Does anyone go to a baseball game anymore to watch the damn game???

[wtmusic]

Or do they go to hit beachballs and do the wave...

Baseball is changing for the worse. Too much glitz, too many ads, too much loud music. At any given time, I bet 1 in 50 patrons last night could tell you who was at bat.

OK so the D'backs beat my Dodgers--that has NOTHING to do with it :grr:

[kick-ass-bob]

1. Back in the day

it was just people talking and smoking cigars and stuff. They weren't all paying attention to the game then either.

It has always been a place to go socialize - but since people are more likely now to be strangers, they won't just talk with anyone there - so they have to have something to do (the wave, etc)

[bertha katzenengel]

2. I sure as hell do. Hey, wtmusic, try this:

Go to a minor league game. Lots of planned goofy stuff goes on between innings, but most everyone who goes to a minor league game goes to watch THE GAME.

[wtmusic]

10. Yeah sounds good n/t

[Richardo]

16. Minor league ball RULES!

Love it.

Plus, I learned to keep score as a kid and still do it today. Keeps me in the game.

[Coventina]

20. I ALWAYS score at baseball games

and I'm finally starting to get the hang of it!

[youspeakmylanguage]

3. Sadly, the diehard fans can't pay all the bills...

...so, like other A-list professional sporting events, loud music and other crap has to be tolerated when it attracts the casual fans with fat wallets and short attention spans.

I like the minors because it really is about baseball. Here in Charlotte I can see the Beantown Red Sox on TV from either the comfort of my couch or the stool at the end of the bar. Then I can watch the Pawtucket Red Sox (Pawsox) play the Charlotte Knights in person for almost as much as a movie ticket. Plus the beer is cheaper. It's the best of both worlds.

[wtmusic]

6. It's a vicious cycle

Players get more, owners need to foot the bill, turn baseball into something it isn't, draw fans who enjoy what it isn't, owners make more money...

[youspeakmylanguage]

12. The fans want to see hulks pound homers out of the park...

...which is why MLB and the player's union really have no interest in keep steroids out of the game. Steroids produce home run superstars, and home run superstars bring fans to the park.

It's "America's Favorite Passtime", so I guess it's only fair that it reflect modern America. The league at the top tolerates cheating and lies to ensure healthy profits while hiding behind garish spectacle, while the leagues at the middle and bottom feature mostly-honest men striving to make it while working for peanuts.

I still love the game, though. I guess it's the romantic in me.

[sniffa]

4. i go to do the wave and eat hot dogs

fuck WEEI and their years-Long campaign to stop peopLe from doing the wave... and their most recent campaign to stop peopLe from chanting, "yankees suck".

[TlalocW]

5. Maybe if baseball wasn't such a boring sport

Played by cry-baby millionaires, it wouldn't need all the extras. Worst days at my old job was when we would take team outings to minor-league baseballs games. The tedium crushed my will to live.

TlalocW

[wtmusic]

8. Like anything else

it's enjoyed most by those who play or have played it. What it doesn't need is the fans it's attracting now.

[tjwmason]

11. Exactly

You Americans just need to learn the beautiful and subtle game of cricket - that will solve all of the problems.

[youspeakmylanguage]

13. Do you miss "American Gladiators" or roller derby?

I keeed, I keeed!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. hey, keep it down

Can't you see I'm on my cellphone?

[wtmusic]

9. I know but you're talking so loud I can't hear my iPod...n/t

[youspeakmylanguage]

15. Hey, you jerks woke me up!

[Mutley]

14. I still go to watch the game

[grace0418]

17. I never did, sorry. Wrigley Field is just too much fun on a

summer day. Ever since I was a little kid and my dad would take me to a game once in awhile, it's always been about eating peanuts and hot dogs, people-watching, enjoying a sunny day and a cool breeze, and paying attention just enough to cheer when something good happens. That's why the Cubs sell out tickets even when they suck, which is most of the time.

Although I agree the cellphone users and the guys pounding beers are pretty annoying.

[wtmusic]

18. I don't think Wrigley is as "hi-tech" as Dodger Stadium

with the 180-degree video monitors, etc.

It's a whole different experience. I grew up in Chicago, and miss it! :cry:

[grace0418]

19. True. There's very little that's "hi-tech" about Wrigley

although they're going to be renovating it. I hope they don't take away it's charm.