Yankees Set to Usher in New Yankee Stadium

New Yankee Stadium

With football about over, baseball talk is heating  up with spring training and exhibition games just around the corner.  Perhaps the most anticiapted exhibition game this year will come on April 3rd and April 4th 2009 as the Yankees unveil the new Yankees stadium against the Chicago Cubs.  The $1.6 billion stadium designed by HOK Sport will consist of 2 separate structures – the stadium itself and the “Great Hall”.

The new Yankees Stadium will feature large limestone surrounding a modern ballpark with all the bells and whistles.  Inside the modern stadium full of plasma televisions, will be Monument Park. Monument Park will showcase famous Yankees whose numbers have been retired, as well as, 5 free stading monument dedicated to Hall of Fame Yankees.  Monument park will be located in center field under a restaurant.  The Great Hall will contain over 1,000,000 square feet of retail space sure to further increase the revenues for the Yankees.

Whether your a fan or not of the “Evil Empire”, one thing is certain – the New Yankees Stadium will be a sight to see for all baseball fans.  Tickets to the first games ever to the be held at Yankees Stadium are already available.  If you aren’t lucky enough to land tickets to the Cubs @ Yankees 4/3 or 4/4 the first regular season home game will be on April 16th against the Cleveland Indians.

Mid-Season MLB Attendance Report

With the All-Star Game now behind us and the MLB playoff races heating up, it’s a good time to check out how teams are stacking up in the attendance game. Whether you are shopping for baseball tickets or simply trying to get the leg up marketing baseball tickets, its important to know whose tickets are in highest demand. While most people know teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs sell out nearly every home game, which teams travel the best? Which teams report the highest percent capacity? Thanks to a little help from ESPN and MLB.com, MyMLBTickets.com breaks it all down for you!

2008 – Attendance		Home				Road			Overall
RNK	TEAM	GMS	TOTAL	AVG	PCT	GMS	AVG	PCT	GMS	AVG	PCT
1	NY Yankees	49	2,573,031	52,510	91.4	46	33,297	74.9	95	43,207	84.4
2	NY Mets	45	2,263,085	50,290	87.6	49	38,107	84.7	94	43,940	86.3
3	LA Dodgers	49	2,206,905	45,038	80.4	46	35,108	78.9	95	40,230	79.8
4	St. Louis	47	1,983,923	42,211	90.1	49	33,250	83.0	96	37,637	86.7
5	Philadelphia	50	2,086,008	41,720	95.9	46	29,523	69.5	96	35,875	83.4
6	Chicago Cubs	49	1,989,035	40,592	98.7	46	35,601	85.6	95	38,175	92.3
7	LA Angels	46	1,865,309	40,550	90.0	49	29,402	68.9	95	34,800	79.4
8	Detroit	48	1,896,745	39,515	98.5	46	31,148	68.0	94	35,421	82.6
9	Boston	47	1,768,166	37,620	104.0	50	38,182	85.6	97	37,909	93.5
10	Milwaukee	48	1,732,436	36,092	85.1	47	31,796	78.4	95	33,967	81.8
11	Houston	43	1,549,357	36,031	88.0	52	30,527	72.1	95	33,018	79.2
12	San Francisco	45	1,589,902	35,331	85.1	49	31,930	75.7	94	33,558	80.2
13	Colorado	46	1,529,707	33,254	65.9	50	35,611	78.3	96	34,482	72.0
14	Atlanta	48	1,491,956	31,082	62.1	46	33,265	83.4	94	32,150	71.3
15	San Diego	53	1,585,736	29,919	70.4	42	35,981	77.7	95	32,599	73.8
16	Washington	50	1,485,013	29,700	00.0	46	29,936	65.4	96	29,813	135.9
17	Arizona	46	1,365,458	29,683	60.5	49	31,228	75.7	95	30,480	67.7
18	Chicago Sox	45	1,301,217	28,915	71.2	49	29,003	64.2	94	28,961	67.4
19	Seattle	46	1,295,196	28,156	58.9	49	31,188	66.6	95	29,720	62.8
20	Toronto	47	1,292,640	27,502	54.4	47	30,775	71.8	94	29,139	62.4
21	Cleveland	47	1,264,143	26,896	62.0	45	31,311	68.4	92	29,056	65.2
22	Baltimore	41	1,068,458	26,059	54.1	51	29,007	69.0	92	27,693	61.8
23	Minnesota	50	1,264,397	25,287	51.9	45	29,297	69.6	95	27,187	59.7
24	Cincinnati	45	1,126,498	25,033	59.5	51	35,004	77.1	96	30,330	69.2
25	Texas	45	1,122,152	24,936	50.8	49	29,805	69.6	94	27,474	59.9
26	Oakland	55	1,171,147	21,293	50.6	40	29,652	64.8	95	24,813	56.9
27	Tampa Bay	49	1,021,886	20,854	50.8	44	29,835	65.5	93	25,103	58.1
28	Kansas City	45	909,654	20,214	49.6	50	28,592	62.7	95	24,623	56.8
29	Pittsburgh	50	968,441	19,368	50.5	43	33,001	80.5	93	25,671	64.9
30	Florida	45	676,340	15,029	41.4	48	30,222	73.6	93	22,871	59.0

