The Albert Park Advisory Committee will be conducting a midseason review of the operations of the San Rafael Pacifics (independent; North American League) next Monday; we’ll do the same for the entire league now.
Going forward with a 2012 season after the defection of several teams was a pretty gutsy move for the league owners: it meant adding a secong travel team (Sonoma County joining McAllen) and some marginal markets and ballparks (Abilene, Wong Stadium) to the mix.
The attendance numbers are not very encouraging. The Pacifics are drawing 676 fans a game to Albert Park, a number that’s probably far lower than any breakeven tally. On the Texas side, two teams are below 1,000 a game — Rio Grande Valley Whitewings (906 fans a game) and Abilene Prairie Dogs (591 fans a game) — and the only team in the circuit to draw more than 2,000 fans a game is the San Angelo Colts, at 2,156 fans per match. These are not the numbers posted by a sustainable baseball league.
Also, to be blunt, we don’t trust teams that don’t report attendance, and neither Hawaii team (Maui Na Koa Ikaika and Hawaii Stars) is reporting any attendance numbers in box scores.
RELATED STORIES: Pacifics pack Albert Park in opener; NAL lays out game plan for 2012; New for 2012: Hawaii Stars; New for 2012: Sonoma County Grapes; Yuma, OC out of NAL; two replacements in the works; Fullerton Flyers returning in 2012?; Fullerton, Flyers enter exclusive negotiating period for new ballpark; More on Fullerton ballpark proposal; Diamond Sports walks away from North American League management; North American League at 10 teams for 2012; Chico Outlaws season scrapped; Edmonton out of North American League; Outlaws negotiating return to Chico in 2012; Abilene in NAL
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