OT: Syracuse Chiefs (Step Up Fans)

[sherrillcuse]

been to 6 games so far this year will probably catch 5 or 6 more before the season is over...

 

[Orangello]

Some cool old pics of McArthur here

http://digitalballparks.com/International/MacArthur.html

 

[Earlwolf]

If the chiefs do end up leaving Syracuss then at least we will provably get a legit outdoor soccer team back.

 

[TexanMark]

If the chiefs do end up leaving Syracuss then at least we will provably get a legit outdoor soccer team back.

It might not be as dire as that. The Chiefs are reporting legit attendance this year. They are not handing out freebie tix like candy. I remember back as a kid the Chiefs used to average about 200,000 fans in the 70's. Still the team should be able to average 4-5,000 IMHO.

 

[Chris02M]

I would definitely make a few games if they weren't affiliated with Washington and instead were with the mets

 

[Eric15]

If Syracuse can get Light Rail or Streetcars and it stops at the Regional Market/Stadium/Bus Station that will help.

Mark, Syracuse had OnTrack from 1994-2007, but it was chronically underused and ended up going bankrupt. I love your idea in theory, but I just don't think Syracuse is large or densely populated enough to support it.

Sometimes I think Syracusans (such as my parents) don't appreciate how unbelievably easy of a city it is to navigate around (and park) by car.

 

[OrangeAl]

I'm cautiously optimistic that things are improving for the Chiefs. Jason is terrific. The attendance numbers stink, but they're accurate; I'm told that the turnstile count is close to double what it was last season, despite the announced attendance not being too far off.

The club's short-term future here is secure; continued winning through this fall and a strong follow-up season next year would be huge. These things take time.

Also, this is always worth repeating: building a ballpark in that location was one of the dumbest goddam decisions you'll ever see. (But I'm still optimistic.)

Why is the location so bad? It's where MacArthur was. It's accessible. It's just not flashy.

 

[GoSU96]

All it takes is a change of attitude. No one is asking CNY'ers to buy season tickets...but nothing wrong grabbing your wife/kid(s) and taking them to the game. I still remember going to games at old MacArthur Stadium with my Dad. The best thing about the stadium is it is a totally safe and fun environment for them.

Buy the cheap seats and have some fun.

Baseball is as dull as dishwater.

 

[Stern]

It might not be as dire as that. The Chiefs are reporting legit attendance this year. They are not handing out freebie tix like candy..

That's the problem. People in this town are so used to going for FREE they don't want to pay now. Unless its $1-Thursday's I know people who won't go to a game unless they get a free ticket. They refuse to pay for a ticket. It is going to take a few years to change the mindset of some in this town that the days of freebies are over.

 

[rrlbees]

That's the problem. People in this town are so used to going for FREE they don't want to pay now. Unless its $1-Thursday's I know people who won't go to a game unless they get a free ticket. They refuse to pay for a ticket. It is going to take a few years to change the mindset of some in this town that the days of freebies are over.

$5 is such a killer.

 

[Stern]

$5 is such a killer.

It's not to me or you. But to some people when they are used to getting something for free they refuse to pay period...even $5. Just the mindset some people have. I don't agree with it but its reality.

 

[TexanMark]

It's not to me or you. But to some people when they are used to getting something for free they refuse to pay period...even $5. Just the mindset some people have. I don't agree with it but its reality.

Bottomline: If you can't afford to pay $5. Park your car on the side streets off Hiawatha and walk. They lost $1M last year. If they can net $2k each night for parking for 60 nights that helps.

 

[TexanMark]

Mark, Syracuse had OnTrack from 1994-2007, but it was chronically underused and ended up going bankrupt. I love your idea in theory, but I just don't think Syracuse is large or densely populated enough to support it.

Sometimes I think Syracusans (such as my parents) don't appreciate how unbelievably easy of a city it is to navigate around (and park) by car.

Destiny is the game changer now...I think it would work now They have to make a stop at Armory though.

 

[Stern]

Bottomline: If you can't afford to pay $5. Park your car on the side streets off Hiawatha and walk. They lost $1M last year. If they can net $2k each night for parking for 60 nights that helps.

Missing the point. It's not about "not being able to afford the $5"...people can afford it. The just feel insulted they are being asked to pay now after getting FREE tickets for years. It's not about the money. It's a mindset that needs to be changed and it will take longer than a year or two.

Not everyone is like this, but some people are weird like that. They get used to getting something for free and they don't want to ever pay for it again.

 

[rrlbees]

Missing the point. It's not about "not being able to afford the $5"...people can afford it. The just feel insulted they are being asked to pay now after getting FREE tickets for years. It's not about the money. It's a mindset that needs to be changed and it will take longer than a year or two. Not everyone is like this, but some people are weird like that. They get used to getting something for free and they don't want to ever pay for it again.

