Ticket blasted?

Raise your hand if you actually managed to snag some tickets to Games 1 or 2 of the World Series this weekend at Comerica Park. I haven't talked to everyone - or even a lot of people - but almost all of the stories I've heard or read were frustrating accounts from those who spent hours trying to get tickets online and eventually had nothing to show for the effort.


Obviously, there was going to be a huge demand for tickets - not just from Tigers fans, but also from out-of-town baseball followers, as well as those who just want to take part in a big sporting event.

But the apparent World Series freeze-out kind of affirms a sad belief I've held for many years now: so-called "average" fans just aren't meant to attend events like this anymore. They've been priced out. Now, that's not to say that those able to acquire tickets through corporate means aren't "true fans." I don't want to get into that argument.

However, it would be nice to see everyone get a fair chance. And given how the ticket situation shook down, it seems pretty apparent that - despite the supposed best efforts to prevent this - ticket brokers were able to score a significant majority of the available seats. (Am I off-base on that?) It bums me out when people have decided to make a commitment to see something special, something they may never have another chance to witness live, and are left to watch on TV - especially when it's not a question of availability, but of affordability.

I've heard quite a few stories this summer from people who attended the 1984 World Series and 1987 ALCS at Tiger Stadium. Maybe it's not an entirely fair comparison, since Comerica Park has a lower seating capacity and we now simply live in a different era. But I just have a feeling that I'm not going to be hearing the same kind of nostalgia about the 2006 World Series 25 years from now. I hope I'm wrong about that.