The Cheapskate's Guide to Baseball Games
http://tinyurl.com/38gthj
By Jim Caple
Page 2
The folks at Team Marketing Report released their annual Fan Cost Index
recently. And not surprisingly, the estimated average price of taking a
family of four to a game rose again, this time to $176.24.
Team Marketing Report的人最近公布了年度球迷花錢指數的訊息。意料之內的，
一家四口去看一場球賽的平均花費又提高了，這次達到176.24美元之譜。
Of course, the Fan Cost Index would be a better service if it actually
bore some relation to reality. No real fan ever spends anywhere close to
the amount of money or buys anywhere near all the crap the FCI uses in
its estimates.
當然啦，如果能從中看出一些實際消費行為的端倪，那「球迷花費指數」也算是
個挺不賴的服務了。但是我想沒有任何一個地球上的球迷會花掉這筆驚人的金額
或去買那一大堆「球迷花費指數」拿來統計唬爛的商品。
For instance, the FCI assumes a family will buy two official programs. Two
programs? Why would anyone need two copies of articles about a player's
pet Rottweiler or the wives' charity drive? Two adult caps? Good lord. If
you don't already have a complete set of home/road/alternate Sunday/turn
back the clock/1995 AL West champion/spring training/batting practice caps,
then you clearly don't care enough about the team to go see them play in
the first place. And two beers? C'mon, who drinks only two beers at a
game? Especially if Jeff Weaver is pitching?
例如說呢，「球迷花費指數」（以下簡稱FCI）就自以為的認定一個家庭會買兩份
大聯盟觀戰指南。兩份觀戰指南？？ 為什麼一個正常人需要兩本充斥著那個誰的
寵物羅德威熱或是誰的老婆搞了個慈善活動的文章的本子？兩頂成人棒球帽？唉唷
喂我的老天爺啊！如果你不是已經擁有完整的一組主場/客場/交替用的 週日/
復刻版/1995美聯西區冠軍/春訓/打擊練習專用帽，那很顯然你並不會在乎要搶頭
香去看你支持的球隊打球。兩杯啤酒？別鬧了，孩子，誰看場球賽只喝掉兩杯啤
酒？尤其當Jeff Weaver站在投手丘的時候？
For crying out loud, if the Fan Cost Index is going to include such
unnecessary extra expenses as caps and programs, it might as well include
a full set of replica jerseys and pants, a personal message on the
revolving billboard behind home plate and a working bullpen cart.
我們要大聲疾呼啊！如果FCI還是要繼續把像是帽子啊、觀戰指南啊這些又貴又沒
必要的東西算在基本花費裡，那乾脆連整組球衣球褲、本壘後方可以播放球迷留言
的電子看板、牛棚的工作推車也都算進去好了，
I wrote about this subject many years ago, back when the Internet still
relied on tin cans and rubber tubing, but clearly it's time for an updated
version. So here we go