Nothing new to the Astros or Rockets.... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1858665 The Astros' game against Cincinnati on Tuesday drew only 18,594 -- their smallest crowd ever at Minute Maid Park since it opened in 2000. The previous low for the ballpark was 21,528, set April 4, 2002, in a game against Milwaukee. Tuesday's crowd was the smallest to watch a game in Houston since the Astros drew 18,450 on May 11, 1999, against Pittsburgh in the final season at the Astrodome. Since topping the 3 million mark in their inaugural season at the ballpark formerly known as Enron Field, the Astros have seen a decrease in home attendance from 2.9 million in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2002.
I dunno where they get this info from, but whenever I went(last Thursday, the game they lost to the Rockies), the attendence was only 21,171. So it looks like whoever wrote this is an idiot.
What do you expect when there's a Rockets game (in the playoff hunt) and an Astros game at the same time. Somethings got to give....some of these writers just write anything to make a name for themselves, who was that?
So, with the Laptop empty it means there are only 30 thou or so paying fans in all of Houston, America? Baseball, MAJOR LEAGUE Baseball that is, has shot itself big time with paying fans, and the Rox' fans who stayed home were justified ??? because it is all too apparent this team is too down too often.
Let's face it, Minute Maid Park has lost its luster. It's now just an ordinary ballpark, and Drayton can no longer rely on the ballpark to bring in the fans. Astros and Rockets fans are notorious for being fair-weather, and the Astros have disappointed their fans for too many years now to expect the fans to just show up. If they're still in first place on Memorial Day, then attendance should be better than last year...
Attendance is always low on weeknight games early in the season mainly because of school. Add in the weather last night and the Rockets' game, then you've got your recipe for a bad night, attendence wise. I bet the attendance will be just fine this weekend.
The Stros have gotten a bad draw. they have played all home games during the week. I expect the attendance to pick up this weekend with the Cards.
Was it not pretty cold? Didn't realize the Rockets' game drew so badly. Wow, in a playoff stretch run, that's pretty sad. Regardless, it's not like the Astros have ever done well attendance wise during the week the first couple of months.
This is very sad...Like I said, H-town fans suck azz... If I were in Houston, I'd be at every Rox game and at least one game a homestand...
It wasn't THAT cold last night. That's what jackets and the roof are for, anyways. It didn't start getting really cold until early morning. Plus, we're in daylight saving time and the sun was still out when the game started... The whole "school in still in session" argument is pretty weak, too, since adults don't usually bring their kids to weeknight games anyways...Houston just doesn't support basketball or baseball teams unless they're winning
Me and the Mrs are going Friday, anyone want to join us a teach somethine more about Baseball, than Batter Batter ............... SWING!!!!
Don't forget about football either. When the Oilers were winning, the dome was filled to capacity. When the Oilers were losing (and Bud threatened to leave), the dome has less than 20k.
Not only is the stadium not new anymore, Drayton raised ticket prices this year. I think attendance will do down more this year with the higher ticket prices. $12 for upper deck is too expensive.
Actually, I don't think the Astros ticket prices are that bad. 25 bucks for the Crawford Boxes, 34 behind home plate. 35 bucks won't even get you to the bottom level at the Compaq Center. I fear for Rockets ticket prices next year..At the price they are right now, plus moving to a new arena, they're going to skyrocket.
Well, if the Rockets had 81 home games and a 35K seating capacity, they could have prices like Astros games... I have a good feeling about Rockets ticket prices next year. Les usually treats the fans pretty well, and considering the Rockets are coming off another season with no playoffs, I think the upper deck seats will not be raised, though he'll probably gouge the people in the lower bowl...
The lack of shuttle service may also have had an impact. I just moved down the street from one of the remote lots, and had planned to go to more games this season. Then they announced no shuttles... Not to mention the access problems due to all of the GRB construction, and the fact there is less parking / higher parking rates this year. It's not surprising that attendance has dropped.
Cricket seems more fun, but it's too long. If it was cut into a 2 hour mode like baseball, then it would be more enjoyable.
