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Mike Veeck's take on improving the cell


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he's an idiot, as well as people who think the place is a terrible park. Everyone I bring to the park that has never been there beofre, leaves loving the experience and the field. Its the tribune that keeps making people think that way. People are sheep and will always think of the Cell as lifeless until they experience it. I love the stadium and I wouldnt have it any other way.

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QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jun 15, 2005 -> 11:53 AM)
he's an idiot, as well as people who think the place is a terrible park.  Everyone I bring to the park that has never been there beofre, leaves loving the experience and the field.  Its the tribune that keeps making people think that way.  People are sheep and will always think of the Cell as lifeless until they experience it.  I love the stadium and I wouldnt have it any other way.

 

I had several people with me last night for the first time and they had a great time and thought the park was great...they're actually from WI and Brewers fans...anyway, the one guy was impressed from the beginning, when the introductions were made....they loved the food...and then we finished off the night in the bullpen bar. they also got a big kick out of the Cubs hatred...

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The only idea I liked from him was the mural thing out in the outfield....Other than that, he's nuts!

 

If there's one thing the Sox could do is change the outta-town scoreboard to something like Milwaukee's or Pitssburgh's where it shows who's on base and stuff....The one now barely updates the current game score....Other than that, Comiskey is my summer home on the weekends!

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People thought his dad was nuts when he introduced the exploding scoreboard, right? I actually thought some of those ideas were pretty good, like the "sing with Harry for charity" bit or the "move Minnie's statue" bit.

 

The part about the demographics was very encouraging as well.

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Maybe I'm nuts, but I liked a lot of those ideas. His idea of the unexpected is probably the best thing the Sox can do to bring out fans.

 

"Maybe unfurl a large canvas, with people painted on it, from the roof over Section 557, making it look like the seats were full.." that is an absolute brilliant idea if you ask me. It's funny and lighthearted and will certainly bring attention to the stadium and the team.

 

Drag queens as rakers might be a bit extreme, but if you saw something that bizarre, wouldn't you get a kick out of it? It's these small things the White Sox don't offer that Veeck believes will bring fans to the park. Comiskey Park, while great to most of us here because we're all die hard baseball fans, is boring and dull to those that don't give a s*** about the game. Magicians, opera singers, ushertainers...these are all great ideas.

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QUOTE(YASNY @ Jun 15, 2005 -> 02:13 PM)
You know, that "drag queen" idea would work, with a little tweaking.  Get a dozen HOT young scantilly clad young ladies to drag the infield and call them "The Drag Queens".

 

i agree :D

 

they only other improvement would be to finally get all those seats green

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QUOTE(BobDylan @ Jun 15, 2005 -> 03:47 PM)
Maybe I'm nuts, but I liked a lot of those ideas. His idea of the unexpected is probably the best thing the Sox can do to bring out fans.

 

"Maybe unfurl a large canvas, with people painted on it, from the roof over Section 557, making it look like the seats were full.." that is an absolute brilliant idea if you ask me. It's funny and lighthearted and will certainly bring attention to the stadium and the team.

 

Drag queens as rakers might be a bit extreme, but if you saw something that bizarre, wouldn't you get a kick out of it? It's these small things the White Sox don't offer that Veeck believes will bring fans to the park. Comiskey Park, while great to most of us here because we're all die hard baseball fans, is boring and dull to those that don't give a s*** about the game. Magicians, opera singers, ushertainers...these are all great ideas.

 

I kinda like the couches in the upper deck idea... :D

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QUOTE(mr_genius @ Jun 15, 2005 -> 03:50 PM)
i agree  :D

 

they only other improvement would be to finally get all those seats green

It woudnt matter what color they were is people sat in them :angry: , but that for another one of those attendance threads :lolhitting

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The sox logo on the trains in the area was a pretty sweet idea. I didn't mind the old comiskey concession stand either.

 

I think rather than large painted murals...large black and white photos of things like Gamble picking out his afro would be cool, or a picture of lance johnson after one of his leap and tumble catches.

 

Everyone likes pictures of the past

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Funny thing is most if not all of the other places in MLB that draw the most don't have any gimmicks to get people in the park. I think Veeck is overestimating how many people would come out to the park for a crazy gimmick. Come see the opera singing ushers? I would bet you would be annoyed by the second inning. The tarp with fans drawn on it? That is the dumbest idea of all time. The old Comiskey kiosk? You visit it once for 2 minutes, look at the cheap, overpriced t-shirts and other novelties and never come back. Who cares about the trains? Writing things with chalk? That wouldn't be worth the expense of getting someone up to write it every day. People painting themselves and standing like statues? I see that at Water Tower Place. Not the most exciting thing to see. The way to increase attendance is to increase the season ticket base. People are like sheep. When they see the White Sox are drawing well they will want to go to games. The best way to increase the season ticket base is to offer better incentives and discounts to season ticketholders. Right now there is a discount, but is really not that much considering the commitment that is being made, and the other discounts that are available to non-season ticketholders.

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QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jun 15, 2005 -> 05:11 PM)
Funny thing is most if not all of the other places in MLB that draw the most don't have any gimmicks to get people in the park. I think Veeck is overestimating how many people would come out to the park for a crazy gimmick. Come see the opera singing ushers? I would bet you would be annoyed by the second inning. The tarp with fans drawn on it? That is the dumbest idea of all time. The old Comiskey kiosk? You visit it once for 2 minutes, look at the cheap, overpriced t-shirts and other novelties and never come back. Who cares about the trains? Writing things with chalk? That wouldn't be worth the expense of getting someone up to write it every day. People painting themselves and standing like statues? I see that at Water Tower Place. Not the most exciting thing to see. The way to increase attendance is to increase the season ticket base. People are like sheep. When they see the White Sox are drawing well they will want to go to games. The best way to increase the season ticket base is to offer better incentives and discounts to season ticketholders. Right now there is a discount, but is really not that much considering the commitment that is being made, and the other discounts that are available to non-season ticketholders.

 

Two words: Bill Veeck. Gimmicks work.

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QUOTE(BobDylan @ Jun 16, 2005 -> 02:18 AM)
He damn near ran the St. Louis Cardinals out of St. Louis. He took bum franchises and made them respectable.

 

That was a long, long time ago. And to be honest, I am not too familiar with his time in St. Louis. Things and people have changed. When he ran the White Sox in the 70's his team had to win to draw. Tell me how he made the White Sox of the late 70s respectable? They had 1 good season in 1977, not so coincidently the best attendance year. They were brutal in 76,78,79,80. Maybe if he dropped a mural of people over the closed outfield upper deck during many of the games those seasons, he would have drawn more.

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