pan6467

There's a lot to that though. Worst economy in the States is here in NE Ohio, Hoover closing, Timken leaving, the tire and car companies getting rid of workers, the mom and pops that were built up are hurting (although it is starting to strengthen). Yeah, cheap tickets maybe $10 or so, but then you figure parking, food (since you can't take anything but water in) and gas you're looking at $50 or so. May not sound like much but you can only do it a couple times a season and NE Ohio is losing population, so there's the big reason. Look at the theme parks, Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, King's Island they are struggling big time because population is leaving and the economy in the area sucks, but again it is getting better and next year hopefully we'll see some true growth in it.

More home games are televised, and the ratings have been going through the roof, which means the interest is definately there.This last home series has sold out, and I believe even though they aren't guaranteed to even be in it, playoff tickets went fast. So the fans are there and hyped up, just this was unexpected, no one planned for it and that shrinking disposable income had already been spent by the time the Tribe showed what they could do.

Then you have an owner that is blamed for tearing the team up (wasn't his fault, entirely) and yes, he has been very, very cheap and a lot of the criticisms towards him are justified..... However, he and Shapiro deserve props for rebuilding as fast as they have and making baseball exciting again. It's just this season started slow, and people had spent money in other places.

Downtown and the Flats are not as safe and have gone to shit. You can't go to the flats after the games and party, 1) crime is too high and 2) there's nothing really there anymore. The party and joyous atmosphere has left, but as the Tribe wins and people return developers will come back.

In the 90's everything fell into place, the Flats were rocking, Nautica had the giant TV screens to watch the games, the Jake was new, with a great team in the Indians, there was no football to compete with, no Cavs with King James to compete with and the economy was much better.

Cleveland is a very cyclical town, and a town where old money for a very, very long time had kept them down and prevented growth.

The old money is dying off and they have some great ideas to bring the town alive again. Gateway and Tower City and the Flats and Warehouse Districts can thrive but they need to get apartments built up, get tougher on the crime in the area and find ways to pump money into the area so people will come back downtown. (I know this sounds bad but, drunk driving laws also have a lot to do with it..... who in the suburbs or Akron wants to go to a game or downtown now and get busted for DUI because they had a few beers. They can watch the games at the corner bar and drive a short distance home.)

And they are on their way to doing that. The thing about the 90's they had that going on and it rocked, CLEVELAND was a very serious party, good time rockin town. But the economy went south and this area is always the first to get hit hardest and one of the last to recover. BUT we are coming on strong, we just need to find something other than manufacturing as our economic stronghold.


My personal beef is with WTAM and Trivissonno being complete asswipes about "if you don't go you don't deserve to be a fan" and other blackmail BS. You don't get fans in by threatening and calling them names.... if anything you inspire contempt and resentments. Triv needs to lighten up and sell next season.

Plus you have the owner saying he won't put money in if fans don't come..... well true it's a business and he needs to try to make money, but if you can't put a decent team that people want to see on the field no one will come and then you end up in a serious downward spiral (which was what happened to Cleveland in the 50's-94). So Dolan needs to show the fans he will get the needed pieces and put some money into the team now (and he just needs to get a power hitter and resign Millwood or get a Burnett and re sign Elarton (who was not a great pitcher but knew how to win games). Prove his critics wrong.

Next season is when you judge the fan base, but you also have to keep prices very fair, keep in mind the economy is still very sluggish but is slowly coming around. If games don't start selling out and you only sell averages of 20,000 for next season, then you worry. But I have a feeling you'll see us selling 32 - 35,000 games easy. IF Dolan can keep prices reasonable.

If the games sell like I think they will and the economy shapes up, Downtown and the Flats will rock again, the cycle of the 90's will be back in full swing in a year or 2.

And if they build up the lakefront and Burke Airport ....... CLeveland truly will become a powerhouse again and stay one for a long time.

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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"