15,364??

Last night's attendance in the Rockies series opener: 15,364. A Turner Field record. How is it possible the the 7th largest market in America can only fill its baseball stadium 31% full? 

Maybe it's the economy, people avoiding the (outrageously) high-priced concessions, expensive parking, the extra trip downtown. Maybe not. The Braves currently rank 20th in average attendance with just over 24,500 paying nightly. How about the city hit hardest by the economy: Detroit. Their Tigers rank 15th in attendance, drawing nearly 2,500 more a night. Granted the Tigers are in first place in the weak AL Central, but their record is the same as the Phillies, a team only 2.5 games in front of the Braves. 

Maybe it's the product on the field. With last night's loss, the Braves did fall to 18-19, but they are still a mere 2.5 back in the division. Every team in this division has its problems, and, at this point, no team is running away with it. Besides remaining competitive, this Braves team, despite its shortcomings, has plenty of interesting stories. There are the established stars: Chipper, McCann, and Lowe. There are the budding stars: Escobar, Jurrjens, maybe Schafer. The bullpen has power arms in Soriano and Gonzalez. So the team that Liberty Mutual trots out every night should draw enough interest. 

So what is it? It's us. The fans. We're too lazy. We don't care. It was a school night. It was unseasonably cool. Atlanta's population is too transient. Whatever it is, this Braves team deserves our support. Go see them, the stars, the struggling vets, the rookies. Go see Javy Vazquez pitch, he may strike out 12. Go see a hall of famer man third base. Go see Jordan Schafer glide gracefully around center field and maybe not look overmatched at the plate. Go see one of the league's most dynamic shortstops. Go drink an 8 dollar beer. Whatever the reason, get out there and see some baseball.