Good-bye season seats. It’s business.  Really.

Arte, I hear you when you pine Carl Crawford’s 140 million dollars plus is too much for a guy that will lose his speed well before his power.  Power?  I listened when you told the LA Times, "When do you get to a point as a business person, where you say, 'Jeez, I'm doing this on emotion, I don't want to let the fans down, so what I'm going to do is bankrupt the franchise?" 

Well, eighty games are a little too rich for me.  So for years and with three partners, we got twenty games each. But now all three of my partners cannot be convinced pony up.  They insist watching Jeff Mathis, Brandon Wood, Reggie Willits, Juan Rivera, Maicer Izturis [he plays when there is no headwind] and Erick Aybar is as exciting as watching the kid steal third base every game. They say viewing great starting pitchers who set up the give-up, who the hell is there this weak, bullpen is a waste of time and money.   I tell them Kendry Morales will be first [but not hitting walk-offs].  Still no go.  I tell them to just listen to GM Hunter talk about who we need, but nothing happens.

My partners are done, bailing. Arte, they tell me its "business". So, the seats [first row] will be no more. What am I to do?  

I could get that 20 pack the Angels are selling with Opening Day free.  Opening Day free?  Opening Day free? Are the Yankees or Red Sox or [phew] even the Rangers or Oakland giving away Opening Day? Right, Arte, you are concerned about raising ticket prices but giving away Opening Day for free?

Why commit to a regular regime of games when, gee, the same team that whipped my partners will get a re-run, a do-over, mulligan. As a former season seat holder I could wait for those five and six buck games and sit in heaven [for a couple of innings] before moving to see level.   

Yea, it’s business.

Arte, I like to think I am more of a die-hard Angel fan, you know like the ones that always tell Terry Smith on Angel Talk, "I’ve been a fan since ‘75", but I’m not, I had no interest in losers, sorry to say, I just stayed away during those years. Turns out I am not used to watching a team that gives up in the front office.   I guess I’m going to have to stay away again. Forgive me Arte, but its business.   I know you try to be a nice guy, that initial beer move was good PR. Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, et all…good stuff. Torii Hunter WAS as good as Gary Matthews Jr. was bad. But I understand now, "its business". 

Artie, you raked in over 3 million fans again last season…but YOU know how many were no-shows. No-shows don’t buy hot dogs, team shirts or beer. BTW, I can get a better beer deal across the street. But, oh well, enough emotion.