By Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

On Saturday, Cincinnati Reds fans had their hands full - most with a phone in one, a mouse in the other.

The 14,000 tickets up for sale for the Reds' 135th Opening Day - the first at Great American Ball Park - were gone in an hour. Last year, the sale took 26 minutes.

"That's simply because the process to purchase online or by phone takes longer than to buy a ticket in person," said Rob Butcher, director of media relations for the Reds.

Sales for the March 31 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates were available only online and by telephone. In the past, fans camped out or stood in line for hours at the stadium ticket window.

"The whole thing stinks," said Justin Lemonds, 30, of Clarksville, Ind., who was not able to get tickets. "I have never been so disappointed with the Reds ownership and their little toadies."

Diehard fans used a variety of methods to secure tickets - multiple phone lines, more than one computer and cell phones galore. Still, many ended up empty-handed and angry.

"I don't mind getting up and wasting a Saturday morning trying to get Reds tickets, but in the end, I'd like to actually have the Reds tickets," said Cindy Banzhaf of Boston, who has already booked a flight to Cincinnati for Opening Day but wasn't able to get tickets Saturday.

Electronic traffic for the Reds Web site - www.cincinnatireds.com - increased dramatically Saturday. On a typical February morning, the site receives about 5,000 page views. For Opening Day 2002, the site received about 179,000 page views. Saturday it had 720,000.

The switch in how to buy tickets was made to give people everywhere an opportunity to purchase tickets. Plus, the ticket window at the new ballpark is still under construction.

About 5,000 tickets were sold by telephone, 9,000 via Internet.

But getting a ticket proved more difficult than a click of the mouse.

"It never worked. You couldn't connect. It wouldn't boot up or wouldn't let your information go through," said Sean Hennessy, 35, of Westwood. "I'm despondent, really. Appalled."

Many fans had problems with pages loading. Some were stuck in a virtual waiting room. Others were simply kicked out.

"It would be outstanding if this system worked," said Kris Abeln, 25, of Louisville. "But if they don't have the capabilities to handle the demand, they shouldn't sell tickets this way."

For some, the page quit as they selected seats.

"The Web page kept erroring out, but it would let me go a little farther each time," said Matt Morris, 24, of Fort Wayne, Ind. "I could actually see the tickets disappearing before my eyes."

An overloaded system is to be expected, Butcher said, when thousands are after the same seats.

"There's really no easy way to distribute a ticket that everybody in the Tristate wants," he said. "We thought this was the fairest way we could accommodate as many Reds fans as possible."

Critics of this luck-of-the-draw method say it keeps true fans out of the game.

"Unfortunately, the online and the phone methods of purchase do not discriminate between the true, die-hard fans and those who are only interested in the novelty of that particular game, or between fans and companies who buy the tickets for the resale value only," said Paul Bauer, 40, of Maineville.

Others lamented the policy because it seemed too impersonal.

"I would rather have waited outside overnight, because at least I would have been able to know where I stood," said Michael Burkeen, 33, of North Avondale.

And some believe people in the Tristate should take precedence.

"The taxpayers of Hamilton County deserve a priority here, and we didn't get it," said Scott LeCount, 28, of Cheviot. "Why does everything have to be equitable? We paid for the thing. Why don't we get a preference?"

However, fans who live too far away to stand in line were pleased with the sale.

"I like the new system, because it puts all ticket seekers on the same playing field," said Paul Stelzer, 30, of Bismarck, N.D. "I had no chance of making it to the Queen City to wait in line for Opening Day tickets."

By 11 a.m. Saturday, as the tickets were sold out, dozens of Opening Day tickets were already up for bidding on eBay.com, an online auction site. Those prices ranged from $200 for one ticket to $1,000 for two.

Still, the ultimate cost of this new system might prove even higher than a ticket on eBay for some disappointed fans.

"This cost my loyalty to the Reds," said Doug Kuba, 33, of West Chester. "Something seems unfair about limiting people to two electronic options."

"I'm not a bit happy about this, and I'm considering boycotting all games this year," said Keith Berlin, 31, of Mariemont, who typically attends 15 games a year.

"Maybe I'll start a tradition of going to see the Lexington Legends," LeCount said. "My son won't know the difference for some time, and at least we could get in the park."

To see the Reds

Tickets for the remaining 80 regular-season games and the March 28-29 exhibition games with the Cleveland Indians will go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday.

They can be purchased online at www.cincinnatireds.com or by calling (513) 381-REDS or toll-free (877) 647-REDS.

Beginning March 3, tickets will also be available at Great American Ball Park ticket windows and at the Reds Dugout Shop (in the Westin Hotel downtown).

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com