The Bulls withstood Ray Allen dropping 51 with their “instant classic” triple overtime win over the Celtics. The Heat, behind 41 from D-Wade, spanked the Hawks. NBA fans, even though it is still the first round, we have a couple of awesome game 7’s!

If you are in town, there are lots of great tickets listed for sale:

Bulls @ Celtics 600 tickets listed at $123+ Saturday

Heat @ Hawks 1600 tickets listed at $39+ (WOW!)   Sunday

If not, stake out that spot in front of the flat screen and have a great time. Maybe invite some friends over. The ones that say that NBA basketball is not exciting. I am pretty sure a lot of “honey-do’s” are not getting done this weekend.

Mike

The moment Michigan State upset UConn, local fans starting snapping up tickets for the NCAA Championship Game. The lowest price available to get into the game has more than doubled, to just under $200 (ticket plus commission).  Given that most Spartan fans will be within driving distance of Ford Field, they get to avoid spending their money on hotels and airplanes, which is nice…

A search on FanSnap shows there are still over 2000 tickets available from eleven ticket companies, including Barry’s Tickets, eBay, Golden Tickets, Great Seats, Razorgator, StubHub, TicketNetwork, Ticket Solutions, Ticket Town, Totally Tickets, and TotalTickets.com.

Tickets are available everywhere from the first ten rows courtside to the “nosebleed section.”   I have seen Final Fours in the Alamodome and the Georgia Dome.  Watching the semifinals on TV, which set a record for attendance of over 70,000, it sure looked to me like Ford Field may be the most outstanding big college basketball venue in America.

Bring on Carolina!

Mike

Watching ticket activity around the two hot national events this month – the Final Four and the Masters – reminds me of something I sometimes take for granted. 

My kids have no idea what a tea kettle is.  Or an LP record.  They also have no clue what the words “sold out” mean.

Since the ticket resale market has gone mainstream in the past decade, there is no such thing as “sold out.”  It is possible to get into almost any game or show, no matter how hot.  With tickets, just like any other commodity, demand creates supply.

That’s really the primary difference between the original distribution of tickets (the “primary market”) and the resale market.  There is no such thing as sold out. The other major difference between the two ticket markets is that fans have many choices where to buy from in the resale market, where the original box office ticket distribution is always contracted with a single company.

You choose to go to events.  You can choose your location and how much to spend.  You can choose who to buy from.  Enjoy those choices - and your ability, and right, to choose.

If it’s on your “bucket list,” this year may be a great year to catch the Masters or the Final Four.  Don’t forget that a few years ago this would not have been possible.

Mike

Just two more games until “One Shining Moment.”  What an incredible weekend of play!

The Wildcats and the Spartans obviously didn’t care about selection committee seedings, as two #1’s bit the dust.  This is how championships are supposed to be settled.  Hopefully college football is paying attention.

The Final Four is set, with the semifinals next Saturday Apr 4:

Connecticut vs. Michigan State

North Carolina vs, Villanova

The winners play for the National Championship Monday night, Apr 6.  There are 2600 tickets available, starting at $130*

* Ticket search results as of 4:14PT, price equals ticket price + commission.

The “Elite Eight” has been set, with all four #1 seeds still on a collision course. Louisville and North Carolina have been devastating, perhaps bringing thoughts of adding a “mercy rule” to the tournament next year, as they dispatched their opponents with ease.

Who’s going to Detroit? The winners of these games:

East (Saturday in Boston)

1 Pittsburgh vs. 3 Villanova

Prices starting at $100/ticket*

West (Saturday in Glendale)

1 Connecticut vs. 3 Missouri

Prices starting at $60/ticket*

South (Sunday in Memphis)

1 North Carolina vs. 2 Oklahoma

Prices starting at $20/ticket*

Midwest (Sunday in Indianapolis)

1 Louisville vs. 2 Michigan State

Prices starting at $55/ticket*

These prices are the most affordable in years.  Can’t make it?  Then fire up those flat panels!

Mike

* Ticket search results as of 9:30PT, price equals ticket price + commission.