Maybe the person you know, but it's not like tix were "free". They had a lot more nights where you could get freebies someplace but it wasn't every game.

 

[SU2NASA]

It's not to me or you. But to some people when they are used to getting something for free they refuse to pay period...even $5. Just the mindset some people have. I don't agree with it but its reality.

Lousy Democrats.

 

[TexanMark]

Missing the point. It's not about "not being able to afford the $5"...people can afford it. The just feel insulted they are being asked to pay now after getting FREE tickets for years. It's not about the money. It's a mindset that needs to be changed and it will take longer than a year or two.

Not everyone is like this, but some people are weird like that. They get used to getting something for free and they don't want to ever pay for it again.

Never understood that mentality. Oh well they probably see no problem wasting their money on Chips, Beer and Cigarettes.

 

[Stern]

Never understood that mentality. Oh well they probably see no problem wasting their money on Chips, Beer and Cigarettes.

I don't understand it either. But its reality unfortunately

 

[shandeezy7]

Some cool old pics of McArthur here

http://digitalballparks.com/International/MacArthur.html

Man, that place was kind of a dump, eh? But it was our dump, and I loved going there as a kid. Many great memories in that ballpark, including being there in person for two of the eight(?) home runs ever hit to straight away center. Saw Domingo Martinez and Carlos Delgado crush balls over that fence.

 

[OburgCuse]

I know it's not an apples to apples comparison due to the size of city and demographics but I believe Charlotte was last in attendance previously as the team was based out of Fort Mill, SC. This is the first season that they are playing at the new ballpark in downtown (uptown if you're local) Charlotte and now they are leading the league in attendance. I'm not sure if it's just the "new" aspect that is fueling it and it will fade, but I'm thinking not so far entirely. The stadium is beautiful with incredible sight lines of the city (as pictured below from a game that I attended). They have made it more of an "event" where people want to attend to hang out w/ friends, people watch, etc and I believe it helps having vendors from local restaurants as well as a large variety of alcoholic beverages including craft beer from the local breweries. Like mentioned above they have definitely made it a fun experience whether you are white collar uptown workers, 20/30's getting warmed up before going out on the town, or families with young kids. In the past they couldn't give the tickets out to get people in the stands and if you purchased tickets you could basically sit where you wanted to in the previous stadium, but now it's difficult to get a decent priced ticket to even get in the building. Opening night and July 4th games tickets were going over $100 just to get in the building which is crazy for AAA baseball. Anyways it's not a great comparison, but I just wanted to give my 2 cents about the experience here the last couple of years versus this year. (Sadly the team has not stepped up like the attendance )

 

[gocusecaz]

I know it's not an apples to apples comparison due to the size of city and demographics but I believe Charlotte was last in attendance previously as the team was based out of Fort Mill, SC. This is the first season that they are playing at the new ballpark in downtown (uptown if you're local) Charlotte and now they are leading the league in attendance. I'm not sure if it's just the "new" aspect that is fueling it and it will fade, but I'm thinking not so far entirely. The stadium is beautiful with incredible sight lines of the city (as pictured below from a game that I attended). They have made it more of an "event" where people want to attend to hang out w/ friends, people watch, etc and I believe it helps having vendors from local restaurants as well as a large variety of alcoholic beverages including craft beer from the local breweries. Like mentioned above they have definitely made it a fun experience whether you are white collar uptown workers, 20/30's getting warmed up before going out on the town, or families with young kids. In the past they couldn't give the tickets out to get people in the stands and if you purchased tickets you could basically sit where you wanted to in the previous stadium, but now it's difficult to get a decent priced ticket to even get in the building. Opening night and July 4th games tickets were going over $100 just to get in the building which is crazy for AAA baseball. Anyways it's not a great comparison, but I just wanted to give my 2 cents about the experience here the last couple of years versus this year. (Sadly the team has not stepped up like the attendance )

View attachment 17595

Just got back from vacation which included a trip to the new stadium in Charlotte. The night I went to the game was the fifth of July in which they set a new attendance mark after only 45 home dates. Capacity for the stadium is about 10,200, but I'm not sure if that includes SRO tickets. They have a double level stadium club behind home plate and 22 private boxes with seats in front. There is only one level of seats that wraps around from right field corner to the left field corner with a few seats inside the foul poles. Field box seats go for $16, home run seats $14, SRO home run porch are $10 and SRO are $8. The SRO home run porch is just inside the right field pole second level. The rest of the SRO is first level between the foul poles including a bank in left center field. Bring a blanket and hang out. The night we went we could only get SRO seats. We stood on the home run porch for $12 per, because they charge an extra $2 day of the game. I know it was a big holiday weekend, but the box seats were only about 80% full. Don't know if this is normal. As far as parking goes, there were plenty of lots within easy walking distance as the Panther's stadium is about 2 or 3 blocks away. I think most lots charged $5. It was a nice experience seeing a different AAA stadium in an urban setting. Downtown Syracuse would have been nice, but people bitch about the parking at the dome so I feel like it might have been a nightmare here.

