Mariners officials "are still pleased" with Safeco
Field, "even though the team won't touch the inaugural
attendance marks of the past two major league stadiums,"
according to Greg Johnston of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER.
While the first four games were sellouts, as of Saturday,
7,000 seats remained for tonight's game against the D'backs,
while less than 1,000 seats remained for Tuesday's game. But
Mariners VP/Communications Randy Adamack says the team is
pleased: "We think the fans have been very, very responsive.
They love the ballpark, and they're buying tickets." Adamack
noted that TV ratings for Thursday's inaugural game "set a
record for a Mariners broadcast," with a 30.5/50 rating
(SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 7/17). In Seattle, Jack Broom
wrote that concession line problems and "other flaws got the
attention of" the team's front office after Thursday's debut.
Mariners Dir of Public Information Rebecca Hale acknowledged
that there were "long, slow concession lines spread across
the concourse," making it "difficult for fans to get by."
Hale: "People arrived very early, and they seemed to be
eating and drinking a lot more than expected" (SEATTLE TIMES,
7/18). Hale: "It's a new building, with new computer
systems, new point-of-sale systems, so everybody has a
learning curve" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 7/17).
