In DC, Comak & Fenno note ripples from the Nationals' "hot streak to end the season have improved television ratings and season-ticket sales and left executives anticipating a bigger splash in 2012." The number of viewers for MASN Nationals broadcasts in September "was 65 percent higher than this time last season." The net "averaged 38,000 viewers in the DC area and 57,000 in the Mid-Atlantic region for each game this month, compared with 23,000 and 34,500 last season." Nationals COO Andrew Feffer said that season tickets are "being renewed at double the pace of last season," and that a promotion "where fans who buy two season tickets receive two season tickets for free has been particularly popular" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/29).
BALANCING THE BUDGET: In L.A., Mike DiGiovanna reports the Angels "will trim $41 million from their 2011 payroll" during the offseason. The team "has $99 million committed to nine players under contract for 2012, and arbitration-eligible players such as Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar will boost the payroll by about $18 million." The Angels will have "a starting payroll of about $121 million for 2012, one of the highest in baseball." DiGiovanna notes assuming Owner Arte Moreno "doesn't want to surpass this year's record payroll [$142 million], the Angels may have room for one significant free agent" (L.A. TIMES, 9/29).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE? In Arizona, John Faherty notes the NL West champion D'Backs have "averaged 25,795 fans per game this year," placing them 18th of the 30 MLB teams. Texas State Univ.-San Marcos sociology professor Joseph Kotarba said that the "economy may be what kept attendance down." But there are "more complex reasons for why a community may be slow to embrace a team," and one is "the lack of star-power." Faherty notes the fact that the D'Backs "entered the season with low expectations also didn't help" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/29). Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Ernest Hooper writes the Rays' "mind-boggling wild card run should have driven some folks to overcome all obstacles" to attend games. Hooper: "I didn't expect sellouts, but I expected more than 20,000 or so fans per game. The attendance issue remains complex, and that's why I've long defended the area from outside critics, but it seems something has changed" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 9/29). View a complete breakdown of MLB attendance.
