Empty Eastwood Good seats still available

When asked about playing Monday’s game under sunny skies, Scrappers manager Travis Fryman smiled and said, “We haven’t had a lot of those this year.” Despite the nice weather, only 2,021 fans attended the game, the latest example of a troubling trend this summer. Gas prices, a bad economy, the Indians’ struggles and, yes, the weather have created a not-so-perfect storm. The Scrappers are averaging 3,427 fans through 15 openings this season, putting them on pace for the lowest average in their 10-year history. Their attendance ranks eighth in the New York-Penn League. Brooklyn (7,241) is first, while Oneonta (1,021) is last in the 14-team league.

A look at the Scrappers’ attendance through the years:

YearTotal attendanceAverage

1999203,0735,344

2000206,2875,429

2001181,1704,768

2002160,7514,345

2003141,8894,299

2004160,8324,232

2005153,8794,029

2006129,7193,603

2007129,6013,703

200851,4103,427