In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro noted “the cheapest opening day ticket” for the April 1 Padres-Mets game at Citi Field will be $63. If that “sounds absurdly expensive, it should: Two days later, when those same teams play the second game of the season at Citi Field, those $63 ‘promenade reserved’ tickets can be had for $15.” The Mets “want to play the big-market bully whenever it benefits them.” That means “charging Broadway-level prices for Opening Day, for Yankees games, for high-profile games.” However, the Mets want to “squeeze themselves into a shell, camouflaging their own spending habits behind terms like ‘fiscally sound’ and ‘responsible.’” The Mets “want it both ways, and squeeze the last ligaments of their credibility to the very breaking point” (N.Y. POST, 11/25).
JUST BUST A MOVE: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote the Red Sox’ recent signings of C David Ross and OF Jonny Gomes “seem to be the ‘good value’ kind,” but the team needs “a splash.” Right now, the Red Sox “aren’t stirring up their Nation,” as it remains “a skeptical one, if unopposed” to the Ross and Gomes deals (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/25). Also in Boston, Michael Silverman wrote, “Do something, do almost anything. It’s safe to make a move now.” The signing of Gomes to a two-year, $10M deal “counts as something, but nobody’s kidding themselves that this is the game-changer that the Red Sox needed” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/25).
AHOY, MATEY: The Pirates said they increased season-ticket renewals by 6% following their initial year of work with SAS Analytics. The club signed with SAS a year ago, and following various customer surveys and predictive modeling, was able to make the sales gains despite a record 20th consecutive losing season. Among the specific changes the Pirates made were to de-emphasize child-specific giveaways on Sundays and to more broadly integrate all-ages promotions. SAS also has worked with the 49ers, Magic, Jaguars and Hurricanes, among several other teams (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
