Friday, February 11, 2000
Scalpers' ticket prices hit the sky
BY AMY HIGGINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
If you want to see Ken Griffey Jr. in his first game as a Red, be prepared to pay a lot.
Thursday's announcement that Griffey was returning to his hometown sent prices for Opening Day tickets soaring to as much as $400 apiece. It's likely costs will increase before the first pitch April 3.
“It's all because of Griffey,” said Jeff McDonald, public relations director for Riverfront Choice Tickets on West Third Street. “The only thing I can compare this to is back in 1990 with the Reds in the World Series. This is the biggest game in all of baseball.”
Kelly Duncan, office manager at Premium Tickets, said his office sold twice as many Reds tickets Thursday than it would have if Griffey stayed in Seattle. His prices increased from $20-$250 to $35-$350.
McDonald said his Opening Day tickets range from $75 to $400. Before the Griffey-is-coming-home rumors escalated, some of those Opening Day tickets cost $35.
Fans must go through middlemen if they want tickets for Opening Day. The Reds sold out Cinergy Field on Jan.15 just 31/2 hours after tickets first went on sale.
Thursday's swirl of attention forced McDonald to bring in extra employees to handle the demand.
“Other than Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Jr. is Cincinnati's dar ling, and we all know what sort of emotional appeal Pete Rose has had,” McDonald said.
McDonald said he remembers when Griffey and other children of the 1970s' Big Red Machine stars ran around the bases before Reds games.
“You had a feeling of the Big Red Machine being part of your family,” he said.
Many people connect Griffey to a time before player strikes and multimillion-dollar contracts, ticket brokers said. Their hopes: That fans return to the ballpark — not just to see Griffey and the Reds, but baseball in general.
Just look at those people trying to get tickets to see it.
“It's back, and it's better than it was before the strike,” McDonald said. “And it's not even a World Series.”
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