tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233369948762796892.post863686123747642191..comments2024-03-27T14:27:58.704+09:00Comments on Sports Road Trips: Chiba Lotte Marines 1 at Yomiuri Giants 2 - Eastern League - August 9, 2010Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295842980635968770noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233369948762796892.post-53759439832918803602010-08-18T14:17:16.596+09:002010-08-18T14:17:16.596+09:00I did know that PGE Park was becoming a soccer fie...I did know that PGE Park was becoming a soccer field, but didn't realize that they failed to get a new ballpark. Looks like the Beavers will be moving to California, which sucks for the Northwest. <br /><br />Your Fighters had a few players at both games yesterday. I understand the reasoning behind it but a truly separate ni-gun team with promotions and demotions is more interesting for me. <br /><br />Interesting point that the success of the ichi-gun team affects the ni-gun attendance, hadn't considered that.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05218333922385511590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233369948762796892.post-16955299261287969612010-08-16T19:22:46.581+09:002010-08-16T19:22:46.581+09:00(sorry, I've been in the US the last few weeks...(sorry, I've been in the US the last few weeks -- did you know PGE Park won't be a baseball field next year and the Portland Beavers apparently will have to move? I just discovered that when I went there yesterday...)<br /><br />I know that one reason they do daytime minor league games is actually so players can get in extra practice. It's not unusual for a guy to get a few ABs in a ni-gun game in the afternoon and then actually play in the ichi-gun game in the evening, if the teams are close enough together (obviously the Fighters don't do this much, but Lotte and Seibu and Yakult often do). Kind of a long work day, but well, this is Japan after all :)<br /><br />You're right that I missed your point. Though... I don't think it's Shonan's separate name that is the problem. I bet if Yokohama didn't suck right now, a lot more people would be going to the games at both ichi-gun and ni-gun. I know that nobody came to Kamagaya when the Fighters were perennial losers either, but their move to Hokkaido coupled with their success has made the middle-of-nowhere ni-gun field a popular place for Kanto Fighters fans to flock to.<br /><br />Personally I'd rather watch the Searex than the Baystars right now anyway, but I'm weird :)Deannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11951797747122213407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233369948762796892.post-6915133474671265982010-08-13T11:03:28.002+09:002010-08-13T11:03:28.002+09:00Thanks as usual for your comments. I think you mis...Thanks as usual for your comments. I think you missed my point though. I was saying that minor league ball doesn't appeal to a large segment of the population in Japan unless established names are used. This was referring to the Searex returning to the Bay Stars name, a development which I find a bit depressing. I would like to see 12 (or even 24) minor league teams with different, non-corporate names, but it isn't going to happen if not even 1 team can make the change.<br /><br />No doubt the large crowd on Monday was due to an affordable Giants game in the Dome (plus the promotional aspect which I didn't know about) but I wonder if you would get the same turnout if the team names were entirely different.<br /> <br />Of course there are fans that go to the ni-gun games and 5,000 on a holiday afternoon is a nice turnout, but the exception. As you say, it is the convenience factor for the teams that drives the minors here. Weekday games are not convenient for the average fan and attendance is much lower than it otherwise could be were the games played in the evenings. You are probably right about Lotte though, which is a sad situation in that such high-quality baseball is not a profitable enterprise.<br /><br />SeanSeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05218333922385511590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233369948762796892.post-24475039769811596762010-08-12T17:38:27.899+09:002010-08-12T17:38:27.899+09:00Actually, minor league ball appeals to a lot of pe...Actually, minor league ball appeals to a lot of people, especially those who like to actually meet players and get signatures. (Which I know you've observed before.) I've been sad that I can only go to weekend minor-league games now because they're always too crowded -- I like going to the Fighters games in Kamagaya, but the last chance I had was over the holiday weekend and I knew there'd be over 5000 people per game.<br /><br />The 17k attendance doesn't surprise me at all -- first off, they were heavily advertising this thing, AND they had coupons to make it super-cheap, like 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for kids. I was given a coupon at the Tokyo Dome several weeks ago. Second, this is the GIANTS in the Tokyo Dome. It doesn't matter if it's ni-gun, people will go see it. I remember being at a preseason Giants-Tigers game at the Tokyo Dome a year or two ago with 30,000 people in attendance, on a Monday night!<br /><br />But I think this in particular appeals even more because it's cheap Giants games indoors in the summer and your entire family can go for the price of one normal ticket to a Giants game, and if you get there early you can be right on the field!<br /><br />I think the minor league games are where they are because of convenience for the team; usually a minor league stadium is also where the dormitory is, so some of the young players literally pretty much live and breathe baseball. So it isn't just a matter of finding a stadium in some of these cases... and to be fair, for example, I'm pretty sure Lotte pays nothing to run their minor-league games in Urawa and as a result makes nothing from it. Which may be better than losing money on a bigger stadium and charging admission. <br /><br />I dunno, I'm rambling.Deannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11951797747122213407noreply@blogger.com