Brian34Cook

Cards need to manufacture 'buzz'
03/30/2008


Rachel Lindsey of St. Louis shops for a Jason Isringhausen jersey at the Cardinals Offical Team Store at Busch Stadium.

JUPITER, Fla. • The feathered star of the commercial, Fredbird, had gotten delayed at the airport, so Adam Wainwright would have to do.

For the first time in 10 years, the Cardinals had dispatched a film crew to Florida this spring as part of an aggressive and expanded marketing venture to "create a buzz" about this year's team. The crew came with a dozen scripts, stacks of equipment, a makeup person, no promises and hope — hope that they could steal some time from players between workouts.

The players were game. The mascot, however … was late.

Coming off the club's 10th World Series championship, the Cardinals set an attendance record last summer with 3.6 million fans, surpassing the previous record set in 2004. They have had four consecutive seasons of at least 3.4 million. Yet, their in-house target this season reveals their sobered goals for the ballpark's third year and its first increase in ticket prices. They plan to hit 3.2 million tickets sold.

By opening day, thanks to advance sales, the team expects to have reached 3 million for the 10th time in 11 years.

That streak will continue. Another will end Wednesday.

A release of available opening-day tickets last week assured a sellout for Monday's regular-season opener against Colorado, a team official said, but Wednesday's game is not expected to be a sellout. The Cardinals' run of consecutive sellouts reaches 165 on Monday but will stop there.

STLtoday - Cards need to manufacture 'buzz'