I saw an ad in yesterday's New York Times (which I don't always read). I live almost halfway between Philadelphia and New York (okay, so closer to Philadelphia), and once told a college classmate that I didn't read that paper normally (I do read three other dailies). She asked me, somewhat disdainfully, "What are you, a Republican?" I chuckled (as opposed to full-out laughed) in response (never being one to reveal my political thinking to anyone outside a group of friends in the neighborhood), and said, "No, I'm a Pennsylvanian." (As it didn't seem to occur to someone in Connecticut or Westchester County that someone might read something other than the Times). Again, I have digressed. . .
So, I saw the ad that indicated that partial-season ticket plans are available. And that made me wonder why? Is it because the #4 and #5 starters will be drawn from among Ivan Novoa, Sergio Mitre, Bartolo Colon and a similar aging wonder? Is it because the Red Sox have done a better job both growing from within and in signing free agents this past off-season? Is it because a) the team didn't get Cliff Lee and b) Andy Pettitte retired? Or is it because, well, some of the tickets are just too plain expensive?
Now, in fairness, there are some great 15-game plan alternatives -- 15 Friday night games, 15 Saturday night games and 15 Sunday night games. And, I'd admit that I was tempted, although I am a diehard Phillies fan and both the financial and travel commitments would seem to be too much. There were tickets available somewhere up in the heavens for $2100 for a pair of tickets to 15 games (doing the math, it's about $70 a ticket for upstairs, which is a possibility that doesn't exist in Philadelphia). That's steep, but what intrigued me more were downstairs tickets at $8250 for a pair for 15 games (do that math, and you get over $250 per ticket). And it made me wonder who could come up with that kind of dough. After all, the hypothetical "average" investment banker doesn't think he's average and probably would up for nothing less than a full-season ticket plan, because even if those tickets would cost $40,000 or more per season, well, that's about as much as one of those people make in two days, which means, "Who'd miss that money, even if the Yankees don't make the playoffs?" And, yet, there are tickets available.
New York is great at spotting bull and bear markets, even if sometimes woefully late (such as the crash of 2008, which got everyone mad at each other, many people broke). Does the fact that there are partial season ticket plans available mean that Wall Street is predicting a banner year in Boston at the expense of the Bronx?
That could well be the case. But now, if you do have an extra $8250 around and don't want to spend it on a vacation, mortgage payments, food, clothing or medicine, the Yankees do have a deal for you.
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2 comments:
Yanks have had partial season ticket plans for a long while. Nothing to do with the pitching. No comment on the pitching.
Hi: I probably wasn't clear. It's not that they sell them, just to me that they aren't sold out. That's surprising to me. As for the pitching, well, it's surprising they didn't fortify their staff more. Perhaps they're hoping to coax Pettitte back in June.
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