Strong local interest in the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati "is driving demand and prices for tickets on the secondary market higher than what brokers have seen" for the event in recent years, according to Sydney Murray of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. Prices "currently are on par where they were" in '14 two weeks ahead of both major events of the All-Star weekend. But experts said that prices "are likely to drop between now and the big events, as they often do." Tickets for the ASG are "averaging $720" on SeatGeek. At this point last year, the average ticket price on SeatGeek for the ASG in Minneapolis "was $721 but the final average price was $548." SeatGeek Content Analyst Chris Leyden said that Cincinnati's game "will probably end up more expensive" than '10 in Anaheim, '11 in Phoenix and '12 in K.C. Meanwhile, the "average price on SeatGeek for a Home Run Derby ticket is $336." At this time last year, the "average price was $361 and ended up at $281" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 6/30).
TALK DERBY TO ME: FS1’s C.J. Nitkowski said the changes made to the Home Run Derby format were "definitely necessary," as the event in recent years has "gotten a little dry, it’s gotten a little boring." He said, "I love the bracket style. It’s going to change things. It’s going to be more competitive." However he said he did not like the timed element of the event. Nitkowski: "We have to let this play out and we’ll see ... if maybe we were wrong and it’s not going to be as slow as we think." Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal said the event has been "bad television for the last several years," as it has been "too long, boring." The changes at least get "some juice back into it, and they can fix it again if they have to” (“MLB Whiparound,” FS1, 6/29). L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said the old format “got stale and old,” and the new rules will see a "lot of big guys swinging from their heels as fast as they can at every pitch they see." Plaschke: "That will be kind of fun.” Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw said MLB deserves credit for "trying to shorten” the event, as it “doesn’t need to last over two hours.” However, the league is “overcomplicating it with 90-second swing-offs.” ESPN’s Bomani Jones said, “That swing-as-hard-as-you-can-as-fast-as-you-can is all fun and games until an oblique gets pulled" (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 6/29). YAHOO SPORTS' Chris Cwik wrote the changes "could backfire spectacularly." Cwik: "Introducing brackets to the event is awful. I get that MLB wants to pit players against each other in order to make the event seem personal, but a single-elimination bracket is terrible." Much like the brackets, the new time system "doesn't completely work." Fans "will probably see more swings, and that's good." At the same time, though, they are "going to see some awful cuts" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/29).
