Slippery Slope: Fans, Local Media Voice Displeasure As Rockies Tumble In Standings

The Rockies "stink but somewhat remarkably continue to draw well, ranking 13th overall in baseball attendance despite having fallen 21 games under .500," according to Benjamin Hochman of the DENVER POST. The Rockies' losing record "leaves fans who go to Coors for more than a social event -- the ones who actually know the players and follow the strategy -- looking for other ways to express their displeasure." Two fans recently "were spotted at Coors wearing paper bags over their heads, one of the bags reading: 'YEAR OF THE FAN??' -- in retrospect, a bad slogan for the Rockies to adopt this year." Denver's KCKK-AM radio host Peter Burns "is having T-shirts made that read 'Road to 100.'" Rockies fan Julian Mitchell said, "I was at the game against the Angels and Bob Apodaca stared me down as I screamed, 'You're the best pitching coach in the MLB, Bob!' Shortly after, I was pulled aside by security. I was told that if I continued to yell I would be ejected. That's the kind of club we have where the unhappy fans are silenced if they express their frustrations." Hochman writes fans "don't have carte blanche to vent" at Coors Field. Rockies VP/Communications & PR Jay Alves said, "As a security measure, post-9/11, any clothing which conceals a guest's face is prohibited, including but not limited to, costumes and masks. That would include bags over a guest's head." He added, "The fans can say as much as they want, and the die-hards can not go, but there's always going to be a packed stadium. It's just a good place to hang, and tickets are moderately affordable" (DENVER POST, 7/19).

BIG RED MACHINE: In Cincinnati, John Fay notes the Reds "are on pace to draw" 127,078 more fans than last year. At $25 a ticket, that "would add $3.2 million to [the] bottom line." The Reds "are now on pace to draw 2,340,576 overall," which would "fall just short of breaking the Great American Ball Park record" of 2,355,259 set in the venue's inaugural season of '03. Reds' attendance has "built steadily since bottoming out" at 1,747,919 in '09. The team's '10 attendance was 2,060,550, then 2,213,498 last year (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/19).