when people are worried about having food on there tables or roof over the heads or $75.00 to go to a baseball game i think there is not much of a choice .

If any person is caught juicing or using drugs, that person no matter who they are should be banned for life. These people make so much money that to use drugs to even play a GAME should not be allowed. If it is okay for the pros to use drugs to make there play better then why not allow everyone to use drugs to make them play better too? If you have not caught on to this I am talking about letting our kids use them as well. Manny should be banned for life and the money that was given to him should be taken back and gave to another player that will take his place that does not use drugs. Manny is a joke, but like all jokes, the jokes on us. Jeff

Good to find you here, Craig. :o)

Honestly, with all the stuff I'm going through, I just don't have the energy to devote to the sports happenings right now. Funny thing is, if it was this time last year, I would have been totally into it. Alas, the tragic events of three weeks ago have re-prioritized everything to me and I kind of know in the background what is going on, but am only keeping up in little time capsules here and there. I haven't watched a full game since the 15th of April. Too fresh, too much pain yet.

Pro sports is a total waste of time. They overcharge you for everything at a game. The food sucks, the games are boring. The fans smell badly. You have to stand in line to take a pee. And you're stuck in traffic trying to get home. So what's to like?

Sean - sorry, I took your comment that way. Hey, I just posted further on Eric's current Manny blog... curious as to your take on my comments.

Are you a baseball fan?

-m

Mike, I meant no "hate". I believe as you do that "innocent until proven guilty" but unfortunately Bud Selig doesn't. I was just saying somebody ought to call him and tell him.
Believe me this has me so upset. I was pulling for the Dodgers like you can't believe.
I think 50 games is way too excessive.

Sean -

Thanks for bringing the hate back.

-m

You wanted excitement, Eric. You got it. LOL

Manny reportedly tested clean in his last 4 exams. Maybe it was recently prescribed meds. If so, should he be benched for 50 games?

Manny using enchancement drugs? Sorry Dodger fans. But after paying him all that money.. Did he think they wouldn't find out? Not smart ..not smart at all!

Hey, maybe it's cough medicine. Everyone's got colds and sniffles.

"But, he's still innocent to proven guilty"

Oh good, then we can expect you to get on the phone immediately and tell Bud Selig that? I'm sure he'll listen to you!

ooops "to" s/b "until" coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

-m

Breaking News about Manny????

Is anyone really surprised at this announcement? It'll be interesting to see fan reaction and if his honeymoon with the team will continue. But, he's still innocent to proven guilty, afterall the report did come from the L.A. Times, so let's wait to hear his side of the story.

-m

Well now with the latest breaking news Eric, the stands at Dodger Stadium will be even emptier.
Manny Ramirez suspended for 50 games for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
He won't be allowed to play until sometime in July!
Already people are wanting a refund for tickets since Manny won't be playing!!!
Wow! What a disappointment!

And another thing. I grew up when sports teams sponsored kids' groups to attend certain games for free. Do they still do that? I haven't heard it. If a soccer team can pay David Beckham $250million and he's hardly played they can give away free tickets so little booties can warm those nose-bleed seats for free. :o) Those little eyeballs don't care where they're watching the game from as long as they're in the ball park/arena.

It's too damn expensive. If a ticket costs $15.00 face value and you buy it online it ends up costing at least $30.00 on top of face value.
Then like someone mentioned parking $15.00 are you kidding me?

Then food? It costs ONE PERSON about $75.00 Eric! I'm surprised there aren't more EMPTY seats!!!

where is the pride? as a reporter maybe u should investigate alittle more. Dodgers avg 30k every game. Your standing on a on a street at 130pm on a wednesday, thats why your not seeing anybody wearing a team shirt (WE HAVE JOBS). I have a suggestion, why dont u go to a game. You would'nt see this in Chicago or Boston, please. In the immortal words of LASORDA," WE ARE THE BEST FANS IN BASEBALL".

Well first off I've skimmed through most of these post here. And most have a good point. It's too expensive to go to a game and people are cutting back due to the economy. But lets look at this from another point of view. It's just a game. I'm not a fan of any team. I believe there's more to worry about than someone hitting a ball, shooting a ball, or swiping a puck around. I don't understand people when they say, "we won!". What did they win? They weren't playing the game. And what's the big deal about sports anyways. Unless you're playing, it's pretty senseless. Especially when there's so many other things going on in the world. People need to stop being followers to such nonsense. I get the other point of view, "it's for entertainment". Understood, I enjoy World of Warcraft. But I'm not going to sit there and cheer on a team/person that don't care about me. Where's the cheering, from the team, for the followers (fans) at? I don't see the point of people who are all gun-ho about a team. I can see watching a game for entertainment, but that's it. And for you, Eric, to do a report on it, what's wrong can't think of anything else to report about? That's the best you can do when it comes to reporting? There's more important issues out there.

