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When Denver Jumps a Bandwagon, That Bandwagon Sure Knows It's Been Jumped (NOW UPDATED with CONTENT!)
2007-10-22 14:10
by Mark T.R. Donohue

From rockies.mlb.com:

"This morning, after more than 8.5 million hits on the Colorado Rockies website... Major League Baseball's ticket vendor experienced a systemwide outage that impacted all of its North American customers. As a result, the Colorado Rockies have suspended the sale of 2007 World Series tickets scheduled to be played at Coors Field....

"Although some ticket transactions (less than 500 seats) did take place this morning, virtually the entire allotment for all three games of the World Series scheduled for Coors Field remains intact. A plan for the sale of the available World Series tickets will be announced as soon as the details are available."

Update: Well, let's all hope the second time's the charm for the Rockies' online ticket sale scheme. A lot of people locally are up in arms about the team not having alternative methods of ticket distribution like the Red Sox do (including walk-up sales, a lottery system, and phone sales for people without access to computers), but keep in mind both the demographic differences between Denver and New England and the fact that they've been doing this for some years now and we're brand new at it. The principle of acting like one's been here before, however, is one that should stand for fans as well as players.

Completely off-topic but one of those things you simply cannot allow to pass without comment: Athletics at Fremont? That sounds like the name of one of those emo bands with no chops and really long song titles. Come back, R**, all is forgiven. The Devil Rays could scuttle their plans to change the team name because they'd be completely safe from having the dumbest name in the league. "Come on, kids, let's all gather around the flatscreen to watch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play the Athletics at Fremont at Overcapitalized I.T. Startup With No Business Model That Had a Different Name Last Year and Will Have Another Name in Two Years Field!"

Comments
2007-10-22 14:19:43
1.   Bob Timmermann
The post so good, it came up twice!
2007-10-22 14:22:25
2.   DXMachina
It's the bounce from all that jumping.
2007-10-22 14:26:02
3.   Slikk
Too bad 99% of those are scalpers. :( They need to find a way to make it exclusive only to the Colorado fans. It's a shame.
2007-10-22 16:25:46
4.   KG16
If it wasn't because they are selling them exclusively on the web, I'd be contemplating a road trip to Denver right now. Nothing like a World Series game.
2007-10-22 17:22:03
5.   jgpyke
The should just sell them on gameday only, and buying it requires immediate entry into the stadium. You pay and then walk in, with no option to do otherwise.
2007-10-22 17:47:14
6.   vockins
5 But how would Ticketmaster get paid! And there would be no service charges! Or delivery charges! That's crazy!
2007-10-22 18:43:10
7.   bhsportsguy
Maybe they thought Hannah Montana was doing a concert at Coors?
2007-10-22 18:44:43
8.   Hallux Valgus
5 I used to be a concert promoter, and we tried that for a few shows. It's an absolute disaster for groups larger about 1000. There's absolutely no way you can do it for 50,000.

I proposed a hypothetical tier system based on people who have already bought tickets over the last few years (using existing ticketing accounts), but it would be impossible to put into place in such a short time. Also, it sort of adversely affects consistent walk up customers.

Here's a baseball question- how would you build the lineup? Because I'd put Spilborghs and Taveras out there together and DH either Hawpe or Holliday, but they didn't do that in June. Of the 4, the H's are the weakest defenders. Why would you leave them both in the field if you don't have to?

2007-10-22 19:56:49
9.   Mark T.R. Donohue
I think the lineup will be left as untouched as possible, with the exception of putting Seth Smith, the hottest bat off the bench in the postseason, in at DH between Tulowitzki and Torrealba. Thusly:

CF Taveras
2B Matsui
LF Holliday
1B Helton
3B Atkins
RF Hawpe
SS Tulowitzki
DH Smith
C Torrealba

That's what I think Clint will do. Here's what I would do:

2B Matsui
SS Tulowitzki
LF Holliday
1B Helton
3B Atkins
RF Hawpe
DH Smith
C Torrealba
CF Taveras

I'm not conceding that Willy Taveras is a good player here -- I'm just saying he's the best option, defensively, despite some suspect attention-paying at times, and he's much more appealing as a number-nine hitter in an AL lineup than as a leadoff hitter in the NL. I value having speed up top, but not redundantly so as the Rockies do now, and I like getting well into the part of the lineup that can hurt you in the first inning. And Smith at DH makes sense. All this and he's a lefty, too. I don't value continuity, Taveras, or left-right balance nearly as much as Clint Hurdle.

2007-10-22 20:04:11
10.   bhsportsguy
They will try again tomorrow at 12 noon, MDT.
2007-10-22 20:54:41
11.   Hallux Valgus
you're right. I forgot about Seth Smith, but I agree.
2007-10-23 03:59:33
12.   RIYank
They could print your name on the ticket when you buy it, and make you show ID. Like air travel.
2007-10-23 08:09:14
13.   Yankee Fan In Boston
there was a computer simulation that predicted the cardinals' 5 game victory over the tigers last year.

here's what they predict this time around:
http://tinyurl.com/3amay3

i am finding the layoff before the start of the series to be unbearable. i can only imagine what you colorado fans are going through.

2007-10-23 11:16:11
14.   gpellamjr
Come back, pig, all is forgiven!

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