The dog days of summer are over.  The kids are back in school.  Starbucks is serving the pumpkin spice latte again.  Entourage on HBO is nearing its last episode of the year.  That can only mean one thing.  The MLB pennant race has started.

Which team and tickets are the hottest?  Well, based on searches on FanSnap, the top ten (including a big upcoming homestand at sweet, sweet prices) are:

1.  Boston Red Sox tickets:  Angels @ Red Sox, 19,000+ tickets from $11

2.  New York Yankees tickets:  Red Sox @ Yankees, 41,000+ tickets from $28

3.  Chicago Cubs tickets:  Reds @ Cubs, 18,000+ tickets from $11

4.  LA Dodgers tickets:  Giants @ Dodgers, 26,000+ tickets from $3

5.  SF Giants tickets:  Rockies @ Giants, 12,000+ tickets from $9

6.  Philadelphia Phillies tickets:  Mets @ Phillies, 14,000 tickets from $10

7.  New York Mets tickets:  Cubs @ Mets, 4,000+ tickets from $9

8.  St. Louis Cardinals tickets:  Braves @ Cardinals, 6,000+ tickets from $11

9.  Atlanta Braves tickets:  Phillies @ Braves, 9,000+ tickets from $2

10.  Colorado Rockies tickets:  Cardinals @ Rockies, 5,000+ tickets from $5

The Red Sox, Dodgers, and Giants all are up strong vs. last month.  The Braves and Rockies join the leaders.  Take me out to the ball game!

Mike

Start spreading the news…

Lovers of the nation’s pastime, driven by the great choices and values to be had, have been all over FanSnap this summer searching for MLB tickets.  Vacationing fans are visiting ballparks.  Baseball fans are sitting in seats they never thought they could afford.

What teams are baseball fans searching for most?  And where are they playing on July 4th?

1.  New York Yankees tickets:  Jays @ Yankees, 8,000+ tickets from $16*

2.  Boston Red Sox tickets:  Mariners @ Red Sox, 2,000+ tickets from $16

3.  New York Mets tickets:  Mets @ Phillies, 4000+ tickets from $19

4.  LA Angels tickets:  Orioles @ Angels, 3,000+ tickets from $14

5.  Chicago Cubs tickets:  Brewers @ Cubs, 6000+ tickets from $20

6.  SF Giants tickets:  Astros @ Giants, 2,000 tickets from $11

7.  Chicago White Sox tickets:  White Sox @ Royals, 700+ tickets from $6

8.  LA Dodgers tickets:  Dodgers @ Padres, 1000+ tickets from $20

Most interesting as they are both in the Big Apple and have new ballparks, Yankees searches outnumber Mets searches two to one…

Me?  I am going to SF’s AT&T Park Saturday to see Cy Young winning phenom Timmy Lincecum blow away Astros!  Happy Fourth of July!

Mike

* ticket availability and price (ticket + commission) as of July 2, 2PM PT

The FanSnap team was excited to read “Tightwad Tod’s” column today in Consumer Reports.  He said,

“…when I checked FanSnap for tickets to a host of events there were plenty of bargains. They may not be the best seats or the hottest games, but I found tickets to see the Redsox in Boston for as little as $15, and seats at the new Yankee and Busch stadiums in New York and St. Louis for $8 and $3, respectively.

Reasonably priced tickets were available to other events as well, though you might have to travel to Fargo, N.D., Columbus, Ohio, or Charleston, West Va., to score the knockout deals, such as $20 to go country with Keith Urban, $22 to see Elton John and Billy Joel tickle the ivories, or $33 to get your scream on with the Jonas Brothers.”

Thanks, Tod.  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

There is a wide choice of tickets available as season ticket holders skip more games than usual because of the economy.  Market prices of tickets are always influenced up or down by whether there are more buyers or sellers.  No matter what, among all those sellers, there are always a few who are particularly motivated to sell and drop their asking price.  You’ll notice their tickets right away - they are the lighter colored markers and the “best value” stars on the FanSnap Maps.

It may be a matter of getting a super deal on a ticket.  It may be a matter of splurging and sitting behind home plate, or next to the stage, for a much lower price than in past years.  Whether you are on a beer or champagne budget, our goal is to help you find great values!

Mike

162 games to go.  Everyone has a chance to win it all.  Baseball fans are all pumped up and ready to see their teams play.  New free agents.  Healthy veteran players.  Young guns with another year of experience.  Who will be this year’s breakout team - like the recent Rays or Rockies?

Watching the highlights of Opening Day on SportsCenter tonight (in their first broadcast from the new LA studio), I thought I would check out whose fans are the most pumped up.  The top ten most searched-for MLB tickets on FanSnap:

1. Boston Red Sox tickets (home)

2. New York Yankees tickets (home)

3. New York Mets tickets (home)

4. Chicago Cubs tickets (home)

5. LA Angels of Anaheim tickets (home)

6. Chicago White Sox tickets (home)

7. San Francisco Giants tickets (home)

8. Los Angeles Dodgers tickets (home)

9. Philadelphia Phillies tickets (home)

10. St Louis Cardinals tickets (home)

There will be many great values to be had this year as more season ticketholders sell extra tickets than ever before.

Play Ball!