The three Yankees games in June sold out with four hours of box office sales, meaning within two hours of online sales. Two of the three Sox home games have also sold out. Tickets seem to be selling relatively fast, a good sign that reaffirms the newfound optimism that's been lingering this offseason and into Cubs camp in Arizona. And don't look now, but the Cubs could be on the way towards contending this year. This morning on WMVP ESPN Radio Chicago, their baseball insider Bruce Levine (who also writes for espnchicago.com), said the Cubs would win between 85 and 88 games if they stay healthy and the key players perform to an acceptable level. He followed that by saying that the NL Central will probably be won by a team that wins only 88 to 90 games, so the Cubs could very well be in the mix for the entire season. And with the recent news of the Cardinals losing ace starter Adam Wainwright for the season, the playing field could be completely level. Four teams all have a good shot at the division in the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers. This means there should be plenty of intense battles going on down the stretch in a very tight race.
All of these are reasons to buy Cubs tickets. But this isn't the Cubs website, nor is it a blog officially affiliated with the Cubs. So I'm not going to bore you with clichés about how you should 'catch' all the action this summer at Wrigley, instead I'm here to tell you how to do that in the cheapest and most effective ways possible. The Cubs and ticket sales websites may slap you with fees and heightened prices for big games and such, and we shall dub that 'the system' for reference purposes for now. And although you can't beat The System, you can find the easiest path through it. So here are some ticket buying tips for ticket-hungry Cub fans:
-Unless you're buying one of the packs of tickets (the 13 Game or 6 Game packs) or you've defied odds by not letting the economy whisk away your fortunes, it's probably smarter to wait to buy your tickets until late March or April.
-For the budget ticket shoppers (like me), don't buy from cubs.com. Sure, cubs.com certainly offers the greatest selection of seats and ideal reliability, but not an ideal price.
-Stubhub.com is one of the most reliable ways to buy Cubs tickets, and also probably the cheapest. Just hours before a home game, tickets on stubhub.com can found for less that $5 a piece in the upper deck.
-Speaking of the upper deck, budget shopping fans should buy there. The view from the upper deck at Wrigley Field is one of the best in baseball due to the lack of suites which would elevate the upper deck. A close, yet broad view of the field is to be had from anywhere up there. Also, the Cubs don't station ushers in the upper deck, so do what I do and buy the cheapest possible ticket and head down to grab a nice seat down closer to the field (but still in the upper deck). Considering how the Cubs played most of last year, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I had no trouble finding better seats.
-Thinking about throwing a work party? You better step up to the plate. The minimum cost for a 15 person Mezzanine Suite is $3,200, but the price also extends up to $5,400.
-The Batter's Eye Lounge in center field ranges between $165 and $270 per ticket, so there's no bargains to be found there either. With these premier seating options, it's probably just better off buying from the Cubs seeing as no one else can sell them.
-There are five different ticket pricing levels for Cubs games in 2011, but thankfully the cheapest one has been increased to 11 games. On those such dates, upper deck tickets can be bought at a face value of $8, the only ticketing price tag under $10.
-In general, the Cubs overcharge for their tickets so the smarter way to go is stubhub.com.
There are always plenty of reasons to be in the stands when Cubs hit the field because their games are always electrifying and their struggle to reach playoffs is exciting to watch.
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