Hey Guys-

I'm going to Boston next month with a friend (to see my White Sox play the Red Sox) and was wondering if any of the Boston guys had tips for not getting screwed too bad when buying tickets. I know the best plan would have been to buy them from the box office when they went on sale... but it's a little too late for that. I want actual seats, not SRO. From searching the web, I've found seats starting at like $60 for that Friday's game. Is that pretty much what I should expect to pay, or are there any hints/tricks to getting tickets for closer to face value? All help is appreciated!

I read something about buying tickets day-of-game from the box office. I don't know the details but it's something like two or three hours before the game, tickets are sold at the box office. You must enter the park immediately (to prevent scalping). I don't know how early you would need to line up for something like this.

Google knows all, sees all

San Jose Mercury News to the rescue?

The Red Sox save a few hundred tickets to every game for day-of-game sales. Bumgarner says the club always has 200 to 300 available and that number can swell if players, the visiting team or even umpires turn in tickets allotted to them. Bumgarner suggests lining up at Gate C at least four hours before game time. Tickets go on sale two hours before the first pitch.

That is probably not bad advice if you have no other choice.

Sox tickets are hot this year - for obvious reasons. Mine are in constant use.

Do not buy a $60 ticket. It is either a forgery, or uselessly so far out in the upper bleachers you will need a telescope to see the mound.

For a decent seat - try for a Field, Roof, or Loge Box - the lower the number the better.

Ticketron has some really good tickets for all three games. Prices START around $300 for anything decent - but take a look at what they have... you may find something in a decent section you can live with for $150 - 200.

http://www.ticketsnow.com/tickets.cfm/p=230046

All $60 will get you will be a parking pass or SRO.

R

R Sox 2004 - R Sox 2005

[ July 11, 2005, 02:47 PM: Message edited by: ITJock ]

Actually, I bought a very good $45 infield grandstand seat at a (beautiful) Sunday afternoon Angels game in early June for $60 from a scalper who was working the Gate C game-day ticket line. It was close to game time and I just needed a single, so it didn't take much negotiation.

If you're going to buy tickets at the ballpark, carry a copy of the Fenway Park seat/price chart so you can verify their location and retail cost. At the Gate C ticket window or talking to a scalper, be specific about your preferences -- "right field roof" or "infield grandstand" -- otherwise they'll tend to offer you the crummiest seats they have.

You can also get SRO tickets and plan to seat-jump after the first inning or two. There's no objection to anyone moving into empty seats, but wait until the crowd has settled in. On the other hand, if nothing opens up, you may end up standing in the back for the entire game...

craigslist swarms with scalpers these days, but you'll also see posts from good-hearted ticketholders (such as myself) who will make a point to offer their unused tickets to legitimate fans at or near face value. I've not heard of any problems with counterfeit ballgame tickets, but wouldn't touch a computerized "print your own" ticket, which is WAY too easy to copy. As to the "Scalper Free Zone outside Gate B" referred to in the Mercury News article, forget it -- there's no such thing at Fenway.

And most important of all, Good Luck!


PS- Recent article in the Boston Globe: The worst seats at Fenway

[ July 11, 2005, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: redsoxbreath ]

From a Red Sox fansite, more tips on finding Red Sox Tickets at Fenway Park.