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钱指数的讯息。意料之内的，
一家四口去看一场球赛的平均花费又提高了，这次达到176.24美元之谱。
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.
当然啦，如果能从中看出一些实际消费行为的端倪，那“球迷花费指数”也算是
个挺不赖的服务了。但是我想没有任何一个地球上的球迷会花掉这笔惊人的金额
或去买那一大堆“球迷花费指数”拿来统计唬烂的商品。
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?
例如说呢，“球迷花费指数”（以下简称FCI）就自以为的认定一个家庭会买两份
大联盟观战指南。两份观战指南？？ 为什么一个正常人需要两本充斥着那个谁的
宠物罗德威热或是谁的老婆搞了个慈善活动的文章的本子？两顶成人棒球帽？唉唷
喂我的老天爷啊！如果你不是已经拥有完整的一组主场/客场/交替用的 周日/
复刻版/1995美联西区冠军/春训/打击练习专用帽，那很显然你并不会在乎要抢头
香去看你支持的球队打球。两杯啤酒？别闹了，孩子，谁看场球赛只喝掉两杯啤
酒？尤其当Jeff Weaver站在投手丘的时候？
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.
我们要大声疾呼啊！如果FCI还是要继续把像是帽子啊、观战指南啊这些又贵又没
必要的东西算在基本花费里，那干脆连整组球衣球裤、本垒后方可以播放球迷留言
的电子看板、牛棚的工作推车也都算进去好了，
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