Because some people have to actually work in an office for a living.

I'm heading out tonight to the game. That will require that I have to lock my office by 4:30 to be at Will Call by 7:15, and I still won't get to my seats before the second inning. I work in New Tampa, like a lot of other people. When I worked in downtown Tampa, it was worse. I had to be out the door by 4:15 just to get to the parking lot by the first pitch. Keep in mind, I'm single. If I had a family, I'd be driving home, picking them up, and THEN driving down to the dome.

The traffic stinks, the location of the stadium is worse, and people who work business hours can't afford to plunk down 27 bucks a person (plus Ticketmaster charges) to go sit in the upper deck for a three game series. Heaven forbid you bring your family, because then you're dropping 36 bucks just for tickets to one game, where you sit next to some creepy old guy staring at your 12-year old and behind some overly angry man screaming Left and Right, shaking so hard with rage you begin to wonder when his hairpiece will topple.

Add in parking (thanks for getting rid of that free parking this year, by the way), plus food, and keeping in mind that you had to leave work early to get there, so that cuts down your pay at the end of the week.

I'm a huge fan of the team, and tonight makes it 15 or 16 games I've gone to this year.  I'm lucky enough to make enough in a month that I can afford to skip out early every now and again. The median income in the bay area right now is $37,406. The top half of that median are people that are old as dirt, sitting in their condo on Gulf Blvd., and never venturing out into the sunlight. The bottom half of that median is too busy working their second job to keep the lights working to care whether or not you think there are enough people at the game.

Before the few of you who are lucky enough to either:

A.) Not have a job that requires you to work steady hours

B.) Not have a family to consider when spending your money

C.) Live and/or work west of Dale Mabry and south of 60

D.) Have enough spare change around that you can afford to plunk down that kind of money regularly

all get together and wring your hands about attendance, maybe you should count your blessings that one of the above is true, and you can go to the games regularly. In the meantime, until you're willing to pay my rent/electric/insurance/car/phone/gas/etc. payments so I can leave at 4 o' clock 81 times a year just for the privilege of spending more money, please feel free to shut up and enjoy the game. I'll be watching at home on HD, when Brighthouse decides to make it available.