[Pikachu1989]

I was at this game in May. Left Omaha Nebraska on That Thursday the 19 and came back on the 22. Anyways saw USS Massachusetts and couple of uncle, aunt and Cousins that live south of Boston in Quincy Yes they have the Accent. But going back to the game yes they wore their 1918 jerseys and it looked like I went back in time. After the 2nd inning they turned off the PA system and they annouced the players name on the loud speaker thing. We heard Dustin Pedroia of the Sox and that was it for 2 innings they did this. It had a feel of 1918. What they should of done was put concession set for 1918 prices. I got a couple Beers and it cost 8 dollars for a beer. Seriously 8 bucks for a 12 oz beer. Zambrano was pitching for the Cubs. And he was doing ok job Pitching but let Big Papi have a 2 run HR. But anyways Sox collapse and Cubbies won. I was happy. I'm a Red Sox fan but a Cubbies fan at heart. Sorry for the post that was back in May but you will never know when the Cubs and Red Sox will play again.

Originally Posted by smc

On Saturday, to celebrate the Cubs coming to Fenway for the first time since the 1981 World Series, the Red Sox and Chicago not only donned period uniforms (which, on the Sox, looked ridiculous -- I was wondering when they would start selling ice cream), but also shut off the sound system for a while and had a guy announce each batter through a megaphone. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe writes about sound systems and other spectacles at the ballpark. For me, a long-time baseball fan (he mentions some "generational" things), this really resonates.

Does game time really have to be show time?
May 22, 2011 | By Nick Cafardo

One of the more enjoyable parts of this season for me came during a Friday night Red Sox-Yankees game when the Yankee Stadium PA system malfunctioned for about two innings. Unfortunately, it was fixed.

No more blaring music or dancing mascots. It was pure baseball, just like the old days, when all you heard was the occasional organ music in the background.

We all understand the ?presentation?? that very talented and creative people put together for a ballgame, but couldn?t those same talented and creative people incorporate a two-inning silent time during the course of the game, when baseball is the most important thing taking place in the ballpark?

At the Yankee game, the crowd got louder, and the players actually could hear the fans.

?I thought it was pretty cool, actually,?? Adrian Gonzalez said that night. ?It was different.??

It was not only ?different,?? it was great. There was nothing attacking your sensibilities. I?m not saying eliminate all the distractions, but have some quiet time.

They tried this at Fenway last night. The Sox, in celebration of their first meeting with the Cubs in 93 years, were trying to re-create a 1918 atmosphere, with no amplified sound and no video. A man with a megaphone announced batters for two innings, and the teams were decked out in uniforms of the era.

To the Red Sox? credit, they were going to measure the fan response and gauge whether they could incorporate more silence into future games.

Baseball is a cerebral game. It doesn?t need shenanigans all of the time. Give the electronics a rest. Let the game take over, so people actually can concentrate on it rather than wonder what silly song is about to play when Jonathan Papelbon comes into the game.

Maybe it?s generational. Maybe fans under the age of 35 love all of this other stuff around the game.

In that Yankee Stadium game, the home team rallied, and Curtis Granderson cited a difference in the fan energy.

?They made up for that [lost audio],?? he said. ?It was absolutely amazing. They gave us enough energy to be able to do that [come back]. We just weren?t able to go ahead and finish it.??

There?s a fine line between what?s enough and what?s too much. Baseball, in general, does a good job drawing the line. But if you?re the home team and you have a chance to rally in a close game, why not shut off the audio for a bit and allow fans to be fans and let the players actually hear them?

Longtime baseball and NBA executive Stan Kasten said that, based on surveys and research, silence is not what fans want.

?I think the line always has to be drawn, and I admit you walk into some places and it?s too much,?? said Kasten, ?but I must say, I think for the most part baseball gets it right. I think it adds to the customer experience and I think the customer wants the entertainment between innings to complete their experience and make their experience more enjoyable.

?The guy who sits in the press box is not the average fan. At the end of the day, if you?re doing your job right, you?re adding to the experience, not taking away from it. The people we have talked to over the years want more of it, not less of it.??

Come on, Stan. Do we really need a Kiss-Cam?

?Do you not hear people complaining that baseball is boring??? Kasten said. ?Of course it isn?t. Those of us who love the game don?t feel that way at all. We love just sitting there and watching baseball.

?But we need to appeal to a broad base of people and younger people are a very important demographic.??

Important, but do they buy the tickets? Aren?t the tickets bought by an older demographic who bring the younger demographic to the games? Don?t those people just come to watch David Ortiz hit a home run or Dustin Pedroia lay down a bunt? Do they come to watch scenes from ?Animal House?? on the Jumbotron?

?If anything, we?re leaning toward more entertainment,?? Kasten said.

Say it isn?t so.

Sox CEO Larry Lucchino isn?t against limited quiet time.

?I do think we have to manage sensory overload,?? Lucchino said. ?There?s a danger in doing too much and detracting from the game. We worry about that.??

We were all kids once, and we remember the games, the moments of the games, and not the dugout dancers. Wally the Green Monster is pretty neat, I must admit, but is it really necessary? Ted, Yaz, Rico, Looie, Lynn, Fisk, Rice ? that used to be enough.

I?m just asking for what we experienced that night at Yankee Stadium and last night at Fenway. Let the game stand on its own. It was so refreshing.

?Novelty is always good,?? Kasten said.

It?s amazing that in this era, just watching baseball without the show is a novelty.

Ah well, on with the show.