I’ve had it with this attendance garbage. On a night when the Yankees captain cheated to get on base, and the Rays came back twice behind huge home runs from the man, the myth, the legend that is Dan Johnson, ESPN’s SportsCenter anchor Linda Cone felt that this one liner was necessary when covering the game.
↵↵↵“Sounded like more Yankee fans than Rays fans in Tampa tonight.”
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Listen Linda, (which judging from that comment, listening is not your strong point), first of all you are dead wrong. The attendance at the Trop this week has been outstanding for a midweek series, has grown every day, and has been resoundingly pro Tampa. In fact, they have been some of the most passionate Rays fans I have witnessed so far and the building has had a playoff atmosphere the entire series. Secondly, and this is far more important…
↵Your constant attendance talk is just cheap journalism, it’s tabloid level garbage. You’re a sports network, cover the damn team. I’m sorry the Yankees drive your ratings and you have to make yourselves feel better when they lose but it’s time to grow up and realize that there is a new Beast in the East.
↵The same goes for the local media. The attendance is not news. It does not deserve its own heater entry every night. The fans are doing the best they can, and the team is playing out of its mind. The only thing attendance talk does is belittle the fans that can’t afford to go. It helps no one. You’ll have plenty of time to talk about the empty seats when this current club gets broken up and fails to contend.
↵But for now, we have the best team in baseball, and this may be the only chance we get to enjoy a team this talented. So please, get over it, and enjoy some of the best baseball we’ve ever seen.
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