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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2023 19:16:05 GMT -5
When Xander signed with SD, all I heard was no one was going to go to Sox games this year and this was the disaster that destroyed the team, but Pete Abraham reports today that:
Maybe not as robust as some years, but people are still buying tickets and season tickets to come watch this team. I know attendance has been down a bit at spring training games (except the game against Puerto Rico), but I am not sure who in their right mind would want to travel to Florida at this point, so I don't put a lot of stock in spring training attendance. I am also not sure how ratings have been for those games which are televised (and the Sox are one of only a handful of teams where most of their spring training games are available on TV because most teams don't get enough ratings for them to make any ad revenue), so I am not sure how relevant that is either. Regular season ratings will be interesting to see, but the loss of Jerry Remy and new faces/voices replacing him might impact ratings as much as the loss of Xander and discontent with the team. But it doesn't seem the PR nightmare of losing Xander has impacted interest in the team as much as the doomsayer trolls predicted. Of course it could all hinge on the Sox success in April and May, a strong start, and people will tune in, an early slump or long losing streak, or if the reconstituted bullpen blows a few late leads, and people might tune out (but the same would be true if Xander were still wearing #2 and playing SS for the Sox, so again, I am not sure the PR loss is going to be the determining factor in fan interest this year despite all the wailing and gnashing of teeth among Red Sox Nation there was in December and January.
-M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 10, 2023 21:43:37 GMT -5
Boston benefits alot from visiting fans and tourist buys.. Fenway itself is a big destination. (Though I'm sure that's more a factor in the summer than early in the season).
I think from a financial standpoint TV ratings are alot more important... we REALLY won't have a good handle on that until June with the Celtics and Bruins likely to make deep play off runs.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2023 21:57:33 GMT -5
Boston benefits alot from visiting fans and tourist buys.. Fenway itself is a big destination. (Though I'm sure that's more a factor in the summer than early in the season). I think from a financial standpoint TV ratings are alot more important... we REALLY won't have a good handle on that until June with the Celtics and Bruins likely to make deep play off runs. Tourist tickets don't impact season tickets, and new season ticket purchasers are up. So yes, tourist tix are a factor in overall sales (but then I might say that a lot of those come from second hand ticket selling companies who likely have standing season ticket packages and sell from those, and I doubt those account for increased new season ticket purchasers since expectations, and thus demand/resale value for those tickets won't be as high). Rating will be a key, yes, but again, there are x-factors that could account for drops beyond poor play and dissatisfaction with the roster because the broadcast team has been shuffled and that will impact ratings. -M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 10, 2023 22:19:49 GMT -5
That is certainly true... losing Jerry Remy definitely had an impact. I love Eck too, but he was never going to do it full time. I feel like Eukilis about the same way I feel about Scal replacing Tommy Heinsohn. He's ok, but he's not a LEGEND. The fact they tried and had a million other guys fail doesn't help either.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2023 17:29:52 GMT -5
Red Sox unbeaten streak in Spring Training ended today with a 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays. -M That's how the season crumbles... Losing streak at 2! Sale looked good though. -M
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2023 8:16:18 GMT -5
This is the cover of the current issue of The New Yorker, featuring art by Sergio García Sánchez:
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2023 13:27:19 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2023 13:50:44 GMT -5
65 years ago today:
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Post by Rob Allen on Mar 25, 2023 16:54:31 GMT -5
And a few years earlier - because of Sugar Ray Robinson's fame, a young singer & pianist named Ray Robinson decided to drop his last name and use his middle name, Charles.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2023 7:42:29 GMT -5
From an online newsletter called The Knowledge:
That’s a debate one could really sink one’s teeth into - and apply to other sports.
I’m not sure designing/using a ball that doesn’t travel as far is the answer, though, seems to be dumbing down a bit.
I’m not certain how one could even begin to pick apart the whole thing, to be honest. Probably a complex subject in many respects.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2023 18:25:57 GMT -5
Prince HalLooks like both Bobby Dalbec and Jarren Duran, both of whom had decent spring training numbers (though Duran's sample size is small due to time missed in the WBC), are going to start the year at AAA. This more than anything, might be an indicator that their roster is a bit stronger than it was last season where both were needed to play key roles (and came up short). However, that's not certain until we see how the roster's depth is tested by injuries during the year and whether they have to turn to either for a key role during the season. I was actually kind of hoping (for both Dalbec's sake and the Sox) that the Phillies might come calling to see if Bobby D was available to fill in for Rhys Hopkins once he went down for the year. Hoping they might have gotten a bullpen arm to upgrade what they have at the bottom of their bullpen right now, but doesn't look like Phillies are looking to make a move to fill that void right now. -M
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Post by berkley on Mar 28, 2023 19:23:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to watch this on youtube soon, along with some other classic sports from the late 1950s.
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Post by berkley on Mar 28, 2023 19:26:58 GMT -5
From an online newsletter called The Knowledge: That’s a debate one could really sink one’s teeth into - and apply to other sports. I’m not sure designing/using a ball that doesn’t travel as far is the answer, though, seems to be dumbing down a bit. I’m not certain how one could even begin to pick apart the whole thing, to be honest. Probably a complex subject in many respects.
I'm not a great baseball fan but I find their rule about not using aluminum bats in Major Leagues interesting. I'd be curious to see how it would look if the NHL tried a similar rule and made everyone go back to using wooden sticks.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2023 19:50:48 GMT -5
From an online newsletter called The Knowledge: That’s a debate one could really sink one’s teeth into - and apply to other sports. I’m not sure designing/using a ball that doesn’t travel as far is the answer, though, seems to be dumbing down a bit. I’m not certain how one could even begin to pick apart the whole thing, to be honest. Probably a complex subject in many respects. I would not say I'm a golf expert by any means, though I have played countless hours of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 on the PlayStation 2. But one thing that's a little different to me about golf is that it's one of the few sports you can potentially really play competively as you get older and hence why the Seniors stuff is such a big thing in that sport. Feels like that 30 yards or so could keep more players in the game longer, but not such a ridiculous advantage that the sport is no longer recognizable. Also, the game is so much more than the big drives. It's such a skilled game to actually chip, putt, etc. A great tee shot is no guarantee by any means that you are going to land a good final score on a hole. I remember when this debate was going on with tennis, a sport I am much closer to (both playing and watching), as the racket construction continued to evolve. I saw both sides to be honest, sometimes I think it helped a broader set of players, other times it felt like it just gave say the tall and hard serving players too much extra muscle on nearly impossible serve shots to return.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 28, 2023 20:28:28 GMT -5
Prince Hal Looks like both Bobby Dalbec and Jarren Duran, both of whom had decent spring training numbers (though Duran's sample size is small due to time missed in the WBC), are going to start the year at AAA. This more than anything, might be an indicator that their roster is a bit stronger than it was last season where both were needed to play key roles (and came up short). However, that's not certain until we see how the roster's depth is tested by injuries during the year and whether they have to turn to either for a key role during the season. I was actually kind of hoping (for both Dalbec's sake and the Sox) that the Phillies might come calling to see if Bobby D was available to fill in for Rhys Hopkins once he went down for the year. Hoping they might have gotten a bullpen arm to upgrade what they have at the bottom of their bullpen right now, but doesn't look like Phillies are looking to make a move to fill that void right now. -M I was thinking that as well.. allowing the Sox to sell high... Dalbec definitely seems like the kind of player that could benefit from a change of scenery. And really, that spot might be rather temporary if Mondesi can come back as they hope. Duran I'm done with.... The Sox are way better off with Tapia.
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