Terrerobytes: The White Sox, Yankees and (probably not) you

During the second inning of the YES Network broadcast of Tuesday's White Sox winner over the Yankees, the conversation between Michael Kay and Ken Singleton turned to a subject we're all quite familiar with: low attendance.

It was a brief exchange, but Singleton (who is one of the game's better analysts) -- took a direct line to the heart of the matter.

Michael Kay: The Yankees are in town. [The White Sox] have been in first place now for 82 days, and this is kind of startling, Kenny, to see this place with so many empty seats. And they didn't even sell out for their games against the Cubs.

Ken Singleton: Well, Michael, when certain teams come into town -- and this is not only the White Sox who do this -- but they have the premium prices, which means that it's going to cost more to see the Yankees or the Red Sox or some of the big-name teams. Maybe the Angels? Probably? Certainly when the Cubs come here. So, you know, a lot of the fans, they'll stay home and watch it on TV.

That's all that needs to be said. Anybody who is legitimately surprised by the attendance the last two games didn't pay attention last year, when White Sox-Yankees games set distant lows for the post-championship era.

While the turnout for this series is underwhelming, it's also a step in a positive direction:

At any rate, we already talked this all out Tuesday, as well as last month. To summarize: If the Sox wanted to boost the overall attendance, it wouldn't take much creativity. But charging small-market prices doesn't mesh with the desire for big-market prestige (and the prestigious fans who buy much more than a ticket), so the Sox are forced to put the cart before the horse and wait for their vision to be realized.

That results in a lot of negligence, mockery and/or scorn from the outside in the interim. Galileo knows the feeling. So does your cut-rate megalomaniac. Time will decide which one the Sox more closely resemble. In the meantime, enjoy a neverending edition of Rain Delay Theater starring people telling each other how they're not spending their money correctly.

At any rate, it's just fascinating to see Singleton -- somebody who gets paid to attend games, and also works for the team that charges the most per ticket -- come to the conclusion that so many others seem to miss. And that's not even counting those who have the incentive to ignore it.

Terrerobytes

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• Juan Pierre: Thank Goodness for Adequacy - The Good Phight
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Juan Pierre's season line with the Phillies: .307/.345/.373, 31-for-36 stealing bases. When you think of the value he's provided the Phillies when nobody expected much, it reminds me a lot of the guy Pierre replaced when the Sox traded for him.