Ahh come on Paul that isn't fair ...Gene Autry, the original owner of KTLA also the original of the Angels was from LA. The Angels has played consistently better than the Dodgers for years now and they didn't have to fork over millions to buy a guy named Manny to accomplish that either! Let's see if Manny is even worth his investment.

Don't you think it's a little snobbish to say you can only be good at a sport if you live in the city of LA? Then why hasn't the Dodgers won the world series in over 20 years baseball? The Angels won in 2002 !

Go Angels!

Eric,

Interesting report, but a bit jaded. You forgot to mention that this past Thurs and Fri, the Dodgers did have over 45K+ per game. Historically, the Dodgers have always had a small turnout in the Spring time during the middle of the week, because of the work week, kids are still in school, College kids getting ready for Finals, etc. Yes the economy is bad as well, which is another contributing factor to just 33,000 fans showing up last night.

We all know that LA is a huge transplant city. Which is what probably confuses all those folks from New York, Chicago, etc., that watch your show. Of course they agree with you, because where they are from this would never happen. And would 80 degree weather in January happen from where they are too?

My final POV:
Lakers Fans: are spoiled. We only care about the Finals, which is when it really counts.
Dodgers Fans: I ask you to run the same report in September.
Ducks/Angels Fans: Who honestly cares about Orange County except folks from Orange County? They couldn't make it in LA in the first place, which is why they settled for Orange County.

Anyone remember when a Field Seat at Anaheim Stadium cost $7 and the best place to get food at the stadium was the Sausage House?

Eric:
I heard the comment that there were empty seats in the stands at the Dodger Game. Did you see the fans at the Honda Center last night? I believe those stands were quite full of orange & black clad hockey fans. Perhaps if you stepped behind the Orange Curtain once in a while you'd see the difference.

I'm wearing orange today! I watched the game last night on Prime Ticket. I will have to order a specialty channel to see the rest of the playoffs. Thank Goodness NBC aired Sunday's contest.

The bigger question for me is why doesn't KTLA air Ducks Hockey? Why don't they discuss the games with the same enthusiasm as the Laker games? I just checked the ticket prices for tomorrow's game. The cheapest seats, the ones that require high altitude climbing gear to access, are going for $80+. YIPES!!! But those stands will be packed!

As for the Dodgers -- wasn't yesterday's contest a DAY GAME? Have you checked the unemployment stats?

Dr. John writes that Arte Moreno is considered the "best owner in baseball". While I agree with most of his tactics, I haven't been to one Angels game since the name change, and I used to be a rabid Angels fan. I'll put my fanaticism behind the team who isn't ashamed to be from Orange County.

Bottomline... LA fans are wishy washy. They are too concerned with how THEY look. They wouldn't survive in Chicago, where the Cubs pack the stands, and 300 lb bratwurst-fed, bare-chested men gladly paint themselves orange & blue to sit in the stands of Soldier Field in 5* weather! Here the stands clear out at 9:30 so folks can get home to watch what's on the telly!

Another question: Why is it that when the Canadian National Anthem is played in Canada the fans all join in to sing it, however when the Star Spangled Banner -- the REAL USA National Anthem, other songs and "renditions" should not be tolerated -- is played in our stadiums Americans have a hard time removing their hats? Com'n people, show some pride in our country! It's the greatest one on earth!

Eric, people care but we have more important things to do.
You said you were rushing on the Harbor FWY, how is that going lately? Traffic is lighter than ever, isn't it?
11.4% unemployment, at least that's what reported, in the city. A city facing more cuts in its budget, a state in chaos, massive layoffs, people losing their homes (banks started foreclosing again). Now with all that going do you think people are going to put a sports team ahead of everything else?

You have highlighted what's wrong with the news today. Things have been really bad, and when it was getting worse the news tried to put a rosie picture on it. Now things are REALLY bad and no one is in a good mood. But it seems like you've been on a vacation while the nation headed into a recession and our stated headed into a depression.

