There's little doubt interest in baseball is up, higher than it's been in a few years. Momentum has been building from Nomo-mania to Cal Ripken to the playoff sagas of the Mariners, Indians and Braves. More important was a relatively normal winter, complete with free agency, trades and hot-stove speculation that fuels interest in baseball more than any TV promo, ticket campaigns or marketing strategies. I know interest is up. I can tell by looking at Baseball Weekly's circulation numbers, by counting the ads and, most significantly, by talking to fans at spring training.
People are flat-out excited.
But spring training attendance was down. I saw those numbers, too. I decided to go straight to an expert for the answer. No, not some self-anointed industry analyst. By the way, next week's issue marks our fifth anniversary.