By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
“Why can’t we be the Yankees and Red Sox?”
It’s one of the age old questions we’ve been hearing in Philly the last few years. Well, Philly, we have that opportunity. Right here. Right now.
The core of the Phillies has gotten us to four NL East crowns, three NLCS appearances, two NL pennants and a parade down Broad Street. Another run as WFC would surely add to the argument for naming this era of baseball the best in the history of the city’s NL franchise. Then again, when you’ve set the record with 10,000-plus losses, that’s not saying much.
The bottom line is that to maintain the recent success, you have to pay for it. And, make no mistake, that “you” is a collective one. It’s the Phillies front office as well as the fan base. Money is not endless and doesn’t grow on the Citizen’s Bank signs that adorn the Phillies’ ballpark.
Raising ticket prices should not be a major concern. The Phillies have paid to keep the team's core together. This isn't Von Hayes and Steve Jeltz.
The Phillies have raised ticket prices for next year in the $2 to $5 range, according to David Murphy’s High Cheese blog.
Look, we’d all like to not see prices go up, especially in this economy. The reality is, however, that to continue winning and improving the club so that it remains the best team in the NL, you have to bring in more money. In fact, increased revenues is what got the Phillies to this place in the first place. Without the new ballpark and enhanced attendance, do the Phillies have the ability to keep the nucleus of this team together? Utley, JRoll and Howard would have been broken up long ago if the team was still in Veteran’s Stadium.
If you think the above statement is wrong, you obviously fail to remember that Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen once played here together. Rolen wasn’t a Philly guy, but one reason for that is he wanted out of this city because he did not see a commitment to winning from the front office. He wasn’t wrong.
Yes, the Phillies are asking us to pay more. But, this isn’t to line Burger Bill Giles’ pockets. This isn’t the 1990s when our money was used to field Von Hayes and Steve Jeltz. This isn’t 1995 when Mike Mimbs was a major part of our rotation.
You like the aggressiveness of the front office to get Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt the last two Julys? You like Roy Halladay on the mound tossing no-nos in the playoffs? You like the fact that Ryan Howard didn’t get to free agency? You like the fact that, although it is a longshot, the Phillies are at least still mentioned as being contenders for Cliff Lee or bringing back Jayson Werth?
Like the fact that the 2010 NL Cy Young Award winner pitched for your team? Trades like the one that brought Doc Halladay to Philly cost money.
Without added revenue, it doesn’t happen.
That’s not to say the fans should pay the entire freight for the spending spree it takes to field all-star line-ups. The franchise has got to do a better job of monetizing their product through creative, out-of-the box thinking. They need to sell the experiences at the ballpark.
Sell the chance for corporations to hold retreats and team-building outings at the ballpark, and include the chance to play a game of ball on the field during the team’s off days and road trips. Sell the chance to participate in batting practice with the team, or have some CEO’s kid shag flies during BP.
The Phillies will do that. They have to and they know it.
Still, ticket increases are a part of the game. A team that once wrinkled their faces at the thought of giving money to pitchers, now goes after every ace they can. They are willing to pay, Cliff Lee’s stupid trade last winter be damned.
It’s a new era of Phillies baseball and the price of admission is well worth the product you see every summer night.
