Erik is a baseball fan who has been attending baseball games and snagging baseballs regularly since 2008.

Buying Cincinnati Reds Season Tickets

In December, I received a brochure from the Cincinnati Reds asking me to renew my season tickets. I once was a Reds season ticket holder in 2010, when I bought a Baker’s Dozen 13 game plan. I spent like $90 on one seat for 13 games. I ended up only attending three games in Cincinnati that year, and snagging 13 balls total, but one of those games was game three of the NLDS, where I snagged six balls and set a single season record.
It was early October, and it was Amy and my first ever road trip together, so I have a soft spot in my heart for Cincinnati.
Without giving away too much information about my 2012 master schedule (we’ll save that for another blog) , it looks like I’ll be attending hopefully at least 10 games there, although I could attend up to 20 games there.

I figured that since the Reds will be a hot ticket this year (they’re going to win the Central) that I would go ahead and buy a VIP plan. Full 81 games. 2 tickets to each game. 162 tickets in total. It cost me $1289.50, but I made a lot of that back by selling my opening day tickets from the plan. I plan on holding back 40 tickets worth and selling the other 122 to at least break even.

So what’s there to like about the Cincinnati Reds and Great American Ballpark this year? Here’s some of the benefits:
1) Early access
I’ll be entering at 4:30 many games by buying a BP tour ticket. If the tickets are sold out, I’d still get in at 5:10 with the season ticket holders, but imagine having BP with just a hand full of other people for the first 70 minutes of batting practice. That’s right – the general public doesn’t get in until 5:40. Zack Hample took advantage of this in 2011 and snagged 36 in one game. What would you rather ballhawk in? This?
Or this?
The crowds at Great American Ballpark can really suck, especially when you have to factor in those railings in the aisles that block your mobility. You can pretty much forget snagging much from 5:40-6:10.

2) Good resell value
I’ve sold 8 of the 122 tickets that I won’t use already on stubhub. The cheapest opening day seat is currently selling for $109. That’s for just one ticket! With the Tigers and Indians coming to GABP, there’s demand.

3) Opportunity to buy more Opening Day tickets.
All season ticket holders are guaranteed the opportunity to get more opening day tickets. Meaning, at the very least, if I bought two more for $20 and resold them for $220 – well, you can do the math. We’re just chipping away at that $1289.50.

4) Take batting practice on the field.
All full season ticket holders get to take batting practice on the field at Great American Ballpark. Unlike PNC Park, its for full season ticket holders only, so hopefully there’ll be less people there resulting in more cage time for me. My ultimate goal is to jack one out of a major league ballpark. I haven’t been lifting all these weights for nothing. I haven’t been able to do it at PNC Park yet.
5) Post-season guaranteed tickets
When the Reds make the post season in 2012, I’ll get to buy more tickets. Even if I can’t attend, reselling the tickets will make this investment more beneficial.
6) Unused season ticket exchange program
I used this before in 2010 when I had the Baker’s Dozen plan to exchange my unused tickets for a game later in the season against the Brewers that I could easily spin off to a buyer on ebay. It’s simple, by mail, and if you can’t get rid of your tickets, then you can request games later in the season.

With the purchase of these Reds tickets, that makes 7 season tickets for 3 different teams that I’m now the owner of. That’s 567 tickets that I have.

Did I go overboard? What do you think? Were the Reds tickets worth it? I think they were. All of my tickets for my 2012 games are bought and paid for, and I’m going to get a lot of that money back by reselling the ones I can’t use.

At any rate, if you need a season ticket to get in early to PNC Park or Great American Ballpark, you now know where to turn.

There’s only 58 more days until Opening Day, 11 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, and 6 days to win this Brandon Phillips jersey Tshirt.

It looks like a sound strategy to me as far as the Reds tickets go. After Zack’s 36 game performance last year, it really looks like the spot to put up huge numbers. It would seem a bit overboard to me if you didn’t have your summers off, but in essence, ballhawking becomes your job in the summer. When I ballhawked in 2009 it really consumed a ton of my time. From getting to the dome early to be at the front of the line to staying after the game to get toss ups from the ball boy, it wasn’t uncommon to invest 6 hours all told with commuting time factored in. Add that to a full time job and I didn’t have much time for anything else on game days. I do not have a wife or kids so I am able be really selfish with my time.
Big Glove Bob

I wish I lived more near to a team so I could do that. Being in the NY area, it can be done but it’s insanely expensive (not to mention other responsibilities hold my time up). I try to do a few trips a year. Speaking of which, anyone have any good tips for Toronto?

Personally, I could never buy season tickets knowing I wouldn’t make it to all of the games. Maybe it’s that I live where season plans are incredibly expensive, but I’d be terrified at the possibility of losing money. I once had to cancel a trip and sell the tickets on Stubhub. Thankfully, it was while A-Rod was chasing 600 so I got back a lot more money on those tickets, but Stubhub somehow lost some of my tickets when I tried to change the price. When I tried to put them in again, it said the barcode numbers were already in the system. So I guess losing that money kind of made me stop trusting Stubhub, even though the likelihood of that happening again is little to none.
-Mateohttp://mateofischer.mlblogs.com

The different perks associated with season ticket are cool to consider. Toronto is the closest MLB city to me, and it’s pretty bad for perks. I love the idea of taking BP as you’ve done, or getting to be on the field for BP, or whatever. Toronto doesn’t have any perks like this, as far as I know.

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