Red Sox fans offered insight to why attendance at Fenway Park is continuing to lag despite the team being in first place in the AL East, and the majority of responders "felt the cost of tickets and the overall experience are the biggest reasons Fenway attendance is down just under 3,000 fans per game this year," according to Nick Cafardo of the BOSTON GLOBE. But Cafardo writes, "Here's the reason I don't fully buy that -- the Red Sox have always had the highest or among the highest ticket prices in baseball." Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy said that they "have not increased ticket prices for two seasons and haven't increased them in three of the last five seasons." He said, "The seats that aren't selling are the lower-priced seats -- bleachers, grandstand, standing room." Cafardo writes it appears the "big tickets are going fine, but the 'cheap' seats aren't." It was "surprising how many feedback comments Thursday mentioned the ballpark being a problem." It seems the "afterglow" from the $300M in improvements "doesn't cut it anymore." In addition, "old complaints have resurfaced, such as the tight fit of the seats for people larger than 6 feet tall." But Cafardo again asks, "Why hasn't this very good, exciting team been enough to recapture those 3,000 fans per game that represent the decrease in attendance?" Fenway Park ushers are "amazed at the number of people who leave in the seventh inning, regardless of whether the team is ahead or behind." Sox fans are "still mad about Terry Francona being let go," or mad that Bobby Valentine "was ever hired." On Thursday night, the right-field boxes and grandstand "were relatively barren" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/30).
