All I wanted to do was go to the baseball game on Memorial Day.

RonBurgundy · May 10, 2009 5:02AM

Yankees are in town on Memorial Day to play the Rangers, and despite not being a fan of either team, I had some interest in going. After all, what's better than day baseball on Memorial Day?

So I check ticket prices. I like to sit somewhere decent, so I looked at the lower level stuff and was blown away by the prices. $43 was the cheapest lower level seat, with most of the decent lowers being $60 going up to $140. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? This is baseball, and this is the Rangers!

This isn't their normal pricing. They pull this crap when NYY, Boston, the Astros, and (this year) the Dodgers are in town. Screw that, I'll get someone to give me tickets or head off to Ebay. Paying a bill and a half to see a regular season baseball game is ridonkudamndiculous.

lsutigers1973 · May 10, 2009 5:16AM

I attended about a dozen or so Rangers games a year up until last year and only paid for tickets once. That one time was on $2 ticket night. I was going to go to the home opener this year but would have cost about $400 for halfway decent seats for me, the wife and 2 kids. Add that to $75 in gas, $100 for food and snacks plus $150 for beer money

, I'm stuck $700 for a one day trip to see a game I can watch on TV for free.

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 5:23AM

Milwaukee has a similar upcharge for "marquee" games against the Cubs and White Sox. Infield Box tickets that are normally $48 go for $80 for those games.
St Louis charges weekend game prices + $5 for all Cubs games. It's a pretty common practice throughout the league.

When they know the tickets are going to be in demand, I guess the thought is why not charge more. Why let the scalpers make all the money?

And LSU Tigers, I don't know what they charge for a beer, but $150, even at $8/beer is 9-10 beers each for you and your wife. Which one of you is driving that $75 worth of gas home?

Goot · May 10, 2009 5:26AM

The Rays do the same thing when the "marquee teams" come to town. Outfield seats jump from $17 to $24, and lower box goes from $44 to $60, to name a few. I normally enjoy my $10 upper deck seat for a few innings and then go stand out at this bar section in either left field or behind homeplate.

LSUtigers.....have you made it out to the new Alex Box Stadium?? They've had some phenomenal crowds there the past few nights for the series agains the Gaturds.

Pigs · May 10, 2009 5:32AM

Likewise for the Mariners. Higher prices for Red Sox and Yankees games. I don't agree with it either but every game will be sold out. They figure high interest why not jack up the price, someone will pay.

eyebone · May 10, 2009 5:40AM

Toronto does the same thing for Yankees & Bosox (the so-called "premium pricing"). And the wonder why attendance is down. Sheeesh.

Eyebone

Dboneesq · May 10, 2009 5:45AM

GUYS ... I agree that the ticket pricing does get out of hand when a good team or a rival comes to town. HOWEVER, check out the prices I would have to pay to go watch my NY METS play a game. It's friggin CRAZY!!!! (And Yankee tickets can be worse!)

2009 Single Game Ticket Prices
Seat Category PLATINUM GOLD SILVER BRONZE VALUE

Delta Club Platinum $695.00 $595.00 $495.00 $395.00 $295.00
Delta Club Gold $525.00 $450.00 $375.00 $300.00 $225.00
Metropolitan Box PL $525.00 $450.00 $375.00 $300.00 $225.00
Ebbets Club Gold $350.00 $300.00 $250.00 $200.00 $150.00
Delta Club Silver $315.00 $270.00 $225.00 $180.00 $135.00
Metropolitan Box Gd $315.00 $270.00 $225.00 $180.00 $135.00
Field Box Gold $315.00 $270.00 $225.00 $180.00 $135.00
Ebbets Club $280.00 $240.00 $200.00 $160.00 $120.00
Delta Club $245.00 $210.00 $175.00 $140.00 $105.00
Metropolitan Box Silver $245.00 $210.00 $175.00 $140.00 $105.00
Field Box Silver $245.00 $210.00 $175.00 $140.00 $105.00
Caesars Club Platinum $245.00 $210.00 $175.00 $140.00 $105.00
Sterling Suites $245.00 $210.00 $175.00 $140.00 $105.00
Metropolitan Box $210.00 $180.00 $150.00 $120.00 $90.00
Caesars Club Gold $210.00 $180.00 $150.00 $120.00 $90.00
Empire Suites $210.00 $180.00 $150.00 $120.00 $90.00
Field Box $175.00 $150.00 $125.00 $100.00 $75.00
Caesars Club Silver $175.00 $150.00 $125.00 $100.00 $75.00
Caesars Club Bronze $161.00 $138.00 $115.00 $92.00 $69.00
Baseline Box $105.00 $90.00 $75.00 $60.00 $45.00
Caesars Club $105.00 $90.00 $75.00 $60.00 $45.00
Promenade Club Gold $105.00 $90.00 $75.00 $60.00 $45.00
Empire Party Suites $105.00 $90.00 $75.00 $60.00 $45.00
Left Field Reserved Gold $98.00 $84.00 $70.00 $56.00 $42.00
Right Field Reserved Gold $98.00 $84.00 $70.00 $56.00 $42.00
Promenade Club $84.00 $72.00 $60.00 $48.00 $36.00
Pepsi Porch Gold $84.00 $72.00 $60.00 $48.00 $36.00
Left Field Landing Gold $84.00 $72.00 $60.00 $48.00 $36.00
Left Field Reserved $70.00 $60.00 $50.00 $40.00 $30.00
Right Field Reserved $70.00 $60.00 $50.00 $40.00 $30.00
Bridge Terrace $63.00 $54.00 $45.00 $36.00 $27.00
Pepsi Porch $56.00 $48.00 $40.00 $32.00 $24.00
Left Field Landing $56.00 $48.00 $40.00 $32.00 $24.00
Modell's Clubhouse $56.00 $48.00 $40.00 $32.00 $24.00
Promenade Box $49.00 $42.00 $35.00 $28.00 $21.00
Big Apple Reserved $49.00 $42.00 $35.00 $28.00 $21.00
Promenade Reserved In $35.00 $30.00 $25.00 $20.00 $15.00
Promenade Reserved $27.00 $23.00 $19.00 $15.00 $11.00

