Fenway-area businesses are hoping new, young Red Sox blood will deliver wins and customers after last year's worst season since 1965 proved a game-changer for their bottom lines.
"We're feeling really positive," said Garrett Harker, owner of Kenmore Square restaurant Eastern Standard. "We've gotten to know the manager, and I think he's going to be the polar opposite of the way things felt last year. And, clearly, the team has some scrappy young players."
Fan interest hit rock bottom last August and September, leading to a drop in business for Eastern Standard.
"There just wasn't the intensity for the pregame and around the ball games," Harker said. "Rather than the crowd that might order a rib eye and bottles of wine, it was more burgers and beers."
Ace Ticket, the Sox' official ticket reseller, expects that hangover from last season will end the team's sellout streak — in place since May 2003 — this month.
"People are just not enthusiastic enough to carry the team during a bad weather day in April," founder and CEO Jim Holzman said. "We find ourselves with some excessive inventory. These have been the lowest prices we've seen in three years."
Opening-day bleacher and right-field grandstand seats that were $95 last year are now $70, and box seats that were $150 are $125.
"People who buy now are going to be happy they bought them when it was a deal," Holzman said.
Tomorrow's home game against Baltimore will be the 66th year that 86-year-old Arthur D'Angelo, founder of the Red Sox Team Store on Yawkey Way, has worked Opening Day.
"Although the team finished poorly last year, there's always optimism, because you never know," said his son, Bobby D'Angelo.
D'Angelo acknowledges it's frustrating that the family's business is contingent on the Sox's performance, noting last year was "not fun."
"But it's our lives, and it's a marathon," he said. "You can't worry about one year. How many years were there before 2004?"
D'Angelo expects Jackie Bradley Jr. merchandise will be the top sellers this season, because fans gravitate toward youthful players. But if the Sox slide into another funk, the store has a fallback, particularly with fans of opposing teams.
"The one great thing about our business is not only are we selling the Red Sox, we're selling Fenway Park," D'Angelo said.
Chef Tiffani Faison's season outlook may not be popular with fans.
"You hope for a great team every year, obviously, but there's some upsides when the team isn't so great," said Faison, owner of Sweet Cheeks barbecue restaurant. "When we're not as great, there's some hope that people hang out a little more, eat a little more, drink a little more, because they're not in a rush to get to the park. So we're hoping for late-season greatness after the All-Star break."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Fenway hopes to ring in a homer
Dengan url
http://jiwalelakiasli.blogspot.com/2013/04/fenway-hopes-to-ring-in-homer.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Fenway hopes to ring in a homer
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Fenway hopes to ring in a homer
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar