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Posted by: kwflatbed

Angry fans blast fat cat Sox over premium seat auctions that freeze them out



Photo by Lisa Hornak

Chuck Chinzi, above, of Norwalk, Conn., says he can’t afford to bring his children to Fenway Park because prices are already too expensive.

Red Sox Nation is in a crimson rage over the team’s decision to auction off hard-to-get and already pricey Green Monster tickets to the highest bidder, raking in thousands over the tickets’ face value and leaving average fans out in the cold.
“They’re not thinking about the common man, only the common dollar,” said Kurt Vogel, 44, executive chef of the Cask ’n Flagon across from Fenway Park [map]. “I’d love to go to the game myself, but I can’t afford $2,500. . . . I don’t know many people who can.”
Yesterday alone, the Sox pulled in more than $30,000 for nearly 100 Green Monster tickets for the April 8 and 9 Fenway openers against the Detroit Tigers and the April 11, 12 and 13 games against the New York Yankees.

The highest winning bid was $3,116 for six front-row seats at the April 12 game against the Yankees - more than three times what six tickets would cost at the regular price of $160 per seat.
In all, the Sox intend to auction off 5,000 premium seats this year. The Red Sox [team stats] say that auctioning off tickets for extra profit actually benefits not just the team and deep-pocketed swells who can afford to bid on tickets, but also fans who can’t.
“We feel it’s our civic responsibility to keep tickets affordable for fans,” said Ron Bumgarner, vice president of ticketing, “and at the end of the day, this helps keep other ticket prices down.”
But City Councilor John Tobin said he sees no difference between auctioning off a ticket for extra profit and scalping on the street.
“I’ve always felt that if someone wants to sell them to someone who wants to pay top dollar for them, then God bless them; the Red Sox are doing the exact same thing,” Tobin said. “Two World Series in four years - you’re not going to hear a lot of complaining. If they were in the cellar, you couldn’t give them away. It’s supply and demand.”
Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Public Safety, said the Monster seat auctions technically aren’t scalping because the team owns the tickets.
“Scalping is a second-hand sale by someone who’s not licensed to re-sell tickets,” Harris said. “This is not a re-sale. It’s an original sale.”
But some furious fans said Sox tickets are expensive enough without the teams creating a caste system by auctioning off the best seats to the wealthiest fans.
“It’s hard enough getting tickets as it is,” said Bob Novack, 49, of Manchester, N.H. “Someone is going to buy them. But if it’s not going to charity, it’s just not fair.”
The Sox do auction off tickets for charity, but Bumgarner could not say how many the team donates for that purpose.
In the meantime, fans like Chuck Chinzi, 50, of Norwalk, Conn., and his wife, who came to Boston for Opening Day, will try to get tickets the old-fashioned way: by waking up early, standing in line and hoping they don’t sell out.
“I’d like to take my son and my daughter here, but (the cost) would be outrageous,” Chinzi said. “It’s ridiculous. (The Sox) don’t need the money. It might just be time for a Red Sox Nation uprising.”


Red Sox goodies 04-05-2008:

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http://bostonherald.com/news/regiona...icleid=1085119

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Posted by: Killjoy

I agree, Sox tickets can be bitch to purchase....I only went to 1 game last year, and I had to buy my tickets from Ace Tickets.

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Posted by: Hb13

I haven't been to a game in.....10 maybe 11 years? I would love to go but bills prevail over enjoyment.

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Posted by: TopCop24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy I agree, Sox tickets can be bitch to purchase....I only went to 1 game last year, and I had to buy my tickets from Ace Tickets.

With the Red Sox being the only MLB team to not sign with StubHub, Ace Ticket has become the official resale outlet of the Boston Red Sox. Time to do away with the scalping laws since the teams are doing it themselves. Yet they'll revoke the tickets of a season ticket holder who puts his tickets on eBay. What they don't tell who is how many sets of season tickets both Ace Ticket and Admit One out of Weymouth have.

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Posted by: kttref

Two games for two people this year (one in Baltimore) are running me about $900....I should save my money...but for some reason I'm keep going..

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Posted by: Sniper

You going during Police Week ??????

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Posted by: kttref

The game in Baltimore is during Police Week...why you going?

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