Don’t blame the fans for staying home

The Sun has printed another article about the lack of a full house at Camden Yards while its reporters berate the fans for not filling the park (“Declining crowds at Camden Yards concern Orioles, fans and businesses,” Sept. 21).

The writers even pointed out that “the players have noticed empty seats.” Let’s talk about that.

I went to the game two weeks ago. For a family of four to get four bleacher seats — the cheapest seats in the stadium at $26 apiece — was $104.

After buying four hot dogs, four sodas and two ice creams, a souvenir key chain and paying for parking, the total for the evening was $200. If my wife and I had had a beer and if I had bought better seats, the cost would have hit $275.

Before The Sun’s writers blast fans again, they should think about the fact that we are watching a field that is packed with millionaire athletes, and just to see them play is for us the equivalent of a monthly utility bill or car payment.

Maybe your reporters ought to look again and see what we fans see: Greedy players that restrict our ability to support them because of what their salaries force us to pay out for tickets.

But will Manny Machado love seeing us in the stands as much next year, when the Orioles can’t pay him $400 million for the next 10 years?

Will he settle for just $300 million so that ticket prices only increase 10 percent and we can afford to watch him play?

Don’t make the fans the enemy. Instead, have the players look in the mirror because that’s where they’ll see baseball’s real enemy, and it is them.