October 18th, 2012
2:04 pm
BulldogBen is spot on.
Tumbledown
October 18th, 2012
2:14 pm
Donnan – Playing the ole “we have 26 more WS rings than you” card!! Well, well, here is what I have to say about that:
Well played!
Tumbledown
October 18th, 2012
2:17 pm
However, given news of recent legal woes for a former Georgia Bulldog football coach, I might want to distant myself from the name Donnan!!
ChipperisGod
October 18th, 2012
2:20 pm
Attendance was decent for the Braves this season and that WC game (myself included) was packed and the fans were very into the game. Yankees fans don’t get excited anymore, they don’t pack the house and they seem far more apathetic than some Braves fans in the mid 2000s.
I hate NY sports and am glad this is happening to them and love the way they’re collapsing. Wish no hurt on Jeter though. Class act.
Esquire
October 18th, 2012
2:20 pm
I hate the Yankees!
blazerdawg
October 18th, 2012
2:25 pm
deejay is right on
Atlanta drew 3M fans three times before the NYYs ever did.
Atlanta set the all-time NL attendance mark, later passed by the Colorado Rockies playing in MHS.
Atlanta set an IHL single season attendance record for attendance.
Atlanta set the NHL expansion team record for attendance.
Heck, even this year the Braves outdrew every team in the division except Philly – while Washington went on a once in a 70 year run, Miami opened a new stadium, and NYM had a new team and relativley new stadium.
I too have respect for the NYYs, which makes the fact that they did not sell out AL DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP games in prime time, in a market of 20M, with no other baseball team playing within a thousand miles, even more amazing. Remember that the NY Football Giants also has playoff seats available to the public the day before playoff games last year.
Not banging on NY, but always amazed to see empty seats elsewhere, then the Braves or Hawks fans get criticized nationally – sometimes for just a few hundred seats on a weekday afternoon or Sunday evening. Maybe this will now end.
Supes
October 18th, 2012
2:33 pm
The Yankees have 27 WS championship rings.
Atlanta has 1.
In other words, it’s best to keep your mouth shut.
**********************************************************
WTF has that to do with this attendance issue the Yankees are currently having? Move along move along
Ronald Millsaps
October 18th, 2012
2:37 pm
Enter your comments here
Ronald Millsaps
October 18th, 2012
2:38 pm
“simple”— Oh, yeah, try to justify the alleged behavior by Rodriguez. Excuse-making is nearly as rampant in society as is immorality.
markie mark
October 18th, 2012
2:49 pm
hey donnan….byteme@mark.com
Bruce Benedict
October 18th, 2012
3:07 pm
I dislike the Yankees, but after being a diehard fan here for 43 years- no cities teams choke on our level! Hopefully, the Falcons won’t go 16-0 and lose their opening playoff game.
Kennesaw David
October 18th, 2012
3:11 pm
I am always a big fan of the Braves and whoever is playing the Yankees. So I am loving this. Hope Detroit brings the broom out today.
Stinger 2
October 18th, 2012
3:17 pm
Mark: Your gave a great response @11:28 to a previous post that compared the responses of the Yankee vs. Braves organizations when changes need to be made.
The Yankees do it with mostly money. The Braves are constrained with must less money to get expensive FA. Frank Wren & Co. do a great job to keep the Braves in a respectable and competitive position with their wisdom to make mostly good moves
with trades and getting affordable FA along with keeping the farm systm stocked with good prospects.
Whatever
October 18th, 2012
3:17 pm
The media sucks and always bashes Atlanta. Hey, were in the Deep South so we can be their punching bag right? Fly over country right? But, the Cubs have pitiful attendance – massive spaces of empty seats all over Wrigley. Same with the Mets. It is the same everywhere. Well, except in the South with College Football. I hate Auburn. But, look at Jordan-Hare. That team sucks and they are selling out. USC was a yealry loser and has never won a Championship and that fan base acts like they are right up there with Bammer. How well do the Norhteastern Schools sell out games?
billyBobjacket
October 18th, 2012
3:21 pm
I take it as a matter of pride rather than an insult when yankees and Yankees criticize the passion for and attendance at professional sporting events in Atlanta. Perhaps it proves that we have actual lives and interests other than watching a bunch of overpaid pampered (and often juiced-up) primadonnas playing games for money. The NE corridor and SoCal self-styled “elites” can keep their celebrity worshipping lifestyles and keep drinking the “we are better than you” cool-aid, while we here in one of the “flyover states” can enjoy our days in the warm sun doing something more productive and fulfilling.
Wrecker
October 18th, 2012
3:39 pm
Great stuff, Mark! Fans of baseball here are as rabid as anywhere, but we do not get any love.
Tall
October 18th, 2012
3:46 pm
The Braves are the Brooklyn Dodgers of the late 1990’s. No team in the National League had more talent go through that clubhouse. I
RM
October 18th, 2012
3:48 pm
I don’t like New Yorkers, especially the dam Yankees. I’m hoping for a sweep today!