Maryland Business

Nope — that’s not a typo. It seems counterintuitive, right? The Orioles are stinking up the ballpark something fierce this season, losing 21 of their last 26 and with a 20-52 overall record.

But attendance is up more than 3 percent this year. And at one point (just after their last home stand against Boston) it was up by 10 percent.

I know. It seems weird. Through 35 home games, total ballpark attendance is at 802,977. Last year through 35 games the total attendance was 777,775. After the June 4-6 weekend series against Boston total attendance was 596,703 compared with 540,999. Read the rest of this entry »

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Not only did the Orioles spank the New York Mets 11-0 Saturday in their final spring training game, the team left preseason with a bang by surpassing 100,000 in attendance for the first time in Orioles history.

In the club’s first spring in Sarasota, Fla., the team drew 102,219 fans for an average of 6,815 fans per game. That’s a 39 percent increase from 2009 when the team played in Fort Lauderdale. The figure also represents the largest increase in Major League Baseball this spring, according to an Orioles news release.

“Our already high expectations have been easily surpassed by the outpouring of support from the local community, its citizens and business and political leaders,” said Orioles spokesman Greg Bader in the release, who noted attendance was a mix of the local community and “thousands of fans from the Mid-Atlantic region.”

Ed Smith Stadium’s capacity is about 7,500.

A lot of this is likely due to the excitement over the Orioles being in a new spring training location — especially since it seems like this attempt to move from Fort Lauderdale is almost as old as some of the Orioles’ young starters.

Other clubs this year have been enjoying a spring training attendance bonanza, as noted by the Fort Myers, Fla. news-press.com. The Boston Red Sox, who play in a park about the same size as the Orioles have sold out more than 100-straight spring training games (not a shocker). The New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, who all play in larger ballparks, all have average home attendance of more than 10,000.

The Tampa Bay Rays attendance, however, has dipped from 2009 (their first season after their World Series appearance) to 6,004 in 2010 from from an average crowd of 6,513.

The Red Sox move to a new stadium on Daniels Parkway in 2012 with a capacity of 11,000. Somehow I doubt they’ll have trouble filling up that place too. After Ed Smith Stadium is renovated this year, its capacity will be increased to 9,000. I wonder how the O’s will fare with keeping capacity percentage up?

Maybe 2011 will be just as good because the renovations will continue to draw people. But if Tampa Bay is any indicator, excitement only lasts a year before it goes back to product on the field. And that one’s still a work in progress.

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In today’s story about how the Orioles can sell hope to its fans (or, really, how they can’t) several people I interviewed mentioned it’s tough to sell an intangible like a feeling or emotion.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to measure it.

According to New York-based Brand Keys Inc.’s Sports Loyalty Index, Orioles fans rank second-to-last in the MLB. Company founder Robert Passikoff said brand loyalty was measured using four criteria:

• Play on the field
• Authenticity (i.e. is the team believable; typically a new stadium boosts this category)
• Fan bonding (does the team have people its fans can relate to)
• History and tradition

Um, guess which category is bringing the 12-straight-losing-seasons-Orioles down? Yeah. It’s that one.

And no wonder that the team’s ranking is sandwiched right between the Kansas City Royals (25 years since a postseason appearance and one winning season in the last 15) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (who hold an MLB-record 17 straight losing seasons).

“Losing isn’t everything but it’s a lot,” said Passikoff. “You don’t have to always win but you have to play well and you can’t just do it on history and tradition alone.”

But here’s some good news for O’s fans who are reading this and getting more insulted by the minute (by a New Yorker whose wife is a Derek Jeter fan, nonetheless). Fan bonding has improved over the last year, a direct effect of the team developing players within its minor league system.

“Their issue has always been of fan bonding,” said Passikoff. “Once [Cal] Ripken [Jr.] was gone you didn’t have a lot of people to look for. That changed last year.”

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Former Oriole pitcher Jamie Moyer hasn’t forgotten about Baltimore — this week his foundation announced its plans to continue the expansion of bereavement camps for children and teens who have lost someone close to them by adding Baltimore to its list of new cities in 2010.

