The Mets Police

Holy cow, I just downloaded the 340 page Amazin’ Avenue annual (takes one second, relax)…I quickly skimmed and it looks quite impressive.

Check it out.

In a post I have pre-loaded for 11:30 this morning I will mention why I don’t try to duplicate what other blogs do…this is a fantastic example.

High fives to the AA crew!

I love mornings like this one. Some days I wake up not sure what I’ll do with the site (I usually have a few ideas saved like my photo-trip to Modell’s I haven’t used yet) and today was one of those days.

Then I checked the email! Pete sent over a picture of one of the Lost Arks of Metsdom (no not the mule but just as cool) which I will get to today, Ryan posted a critique of the site in the comments which I will reply to as a post….but the natural seems to be to comment on what many of you found in your inbox this morning.

The Mets emailed the Flushing Flash distribution list to remind us that our “exclusive” pre-sale continues through today.

I guess no harm comes from reminding folks about the sale. That’s why they have the database. It’s not to send us fluff articles about Wright, it’s to easily target likely consumers. Makes sense. Smart business.

However, as I tend to do, and with absolutely no facts, I wonder how ticket sales went. From my small community here it seems as if the type of super-fans who choose to read what some dopey blogger (that’s me) has to say, those fans have demonstrated less interest than in the past. Sure we all want to go on Opening Day and maybe some weekends but that’s it.

Is that to say that we won’t get excited by our first place team and decide to buy more tickets? Of course we will. I’ll probably be the first one to do it.

However, the vibe seems to be “prove it.” The fans I hear from, and to be fair to the Mets maybe y’all are kooks like me, is that there is zero desire to lay out the money in advance. Is that anger? Let’s look at the pennywise pound-foolish moves made in 2009.

Remember when the Mets slashed ticket prices in the second half of 2009? It killed the secondary market, and it taught fans to wait. Why buy in March when tickets might be half off in August? They won’t raise prices mid-season so what’s the risk? Are you worried about 81 sellouts? I’m not. So I wait.

Back to the business side of it. As much as it might distaste me, I think that variable pricing like what the SF Giants are doing is the wave of the future. Knowing that Shannon is going to wait until a sunny Saturday to walk up and buy tickets, that’s when the Mets could try to squeeze a few bucks. It actually makes sense to me.

Yet that works both ways. I don’t have to pay the jacked up prices. I can choose not to go much like I choose to park on 112th street and not pay $19 for parking. $19. Nineteen.

There’s a presale still happening today. If you want tickets buy them. I dropped from 30 to 6. Now I have learned not to jump at the 6 (although I don’t mind one a month). Now you get to decide for yourself if you want tickets. I’m going to be very interested in the attendance for game 2.