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JHromadka · Feb 28, 2005, 05:54 PM

Ok, so I wanted to take my sister (who is for some reason a Cubs fan) to a game. Tickets went on sale last weekend, but for some reason no weekend tickets are on sale online. I'm trying to get tix for the 9/24 game against the Astros. I also called the ticket office at 866-652-2827, but it's always busy.

Am I screwed out of buying tickets or are the Cubs just doing something weird?

jnrjr79 · Feb 28, 2005, 06:33 PM

Have you tried buying Cubs tickets in the last few years? There is no mistake. All the weekend tickets sold out the day they went on sale. I had 85 virtual waiting room windows open the day they went onsale and that got me about 5-6 games, and even then not the prime dates (Boston, White Sox, etc.), though I was able to get a few Saturday games. In any event, there are only two things you can do now. First, you could go through a ticket broker or ebay and buy the tickets at a premium. Second, you could roll the dice and show up early in the morning (6:00 or something like that) on gameday. On gameday they release standing room only tickets and other day of game tickets that are reserved for players and VIPs that are going to go unused. Consequently, those day of game tickets (besides the standing room ones, obviously), will generally be very good seats but will also be expensive $40-something apiece.

The last thing you can do is enter the lottery for the right to buy the bullpen/dugout box tickets that will go on sale later. These are premium tix and are expensive, but they are rows 1-3 right by the action. I think last year they cost $50, $100, or $250 each, depending on the quality of the opponent, etc. If you go to cubs.com, I'm sure at some point they'll have info on getting into the lottery for the right to buy these tickets.

EDIT: I just noticed you're from Houston, so obviously you haven't tried to buy Cubs tickets in the last few years. It's crazy b/c you don't think about it being that difficult for baseball games, but other than daytime games during the week, pretty much everything sells out quickly.

waxcrash · Feb 28, 2005, 06:38 PM

Tickets are available if you are willing to pay more than face value. Either show up to Wrigley before the game and buy them from a scalper. Or Google for 'Chicago Cubs Tickets" and you will find a ton of ticket brokers. I found one, 'Coast to Coast Tickets' and they have 192 tickets available for the game you want. Of course they are between $50 - $675 a ticket. Good luck.

Captain Obvious · Feb 28, 2005, 07:14 PM

i never seen the big deal with people standing out there to get tickets or hitting speed dial a thousand times to score the tickets. The Cubs sucked last year and they will suck this year. It does not matter who they are playing only what day of the week the game is. That is the determining factor in the game being worth attending. If you didn't get them by now you are prob SOL until they release more seats (sometimes) on gameday. But if you are not willing to buy from the brokers, which is what you need to do if you NEED to go that that specific a game, there are tons of scalpers on gameday

I bet half the games I have gone to at Wrigley have been ones I did not have a ticket for when I left my house. If all else fails buy them after the cops confiscate from the scalpers and give them to the bar employees. It does help though if you already know the people who work at the bars.

JHromadka · Feb 28, 2005, 11:33 PM

Damn, figured as much. I don't know if I want to fly to Chicago and try my luck with scalpers, especially since my sister would want to go see Oprah or something if that falls through.

ManOfSteal · Mar 1, 2005, 01:38 AM

Rumor has it that the Cubs are popular. Again, only a rumor.

JHromadka · Mar 1, 2005, 01:46 AM

Originally posted by ManOfSteal:
Rumor has it that the Cubs are popular. Again, only a rumor.

It's not like I'm trying to get Yankees/Red Sox tickets.

Agasthya · Mar 1, 2005, 01:50 AM

If you want to see the Cubs, you should come here to Busch and watch us beat them into submission.

cjrivera · Mar 1, 2005, 02:30 AM

Get them from an online service if it's a really big deal for you and your sister. Especially if you've never been to Wrigley. It really is an experience. Sure it's falling down in some places, and the men's rooms always seem to be breaking down, but it is a sight.

My friends and I got bleacher tix from a broker 2 years ago, and stood in line really early. We ended up dead centerfield in the first row - talked with Jim Edmunds and Steve Klein for a while (we were the only ones in Cardinal red out in the bleachers.) The Cubs fans gave us some friendly grief throughout the game (nothing really nasty), and we gave it back - good natured rivalry stuff. Cardinals ended up winning, and the Cubs fans were a little less friendly as we walked out, but again, nothing too bad.

Coach · Mar 1, 2005, 09:01 AM

Or drive up to Milwaukee and see them play the Brewers. The crowd is 75% Chicago anyway.

Joshua · Mar 1, 2005, 10:09 AM

If you watch eBay carefully you can usually find a few tickets in the upper deck or terrace that end up selling right around face value.

Another good way of getting tickets: wait for the game to start, then go into one of the ticket brokers right around the stadium. Once the game is underway they'll take whatever they can get for the leftover tickets; I usually haggle down to $5-10 per. If they don't have anything together, buy enough single seats to get you in the gates and then wander around until you find some empty seats together.

JHromadka · Mar 1, 2005, 11:53 AM

Originally posted by Coach:
Or drive up to Milwaukee and see them play the Brewers. The crowd is 75% Chicago anyway.

Don't go thinking I'm a Cubs fan! My sister is the one that likes the Cubs. ebay looks promising.