MLB Franchise Notes

Braves Increasing Parking At Turner Field

In Atlanta, Tim Tucker reported the Braves have increased the game-day parking fee at Turner Field from $10 to $12 this season, but parking will remain $10 “if passes are bought in advance.” The Braves said that they will add about 1,000 parking spots, bringing about 9,600 under the team’s control, along with another 1,000-plus in independent lots (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/26).

CUBS: In Chicago, Carol Slezak noted the Cubs have sold more than 2.5 million tickets, including about 27,000 season tickets. The season-ticket waiting list has grown to approximately 7,000. Cubs Senior VP/Marketing & Broadcasting John McDonough said of the impact of the White Sox winning the ’05 World Series, “They got a spike in interest from the championship. But I don’t believe it will be at the Cubs’ expense” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/26).

D’RAYS: In St. Petersburg, Mark Topkin reported D’Rays season-ticket sales are up by “double digits –- percentage wise, not total sales –- though apparently still have a long way to reach even 10,000, as the increase is measured in hundreds.” D’Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said, “This is the first year in team history season-ticket sales have risen. I expected we would turn the tide this year with everything and get those numbers up, but it’s been ahead of what we expected to this point” (ST. PETE TIMES, 3/26). Meanwhile, the D’Rays are reducing the price of hot dogs, popcorn, bottled water and other items at Tropicana Field by $0.25 and the price of coffee and hamburgers by $0.50. The team is also adding items like fruit cups, apples and milk to the children’s menu “in response to fan requests for healthier fare” (ST. PETE TIMES, 3/27).

PHILLIES: The Phillies will host “Rooftop Thursdays” for nine home games this season with a “mix of promotions, food specials and giveaways ... aimed at the 18-to-34-year-old audience.” Tickets for around 300 seats in the right-centerfield bleachers will cost $12. Ticket holders receive access to the area, “food and drink specials, several giveaway items, and entry to a postgame party at McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon.” Five of the games will be held in the afternoon and four at night (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 3/27).

Hosting '06 All-Star Game Helping Pirates Increase Season-Ticket Sales

PIRATES: In Pittsburgh, Bob Smizik reported the Pirates through last Friday had sold 10,822 full season-ticket packages, up 20% from last season. With PNC Park hosting the MLB All-Star Game this season, the “only way to assure the ability to buy a ticket is to buy a season ticket” for the Pirates. But Pirates VP/Marketing, Sales & Broadcasting Tim Schuldt said, “There are a lot of things involved in this. We know and the fans believe we’re turning the corner” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 3/25). Also in Pittsburgh, Robert Dvorchak reported ticket prices for All-Star events are expected to be in the “range they were last year”; $150-250 for a game ticket, $175 for the Home Run Derby and $50 for the Futures Game. MLB Senior VP/Special Events Marla Miller said, “We’re not looking to increase ticket prices significantly.” But Dvorchak noted “premium prices will be charged for some premium seats” (POST-GAZETTE, 3/25).

RED SOX: In Boston, Scott Van Voorhis notes the Red Sox are fighting an “increasingly aggressive war against” ticket scalpers by terminating 10,000 tickets that had “filtered onto the black market” and by hiring a “full-time staffer with the mission of outfoxing the scalpers and roping in tickets that have leaked onto the black market.” Red Sox Senior Advisor/Ticket Operations Ron Bumgarner said that the team is also “aggressively investigating” season-ticket holders who sell their seats for “big bucks, with some fans now in danger of losing their ballpark privileges” (BOSTON HERALD, 3/28).

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