The Tigers, who have attracted crowds of over 30,000 at
Comerica Park only twice this season, are averaging only
25,756 fans per game at their new ballpark while the Astros
and Giants, who also have new facilities, are "frequently
sold out," according to Michael Rosenberg of the DETROIT
FREE PRESS. Although the Tigers "already have sold more
than" 1.8 million tickets this season and are on pace to
draw over 2 million fans, Rosenberg writes that the Tigers'
crowd of 31,529 against the Royals Wednesday "was an
indication of the lure of the new ballpark -- and, in a
small way, the deterrent of the old team." Meanwhile, the
Astros "have drawn at least" 32,000 to Enron Field for every
home game, and the Giants "have played before nothing but
sellouts" at Pac Bell Park. Rosenberg writes that although
the Tigers may "look like a cinch for success this year" in
the ticket office, "things might change in the future"
because 1.7 million of the tickets were sold before Opening
Day (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/12).
POWER OUTAGE? The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sam Walker
profiles the deep dimensions of Comerica Park's field in a
front page story and writes that the Tigers have hit only
six HRs in 13 home games this season after finishing fourth
in the AL in HRs last year. Tigers President John McHale:
"We're outcasts. We like games that are low-scoring."
Walker writes that the team, which offered RF Juan Gonzalez
a $140M contract earlier this year, "believes its big field
will keep it from having to spend Cadillac dollars on power
hitters in future years." More McHale: "The idea is to
operate profitably." The Tigers "are also betting that fans
are going to start missing the days when games were won with
fundamentals" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/12).
