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The Wild Things had hoped that moving the start time for home games up 30 minutes to 6:35 p.m. would boost attendance and keep people in the ballpark during the later innings, especially on weeknights. It did neither as the Wild Things' attendance dipped for the fourth consecutive year.
Washington averaged a franchise-low 2,431 fans per game, a decline of 205 from last year and far off the franchise-high of 3,552 set in 2003. Yes, Consol Energy Park has become a place with plenty of extra leg and elbow room.
The Wild Things played their final home game of the season Sunday, a 4-2 loss to Joliet. Washington will conclude its 10th season in the Frontier League with six road games beginning tonight at Lake Erie.
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Stu Williams, a partner in Washington Frontier League Baseball, which owns the Wild Things, said 6:35 was simply too early for some fans, especially those who work until late in the afternoon, to get to the ballpark on time, or at all. On most nights, fans seemed to enter the ballpark in two shifts. Many would arrive shortly after the gates opened at 5:30, while others would hurriedly enter around 7 p.m., and wouldn't get to their seats until the second or third inning.
Williams hopes that the later start, along with improvements in the game-day experience for fans, will help stop the Wild Things' pattern of declining attendance.
"It would be foolish to say having fewer people in the park is all right," Williams said. "But am I concerned about the attendance? No, because I'm optimistic about what we can do, the potential we have. I'm confident attendance will begin to show that potential.
"If you put on the right show, attendance is going to follow. The show we put on seven years ago had a pop. That hasn't happened for several years. I'm committed to making that pop happen again. And we'll do that by putting together the right program."
Williams points to improved fireworks shows during the second half of this season as one such change that can boost attendance.
"We made a significant commitment to improving the fireworks, and it showed," Williams said. "Word got out about that. Last (Friday), for all intents and purposes, we were out of playoff contention. Nevertheless, we had a nice crowd (3,338) on a fireworks night. The fireworks took a step up in the second half, and we noticed the Friday attendance going up."
The Wild Things are assured of finishing below the .500 mark for the third consecutive year. Washington hasn't been in the playoffs since 2007.
In Western Pennsylvania, unless your team is called the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing and poor attendance usually go together like peanut butter and jelly.
In minor-league baseball, Williams says, that's not the case. Winning doesn't have a major impact on attendance.
"It attracts a very small percentage of people," Williams said. "One of the things I've always wondered about is, how much do I have to educate people about the Frontier League? Sure, it's about baseball, but it's more about affordable family fun.
"We still have $5 tickets. For $5.50, kids can have a quarter-pound hot dog, bag of chips and a drink. For $50, a family of four can have a a nice night out and family entertainment."
For the first time in three years, the Wild Things won't have the largest drop in attendance in the Frontier League. That dishonor will go to the West Division champion River City Rascals, perhaps proving Williams' point about winning baseball not significantly impacting the turnstile count.
While Williams is confident of the Wild Things' ability to turn around the alarming trend of declining attendance, he also wants to see the Wild Things win more often. He declined to say if current manager Darin Everson and his coaching staff will return for a third season in 2012.
"Am I committed to winning and getting back to the playoffs? You better believe it," he said.
Sports Editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com
