Where is Everybody?

Yogi Berra used to say 'if fans aren't going to come to the ballpark, then no one's going to stop them!' That kind of thinking seems to typify the current situation at Jacobs Field. For despite the fact that your Indians are hovering near first place in the American League's Central Division and also leading the race for the AL Wild Card spot, attendance is near the bottom again in all of baseball.

Coming into this series with the Oakland A's, the average attendance was 23,778. Last season at the same point it was 23,675. Using my favorite scoreboard graphic at the Q...the DIFF between this year and last year is just 103 fans. Keep in mind, by this time last year the Indians were already out of the race in the Central and were preparing for a July fire sale.

So why are there more green seats than people at the Jake? I've heard lots and lots of explanations from the Indians as well as from the fans over the years since the glory days between 1994-2001. Three explanations seems to be the most prevalent:

The economy now is not nearly as good as it was ten years ago. This one I get. I don't need to remind anyone in Lorain County about how difficult our local economy is right now. There's simply less disposable income for families to spend on trips to the ballpark. My only complaint is that people seem to have no problem shelling out huge bucks to see bad football on Sundays at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Nor did people have a problem paying for basketball at the Q once a certain Chosen One began to turn the fortunes of the Cavaliers around.

Larry Dolan is cheap. He'll never 'spend the money' to bring in a winner. The Tribe owner will probably never get a break in this town. Ever. Yes, he's said some things that he'd probably like to take back in regards to spending money only when the fans start showing up. But please people, no one buys a ticket to see an owner. This year's Indians are a fun team to watch and Dolan deserves credit for "spending the money" on shoring up the Tribe's farm system that had been run into the ground by John Hart in the late 90's. Players like Victor Martinez, C.C. Sabathia, Jhonny Peralta, Fausto Carmona, and Ryan Garko are all products of a terrific minor league operation that was supplemented by shrewd trades by Mark Shapiro that brought in Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Travis Hafner. The days of Omar, Manny, and Thome are over. Accept it. Move on. And enjoy this new generation of talented young players who are worthy of your appreciation.

(One note...if the Indians have the chance to bring in a stud reliever or outfield bat at the trade deadline and Dolan vetoes a deal due to cost considerations, then disregard everything written above and feel free to send me "I told you so" messages.)

Omar Vizquel is gone. I'll never forgive them for not keeping my Omar. Serioiusly, I've heard that from fans. It's like the Indians alienated every soccer mom the day they decided not to re-sign the Gold Glove shortstop and go young with then-International League MVP Jhonny Peralta after the '04 season. Listen, I love Omar. He was part of the best double play combination in recent baseball history when he paired with Robby Alomar for three seasons. We all loved to watch the barehand grabs, the bunts, the clutch hits, etc. etc. But again, we need to grow up and move on. The Indians made a judgement based on Omar's age, his injured knees, and Peralta's emergence that it was not good business to give Vizquel a long term contract. Simple as that. And by the way, try looking at Omar's stats this season versus Peralta's. Not even close.

In all fairness, it seems like the poor attendance trend is getting better. The last few weekends have seen crowds of better than 30,000 for teams like the Reds, Tigers, and Braves. But the Indians also do a great job of filling the weekends with giveaways and fireworks. It's been the weeknight games that have been the disappointment. And no, bad weather no longer works as an excuse.

The bandwagon awaits at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Saddle up and enjoy a great summer of baseball!