World Baseball Classic 2009

[Sport]

Hmmm:

Check this out: the United States played a WBC home game Sunday night in Florida, with stars such as Jimmy Rollins, Derek Jeter and David Wright in the lineup, and drew 11,059 fans.

Just hours earlier, the New York Yankees played a routine spring training exhibition game in Florida and drew 10,727 fans.

And so Team USA, playing a meaningful elimination game, outdrew a spring training game by a whopping total of 332 people. The U.S. players were disappointed in the crowd, just as they were on Saturday when a clear majority of fans rooted against them for Puerto Rico. So much for home-field advantage.

Compare those numbers to the average home attendance for the Florida Marlins each season.

Right, I don't think people in Miami even like baseball. If the game was played in Tampa there would've been a bigger crowd.

[epper]

.Right, I don't think people in Miami even like baseball. If the game was played in Tampa there would've been a bigger crowd.

I thought the same thing. The only reasons it's in Miami are because of the weather and the proximity to the Latin countries. Americans there just simply don't seem to care about baseball unless its the MLB Playoffs.

Houston or Arlington could be other alternatives.

[TFoA]

Hmmm:

Check this out: the United States played a WBC home game Sunday night in Florida, with stars such as Jimmy Rollins, Derek Jeter and David Wright in the lineup, and drew 11,059 fans.

Just hours earlier, the New York Yankees played a routine spring training exhibition game in Florida and drew 10,727 fans.

And so Team USA, playing a meaningful elimination game, outdrew a spring training game by a whopping total of 332 people. The U.S. players were disappointed in the crowd, just as they were on Saturday when a clear majority of fans rooted against them for Puerto Rico. So much for home-field advantage.

That's why I kind of groaned when I heard that it was going to be in Miami. They don't show up for Marlins games unless they're in the World Series, so I expected the worst attendance-wise.

[JayJaxon]

I suppose they could hold games in some of the domed stadiums. But none of the domed stadium cities are really great tourists sites, and I think that is what they are going for with LA, SD, and Miami. I think it was a good move to have all the first round games played outside the U.S though.

[HedleyLamarr]

The most logical reason is that this game wasn't scheduled long in advance, like the minor league games are. You'll have New York fans making the trip to Tampa for the weekend to check out Yankees minor league games because those games have been on the schedule for months.

Another reason is that Americans simply don't care enough about the WBC.

[TalktoChuck]

The most logical reason is that this game wasn't scheduled long in advance, like the minor league games are. You'll have New York fans making the trip to Tampa for the weekend to check out Yankees minor league games because those games have been on the schedule for months.

Another reason is that Americans simply don't care enough about the WBC.

That would be my guess to. The WBC means more to the latin countries than it ever will to the majority of Americans. I'm one of the Americans that will watch the highlights on Sportscenter and the games if I'm free at the time, but doesn't care enough to go out of my way to be involved in the WBC.

[marlinfan]

Without including tonight's game (currently in progress), the Miami Pool has the second highest average attendance in the first or second round all time.

[The_Admiral]

You know just because Chipper Jones is a whining prima donna, doesn't mean the rest of the players are. I mean heck, most of the prima donnas have been linked to steroids and aren't even on this team. So let Chipper whine like the baby that he is, because he's won what in his life? Oh yeah, he's the baseball version of Jim Kelly, get to the championship and can't get it done.

He won the World Series in '95, stupid.

[JayJaxon]

Well I got my tickets for Saturday and Sunday. I'll be on the first base line and I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing a Braves jersey.

[DEAD!]

You know just because Chipper Jones is a whining prima donna, doesn't mean the rest of the players are. I mean heck, most of the prima donnas have been linked to steroids and aren't even on this team. So let Chipper whine like the baby that he is, because he's won what in his life? Oh yeah, he's the baseball version of Jim Kelly, get to the championship and can't get it done.

He won the World Series in '95, stupid.

Thanks for the correction, jerk......

[The_Admiral]

If that rant didn't warrant the tack-on, few rants do.

[JayJaxon]

Just got back from the Korea/Venezuela game. Koreans love their baseball. haha.

[oddball]

I'm watching Japan-USA, and all I'm hearing from the broadcast is excuses of why or how something happened or didn't happen. I've never heard as many excuses. Well I see that the broadcast crew is the same as the losers who put together team USA and hired Davey Johnson as manager. They have excuses about everything. Well I hope they learn from the embarrassment again, and get real ballplayers (aka stop inviting Chipper Jones) and stop worrying about who gets what playing time. Either you're in this to win it, or your not. I don't give a flip about who gets playing time, but if this is supposedly the American game, then we have no friggin' clue how to play it. We got embarrassed by Venezuela and seem to have a manager who worries more about playing time than winning the game. No other team worries about playing time, stop catering to the prima donnas! If a team complains about how much playing time a player gets, then tell them to tell the player to be better. If a pitcher doesn't get enough work, well then, maybe tell that pitcher to pitch better. The US baseball team and baseball culture is a bunch of babies. Real men play baseball in Asia, not America.

[NJTank]

Davey Johnson always finds away to get the least out of his teams, if he was a better Manager the Mets would have been a dynasty in the 80's.

[Jigga]

Yep, and you would have done so much better...lol

[OnWis97]

The most logical reason is that this game wasn't scheduled long in advance, like the minor league games are. You'll have New York fans making the trip to Tampa for the weekend to check out Yankees minor league games because those games have been on the schedule for months.

Another reason is that Americans simply don't care enough about the WBC.

I went to the last game in San Diego (just to see a new park) and I attribute some of the blame of sparse crowds to high ticket prices-higher than the regular MLB games.

[TBGKon]

The most logical reason is that this game wasn't scheduled long in advance, like the minor league games are. You'll have New York fans making the trip to Tampa for the weekend to check out Yankees minor league games because those games have been on the schedule for months.

Another reason is that Americans simply don't care enough about the WBC.

I went to the last game in San Diego (just to see a new park) and I attribute some of the blame of sparse crowds to high ticket prices-higher than the regular MLB games.

Now that would be a plausible arguement. If MLB would charge less for these games, more crownds might show up.

Also, any idea why right field seatin last night was sparse when left field was jammed up?

[Drew22]

The left field seats at Dodger Stadium are bleachers, while right field isn't. I'm pretty sure. So once again, it's a cost issue.

[patsox]

The left field seats at Dodger Stadium are bleachers, while right field isn't. I'm pretty sure. So once again, it's a cost issue.

I guess that would probably explain it. I wasn't really paying attention and just assumed all of the outfield seats were scarcely sat-in.

[TFoA]

Anybody watching the Final?

This has been a pretty well played baseball game, and of course the crowd has been great. Plus, it's a Japan/Korea game, and unlike the past 3 times they've played, this one's for the championship. This has been a pretty exciting game.