The
game played Wednesday (in the afternoon, rather than as originally scheduled in
the evening) was the first game of this three-game set that the White Sox were
able to get in against the Baltimore Orioles.
ALL
OF THE riots had officials convinced they’d rather not risk having angered
Baltimore protesters (upset over black abuse by police officers) attack fans
trying to get to and from Camden Yards.
Plus,
it also reduced the number of police officers who would have to be on detail to
maintain order at the ballpark, thereby allowing them to be on patrol in other
parts of Baltimore – although there was evidence Tuesday that the worst of the outbursts
had passed.
So
what we got was a White Sox/Orioles game in which no one was allowed to attend.
Attendance was literally zero. People who showed up were locked out.
The
teams still got in a ballgame to count toward their 162-game season count. But
the other games that were meant for this week will be made up during a special
trip to be made to Baltimore in mid-May (when the White Sox will be traveling
from Toronto to Houston).
I
WASN’T ANYWHERE near Baltimore on Wednesday, although I made a point of
watching part of the WPWR-TV broadcast, listening to announcer Ken Harrelson
tell us about what turned out to be dreadful activity on the field.
Cameras
kept showing us a group of Orioles fans who converged outside a gate that sort
of gave them a view of the game. Their “Let’s Go, O’s!” chants could be heard
throughout the ballpark – while several panoramic television shots confirmed
for us that there truly was no one sitting in the stands.
I’m
sure at a time like this in Baltimore, this wasn’t the biggest concern. But it
had to be a business blow to the Orioles, since ball clubs usually count on
concessions stand sales from the people who attend the game for a significant
part of their revenue.
If
no one was on hand on Wednesday, they weren’t to buy overpriced beer and hot
dogs, nor any barbecue from the stand named for one-time Orioles’ star Boog
Powell.
I
CAN THINK of one positive aspect of Wednesday’s circumstance – having a game
played literally with zero attendance wipes out what I always thought was a
stupid statistic cited by the Charleston Riverdogs of the South Atlantic
League.
Back
in 2002, they claimed to have played a game before zero fans – although it was
really a stunt since the roughly 1,800 people who showed up for the game deliberately
were locked out of the ball park until after the fifth inning; at which point
the game became official.
Now,
we have a real zero attendance statistic for a professional ballgame; even
lower than the 413 people who attended a White Sox/New York Yankees game at
Yankee Stadium in 1966, or the 653 who saw the Oakland A’s play the Seattle Mariners
in a game in 1979. For the record, the ’66 Yankees and ’79 A’s (despite the
presence of future Hall of Fame ballplayers Mickey Mantle and Rickey Henderson,
respectively) were truly awful ball clubs.
The
record for lack of fans in the stands now has some legitimacy.
ALTHOUGH
ONE CAN argue that all of this is trivia, and that the only thing that matters
about a sporting event is the on-field action.
If
that is the regard, then “blech!” is the only reaction we should have,
particularly since White Sox starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija seemed determined
to do his best impersonation of a Chicago Cubs pitcher (which he once was).
Six
runs given up in the first inning alone; the final score was 8-2. The White Sox’ incompetence level
settled down, but it was also the kind of game one quickly wants to switch the
channel on.
Even
the WTTW Prime rebroadcast of the PBS “Last Days in Vietnam” documentary seemed
more appealing to watch!
-30-
EDITOR’S
NOTE: That “No attendance” minor league ballgame was plotted as a publicity
stunt by Mike Veeck, team owner and son of the Hall of Fame baseball owner Bill
Veeck. For the record, the younger Veeck’s ball team lost 4-2 to the Columbus
(Ga.) Red Stixx in that game.
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