There are many dynamic things about the game of baseball.

There is the dynamic between a pitcher hurling a ball towards a batter close enough to look tempting to hit but not too close to end up over the wall for a home run.

There is the dynamic of the outfielder timing his jump just right to rob the opposing batter of an extra base hit.

There is the dynamic of a manager trying to decide when to apply an infield shift or make a pitching change based on certain factors or match ups.

There is even the dynamic in the stands of trying to decide how soon is too soon to start the wave and whether it really is wise to eat those chilli cheese fries that look so good but always end with you in pain.

There is also a recent trend of calling things dynamic when in reality they are anything but.

The Houston Astros recently announced plans to join this group of dynamic blunders when they announced that this season will include dynamic pricing for all seats at all of the games.

The team tried a small roll out of dynamic pricing in certain sections of the ballpark last season with some seats costing more on some days than others.

In the simplest form, dynamic pricing is a way for teams to charge more for games that people want to see.

The formula has been used by teams for years whenever the Yankees and Red Sox would come to town since it was felt that there was a higher demand for those tickets and in turn more money could be charged.

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs have some of the largest fan bases in the nation. So, the dynamic pricing says that those fans will flock to see their team and pay more in the process regardless of where they are playing. Some teams go even further to cater to their out of town fans.

This pampering to out of town fans was put on display two years ago at Minute Maid Park when the Red Sox came to town.

I am not talking about fans cheering loudly for both sides. I am referring to the public address system seeming to cater to the out of towners by playing various songs that were very specific to what would be played at Fenway Park.

What’s next? Will they erect a miniature Green Monster now that the Red Sox will be visiting more frequently since the Astros have moved to the American League?

There are several reasons why I find dynamic pricing offensive. As a fan who has definitely watched his share of really bad Astros games I am offended that the so called primo games could be priced out of some people’s budgets.

And why should every Friday and Saturday game cost more than a Tuesday game just because of the day of the week it falls on?

Dynamics were already in place with the supply and demand factors and economics of baseball.

For years certain teams have drawn better than others and of course games on the weekend will be more packed than those dreaded Tuesday night contests. So, in that way the dynamics are already set. But charging more for the games that more people want to go to just screams of basic greed.

Plus, with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and little advertised plans to change that anytime soon, it is highly unlikely that the extra revenue received will go towards salary.

Most likely the move to dynamic pricing is an admission that the team is going to lose a lot of games this year and attendance is going to suffer.

With most experts predicting the third consecutive 100 plus loss season for the Astros there is not too much winning to cheer for.

When I first heard about the ticket plan my first thought was to not give the Astros a single cent of my money next year in protest. Now, in the grand scheme of things the several hundred dollars I spend at the ballpark is small potatoes and will probably not be missed by the team. But, if there are hundreds, or thousands of people who feel the same way I do then it is bound to hit the team in the pocket.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go see about getting my tickets to the Sugarland Skeeters. Something tells me they are going to be very popular this season with the disgruntled fans leaving the Astros behind.

Copyright 2013 R Anderson