It’s the end of an era in Beantown as this morning Curt Schilling announced that he is “calling it quits.” It is no coincidence that the resurgence of the Boston Red Sox coincided with Schilling’s arrival at Fenway Park. One career, four World Series and three championships later, he is leaving one very big sock to fill.

Congrats on a great career, Curt. Thanks in particular for all your work on behalf of ALS patients. We look forward to seeing what you do next.

The post-Schilling era begins Opening Day, Monday April 6.

March Madness continues…  After the opening round, 65 becomes 16.

What a great weekend with lots of overtimes and last second finishes!  All the top seeds are still alive, and the action moves to Boston, Memphis, Indianapolis, and Glendale.  The Big East is playing huge.  This year’s Cinderella is Arizona, who is making the critics who said they didn’t deserve an invitation feel foolish. Let the regionals begin!

East (Thu & Sat in Boston)

1 Pittsburgh vs. 4 Xavier

2 Duke vs. 3 Villanova

West (Thu & Sat in Glendale)

1 Connecticut vs. 5 Purdue

2 Memphis vs. 3 Missouri

South (Fri & Sun in Memphis)

1 North Carolina vs. 4 Gonzaga

2 Oklahoma vs. 3 Syracuse

Midwest (Fri & Sun in Indianapolis)

1 Louisville vs. 12 Arizona

2 Michigan State vs. 3 Kansas

I hope your bracket is in better shape than mine!

Mike

Before 116 wins, before they knocked the Kingdome down, before Seattle even became a baseball town with the Mariners’ ‘95 playoffs upset of the Yankees, there was Junior.  The Kid.  Ken Griffey.  Watching his acrobatic catches and that sweet swing was the best thing in Seattle besides Ivar’s clam chowder.  One of the sweetest nights was July 28th, 1993.  Griffey had “gone yard” seven games in a row, the Kingdome was rocking, and every TV in the Pacific Northwest was tuned to that night’s game against the Twins.   In the eighth inning, Junior tied Donny Baseball’s 1987 record of homers in eight straight games with a four hundred foot blast.  Seattle exploded in celebration.

I was at my friend Don’s place near Pike Place market.  We had a great time watching Griffey make history, then I left for home.   I promptly found myself in gridlocked traffic downtown for two and a half hours as the town went nuts.

It was worth it.

Welcome back, Junior.  We look forward to opening day!

Mike

Many thanks to James Wagner of the LA Times for the FanSnap “shout-out” in his new article To find a ticket bargain, Los Angeles sports fans need to be patient. He says, “As an alternative, I suggest FanSnap.com, which compiles tickets prices from a multitude of websites” !  You can find the article here.

Only one week to go until the Super Bowl! Football fans everywhere are making plans to go to Super Bowl parties at the house of whichever friend has the new plasma TV. Fans are getting ready to chow down on the spread and enjoy the beverages, to guess the score (at $5 a square), and to hush when the $3 million commercials come on.

Then there are the lucky fans who actually get to go. Their team is poised to become world champions and they do not intend to miss it. Plus, there are much worse places to be than Florida in February. Do they realize how lucky they are?

It doesn’t seem like that many years ago that the Super Bowl was a corporate event, seemingly attended only by sponsors and other big companies entertaining their clients.  Thanks to the rise of the ticket resale market, those days are gone forever. While it is not cheap, real fans can actually get their hands on Super Bowl tickets!

Steelers and Cardinals fans have lots of choices.  In fact, right now FanSnap ticket search results are showing 1,800 offers for 7,400 Super Bowl tickets from 24 ticketing providers. You still have a week to make plans. What is the lowest price ticket right now? (UPDATE) You can sit in the Upper Corner section 304 for $1,574 a ticket, courtesy of TicketNetwork 303 for $1,450 a ticket, courtesy of ASC Ticket Company. High roller? StubHub has a 36 person suite for $280,000. FanSnap Maps make finding the best values fast and easy.

The best part is now that everyone is switching to HDTV, your friends back home at the party will actually be able to see you in the crowd. Have fun!

Mike