I encourage you to read the whole article here - it is a fun read with Bill's insights on baseball, the Royals, rookies and players past and present.The “we” to which he refers is the Kansas City Royals. Carle has a one-half share in a pair of Royals season tickets; he goes to somewhere between 40 and 50 games a year, augmenting his allotment with individual tickets for the games he doesn’t want to miss. He has seen a lot of losses.
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Bill Carle is not the average baseball fan; a former member of the national board of the Society for American Baseball Research, he is more devoted than most. His interests in the game go beyond root-root-rooting for the home team, but he is nonetheless passionate about a team that’s the embodiment of Major League Baseball’s inequities.
The size of the Kansas City television market puts a limit on the Royals’ potential revenue. They cannot charge prices comparable to what the Yankees can command for tickets. Their best hope is to put together a young team and see it develop, but that requires rare acumen and judgment.
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He’s seen some good days, too, since moving to the Kansas City area in 1978: the World Series win over the Cardinals in 1985; the playoff sweep against the Yankees in 1980; the day that Brett announced his retirement, then hit the game-winning home run in extra innings. The emergence of Zack Greinke last season.
Then there are the other satisfactions: “I’ve actually had the beer man give me some free ones because I’m such a regular customer,” he says. “When you know the beer man by name, you know you’ve gone to a lot of games.”
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On Sunday, Bill and his wife Valerie will be in their accustomed seats in the upper deck directly behind home plate, Section 417, Row C, Seats 1 and 2. “I always go to the last game of the season,” he told me. “I have to say goodbye to my seats. I like to sit there and think about next year.
Coincidentally, I went to a Royals game last night with my buddy Dan and had a blast. Really, what is not to like about baseball, hot dogs, peanuts and a pale ale? It was only the second game for me this year but reading about Bill's love for the game and the Royals makes me think I will try to make a few more games next year. But I doubt that I will go enough to know the beer man's name.
Are you a sports fan? How many games do you attend each season?
This is the first time in years that I didn't go to at least one baseball game. Going to a game is fun, even if the team really really sucks
ReplyDeleteI am a sports fan. I primarily love football. Since I am now (since 1989)in Washington, I am a Seattle Seahawks fan, accept when they play my beloved 49ers.
ReplyDeleteI follow the Mariners and have gone to quite a few Mariners games, however, to be honest, between my work schedule, finances, ministry responsibilities, family, price of tickets, and the 3 hour one way drive to Seattle, I haven't gone in the 5 1/2 years I have lived in Southwest Washingon.
But you are right, hotdogs, peanuts, baseball, and Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar Pale Ale, how can it get any better?
I love sports too. My mother said that when she married my daddy that if she did not learn to love baseball, she would be a baseball widow. I sort of followed in her path. When I was young, the Boston Braves had their spring training in our town. Now we have the Pittsburgh Pirates. And we have the Tampa Bay Rays close by. A group of five of us ladies have the smallest package of season tickets one can buy. We sit in the upper deck or the air conditioned dome and enjoy quite a few games during the year.
ReplyDeleteI love football too...mostly college.
We are Big sports fan... mostly from in front of the TV.
ReplyDeleteFootball, basketball, tennis, golf, boxing if it's a good match, but living most of our lives in So. CA. the Dodgers are my team.
We were living down here is the hay day of Don Drisdell, Sandy Colfax, Steve Carvey, Ron Cey...I was working at Witco Chemical, and had a generous boss that let us use his season tickets several time...I'll never forget those games.
I enjoyed reading about your friend. That for the love of the game!!
@jrchaard - I agree. Spending a few bucks to watch a bad baseball team is a lot different than spending megabucks to watch a bad NFL team.
ReplyDelete@Gregg - One day I might get out your way a try Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar Pale Ale. Until then we have a local Pale Ale that is pretty good.
@Bev - Those season tickets sounds like a lot of fun.
@Wanda - My old brother (8 years older than me) loved the Dodgers until they broke his heart by leaving New York City.. maybe they are the same team you speak of? :)