Paul Sullivan wrote that today in the Trib that the Cubs should expect a rather hostile crowd at Wrigley tonight.
I don’t think so.
Just based on attendance this season and the television rating, I believe the crowd tonight and for the rest of this three game series against the Brewers will actually be quite tame.
Why? Because, quite frankly, most Cubs fans just don’t care right now. This team has now far surpassed the level of anger. We have now accepted that this team sucks. Now, only 20,000 people actually show up and fans only go to the ballpark with no expectations except to see the Cubs lose and to drink a number of $7 beers.
What proof do I have that this is actually the case? Well, nothing much outside of the huge drop in attendance with a big star next to the 30,000 that bought tickets to the game on Memorial Day. Television ratings are down for the Cubs too. Besides that, though, my observations have been that the crowds this season have been, in general, extremely un-hostile compared to the typical crowds over the last 8 years.
We’ve heard in the past from players and coaches, when talking about the,sometimes excessive booing at Wrigley, make statements along the lines of “We understand their frustration” and “They expect more from this team”, but this is the statement that should stand out… “They wouldn’t boo if they didn’t care.” Guess what. They won’t boo tonight…and you know why? Because they don’t care. That’s even more dangerous than a hostile crowd.
Am I wrong?
