The Marlins beat the visiting Mets the other night but I didn’t see the game; I watched the Tampa Bay Rays play the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am still a Marlins fan, but I have to pay to watch them – on a subscription service on Prime – while the Rays games I get for free. I have not seen any stories about this illogical situation, making me wonder if local interest in the Marlins has reached a new low. Are we the only fans in the country who have to pay to watch their hometown team? And how does this affect the franchise, which, I always heard, didn’t worry about poor attendance at games because its main revenue came from television?
Unless things change, I’ll get to know the Rays better than the Marlins. They’re playing this season in the Yankees spring training stadium in Tampa (due to hurricane damage to Tropicana Field), so at least I’ll see the game played as it should be – under a summer sky.