Sorry eEric but this is just another case of reporting without the facts.#1the total capacity of fenway park is 36,000,the total capacity of dodger stadium is 56,000.#2,9 of the top 25 attendance records have been set at dodger stadium,if you check with the dodger front office i believe you will find the dodgers average more per game then fenway can hold.#3 any player or half smart fan will tell you winning 12 in a row is great, setting records is great,but you can set all the records you want but the real goal is the world series.as Vinny pointed out none of the teams we passed or tied with this record won anything.

Money. How we choose to spend our time and money.
Last night 'round 6pm we were in a park behind the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. At one baseball diamond a lively game was going on between uniformed young adults. High school? College? Outside the cage a larger group of older adults were setting up a picnic dinner for the players and their families. Some were carrying a motley mix of folding chairs and tables. Blankets. Table cloths. Boxes of soda. Bags of potato chips. Pulling multiple coolers. These folks were ready to party. The evening would be long. The weather LA perfect. This was obviously a grass roots Cinco de Mayo celebration. Money may be tight, but people still make time to celebrate the real joys of life. They're just thinking more intimate and personal. YA' GOTTA LOVE IT!!!!

We are ANGEL fans in my home. And everytime we go to a game we wear our Angel teeshirts ( my son wore his to school today).

Everyone in the stands is wearing red. So Angel fans seem to be be supporters of their team and proudly show their colors.

Dodgers? Don't know and frankly don't care. Go Angels!

The cost of parking your car at Dodger Stadium is $15.00. The McCourts did not raise prices this year on tickets but parking $15.00? That is a lot of money when one average's in a Dodger dog is $4.25? A soda is $4.50 popcorn is over $4.00 and a beer is some where near $8.00. But it's the parking that kills me. Lower the price of parking and I think more seats will get filled.

Dodgers:

When the price of parking costs more than tickets & you get told where to park is a turnoff.
It is also a week night game & school is still in session.
Mark: Fenway is a smaller stadium & Boston has GREAT MASS TRANSIT.

When parking costs more than a ticket that says it all.

Lakers:

The horn are honking & the flags flying AFTER the Lakers win by 20 points.
Fans sit on their hands till kobe scores 30 or more and the lakers
are blowing the other team out.

Ducks:

The arena was full & people were loud and backing a hard fighting team.

Angels:

They are off to a slow start but still have support.
Parking is cheaper & easier access to freeways than Dodger stadium.

This is the land of make believe;from my point of view the people of L.A. are to busy trying to be something that they are not and investing quite a bit of time in it. This leaves little time to support a sports team. And there is also the changing demographics. Have you driven around in the surrounding cities on the weekend? If you have, did you notice all the soccer goals at the schools and in the parks? Now ask yourself how many native born californians want to drive from Las Vegas to see a sporting event?

I think the economy is to blame. People are cutting back on a lot of things. Also, more rich people and companies are buying the good seats and the real fans are left out. They are not even real fans, they are there just to hang out. The real fans are at home drinking beer and yelling at the T.V. At the Laker game, we need the best fans in the front yelling and screaming and the "others" in the back talking about what their next project is going to be. At the Dodger game, they need to lower the prices. I understand for the alcohol, but a Dodger dog (about $5 dollars). And about the Ducks, it's hockey so it's not as popular as the other sports. The fans are here, they are just at home making some hot dogs, drinking a 18 pack of beer, and dressed up as if they were playing in the game, all for under $15 dollars. Cutting back!!!

dont forget the san jose stealth they are a professional lacrosse team they made the semi playoffs and are playing the calgary roughnecks in calgary may 9 they are a godd team

Hi Eric,

I think you are making a big deal out of it. I honestly believe people do not have the money to buy tickets to go, pay for parking, gas and food. I am sure a lot of people just watch from home now due to the economy.

Yeah i agree with you Eric, being a big Laker fan myself its hard to see the fans at the games show up late first qtr and the atmosphere pretty dead, compaired to some arenas. I think the fans just expect them to always win, so why cheer??, sometimes just as the team plays. Living here in LA the standards are so much higher...Championship or Bust! but we need to cheer these teams all the way though...GO LAKERS!!!

Hi Eric: Good report. Sports too damn expensive for average person. $15 for parking at Dodger stadium give me a break. Good article on Arte Moreno from Angels in Forbes and his approach to success and his cost reduction and he being BEST owner in baseball. Get the cost down and you will get people in seats. GOUGING (parking, refreshments, souveniers, price of seats) is not the road to success.