Minute Maid: The Good, The Bad and The Juicy

TXCub — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:34:55 -0000

As a Cubs fan who recently moved to Houston, I have had the chance to attend several games at Minute Maid now, including last night's game. I thought I'd give the fans who've never been there a short review of the experience of going to and watching Astros games.

The Good:

For all the traffic issues that I've experienced in Houston, it is relatively easy to get out of the park. You still have to sit a little but it's much better than some parks.

The roof was closed last night due to the heat. I really don't care for indoor baseball and last night wasn't really that hot but in the later summer months, most Houstonians don't want to be outside.

The Crawford boxes are a nice touch. They are very well marketed and they give the fans seated there an excellent chance to catch a home run.

That's about it.

The Bad:

The stock ticker down the 3rd base line has absolutely no place at a baseball park. Can there possibly be anyone in the park that is counting on this amenity? Seriously, if you need to track the markets close enough to get quotes at 8PM at the ballpark, you probably have a cellphone that gives you that data on demand. So if it really serves no purpose, then what is it doing there? I think they are trying to tell the world how rich and sophisticated the fanbase and consequently the city is. Maybe this helps justify higher ticket prices. In any event, when I go to the park, the last thing I care about is the stock market. Bad taste.

Why is there a hill in CF? I get that they wanted something unique. But a hill with a flag pole in play makes no sense.

The music and sound was way over the top. I think they are trying to add noise which ought to be against the rules if it's not. I say that because last night, they stopped one of the sound effects in midstream when it seemed like the crowd was pretty loud and you suddenly realized that most of the noise was fake. I think Safeco Field is a good example of a newer park that does a good job at balancing the sound with not faking authentic crowd noise.

The Juicy

The fans are young. Maybe out of necessity, but the reinvention of the Astros image about 10 years ago probably resulted in a younger fanbase. But they simply don't show up in force. The local radio guys were even surprised by the lack of enthusiasm and turnout for the game. Chicago and Houston are very similar in size and market (2.1 million in Houston vs. 2.8 million in Chicago) and this game would've sold out in Chicago. If this organization insists on telling the world that it's fans are a bunch of young millionaires, I think they are going to continue to struggle getting fans out to the games.

All in all, I had a good time watching the Cubs beat the Astros. Despite the negatives, any night at any ballpark beats listening to an ESPN crew's lameness. I give the Juice Box a B-. Definitely worth the time.

SB Nation User Blog: TXCub

Minute Maid: The Good, The Bad and The Juicy