> It is hardly as hot in St Louis or Atlanta as it is here. Having spent
> time in both of those areas during the Summer... I can tell you that. The
> average Temp in July in St Louis is 80.5 F In Texas the July average is
> 85...F
>
> Add to that the humidity and gulf air that Texas usually experiences
> first.. and the lack of rain in July and August (cloud cover) that Dallas
> sees. Also... St Louis is much more open air as far as stadiums go.
>
> Yes baseball was meant to be played outside.. but major league baseball is
> a business.. and if more people are going to visit your club during those
> months and youre going to attract better pitching, then its a wise thing
> to do. Don't worry though. At this rate... the Rangers will finish out
> their contract in Arlington and then move. No fans go to the games
> anymore.. even when they are sporting a chance to win the west.
>
4.5 degrees average temperature is hardly significant in that range and,
just based on my personal experience, the humidity is well higher in both
cities. I'll throw another city with a significant baseball heritage into
the discussion where I have actually lived. Baltimore. I was stationed on
the outskirts of Bawlmer during the 90's and took all my annual leave in one
big chunk to come back to the Metroplex and get away from that oppressive
atmosphere and even the solar-oven that was old Arlington Stadium was pretty
much on a par with the cozy grounds of Camden Yards when it came to comfort
sitting in the cheaps.
This year's weather has been abysmal, but it hasn't been normal. Notice the
way the weather-folks keep bringing up ten-worst lists. Funny enough, this
year's weather pattern would be a better argument for bringing in pitchers,
because the unusual weather pattern has made the park much less of a
launching pad than it has been historically. The "ever-present" jet-stream
has been frequently conspicuously absent this year. But, if I was a
pitcher's agent, I wouldn't bet on this year's weather pattern lasting too
terribly long.
As far as the Rangers picking up and moving at the end of the stadium
agreement. This is one of the top four markets in terms of population in
the country. Tom Hicks may choose to sell the club, but where would they go
that would generate comparable attendance and television numbers without a
team that was just knocking all opposition around? And if they had a team
like that, or even promising being close to that, then the numbers here
would be too juicy to walk away.
The Rangers, even if the PR department doesn't want to admit it, are still
in the middle of re-building the club. They've made some progress. They've
played some games that made me want to throw some things and yank at my
hair. Mostly, I've enjoyed watching or listening to the games. They've
played hard and mostly played well. This is the youngest roster in the
Majors and they will make mistakes. Mostly they have been made trying hard.
I get jazzed by the effort, even if results aren't always what I was looking
for...
They aren't where I want them to be, but for the first time in thirty odd
years of following this club, Jon Daniels is finally showing signs that the
club is willing to follow a development philosophy long enough to give it a
chance. That's a breath of fresh air. Too many times, "win now"
desperation has lead this franchise to throw away prospects who later proved
massive talent to put name players with fading careers on the line-up card.
This is a club with a strong young core. They play games that are fun to
watch right now. With the right bit of tweaking, they'll play a lot more
games that are fun to watch and aren't that far from potentially turning
into a power.
It's tough business to get on a good roll in baseball, but the fans will
flock to them if they get on that roll. A more normal summer and a team
that's more convincing early on and the attendance numbers will come back.
The Rangers will be okay if they don't go into panic mode. Which, I have to
admit they have in the past. I can remember a Norm Hitzges piece in the
early 80's when he decided to announce the former-Rangers part of the
All-Star rosters. As I recall, it included something like ten field players
and three or four pitchers. Grrrr...baseball is a tough business and the
only thing easy about it is making mistakes.
Air conditioning is never gonna' be a great draw. You can get that watching
the game at home on television and the beer and the food will be a hell of a
lot cheaper, not to mention the lack of lines at the bathroom and the lack
of fighting traffic. The only thing that will fill the stands is a team in
a streak of playing games that generate a sense of "I want to be there when
it happens".
And in the unlikely event that the Rangers should leave the Metroplex, have
you caught any of the Roughriders's games that got on Channell 52? It's
good baseball, even if it's only AA; it's in a beautiful park and the crowd
is having so much fun that I just gotta' get there next season. That's
serious quality-family entertainment. And they have some players who may
never make it to the show, but they bust their asses on every crack of the
bat and when they are good, they are a wonder to behold.
-Doc
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