The Indians' attendance of 1,145,825 through 53 games at Progressive Field is up "substantially from last year, when attendance was 1,391,644, the smallest total in 18 years," according to Sheldon Ocker of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. The team has been "on top of its division or a close second all season, and after a rainy month of May, the weather has generally been pleasant." Indians Exec VP/Business Dennis Lehman said, "Overall, our attendance has been OK. Of course, we have a long way to go." The Indians "used a figure of 1.35 million when they formulated a budget for 2011." With "slightly more than 1.4 million tickets already sold and 28 dates remaining, the current projection of 1.75 million would be an increase of nearly 400,000." Ocker noted the team "probably will have to stay in the race well into September to reach that total, and the Tribe plays only one home weekend series next month." Promotions are "an important part of the package to please the fans." The Indians earlier this season "sponsored a postgame concert by the band Lifehouse," and Lehman said, "I think we might do more concerts. I don't know how many, but we looked at 10 to 12 groups this year" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 8/2).
