[worth]

The Opener sold 2,093 tickets ro something close to that. And thats sold tickets, not actual attendance. Here's a letter I wrote to the local media.

The Vipers started their third season of Baseball in Calgary this weekend. I’m a casual fan, and I use that term loosely since I only went to one game last year, but I decided to go with a friend to the home opener on Friday, and the second game of their current series on Saturday. I can tell you without a work of a lie that I had a great time at both games, and so did the crowd. The Vipers lost their home opener, but came storming back on Saturday with an exciting 9th inning comeback win. Announced attendance on Friday was just over 2,000 and on Saturday, which was a beautiful afternoon for a baseball game, was 1,400.

The current owner has put millions of dollars into upgrading Foothills stadium. The Vipers have the largest video screen in the Northern League, and recently spent over $1 million to install new seats so that every seat now has a back, as well as new club seats. I have had discussions with friends, and some say the ownerships priorities are in the wrong order. That upgrading the washroom facilities and concessions are more important that the adequate seating that was in place. In addition the new club seating installed is not the way to attract corporate clients like a box up top would. Even so, sitting and listening to the owners opening remarks on Friday before that game made me feel very sorry for him. He has put his own money into providing the community with an upgraded facility in trying to bring in more people and better atmosphere for the fans, yet the city doesn’t seem to care.

Is this city a one sport town? I hear constant hockey talk about the Flames, and how they could sell an ungodly number of tickets for every game, yet the roughnecks offer a great entertainment package and can only average 10,000, the Stamps should be sold out every game in my opinion, and the Vipers, as the season goes on, may only average a few hundred like the previous two years.

A lot of people say baseball is boring, and I can understand where their coming from. I don’t watch too much baseball on TV myself. But the baseball that is offered in this city provides people the chance to get out into the sunshine for a few hours, sit back and have a hot dog and beer and watch a team that has got off to a spectacular 7-3 start to the season.

I truly hope that there will always be some kind of baseball in this city, because I know there are baseball fans out there. How AAA teams have died off in this country is very sad. A few more seasons like last year where 200 people show up for a game, and there won’t be any professional baseball in the city ever again.

The fans that were at the games this weekend were great and the team is off to their best start ever and lead the entire league in wins. The ownership has committed to the fans by putting money into Foothills Stadium and upgrading many amenities. It’s time for sports fans in Calgary to embrace this team, along with the other teams in this city like we do the Flames. I can’t imagine what the players that play for the Vipers feel about coming home after a road trip when they play in front only a handful of die hards. The team is winning, (overlooking the drubbing yesterday), there is hardly a better value in the city, (admission, 2 beer and 2 Spolumbos for $24), and what’s better than sitting on a nice sunny afternoon having a beer and watching the game?