Ticket Prices Go Nowhere

One of the benefits to never winning is that the team is terrified to raise ticket prices. After the 2001 debacle, prices are again staying the same for 2009:

"We do not take the support of our season ticket-holders for granted," Pirates president Frank Coonelly said yesterday. "We recognize the economy that we're all facing is a very difficult time. I think anybody in any entertainment business has to be concerned that the economy is such that you could see some decrease in certain areas of your business, so it's certainly a concern for us. It's one that we're proactively trying to get out in front of."

Could the tanking economy be the team's excuse for not raising payroll this year? I guess I should be clearer: I don't think the Pirates need to raise their payroll, but I thought they probably would to bolster their rotation after last year's disaster and to appease the more casual fans. But Coonelly mentioning the economy over and over again? Not a great sign for anyone hoping to see raised payroll in 2009.