Spending time with Yankees

If you're planning to catch them against Rockies, dig deep

Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 19, 2007 at midnight

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The Rockies-Yankees midweek series occurs in June, long before pennant races crystallize, contending teams feel an urgency to win and scoreboard watching becomes an earnest pursuit.

But those games at Coors Field June 19-21 carry a cachet unlike any others on the Rockies' schedule and, as a result, stand alone when it comes to ticket prices.

Single-game tickets for the series - outside the Coors Clubhouse and corporate suite tickets and the $4 Rockpile seats - range from $15 to $75.

"It's like every team in major league baseball has a personal rivalry with the Yankees," said Becky Wallace, executive editor of Chicago-based Team Marketing Report, "and they show that by raising their ticket prices. And I think the reason why is, so many fans react because the Yankees are the team with the legacy, the team with the dynasty. They're the team everyone wants to beat, whether or not they're the previous World Series winner."

The Yankees have visited Coors one other time, in 2002, and the two- night, one-day series (same as this year) drew a Rockies franchise- record 146,530.

The teams also set records for the largest paid crowds at Coors Field for a day game (49,921) and night game (48,852).

The Rockies have 11 higher- priced "classic" games on their 81- game home schedule, where ticket prices are above those for premium and value games.

Classic game tickets range from $11 to $47 for all but the upper- and lower-end seats.

"The Yankees, as it relates to the demand and what we saw last time," said Greg Feasel, the Rockies' senior vice president for business operations, "it's just a notch above. Based off the things that we experienced when they were here before, we felt it was prudent on our behalf to have another entire category."

The top ticket of $75, which is for 20 sections of infield box seats and four sections of midfield box seats, will be the highest in Coors regular- season history. Left-field pavilion seats, spanning 10 sections, will cost $45 for the Yankees series, an increase of $20 from the classic games. Upper-deck seats in right field will go for $15, a $4 increase from the classic games.

"We're still going to have roughly 7,000 tickets (for the Yankees games) that are $15 or below," Feasel said, "so we still have that mix of affordable pricing vs. somebody that wants to sit between the bases."

The Rockies also have 20- and 25- game mini-plans that include a ticket to one of the Yankees games, with tickets in these plans ranging from $7 to $41 per game. A choose-your- own plan for 25 games in this same price range also includes one of the games with the Yankees.

In addition to the Yankees, other American League opponents coming to Coors this season are the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays - neither an attractive opponent from a marketing standpoint.

The Rockies are offering an Interleague Package, a mini-plan involving these three AL clubs. Before single-game tickets go on sale Feb. 10, Feasel said, it's possible to purchase one of these packages.

A fan buying tickets to a Yankees game would have to buy a like number for the Devil Rays and Royals games.

Prices for tickets in this package are at the single-game rate, Feasel said, so the purchaser comes away with a chance to get his or her desired seat before single-game ticket sales begin next month.

Feasel said the Rockies have been "pleasantly surprised" that the majority of tickets bought in the Interleague Package have been for the most expensive, $75 seats.

This package, Wallace said, is in keeping with a trend that combines games with high- and low-profile opponents into a single package.

"Over the last four years," she said, "I've seen a huge increase of encouraging - I think encouraging is the nicest way to say it - fans to see more games and to be able to come out and see the Yankees."

Last year, the Yankees played at National League opponents Philadelphia and Washington. The Phillies made no ticket-price adjustment for their games with New York. Instead, they price their April through mid-May and September tickets at $12 to $40 and their midseason tickets at $12 to $44.

The Nationals included the Yankees series among their premium games last season, raising their single-game tickets from $7 to $105 for regular games to $12 to $115 for premium games.

After the Yankees play here this season, they travel to San Francisco. The Giants are including the Yankees series in their premium games. Single-game tickets will range from $20 to $110 for premium games and $10 to $90 for non-premium games.

"It's amazing how many fans across the nation associate themselves with the Yankees," Wallace said, "or they associate them with the Evil Empire. They want to see the Yankees get beat or see the Yankees win. There are few people sitting on the fence in the Yankees discussion."

$75?

Don't want to shell out that much per box seat when the Bronx Bombers invade Blake Street? Fuggedaboutit. Spend your money on these games instead:

38 for upper reserved infield against the Cardinals (May 28, 29, 30 or 31) + $37 for midfield box against the Astros (June 5, 6 or 7)

The Cardinals, led by former MVP Albert Pujols and former Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter, always are a good draw, but now they carry a World Series title. The Astros are a perennial NL Central contender and feature former Rockies ace Jason Jennings.

$45 for infield box against the Mets(July 4 fireworks) +$30 for outfield box against the Marlins (Sept. 14,15 or 16)

As if the fireworks show weren't enough, the Mets bring an explosive lineup, too, featuring Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Moises Alou. The Marlins feature a great young pitching staff, headed by Dontrelle Willis, and one of the game's most exciting young hitters in Miguel Cabrera.

$24 for right-field mezzanine against the Phillies (July 6, 7 or 8) +$28 for upper reserved infield against the Diamondbacks (April 2 home opener)+$23 for pavilion against the Royals (May18, 19 or 20)

NL MVP Ryan Howard will be the Phillies' main attraction. Howard is coming off a 58-homer, 149-RBI season. The Royals aren't much to look at, but the left-field pavilion is a great place to shag home run balls.

Giants special: $24 per game for right-field mezzanine (May 10, 11 or 12) +$4 for Rockpile (May 13)

OK, maybe that adds up to $76, not $75, but if Barry Bonds can get really hot - and it would take 21 homers in the team's first 35 games - he could top Hank Aaron's career home run mark in Coors Field. Wouldn't that be worth the extra buck?

If you still want to watch the Yankees take on the Rockies at Coors Field but don't want to pay to watch any of the games in person, you could take your $75 to Big Bill's New York Pizza inCentennial, where you can watch on television and get . . .6 cheesepies ($12.75 each, feeds four) or . . . 30 bottles of beer($2.50 each for domestics).

Same seat, different price

A look at four sections at Coors Field and how Rockies individual ticket prices vary according to opponents and dates:

Sect. Level Location Season Value Premium Classic Yankees

130 Lower Behind the plate $30 $42 $42 $45 $75

154 Lower Left field $10 $17 $23 $25 $45

325 Upper Infield $13 $18 $20 $28 $45

207 Mezzanine Right field $11 $18 $24 $26 $45

• Yankees: June 19-21. • Classic: Opening Day, Cardinals (May 28-31), Mets/fireworks (July 3-4), Cubs (Aug. 9-12). • Premium: Padres (April 20-22, July 24-25, Sept. 7-9), Braves (April 27-29), Giants (May 11-13), Royals (May 18-20), Reds (June 1-3), Astros (June 6-7), Devil Rays (June 15-17), Mets (July 2), Phillies (July 6-8), Dodgers (July 26-29), Brewers (Aug. 6-8), Pirates (Aug. 21-23), Nationals (Aug. 24-26), Marlins (Sept. 14-16), Diamondbacks (Sept. 28-30). • Value: Diamondbacks (April 3-4. May 15-17), Giants (April 16-17, May 10, Sept. 3-5), Dodgers (April 18-19, Sept. 18-20), Astros (June 5), Padres (July 23), Pirates (Aug. 20).

etkinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2921

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