The Moyer Foundation’s “Camp Erin” was created in 2002 and is now the largest bereavement camp in the country with 36 camps in 23 states. With the addition of Baltimore and the other new cities, it is expected to serve nearly 2,500 kids between the ages of 6 and 17 this year. The foundation has a goal of establishing as many as 60 camps around the country, including one Camp Erin in every Major League Baseball city.

Moyer played for the Orioles from 1993-95 and he’s the oldest pitcher in the majors. The father of eight now plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Moyer’s foundation works to help children in distress and it also runs “Camp Mariposa,” a camp dedicated to serving children affected by addiction in their families.

In Baltimore Camp Erin is partnering with Roberta’s House, a family grief and loss center, on July 23-25 to introduce the program here.

You gotta think — Baltimore’s homicide rate being what it is, there’s probably a huge need for something like this in our community. But I wonder how well it will be accepted by those who really need it. Partnering with an established place like Roberta’s House is a smart move and hopefully the relationship is mutually beneficial for both organizations.

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A fun article by Tom Verducci in this week’s Sports Illustrated takes a neat look at numbers and baseball and uses payroll, wins and post season success to determine which teams are getting the most bang for their buck.

Not surprisingly, the Orioles are one of the least-efficient teams in Major League Baseball in terms of the money spent for players vs. on-the-field success. According to Verducci’s numbers, over the last decade the Orioles have spent $717.2 million and won 698 games, or $1.03 million per win.

OK, it’s less than the $1.75 million the New York Yankees spent per win…but then again the Yanks did grab two World Series titles and four pennants in nine post season appearances. And with 12 straight losing seasons, the O’s have posted big fat “zeros” in those categories.

Sure, you could argue that the Orioles play in the toughest division in baseball. But when you look at Tampa Bay’s numbers — 694 wins at $577,522 per win and one pennant — that argument starts getting weak. True, the Rays caught lightening in a bottle the year they made it to the World Series…but at least the team didn’t waste its money the other nine years.

Hopefully with this change of focus on the farm system the Orioles can manage their payroll better. It’s funny — fans often complain that owner Peter Angelos won’t spend money on good talent. And maybe that’s been true at times…but obviously money isn’t everything.

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The company that has been the concessionaire at Oriole Park at Camden Yards since the ballpark opened in 1992 hopes that relationship will continue. But ARAMARK’s contract with the Orioles is up, and the team is considering its options, according to the team’s spokesman.

ARAMARK does not comment on potential bids, but when asked if it submitted one for its own contract a spokesman said, “we hope to continue providing services at the ballpark.”

Last month, ARAMARK, which recently lost a bid at the Baltimore Convention Center, filed a notice with the state that 609 full- and part-time employees at its Camden Yards office would be affected if ARAMARK did in fact lose its deal with the Orioles.

ARAMARK also has offices at the Warehouse (which is owned by the state), and there’s no guarantee that a new concessionaire would take the same space — or even any space.

And a drop in rent income is not something I imagine the agency wants to be staring at during the last half of an already tough fiscal year for Maryland.

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We often hear in Baltimore about the desire for more local or family ownership (see Tribune/Baltimore Sun, Pimlico Race Course). But family ownership has its problems too.

Last month, Jamie McCourt, a Baltimore native who was CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the highest-ranking woman in baseball, and her husband Frank, announced their seperation. On Oct. 21 Frank fired his wife and Jamie filed for divorce the following week.

On Thursday, Jamie McCourt lost her bid to be reinstated as the team’s chief executive in what is already an ugly divorce. McCourt, 55, is accused by her husband of having an affair with her bodyguard-driver, also a Dodger employee who was fired. Frank McCourt, 56, also claims she was doing a poor job in her role as chief executive.

And on top of all that, the Dodgers have 16 potential free agents this off-season, including slugger Manny Ramirez, who is deciding whether to exercise his $20 million option for next season. The team has the ninth-highest payroll in the MLB at $100 million and the team is worth $800 million.

