Monday, April 06, 2009

St. Louis Browns Attendance Up 50%; Major League Teams Taking Note

While many teams in the major leagues are finding reduced attendance, the St. Louis Browns are enjoying a resurgence in attendance. The Browns report the number attending their Spring Luncheon on April 28, 209 is projected to be up by 50%.

There were times in the Browns history they only filed 2% of Sportsman’s Park, the stadium they shared with the St. Louis Cardinals for more than 50 years. The Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season and became the Orioles.

"Today, the Orioles are the bottom-feeding Birds, universally picked to finish last in the American League East. The Baltimore Orioles have played sub-.500 baseball for 11 consecutive seasons, plummeting to the cellar last summer with a record of 68-93, a whopping 28 1/2 games out of first place."

There’s no need for Baltimore fans to suffer this on-going agony. The solution is simple. Move the team back to St. Louis and let the fans show their appreciation. Here it is, 56 years later, the Browns continue to draw crowds to their events. They will have a 25th fan club anniversary dinner this fall and are projecting a 100% increase in attendance over their last dinner.

What other teams are projecting 50% to 100% increases?

If you’re a REAL St. Louis baseball fan, you will not want to miss the Browns Fan Club luncheon on April 28 at the Missouri Athletic Club, 405 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis. Here’s some of the Browns player’s you will meet.

> A guy who played on the 1944 pennant winning team of the Browns who played against the Cardinals in our city’s only city-wide World Series. (Babe Martin)

> A 1940’s Browns player who is still active in baseball as a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and often referred to as a “super scout.” (Al LaMacchia)

> A guy who drove in the last run for the St. Louis Browns in 1953 when they then moved to Baltimore and who later filled in for Stan Musial at first base when Stan was ill. (Ed Mickelson)

> A player who was voted Rookie of the Year in the American League in 1949 who was born and raised here in St. Louis. (Roy Seivers)

> A player born in the area in Alton, IL and played for the Browns. He would play in the American League for five seasons (1950-54) for the Browns (twice). He played with the Baltimore Orioles where he was a member of the first modern Baltimore MLB team in 1954. (Don Lenhardt)

> Meet a Sedalia, Missouri player who played for the Browns in the 1951 season. In14 career games, he had seven hits in 20 at-bats, with a Home Run and a .350 batting average. (Bud Thomas)

Make your reservation on-line at the Browns blog site at http://thestlbrowns.blogspot.com/ in the right hand column, or you can send a check payable to the St. Louis Browns Fan Club to Frank Kane, 443 Fieldcrest Dr., St. Louis, MO 63129.

Get up a group from your subdivision and attend the St. Louis Browns luncheon. We'll reserve a table for you.

Any questions? Contact Bill Rogers, Editor, St. Louis Browns Magazine, stlbrowns@swbell.net or call 314-892-8632.

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