Top Selling MLB Tickets – June

June is the month that we normally see the contenders separating themselves from the pretenders.  It is now the midway point of the season and the teams that survived the classically named “june swoon” (see Chicago Cubs) are in the thick of the pennant race.  As such those teams still in the race are starting to sell out games especially with kids home for summer break.  Perhaps the most surprising team still in the thick of things are the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays, normally a team that struggles with attendance, are now one of the most popular teams in baseball.  This only goes to shows MLB General managers that if you build a winning team, the fans will come (even in a small market such as Tampa).  So without further adieu, lets look at the most in demand tickets for the month of Janurary!

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
6. Chicago White Sox
7. Minnesota Twins
8. New York Mets
9. Tampa Bay Rays
10. Florida Marlins
11. St. Louis Cardinals
12. San Francisco Giants
13. Philadelphia Phillies
14. Houston Astros
15. Texas Rangers

New Classified Search Engine- Classifindster

Ok, this might be a little off topic but I recently stumbled across a new Classified Search Engine.  Classifindster aggregates the listings of the big boys in the online classified industry (Craigslist, Backpage, Kijiji, and more) and makes them all searchable from one convenient location, Classifindster.com.  What really makes this useful is that each of the classified sites makes it nearly impossible to search for items across multiple categories and multiple cities and this is where it relates to MLB tickets.  Classifindster allows you to search all classified listings in one fell swoop! 

With the rise in popularity of eTickets (electronic tickets that can be emailed), craigslist et al’s local and categorial listings make it extremely difficult to find say, MLB All Star Game Tickets.  For example, what city do you browse listing in?  New York?  Sure.  However, often times you can get a better deal from a seller in another location who may not want to make the trek to the Bronx.  But who has the time to search every city listing on craigslist to find that bargain?  I know I don’t. 

Most Popular MLB Tickets

When shopping for baseball tickets, prices are often dictated by demand. So what are the top selling MLB tickets for the month of May? Well here’s your top 15 most in demand baseball tickets:

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Kansas City Royals
6. St. Louis Cardinals
7. Seattle Mariners
8. Atlanta Braves
9. Houston Astros
10. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
11. Philadelphia Phillies
12. New York Mets
13. Chicago White Sox
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Colorado Rockies

Source: TicketNetworkDirect

Looking for an Alternative to Craigslist?

Sorry it’s been a while since I have had a chance to update the site but with Spring finally here, time can be limited. As someone involved for many years in the online ticket industry i can tell you many ticket website sites come and go. However, one thing has remained constant over the years and that is the popularity of Craigslist. Craigslist is probably one of the largest, if not the largest site dedicated to classified ads. However, with that popularity comes trouble in the form of spammers and other internet hooligans. What used to be a good way to buy and sell tickets to events locally has become too popular and the flood of posts makes it nearly impossible to find what you are looking for. In addition, the community flagging makes it extremely difficult to get your ads to stay posted without getting flagged.

Although Craigslist is still useful if you are looking to buy or sell tickets, a new website http://freeticketclassifieds.com has just launched that is certain to challenge Craigslist on the ticket classified front. If you are sick of weeding through the garbage and getting all your posts flagged, check out Free Ticket Classifieds. Although the traffic is just starting to build, it is worth a look. Heck what have you got to lose…. best of all it’s free!