A Superior Court commissioner still has to rule on whether the Dodgers are community property or whether they fully belong to Frank McCourt, who bought the team in 2004. The couple has been married since 1979.

If the team is community property, Jamie McCourt could be reinstated. Some say that would have an adverse effect on the team. Hmmm, you think? If they don’t want to be married anymore, I doubt they’d be able to run a business together very well. And a $100 million payroll is a lot to mess around with.

Allegations aside, McCourt’s achievements in professional baseball were pretty significant for her gender and it’s a shame it has to end in L.A. like this. But I had the chance to meet McCourt last year and if there’s one place she can go and always be loved, it’s Baltimore. And it seems the feeling is mutual.

Wonder if there’s room in the front office at Camden Yards?

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Is anyone following this Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown tournament The Baltimore Sun is running? I have to say, as a sports fan, I’m a little disturbed at some of the results so far.

Most of the celebrities are media personalities, sports heroes or politicians. In round one, Oriole Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson pounded Gov. Martin O’Malley, 92.7 percent to 7.3 percent and Raven Ray Lewis easily handled Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak, 77 to 23. But Oriole Brian Roberts lost out to former Gov. William Schaefer and Raven Todd Heap was overtaken by radio personality JoJo Girard.

And in round two, our beloved Cal Ripkin Jr. is losing to WWE diva Stacy Keibler in a landslide, 75.2 percent to 24.8 as of Friday afternoon. The beating has even caught Sports Illustrated’s attention.

Of course this is by no means scientific. And I seriously doubt anyone’s legacy (from Ripken to O’Malley) will be affected by losing early on (we still have three more rounds to go). Just because the Iron Man is about to lose to a former Ravens cheerleader does not mean that Baltimore isn’t still a great sports town. I hope.

In fact the only thing really significant about this tournament is the amount of traffic it is driving to The Sun’s Web site. I’m imagining the Web editors over there gleefully watching the number of votes tick up — along with their online viwership. And that’s what we call a smart business move.

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After all the questions in the media about whether Orioles manager Dave Trembley needs to go, this came down late Friday from the organization:

“The Orioles today announced that they have exercised their option for the 2010 season on the contract of Manager Dave Trembley.

“This season is Trembley’s 25th in professional baseball. He won two league titles and earned Manager of the Year awards in three leagues in 20 years managing in the minor leagues before joining the Orioles as bullpen coach and field coordinator in 2007.”

Since this summer, Trembley has been on thin ice for his management of the team and the young squad’s needless errors.

So who’s responsible for Trembley staying? Owner Peter Angelos? GM Andy MacPhail? The O’s also won last night, snapping a 13-game losing streak.

Is this a sign that the team is or isn’t moving past the days of mismanagement that has plagued it during the Angelos era? Do you agree with the decision?

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All right, before you start freaking out over that subject line, I’m sure Camden Yards is perfectly safe. But it did get you to click on this post, didn’t it?

But as for the question at hand, we may have a specific answer in a few months after a safety study on the ballpark is finished. The Maryland Stadium Authority recently hired Chicago-based Hillard Heintze to conduct a comprehensive security threat and vulnerability assessment of the Camden Yards Sport Complex (which includes the ballpark, the warehouse and M&T Bank Stadium).

Stadium Authority officials at their last public meeting mentioned that the impact the sports complex’s proximity to D.C. was an element they wanted covered.

But here’s my question — what about the little things? The last several times I’ve gone to either ballpark (D.C. or Baltimore), I’ve noticed the bag check at the security has gone a little lax. So far it’s just encouraged me to try and sneak food into Nationals Park (thank you O’s for letting me bring in my own food without the risk of getting mustard on my wallet).  But what kind of tricks could ill-intentioned people pull?

And the same does not go for football games — especially the Ravens, which seems like the equivalent of going through airport security. At least it is for the guys…finally a perk to being a woman that involves shorter lines!

What’s your assessment as a fan of the security at sporting games? Are some venues in this region better than others?

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