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1-17-2008 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor A little more than 352,000 fans passed through the turnstiles in 2007, about 40,000 more than in 2006. The final tally of 352,119 was the ninth highest total in museum history, and the highest single year total since 2002. The 10-year average is approximately 335,000. "We are very happy with the numbers from 2007," Idelson said. "There were a series of milestones in baseball all summer long and each one of those players has fans. Baseball attendance was at an all-time high with over 79 million fans going to ballparks, so it was a good year for baseball too." San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds became baseball's home run king this summer; New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine won his 300th career game; and Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio collected his 3,000th career hit this past season. In July, baseball legends Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn were inducted into the Hall of Fame, with record crowds in excess of 75,000 attending the Sunday ceremony. The one dark cloud that hangs over baseball is, of course, the steroid scandal which has rocked baseball in recent months, especially the accusation in the Mitchell Report that 350-game winner Roger Clemens used performance enhancing drugs during his career. "Our job is to present the product and market it to the best of our ability," Idelson said. "We can only worry about what we can control. One of our objectives is to instill confidence in the game. For every dark moment, there is a shining star." Idelson said the Mitchell Report was a major step in the right direction for baseball to address the issue of steroids and begin moving forward. "It's obviously going to be a long process," he said. "We hope the game continues to be a significant factor in people's lives." |
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