As with everything in Mets world, one step forward, two bizarre steps back: after starting the season losing eight of their first 12, they've seen their surprisingly solid pitching staff, led by a resurgent Mike Pelfrey, push their record above .500. Unfortunately, not as many of their beer-guzzling fans seem to be paying attention, since the Mets lead the league in a more dubious stat: largest decline in home field attendance.
Despite having the most home field victories in the Majors so far this year (14), attendance at Citi Field is down 6,852 fans a game, an average of 31,892 fans at games this season compared with 38,744 last season. It seems fans might still be irked after two heart-breaking September collapses and a miserable 92-loss season last year: “The problem is last year the tickets were really expensive and the team stunk and that can really stick with fans for a while,” said Jon Greenberg, the executive editor of Team Marketing Report, an industry publication.
Ever-optimistic shortstop Jose Reyes blamed it on mother nature: "I’m sure it’s been the weather. It’s no big deal. The crowds will come. The fans still love us.” And despite fewer season-ticket sales, the team has had "more walk-up sales, and we have had four record walk-up sales so far this season,” according to Dave Howard, the Mets’ executive vice president for business operations.
All those long games they've been having this season probably haven't helped much either: even broadcaster Keith Hernandez, who starred on the Mets 1986 World Series champion team, fell asleep in the broadcast booth last week. He's likely feeling lucky today though, with the report that former teammate Bernie Carbo, who Hernandez testified in 1985 had turned him onto cocaine, didn't succeed with a plan to "break his arms."
