Another major U.S. bank on Monday fell victim to the global liquidity crisis, the House rejected the politically charged $700-billion bailout and U.S. stocks fell off a cliff. Yet in Chicago, at least, real-world worries seemingly failed to put a damper on fan interest in Cubs' postseason tickets.
The weight of history -- as in a full century since the Cubs last won a World Series -- has seemed strong enough to prop up MLB postseason ticket resales among pennant-hungry Cubs fans.
"If the Cubs can't win it all this year with this team, then you will see a depression coming," said Bob Lamprou, a 38-year-old futures and commodities trader in Chicago who is trying to leverage a pair of so-so tickets for Wednesday night's division playoff game against the Dodgers into two pricier seats for an upcoming Bears game.
Even if the ticket swap falls apart, Lamprou figures he'll be able to clear $175 on the tickets with a $75 face value.
"The neighborhood has gone wild," said the Cubs season-ticket holder, who will use another set of tickets to see the home games. "I live in the heart of Wrigleyville, and there's a strong sense that this is the year, that everyone truly believes that something good is going to happen."
Late Monday afternoon, Cubs fever had pushed the average price for postseason tickets to Wrigley Field games to $338, with the most expensive ticket selling for $2,500 and the least expensive going for $90. In contrast, the average sales price on StubHub for tickets to the Dodgers' two possible home games was $114, with the high at $1,000 and the lowest-priced ticket going for $20.
On the American League side, the average selling price on StubHub for three scheduled games at Angel Stadium was $103, down from $146 last year when the Red Sox and Angels met. The highest-priced seat sold for an Angels home game so far on StubHub was $883, the lowest, $25.
The average price at Fenway Park was $196, down from $303 last year. The highest-priced resale ticket has been $786, the lowest, $66.
StubHub spokesman Sean Pate tied the drop in average ticket prices for the AL teams to a been-there, done-that mentality.
"Both series are sold out, I believe, but the resale market value of ticket is down to a real affordable level because the same two teams played last year," Pate said.
Real-world financial worries also are having a dulling effect on ticket resale prices.
