In 2011 Cleveland failed to draw 2 million, only six teams in all of MLB finished below them in average home attendance. Meanwhile the team finished 16 out of 30 teams in W-L pct., right in the middle of the pack. We can only live on those 455 sellouts in the 90′s for so long. The franchise is slowly falling towards the level of the 1960′s. How much longer before we hear talk about moving? The weather sucks too often, the team isn’t consistent and the fans feel like Dolan just can’t or won’t do what they need to win. But that doesn’t cut it. There are always tickets available for a discount of some sort or at below face value on the “secondary market.” No, in this economy an unemployed person can’t take the family to a game, but there are an awful lot of other people who can afford it but, for whatever reason, just don’t feel like going to the old ballgame. I agree with Chris Perez 100%

I love sports but I’m proud to say that every year I spend less and less on it.

Try walking your ass over to the dugout one of these games and have a chat with Sandy Alomar, Jr. Ask him what Cleveland fans are capable of, what it was like when he was your age, playing to a packed house, on a perennial contender. Ask him about the goose bumps he got when they raised that AL Championship flag. Ask him about playing on a team that had Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez batting in the bottom third of the order. Forget Beltran. most any player would sign with the reigning champs if given the opportunity. Being in a small market, Cleveland has to overpay to get these players. Everyone knows this except, apparently, the owners. Just do your job, Chris. All you have accomplished is to guarantee you will be booed longer and louder. That’s it.

The Cleveland Browns were gone from December 24, 1995 to September 12, 1999.

So basically, the sellout streak lasted for 4 1/2 seasons and of those 4 1/2 seasons, the Browns were active for 1 1/2 of them.

The majority of that sold out streak was when the Browns were still in Cleveland.

Most teams that go from lousy to good need at least one good year in the books followed by a 2nd good year. In the case the the ever rebuilding Shapiro-Antonetti duo, they have been doing their rebuilding for 10 years and have never finished over .500 for 2 years in a row. They came within one game of the WS in 2007, and with the Dolan’s giving out their BS about spending when the team can win, why did Shapiro make NO MOVES to improve on the 2007 team? Instead he dismantled it trading away CC and Cliff Lee – 2 Cy Young award winners (the only time in the history of MLB that a team ever did that) for a few 2nd rate utility players.

And what team in MLB tells their fans that they can only contend once or twice every five years? And what GM tells their fans that 2012 is the first of a “2 year window” to win? So what’s the deal – do they do the next blow-it-up after the 2013 season? Why even bother thinking of getting season tickets or giving this team any loyalty?

Anyone in their right mind think that Lowe will be with the Indians after his contract runs out this year? Anyone in their right mind think that Ubaldo will be with the Indians after his contract runs out in 2013? Anyone in their right mind think that Scott Boras will let Choo resign in Cleveland when his contract is up? And on and on……

Forbes magazine says that last year the Indians made $30 million, more then any other team in MLB. Did they go out and get a few right handed run producing bats that they really need? (last year when they needed a right handed run producing bat and said they were looking for one in the stretch run, they let Delbert Young go unclaimed on waivers – the Tigers signed him, and Young hit .300 for the rest of the season and .300 in the playoffs).

And look at this team.They are CONTENDERS and are IN FIRST PLACE. Has anyone looked at their softball schedule which is about to even out? The team is in first place in the worst division in MLB, with 23 wins. But look closer – only FOUR (4) of those 23 wins have come against teams with winning records.

When the players show they’re for real and won’t implode when the pressure is turned up, when the front office shows that they don’t suckered in 4 out of 5 trades and maybe can draft a few players (currently the Indians have no real prospects in AA or AAA ball, and are their farm system was just ranked 29th of 30 in Baseball America), then maybe the fans will take them seriously. As for me – I’ve listened to Mark Shapiro talk his Ivy League buzzword BS for far too long, as he and his little buddie put a team together that is weak up the middle on defense (to put it mildly) and has 7 left handed hitters and 2 switch hitters. The team has no identity, it has no leaders on he field. Derek Lowe is trying to be one as a pitcher as he marks time before his return to the Red Sox as a free agent this Fall.

But most of all I’m fed up with the arrogant and inept Mark Shapiro blaming all his shortcomings on everyone BUT HIMSELF! The fans are no good. The economy is no good. The team put together in the 90′s was a one-time thing and will never happen again. You know what – I’ve been watching MLB for over 50 years, and Mark Shapiro is the biggest front office BS’er I’ve ever seen. He makes Herk Richardson (or whatever that awful Royal GM was named) look like a genius by comparison.

MLB needs to step in and force the Dolan’s to sell the team to someone that will bring in a competent front office.

As far as Chris Perez goes, I was watching the Indians 30 years before he was born. Let h9im shut-up because he has no clue.

It’s actually pretty easy to distinguish them.

Luckily for him, this isn’t New York, Boston, or Los Angeles…it will blow over in a week or two.

As an Indians season ticket holder, I can tell you that 455 (the sellout streak) was created by a perfect storm.

- Brand new ballpark
- No Browns football
- Cavaliers were irrelevant
- Economy was doing well
- Free agency in MLB hadn’t yet spun out of control

That lineup was also one of the best in modern baseball history.

But let’s talk about recent history.

Last season, the Indians started 30-15, were in 1st Place until July, and contended until mid-August, but finished 24th in attendance. In 2007 the Indians won 96 games (many of them comeback victories) and were one win away from the World Series and finished 21st in MLB attendance. In 2005 the Indians won 93 games and narrowly missed the postseason, yet they only finished 24th in MLB attendance.

This season, despite being in 1st Place and having pretty decent early-season weather (for Cleveland), they are dead last in attendance. Kansas City is averaging 8,000 more fans per game – the same Kansas City that is 16-23 (5-16 at home)…the same Kansas City that hasn’t reached the postseason in 27 years.

Cleveland fans simply don’t support the team at a high level, even when they are a World Series contender like they were in 2007. That’s not to say they are a bad fan base – most fan bases are the same (mostly fair-weather) – but when the Dolan’s have put a winner on the field, the fans haven’t held up their end of the bargain. Until they do, players will continue to leave, free agents will continue to say “thanks, but no thanks”, and the Indians will continue to struggle to maintain a consistent contender.