So Richard Justice's blog post has this:
My sense is that people are encouraged at what they've seen the last couple of weeks, and they're somewhat optimistic that the people in charge get it. Drayton McLane has wanted stars. He apparently figured people wouldn't come out to see young, unproven players.
I think he's wrong about that. If fans think the team has a plan, if they see a roster with young players who are excited about being there and bust their tails, they'll tolerate some growing pains.
Let's put it to the test, as it gets the County Clerk treatment!
*53 games were played at Minute Maid Park from the season opener to July 31, the date of Brett Wallace's debut.
*Average attendance for those 53 dates was 27,925.
*The season high for attendance was Opening Day against the Giants (obviously), with 43,836 in attendance. If you take that game out, the average attendance was 27,619.
*Outside of Opening Day, the home game with the highest attendance was G69 vs. Texas, with 41,060. The game with the lowest attendance was G25, a Monday game against the Diamondbacks, drawing 20,370 as the Astros lost their 8th straight game.
*The next highest home attendance (after G69)? G103 against the Brewers. What was special about that game? It was Brett Wallace's debut, and the first home game after the Astros had traded Lance and Roy.
*Though there have only been five home games since the trading deadline, average announced attendance has gone from that 27,925 to 33,395.
*This weekend will be a bellwether on the excitement Astros fans feel, with the Pirates in town, but the average Saturday home game attendance has been 34,412 - including G19, a Saturday game against Pittsburgh that drew 30,562.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
