Aeros on a roll
Posted July 1st, 2007 by Stephanie Storm
The Aeros are 8-2 over their last 10 games, having taking over the best record in the league with a 49-31 mark entering Sunday’s game at Erie.
With the win streak, they’ve stretched their first-place lead in the Southern Division to 3.5 games over the SeaWolves.
Last week, closer Randy Newsom led the league with four saves to make him 11-for-11 in save situations. Hey, even Trevor Crowe had a four-hit game Wednesday in a win at Binghamton.
Then there’s newcomer Chris Gimenez, a catcher/infielder who was called up from Class-A Kinston Friday and homerd in his first game with the Aeros and is hitting. 333 in two games so far.
Before the Aeros left town last Tuesday, manager Tim Bogar talked about how important this long road stretch would be - playing 13 games (two make ups from the beginning of the year against Binghamton) in 11 days. So far, the team has responded in a way that has to have Bogar thinking playoffs will likely be in the team’s future this season.
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
I’ll tell you one thing: the concessions prices at Canal Park are ridiculously prohibitive to one’s ability to bring his family to the games. I shall never return unless I hear of a drastic decrease in prices.
July 3rd, 2007 at 6:33 pm
What were you expecting going to a ballpark? They’ve got you. Compare the prices to Jacobs Field or even some of the other minor league parks and they aren’t that bad.
Quite honestly, I’ve never understood the whole concession/parking way of looking as a way of justifying attendance numbers (more at Jacobs Field than Canal Park, in this case). Want to have a moderately priced outing for a family of four? Eat on the way in, park a few blocks away, get some decent $10 seats, and limit your spending to some sodas/water. Add it up:
Tickets- $40
Parking- $4
Fast Food on way in- $20
Sodas/Water- $16
——————————
Total = $80
If you want to bring it down even more, bring juice boxes into the stadium. Concession prices are high in any professional ballpark, if you want to avoid them, you just have to plan ahead to do so.
July 4th, 2007 at 10:45 am
The Beacon Journal ran an article a couple years ago citing a study that showed Canal Park had the highest concession prices in all of the minor leagues. Tickets and parking are reasonable. Concession prices are anything but “minor” league.
July 4th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Paying $80 is cause for grousing at Jacobs Field, let alone Canal Park. And they wonder why baseball is losing popularity, especially among groups like African Americans.
Why would anyone defend those prices at a minor league park?
July 5th, 2007 at 4:50 am
I must be in a time warp on this page. How much different is the cost than going to a movie?
Both major and minor league baseball set attendance records. What difference does ethnicity make? Is it cheaper for other professional sports? When was the last time you went to a Cavs game? A Browns game? OSU football or basketball?
July 5th, 2007 at 9:40 am
80 bucks is about twice as much as I spend when I take my wife and two kids to the movies.
The Cavs and Browns are in major leagues and it seems sillying to be comparing them to an Aeros game. Maybe we should compare prices with OSU baseball, or better yet Akron U.
July 5th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Have to challenge your statement, Larry! If your are telling me that you can buy dinner at a fast food eatery and buy sodas and goodies for everyone along with the tickets for $40 to a first run movie, then I commend your shopping skills. Those type of deals don’t really seem to exist at movie theatres in Akron according to my search on the web.
I guess you are telling me that the Browns are major leage. That would seem to be contradicted by their performance but they are in the NFL. BTW, prices are not significantly different in Columbus and Toledo, other minor league Ohio franchises.
July 5th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Who said anything about a fast food dinner? Movie theaters offer matinees during the day, and lower ticket prices for kids, too.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Actually, having been to Altoona (AA), Erie (AA), Portland (AA), Columbus (AAA), and Buffalo (AAA) the concession prices at Akron are right in line with all the others. They are also not much cheaper than at Jacobs Field. Eastern League rules say you can’t bring anything (food or drink) into the ballpark, however, I have never had any problem bringing in bottled water and small bags of snacks (nuts, trail mix, etc.) The best deal in the park on drinks is a large iced tea from Rico Latte for $2.50.
If you are looking to bring a family to the park, consider coming on Sundays or Wednesdays which are family days. You get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks, and 4 popcorns for $48. Pretty good deal if you ask me. On Sundays, kids get to run the bases after the game, too.
Going to the ballpark can be expensive if you choose for it to be, but it can also be a cheap night of entertainment if you take advantage of the specials that are out there.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Oh, one thing I forgot to add is about the parking. If you park in the old O’neils deck (the one behind the scoreboard on State Street) parking is free Mon-Fri after 6 pm and all day Saturday and Sunday.
I am not affiliated with the team at all, by the way, just love going to games and manage to make 30-40 per year (most by myself) at a cost of around $200.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:09 am
Gee Larry, even when you change the rules you get your head handed to you. Maybe you can learn something from Candace. Then again, maybe not!!!
July 6th, 2007 at 7:51 am
I just reread the original post and realize I had forgotten that Roger had included fast food on the way to the park. My mistake.
My original curiosity in the posts mostly had to do with the motivation behind defending concession prices. They’re ridiculous, just as they are at movie theaters and other venues. Why would someone mind so much that some people know that?
Thanks for the tips Candace.
July 7th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
No problem, larry d. And thanks for the “prop” Norman Banks. I just love baseball (especially minor league, where the guys are MUCH more accessible than they are at the majors……..although, if you go to minor league games and support them and get to “know” them, they will be much more accessible to you at the major league level) These guys are out there living their dream and I believe that if we are out there supporting them, cheering them on, no matter how far they make it, it makes a difference. After all, how many of us really get a chance in life to do what it is we love to do……..and these guys love to play baseball.
As far as the concessions, I have given my opinion on that……….but really, it has no relevance to Stephanie’s original post on this blog about how our “boys” are doing this season. GO AEROS, I want to be there for another championship run
July 8th, 2007 at 7:21 am
I wanted to wait awhile and let you guys duke it out on the price subject since I rarely buy tickets or food at the ballpark being a memeber of the press.
I understand everyone’s frustrations about prices (my family and I go to plenty of minor and major league games) but feel complaining gets us no where. Coming up with ideas to combat a pricy outing - like Candace did - is a positive way to approach the problem. She gave lots of “tips” to cacth a break on tickets, food and parking.
To be fair, I also talked to an Aeros official about the subject and he had a few good points:
1) These days, practically any park fans go to is going to be expensive. The Aeros buy their food products from the same vendors as the Indians. However, in purchasing smaller quantities than the Indians, they don’t get as good of a price discount despite keeping the prices to the fans in line with what the Indians charge.
2) There are a handful of deals at Canal park, especially Dollar Dog Night on Mondays. Plus, there’s Aeros coupons in the local Entertainment Book. For fans looking to save money, come to the “of peak” nights such as Monday through Thursday games.
3) One of the best points this Aeros official made has to do with promotions. He said if you look at the Indians promotions over the last few years, you’ll notice they are doing a lot of the same promotions as the Aeros and Lake County Captains - such as dollar dog nights, scout campouts, kids run the bases, etc. Thus, the minor league teams in this market have made it less expensive to go to an Indians game.
So hopefully, we’ve wrapped up this subject. Going to minor league games might not be as cheap as fans would like, but there are bargains to found.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I go away for a bit and this thread explodes. As a point of reference, my costs were for Jacobs Field, not Canal Park.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
If complaining truly gets us nowhere Stephanie, where can I meet you at the game? Maybe you can smuggle me some of that gourmet spread that the Aeros feed the media.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Alright Baron, you lost me. Did we have a conversation I’ve unaware of?