Top Online Ticket Broker Guide

The age of the internet has changed the way people do a lot of things including buying tickets for their favorite baseball team. The internet has opened up the flood gates of ticket competition and that means many online brokers are competing for your business and thus lowering prices. However, what many people do not realize is that many online ticket brokers hide fees masking their true price until your purchase has been made. Most often these brokers tease you with low prices only to slap on service charges and shipping and handling fees. Here at MyMLBTickets.com we breakdown the major ticket brokers hidden service charges. Below you will find the Top 6 Online Ticket Brokers.

#1 The Ticket Lodge – %5 Service Charge ; Free Shipping and Handling

The Ticket Lodge is the new kid on the ticket resale block and are one of the fastest growing websites in the United States. The claim to search the inventory of hundreds of ticket brokers with the goal of bring you the best prices on sports, theater, and concert tickets. The prices are pretty good but the real value is that there are NO hidden service charges and they offer FREE 2 day shipping. Through their partner they are also able to offer a 200% money back guarantee- the only of its kind in the industry.

#2 StubHub – 10 % Service Charge ; $16.95 Shipping and Handling

Stubhub is probably the most well known and largest online ticket resale provider. They tout great prices as this is supposed to be fans selling tickets to fans. While that may be the case, Stubhub does not provide this service for free as evidenced by their service charges.

#3 Razor Gator – 10% Service Charge ; $17.50 Shipping and Handling

Razor Gator is one of the larger online ticket brokers and get a fair amount of business. Their prices are competitive but once again they conceal service and shipping charges until check out. Before you buy from Razor Gator be sure and factor in these charges.

#4 TicketsNow - 15% Service Charge ; $14.95 Shipping and Handling

Much like the rest of the online ticket brokers, TicketsNow may have good prices on the surface but once you factor in their other fees, they are nothing but average. They do have one of the lower shipping charges but they make up for it with an outrageous 15% service charge. Ouch!

#5 Ticket Liquidator – 15% Service Charge ; $15.00 Shipping and Handling

Ticket Liquidator pretty much follows the same model as TicketsNow. They have a slightly lower shipping and handling charge but more than make up for it with a %15 service fee. The ticket prices are generally good but when you factor in the excess fees they are indistinguishable from the rest.

#6 Ticket Master – 15% Service Charge ; 19.95 Shipping and Handling

Ticktet Master is the place where you are supposedly able to get tickets at face value. That is if you are willing and able to wait in virtual waiting rooms and spend hours online. What many people do not realize is that Ticket Master relies upon large service and shipping charges. Face value is not face value and the secondary ticket market can often offer tickets less than what Ticket Master charges.

Despite what all the ticket brokers claim, they are all very similar in terms of prices. Some tempt you with low prices then slam you with hidden fees while others have slightly higher prices with little or no extra fees. When buying tickets from online brokers be sure to factor in these service charges prior to making you decision and also reviewing their guarantees.

Boston Red Sox Tickets

After several decades of bumbling and stumbling, the Boston Red Sox have become a force to reckon with as evidenced by their 2 World Series Titles in the past 3 years. With another bumper crop of talent the Red Sox are sure to be in contention once again. While that is good news for the Red Sox nation, it’s continued success also means tickets will be difficult to get and prices will be high. With tickets to Red Sox games at Fenway Park in such high demand its even more important to shop around and get your tickets early. One of the best sites to find cheap and discount Boston Red Sox tickets is the Ticket Lodge.

Arizona Diamondbacks Tickets

The Arizona Diamondback were the surprise of the National League last year and look even more promising heading into the 2008 season. Chase Field is one of the best in baseball and always offers a great experience. Howeer, tickets to see the Dbacks are always in high demand. Fortunately, the Ticket Lodge has cheap Arizona Diamondback Tickets, even Diamondbacks opening day tickets!. So, If you plan to be in the Phoenix area be sure to check out Brandon Webb and company at Chase Field!

Chicago Cubs Tickets

Finding tickets to Chicago Cubs games is always a challenge.  The Cubs have some of the greatest fans and consistenly fill up Wrigley Field on a consistent basis despite not having won a world series in nearly 100 years.  Wrigley Field has become a mecca of baseball tradition and people from all over the world flood Chicago.

Fresh of their 2007 playoff run, the 2008 version appears poised to make another run at the National League Central and the World Series.  Could this be the year Cub fans are rewarded with a World Series Championship?  If you looking for some reasonably priced tickets to Chicago Cubs games then you must check out the Ticket Lodge :Chicago Cubs Tickets.  They in stock plenty Cubs vs. White Sox Tickets, Cubs vs. Cardinals Tickets, and Cubs opening day tickets.