After Edgar Renteria’s grand slam sealed the San Francisco Giants’ sweep of the Colorado Rockies this weekend, the teams are tied for the National League wild card slot, with about a month to go.

One can’t help but look ahead to the remaining three games the two teams have to play in mid-September.  The Rockies are hoping they don’t see Lincecum, Zito, and Cain again.  Or Sanchez for that matter.  Beware, Panda crossing!

FanSnap was designed to make it fast and easy for fans to find exactly the tickets they want.  Often, fans simply want the best tickets they can get for their budgeted amount.  No problem.  FanSnap makes this simple.  How?  Our “best value” feature.

FanSnap searches dozens of ticket providers representing hundreds of thousands of ticket sellers.  Some sellers are highly motivated to sell and offer great deals compared to what else is out there.  Other sellers will only part with their tickets for lots of money; otherwise they are perfectly happy to go to the game or show.  FanSnap makes obvious the huge variation in asking prices via our color-coded FanSnap Maps.

Also, both on our FanSnap Maps and list of tickets, fans can easily identify tickets that offer the best value by looking for the blue stars.  These blue stars represent the lowest price tickets available in key areas of the venue.  Fans can find the best ticket values at-a-glance.

Check out a quick example of the best values from this week’s Dodgers @ Giants series at AT&T Park Monday thru Wednesday:

View Box $28 (Sec 302) - 54 listings thru $87

Center Field Bleachers $28 (Sec 140) - 316 listings thru $83

Left Field Bleachers $40 (Sec 143) - 277 listings thru $124

Club Outfield $59 (Sec 232) - 130 listings thru $253

Club Infield $83 (Sec 211) - 253 listings thru $1269

Field Club $132 (Sec 107) - 300 listings thru $1100

Have fun, and get the most for your money!

Are you ready for some football?!  NFL fans are.  The preseason is just around the corner.  Fantasy league drafts are being scheduled.  And football fans are searching for tickets to see their currently undefeated team play this year.  Which teams are football fans searching for most on FanSnap?  Check it out:

1.  Pittsburgh Steelers tickets

2.  Dallas Cowboys tickets

3.  Philadelphia Eagles tickets

4.  Chicago Bears tickets

5.  NY Giants tickets

6.  Denver Broncos tickets

7.  New England Patriots tickets

8.  SF 49ers tickets

9.  NY Jets tickets

10. Baltimore Ravens tickets

Seahawks fans, call out the 12th man.  Bills fans, listen to T.O.’s apology now and avoid the rush.  Make sure you have your tailgate supplies ready to go.  It’s nearing kick off time!

Mike

ESPN asked the question on SportsCenter last night - “Who are this year’s Tampa Bay Rays?” - the cinderella team of 2009?   The leading candidates just might be the San Francisco Giants, who are currently ten games over .500 and smack in the middle of the wild card chase, led by their super pitching staff.

Everyone knows the Giants have pitching. 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Young stud Matt Cain. Three hundred game winner Randy Johnson. Even Barry Zito, after a grueling offseason program, is returning to his old form. Quick, who is the #5 flame thrower on the Giants staff? I bet you didn’t know. No one did, until last night.

Jonathan Sanchez tossed the MLB’s first no-hitter of 2009, the first in AT&T Park, and the first for a Giant since 1976. Great, Giants opponents are thinking, now there are no nights off against these guys!

The Bay Area was mesmerized last night during the game. Giants fans were texting, IM’g, tweeting, and phoning each other to turn on the TV. It was the most excitement Bay Area sports fans have had since the Warriors “We Believe” post season run a few years ago.

Making the story all the more fun was that Sanchez had just been inserted back into the rotation, replacing the injured “Big Unit.” An erratic few starts had led to his recent demotion to the bullpen. There were even trade rumors. My guess is he’s feeling better now.

To top it off, in a true “Field of Dreams” moment, Jonathan’s father, up from Puerto Rico to see his son start a Giants game for the first time ever, was on hand to “hug it out” after the game.

For most of the year, Giants tickets have been going for as little as $7 on the ticket providers searched by FanSnap.  If the Bay Area Boys, led by “Big Panda,” keep this up after the All Star Game, this may very well change. Right now, a ticket to see these guys may be the best bargain in baseball.   Let’s Go Giants!

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

Three weeks ago we highlighted the hottest NFL tickets in the land, based on the number of searches on FanSnap. As we keep an eye on the searches every day, we couldn’t help but notice that Philly fans are representing.

Yes, the Dallas Cowboys still hold down the top spot as Big D fans look forward to the new Cowboys Stadium.  But… most impressive, fans of the Philadelphia Eagles have lifted the team from way down the list to the #2 spot this week!

What are the most popular NFL football tickets?

1. Dallas Cowboys tickets

2. Philadelphia Eagles tickets

3. Pittsburgh Steelers tickets

4. Chicago Bears tickets

5. New York Giants tickets

6. New England Patriots tickets

7. New York Jets tickets

Check out the upcoming games of these popular teams. There are lots of ticket listings to choose from.  Many of the preseason games are incredible values!

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