All Things Travel: The World Series Numbers Game
BOSTON (CBS) - The World Series in Boston is a numbers game and we're not talking about the price of the tickets at Fenway Park.
The most important number may be the temperature at game time that could be about 40 degrees.
Having the World Series back in the Hub is big business. Just how big depends on who you ask. The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau says that every game is worth $2.5 million. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce puts the figure closer to $10 million.
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The difference is the $8 million or so that the Red Sox receive in income from ticket and concession sales. The CVB does not include that figure.
The buses and limousines will be lined up in record numbers behind the bleachers in center field.
Those bicycle-powered Boston Pedicabs will have its fleet of 24 men and women drivers ready to shuttle fans from Boston hotels. These people work for tips and the business has grown from a season that starts in March on St. Patrick's Day.
No one at Massport or the companies that operate the General Aviation facilities at Logan Airport or Hanscom Field were willing to say how many private jets would be arriving on the day of the opening game. These corporate types want to keep their travel private.
The Red Sox and Cardinals will use charter aircraft to fly back to St. Louis after the second game and could make a return trip to Boston.
Like the private jets, team players and staff do not have to go through airport security. Under TSA rules, approved companies screen the people at Fenway Park and then get direct access to the charters on the tarmac at the airport. The buses usually get a State Police escort to Logan Airport.
Despite the high economic projections, there can be weak spots. According to the popular Phantom Gourmet TV Show, sports bars do very well during the Series but local restaurants suffer because people stay home to watch the games on TV.
The Gillette Company World Shaving Headquarters in South Boston is not especially happy with most of the Red Sox team sporting beards. But the company, now owned by Proctor & Gamble, is now into the treatment of all facial hair.
Gillette was the first national sponsor of The World Series in 1939, won by the New York Yankees. Next year will mark the 75th Anniversary of that event.
A win for the Red Sox would also be a great sendoff for retiring Boston Mayor Tom Menino who has already presided over seven Duck Boat victory parades that have included three for the Patriots, two for the Red Sox and one each for the Bruins and Celtics. What other American City can make that claim in the last 20 years?
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