The Brewers expect to parlay their 2011 NL Central title "into a record-setting sales season" in '12, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Brewers COO Rick Schlesinger Sunday at the team's Brewers On Deck fan fest said, "Our ticket sales have been tremendous. We are well ahead of last year, and we are expecting to have an all-time attendance record. Our numbers have been great." McCalvy noted the Brewers set the record "just last season, drawing 3,071,373 fans." They set another club record "this winter by selling their one millionth ticket for the following season on Dec. 22, nearly a month ahead of the previous mark." That news came 10 days after reports that Brewers LF Ryan Braun "faced a suspension following a positive drug test." Schlesinger: "There has been no decline or plateauing (in sales), even after the announcement that Braun was under investigation. I think fans are excited about the season" (MLB.com, 1/29).
THE PRINCE AND I: In Detroit, Lynn Henning reports Tigers ticket staffers "worked as late as 9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday, as fans bent on at least asking about season tickets raided the Comerica Park switchboard" following the signing last week of 1B Prince Fielder. Tigers Exec VP/Business Operations Duane McLean said yesterday, "Interest has been high. The call volumes were heavy. We were averaging about 4,000 calls into our ticket department those days when we would typically have a couple of hundred at this particular time of year" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/31). Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Paul White notes in the five weeks after the Angels signed 1B Albert Pujols, the team "sold 3,000 season-ticket packages and 2,300 equivalent season tickets in the form of miniplans." (USA TODAY, 1/31).
