In K.C., Mike Hendricks noted the Royals have "adopted a new system that already has ticket prices fluctuating like the Dow Jones industrial average, and the home opener is still a week away." The Royals "tested the concept last year on 16 premium games," and this year, the prices for all 81 home games will "fluctuate day to day and across all sections based on supply and demand." Royals Senior Dir of Ticket Sales & Customer Service Steve Shiffman said that for "many midweek Royals games this year, those who buy early can get the discounted season ticket holder price, which they never could before." Shiffman: "The whole focus is buy early, save money." He added of the Qcue system the team is using, "It doesn't raise the prices. It tells you what it thinks you should do." Shiffman said that he heard a "few complaints when the team tried out dynamic pricing last year" (K.C. STAR, 3/31).
BALTIMORE'S BEST: In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote it is "easy for the Orioles to lay low" because Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette did "not go on a post-playoff shopping spree to bulk up the roster." There was "no November surprise and certainly no blockbuster trade like the one that turned the Blue Jays into the talk of the offseason." The fact that there was "no glitzy free-agent acquisition over the winter left some Orioles fans wondering whether the club was really committed to building a perennial contender." Orioles fans can "only hope that both of the big spenders mud-wrestle all year at the bottom of the standings" (Baltimore SUN, 3/31).
BRONX BOMB: In Orlando, George Diaz writes the "once proud-and-loud" Yankees have been "reduced to a Seinfeld punch line." Perhaps the Yankees should start the '13 season today by "wearing 'Hello my name is' tags on their uniform, reflecting a team in disarray and decline." This is "cosmic payback for fans of all those other teams who have suffered through the years and years of pinstripe dynasties." Diaz: "Sit back and enjoy the view this season, Yankee haters. The Yankees are in the elevator and plunging toward the basement" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/1).
