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 In looking ahead to all 30 clubs in Major League Baseball, David is nearly complete, having wound his way through all the American League with the AL East (see the Yankees - Red Sox - Rays - Orioles - Jays), the AL Central (see the Royals, the White Sox, theTwins, the Indians and Detroit Tigers) tha AL West with (Angels - A's - Rangers, - Seattle Mariners). and NL East (Mets - Nationals - Marlins - Phillies - Braves). With the season fast approaching, NL Central capsules will be coming fast. Now in the NL Central (see Brewers - Cubs). Today, it's the club that has the Albert Pujols contract having over their head, the St. Louis Cardinals -- Maury Brown
Team: The St. Louis Cardinals
2009 Total Attendance: 3.34 million
2009 Average Attendance & Sell-Thru: 41,274 (88% Sell-Thru)
2009 Record: 91-71, Lost in Division Series to Dodgers
2010 Total Attendance: 3.3 million
2010 Average Attendance & Sell-Thru: 40,755 (87% Sell-Thru)
2010 Record: 86-76, Missed Postseason
Looking ahead to 2011……
Notable offseason addition/subtractions: Signed Lance Berkman
Interleague LY: LAA Angels, Oakland A’s, and Seattle Mariners
Interleague TY: Toronto Blue Jays & KC Royals
April/May Games: 12 in April, 13 in May in 2011 vs. 11 in April and 13 in May in 2010
Holidays: Home 4/24 Easter 5/8 Mother’s Day 6/19 Father’s Day 7/4 Independence Day
9/5 Labor Day
Overall Outlook: The Cardinals 2010 attendance was down a tick and ranked #4 overall in MLB. It was their worst year in attendance at Busch Stadium III since moving in 2006.On the bright side, they remain one of only 5 teams attendance that averaged over 40,000 a game. This season I’d project only the Phillies, Yankees, and Cardinals to be in that stratosphere of attendance. This season is a make or break season for the team with the expiring contracts of 1B Albert Pujols, SP Adam Wainwright, SP Chris Carpenter, C Yadier Molina, and RP Ryan Franklin. The Cardinals do have club options on Wainwright, Carpenter, and Molin though. This season got off to a rocky start with Adam Wainwright having Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. At the box office, they play minimal early season games and minimal interleague games. Their early season schedule is one the easiest in the NL with only 12 of the first 38 games against 2010 teams over .500. Much like the aforementioned Cubs and Brewers a more competitive division will lead to a better year at the box office. Even if the Cardinals are out of it, the “see Albert Pujols” one last time in September should stabilize attendance. I think the Cardinals attendance will be flat this upcoming 2011 season. The Cardinals have hired QCue to use dynamic pricing on their individual tickets. This will lead to higher revenues for the team in 2011.
SPECIAL BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK REPORTS:
The Labor Battle in the NFL. See BizOfFootball.com for details
 David Simmons is a graduate of the University of Central Florida who worked in the front office of the Los Angeles Dodgers over 4 seasons and has a decade of ticketing experience.. He serves as CFO for Players For The Planet and currently resides in Baltimore. You can follow David on Twitter @davidesimmons
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David Simmons 
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