Crowd for Astros-Rays Game 3 1st Pitch at Tropicana Field in St. Pete is Pathetic
By Adam Weinrib
We...we can't deal with much more of this. With their playoff lives on the line on Monday, and with their ace on the mound in Charlie Morton, the crowd ahead Tampa Bay's Game 3 showdown with Houston checked in at...mid-week regular season game levels, just before the game's first pitch. Remind me why this is the city where we're forced to watch baseball be played, instead of somewhere else exciting?
It's Monday afternoon. I understand. A difficult time to pack the house for a playoff baseball game if ever there was one, especially down 0-2. But, other cities have managed it, over the years. I guarantee first pitch looks far more raucous in St. Louis at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. For all the mockery those fans have earned over the years for calling themselves the "Best Fans in Baseball," they're sure as hell about to put a shame to this quiet gathering of acquaintances.
So, what's the solution here? Will a new, non-biodome stadium fix this? Or is it time for a drastic move to Montreal or Charlotte?
I know my answer. Nothing about this is pleasant. I'd prefer a locale without very-much-in-play catwalk rings hovering above the playing field.