 

[Millhouse]

Man, that place was kind of a dump, eh? But it was our dump, and I loved going there as a kid. Many great memories in that ballpark, including being there in person for two of the eight(?) home runs ever hit to straight away center. Saw Domingo Martinez and Carlos Delgado crush balls over that fence.

that is a great site. mcarthur looks like camden yards compared to where i spent a couple hundred nights

http://digitalballparks.com/NYPenn/Dwyer1.html

 

[SWC75]

It's the best bargain in town. You get to choose which of 72 games you feel like attending, instead of tonight or today being the time of a particular game and if the weather stinks or you have something else to do, so what? (That's a comparison to SU games.) The ballpark is a great place to spend a summer evening, watching a ballgame and the sunset. It catches whatever breeze there is, (the corner of the concourse at the end of the third base line is always a cool place to be). $5 bucks for parking and the same for the Skydeck, (my preferred location),and maybe $10 for concession s: a 20 dollar bill will do it for you. I've been to half dozen games and will go to 3-4 more before the end of the regular season and then hopefully some playoff games.

I think refusing to go to the games because they didn't build the ballpark someplace else 17 years ago is lame. It's very easy to get to and Destiny USA is right across the street. They should probably make a deal with Destiny where a Chiefs ticket is a coupon for a purchase at Destiny and a receipt form Destiny is a coupon for a Chief's ticket. They could also make the Hank Sauer Room a restaurant people would want to come to to dine in whether there was a game there or not. (That's what it was supposed to be per the original publicity for the ballpark.)

But the big thing is winning. We'be gone 16 years since we made the playoffs and 20 years since we had a home playoff game, (thanks to the Labor Day Storm in '98). It's hard to maintain much of a fan base when a generation has grown up with the Chiefs being irrelevant. it's going to take 2-3 playoff seasons to turn this around. The crowds that have been drawn for the Strasburg games show that there are plenty of baseball fans in CNY. You just have to give them something to be excited about.

 

[SWC75]

They don't have a "bar" per se, but they have at least one "stand" where you can buy alcoholic drinks and not just beer. The one I know of is on the concourse between sections 202 and 204. There's also the Hank Bauer Room which is the restaurant. They have a bar too.

Hank Bauer:

Hank Sauer:

Maybe if the Yankees come back they'll call it the Hank Bauer room.

 

[OttoMets]

It's the best bargain in town. You get to choose which of 72 games you feel like attending, instead to tonight or toady being the time of a particular game and if the weather stinks you have something else to do, so what, (that's a comparison to SU games). The ballpark is a great place to spend a summer evening, watching a ballgame and the sunset. it catches whatever breeze there is, (the corner of the concourse at the end of the third base line is always a cool place to be). $5 bucks for parking and the same for the Skydeck, (my preferred location). I've been to half dozen games and will go to 3-4 more before the end of the regular season and then hopefully some playoff games.

I think refusing to go to the games because they didn't build the ballpark someplace else 17 years ago is lame. It's very easy to get to and Destiny USA is right across the street. They should probably make a deal with Destiny where a Chiefs ticket is a coupon for a purchase at Destiny and a receipt form Destiny is a coupon for a Chief's ticket. They could also make the Hank Sauer Room a restaurant people would want to come to to dine in where there was a game there or not. (That's what it was supposed to be per the original publicity for the ballpark.)

But the big thing is winning. We'be gone 16 years since we made the playoffs and 20 years since we had a home playoff game, (thanks to the Labor Day Storm in '98). It's hard to maintain much of a fan base when a generation have grown up with the Chiefs being irrelevant. it's going to take 2-3 playoff seasons to turn this around. The crowds that have been drawn for the Strasburg games show that there are plenty of baseball fans in CNY. You just have to give them something to be excited about.

I don't think anyone refuses to attend Chiefs games to spite them for building the ballpark in the wrong place; it's more that driving up to the North Side isn't part of my regular social routine. It's more of a destination event, where a downtown stadium would be incorporated into other activities.

But you're right that it's nice to go to the games. Even on Tuesday (which was absolutely miserable at 92 degrees and humid), the ballpark was breezy and comfortable. Fun to watch the Pawtucket pitcher take a no-hitter into the fifth.