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Raining Arizona

Monday, March 8th, 2010

In what will be a blow for Camelback Ranch attendance figures, Sunday’s White Sox-Cubs tilt became a Cactus League rarity — a rainout.

Mark Gonzalez informed us through Twitter that the last Sox rainout was March 11, 2006. I remember that one well — the game was played in the Phoenix area, but because the forecast looked so terrible (some areas saw snow), my buddy Matt and I decided to hang back in merely cold and windy Tucson and catch the Mariners-Diamondbacks game instead.

That day, I watched a first-round bust for Seattle get knocked around the park.  Nine days later, the White Sox acquired him for Joe Borchard.

Though the Cubs-Sox game was canceled, it won’t hurt Jerry Reinsdorf’s finances.  Tickets to canceled events aren’t refunded at Camelback Ranch — they can only be exchanged. Click to continue »

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Getting all up in White Sox business

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

It took Scott Merkin three words to turn the premise of his interview with Brooks Boyer into a tenuous one.

CHICAGO — A positive buzz already has been tied to the 2010 Chicago White Sox, without a pitch being thrown or a bat being swung.

If I were Dan Dierdorf, I’d say I’m not so sure there isn’t a negative buzz not absent.  Looking at it another way, if there’s a “positive buzz” surrounding the White Sox, there must be pandemonium in Minnesota.

Minnesota is doing what Kenny Williams said he’d do but never did — wait until February for bargains.  After signing Jim Thome unnecessarily, because he’s good and cheap, they upgraded their infield by signing Orlando Hudson for a year.

Adding Hudson’s $5 million to the Twins’ books, they’ve boosted payroll from $65 million to an estimated $96 million. That’s within spitting distance of the White Sox’s payroll, and whenever they do extend Joe Mauer, that will nudge them even closer.

The good news is that their rotation doesn’t stand up, and they’re banking heavily on Francisco Liriano to bolster the top of it.  That should keep the disparity between the Twins and Sox from being exaggerated too greatly.

It’s a disheartening one-two punch nevertheless.  Not only are the Twins adjusting to the demands of their new ballpark while the Sox are fighting their own, but they’re almost equal in resources, too.

Johnny Damon is the other shoe waiting to drop.  The links to the Tigers are growing in number, and if he signs with Detroit for anything resembling what the Sox are paying Juan Pierre, the Sox will be paying more than just money for their misallocations.

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Sox change spring pricing, but not for better

Monday, January 11th, 2010

The White Sox released single-game ticket sales for spring training to the public on Saturday, and bowing to popular demand, they lowered prices.

Well, a price.  The top ticket now goes for $42 instead of $45.  Except on days when they play the Cubs.  Then it’s $47.

cranch0111Awesome, huh?  At least the White Sox trust the proletariat to not amass at Camelback Ranch’s gates because they’re utterly confused by different ticket prices on different days.  A point for the Sox marketing department for recognizing that its fans to have more intelligence than a Legacy Brick.

Phoenix-area
Highest Lowest
Brewers $21 $13
Padres $23 $12
Mariners $23 $12
Rangers $23 $13
Royals $23 $13
Giants $24-30 TBD
Athletics $25 $10
Reds $27 $12
Indians $27 $12
Cubs $28-30 $15
Angels $29 TBD
Dodgers $42-47 $20
White Sox $42-47 $20
Tucson-area
Rockies $17 $9
Diamondbacks $18 $7

To the right, I’ve compiled the ticket prices of Cactus League teams (two prices denote a premium game scheme, and the Angels and Giants will announce their ticket prices later this week).  Here’s how the Sox and Dodgers are hosing fans this year:

  • They’re the only teams to charge more than $40 for any ticket.
  • They’re the only teams to charge more than $30 for a regular game.
  • They’re the only teams to charge more than $30 for any game in its second-tier section.
  • Their second-least desirable section costs more than nearly every team’s closest section.
  • They’re also the only teams to charge $20 for the cheapest ticket in the house.
  • They’re the only teams to charge more than $15.

Once again, I’m ignoring lawn seating.  Sure, you can sit on the berm if you wish, but that’s not great for a lot of people, such as the elderly, or, say, childless adults with dignity and self-respect.

Now, last year, Jerry Reinsdorf blamed just about everything besides ticket prices for the lackluster attendance in Camelback Ranch’s inaugural season.  He almost sorta kinda addressed it when he said the economy prevented many fans from making travel plans, but never connected the final dot.

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If Cubs move, Sox would feel it

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

It’s not often I recommend paying attention to the Cubs, but here’s a situation worth keeping an eye on.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist gave his best attempt at wooing new owner Tom Ricketts and president Crane Kenney to get them to make the jump from the Cactus League to the Grapefruit League on Tuesday:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Cubs officials met today with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who promised to do all he could to persuade the team to move its spring-training facilities from Arizona.

New Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and president  Crane Kenney were among those meeting with Crist, who said afterward, “We like palm trees better than cactus and hope that the Cubs might, too.”

If the Cubs pack up and head to Florida, then it runs the risk of making a huge dent into the White Sox’s attendance figures. Here’s how the numbers break down for Sox spring home games:

  • vs. Cubs: 12,385*
  • vs. Dodgers: 9,543
  • vs. Everybody Else: 4,949

(*This probably would be higher if the Sox and Cubs didn’t play two games in Las Vegas, as Camelback Ranch has a higher seating capacity than the Vegas facility.)

Remove those two Cubs games and replace them with two garden-variety opponents, and that’s roughly a 15 percent drop in attendance.  And without the Cubs, the Sox are basically right back where they were at Tucson despite some claims to the contrary.

Average attendance in Camelback Ranch’s first year versus the last at Tucson Electric Park:

  • 2009: 6,119.
  • 2008: 5,820.

Add in the games against the Dodgers to the “Everybody Else” average, and they’re roughly equivalent. Actually, TEP is ahead by 200 under these conditions.

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