Carew29 · May 10, 2009 6:41AM

Now i remember why i bought my Comcast baseball package. I'll date myself a bit. I stopped attending after the strike----Now guess which one i'm talking about?

Goot · May 10, 2009 6:47AM

I flat out wouldn't go to games if I lived in New York. Bring on the Brooklyn Cyclones!!!

smet · May 10, 2009 6:53AM

<< I'm stuck $700 for a one day trip to see a game I can watch on TV for free. >>

Not totally true. You still have to factor in beer money for watching the game at home

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 6:55AM

43.00 are you kidding me? That won't even get you 4 hot dogs and 4 beers in NY.

I wish lower level seating was 43.00

Steve

Pigs · May 10, 2009 7:04AM

<< Now i remember why i bought my Comcast baseball package. I'll date myself a bit. I stopped attending after the strike----Now guess which one i'm talking about? >>

I'm going to guess '94?

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 8:04AM

<< 43.00 are you kidding me? That won't even get you 4 hot dogs and 4 beers in NY.

I wish lower level seating was 43.00

Steve >>

And I'm sure the average teacher in Dallas would rather receive the NYC average salary of $65,000 rather than the $48,000 they make now. It's all relative.
Incidentally the starting salary for a NYC teacher ranges from "$45,530 (bachelor’s degree, no prior teaching experience) to $74,796 (master’s degree, 8 years teaching experience)."

Also, as a point of interest, the comparable Yankee's tickets to the $43 Ranger's seats mentioned would be $90.

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 8:16AM

Their are 90.00 lower level seats at Yankee Stadium?

Steve

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 8:33AM

And the 140.00 dollar seats? What is the comparable Yankee seat? 2,600.00? That was recently
reduced to 1,250.00?

It costs 20.00 just to park the car, nothing is 'relative' when it comes to Yankee pricing.

Steve

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 8:46AM

<< Their are 90.00 lower level seats at Yankee Stadium?

Steve >>

Seating Chart + Pricing

Sections 129-136 and 103-111

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 8:50AM

<< 
It costs 20.00 just to park the car, nothing is 'relative' when it comes to Yankee pricing.

Steve >>

Cost me $15 to park yesterday at Miller Park. Preferred was $25.

RonBurgundy · May 10, 2009 8:52AM

Yankee prices are out of this world. I'm amazed that even people with cabbage in NYC would ante up to pay those prices, especially for a garden variety regular season game.

If the event is large enough, I'll spend serious dough to go but not for a regular season game I'll have forgotten about a month later. I shelled out good money for courtside US Open tickets last year and also for a concert, but Rangers-Yankees in May has a much lower price limit.

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 8:53AM

Jeff

I don't want to nitpick with you. But even using your math it does not add up.

You claim a teacher makes more in NY, roughly 33% more, then state that it is relative
for them to pay over 100% more for tickets (43.00 to 90.00)

Yes there are 90.00 lower level seats at Yankee Stadium, down the lines I imagine.

Too bad Ron said in his original post that he wanted 'good seats'

Not sure exactly what point you are trying to make. It is a fact that 4 hot dogs and 4 beers cost more then 43.00.

Which incidentally was the only point I was making.

Steve

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 8:55AM

Not on a teachers salary it isn't Ron.

Steve

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 8:58AM

<< Jeff

I don't want to nitpick with you. But even using your math it does not add up.

Steve >>

I don't mean to nitpick or bicker either. My only point was that the additional $20,000 could easily make up for a $40-50 difference in comparable ticket costs.

WinPitcher · May 10, 2009 9:03AM

Jeff

Not everyone is a school teacher for one. Also, I think that the property taxes those very same teachers
pay to the quaint little villages they live in eat up much of that 20k.

Steve

goose3 · May 10, 2009 9:08AM

The Indians pulled this same pricing scheme this year.

I didn't renew my season tix.

At this point 11-21 I'm not regretting that one bit.

JeffD27177 · May 10, 2009 9:18AM

<< Jeff

Not everyone is a school teacher for one. Also, I think that the property taxes those very same teachers
pay to the quaint little villages they live in eat up much of that 20k.

Steve >>

Yes, it's expensive living in New York. I suspect that's why salaries are higher.

I think we both get the gist. But if the inflated NYC prices were too high, based on their incomes, then no one would do or buy anything. But that's not the case...hence my point that it's all relative.

And obviously they're not all teachers. Many are investment bankers or stock brokers (that were) making millions.

But it's clear that there are certain things wrt the Yankees that are in their own league. The legends seats as you mentioned, are one of them.

All I wanted to do was go to the baseball game on Memorial Day.

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