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Friday, December 12, 2008

Like the Great Depression, but different

At the minor league job fair and trade show, the topic on many minds was the floundering economy, which was expected to have a far more pronounced effect on baseball’s lower levels than on the major leagues. Many minor league teams are searching for creative ways to save money but keep fans heading out to ballparks, and job seekers are finding few openings. Some of the cost-saving measures will affect fans, and others will reach the field . . .

. . . Teams are looking beyond uniforms for savings. The Round Rock Express, the Houston Astros’ Class AAA affiliate, has often bought new in-game entertainment features for fans from one season to the next. Next season, however, the team plans to run the same video entertainment on the outfield screen between innings.

“It will be the same cap shuffle video instead of changing the whole thing, like we’ve done in years past,” said Clint Musslewhite, the team’s director for ballpark entertainment. “We are not going to have them redo it. We’re going to strategically change our entertainment; the number of inflatable things we’ll rent will decrease.”

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