For the past several seasons the Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled with attendance especially in the upper deck along the first and third base lines beyond the bag. Sure we have all heard that attendance is actually on the upswing and that this year the team is on pace to increase again but it is still somewhat disconcerting to look up and see all of the empty seats during the game. I am especially interested in getting more people in the seats in the upper deck but for an entirely selfish reason.
If the upper deck is filled to capacity then that will mean fewer areas where Rally Sally can stand and dance and basically make a fool of herself. If we can somehow find a way to pack the upper deck maybe just make we can rid ourselves of this baseball virus. My theory is that we will never be taken seriously as a baseball town as long as we have some sort of social misfit dancing up and down the aisles of Chase Field with pompoms in her hand. The question though is what can we do to get people up there?
The Arizona Diamondbacks have come up with their latest idea to help rid us of under-developed Rally Sally real estate. Yesterday they announced that they have developed "All-you-can-eat" sections in parts of the upper deck. In these sections you will be given a ticket to the baseball game along with a wristband that will entitle the wearer to receive all you can eat food and drink from a dedicated concession stand.
The concessions include hot dogs, peanuts, pop corn, nachos, bottled water, and soda. Each person is allowed to get up to 4 items from the above list for each visit to the concession stand. There is not a limit to the number of times you can return to the concession stand. The "All-you-can-eat" sections are located in sections 305-307 which are above the first base line. Coincidently this is also the side of the field that Rally Sally usually frequents. Is this a coincidence? I certainly hope not.
The Diamondbacks are testing this feature and it will be available for six different games during the remainder of the 2008 season. The dates for these games are August 30 (Los Angeles Dodgers), September 1 (St. Louis Cardinals), September 13 (Cincinnati Reds), September 15 (San Francisco Giants), and September 27 (Colorado Rockies). The cost for these games is $20 for week-day games and $25 for week-end games.
I applaud the Diamondbacks for attempting this. If successful it will not only bring additional fans to the ballgames in a cost effective manner but it will also hopefully rid us of the Rally Sally curse and let us get on with the season in peace. The only drawback I can see is that we may be replacing Rally Sally with a group of obese all-you-can-eat diners but I am willing to accept that if it means I can enjoy the game without having to witness her dancing in the stands or even worse featured on dbTV.
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