Poll: Baseball ticket price big issue

Clarence Eckstein grew up in Ohio, when a great summer day meant driving 2 1/2 hours with his dad to see Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine.

At 51, Eckstein still cheers for Cincinnati. From home, on TV.

"Tickets, gas, food, it's a few hundred dollars," he said. "Other bills are more of a priority."

He's got company. The high price of attending games is by far the biggest problem in Major League Baseball, an Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll of fans released Thursday shows.

A whopping 63 percent said the steep cost was the game's top trouble - up from 45 percent in a survey right before opening day. Worries over players making too much money or taking steroids lagged behind.

"It's sad when people can't afford to come to a game. No doubt. I would love for every kid and every adult to be able to afford to come to a ballpark," Texas Rangers pitcher Eddie Guardado said. "Somebody's going to come up with a good idea to fix it."

MLB attendance is down more than 6 percent this season. The average ticket price is $26.64, up 5 percent over last season, according to the Team Marketing Report.

In other poll results:

► 72 percent of respondents said MLB is not doing enough to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

► 15 percent of fans who went to a game last year said they aren't likely to attend a game this year.

► About two-thirds said neither Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa should be allowed into the Hall of Fame if they are found to have taken steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

Fans said soaring salaries (18 percent) and players taking banned drugs (14 percent) also were concerns. But more than anything, they felt priced out.

Players said they understand.

"It's definitely a big concern for me," Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span said. "Without the fans, this game, I don't think it really exists."

"I don't think anybody in here wants to play in front of nobody. So if ticket prices are going up, especially with the economy as bad as it is right now, where people can't afford t