This is my first – hopefully, of many – posts to this site as I have been an avid follower of the Game Time (proper noun) for about a year now. A buddy and I, recent college graduates, have purchased season tickets for the first time this summer and are eagerly anticipating the season. If this is a little long, forgive me…

While the premium pricing may not directly affect us, I definitely agree with Brad Lee that this is a terrible move on the Blues’ part. A simple economics demonstration proves that raising prices for an on-ice product that has not changed will reduce fans’ eagerness to buy tickets. Of course, my view of the short-term situation is that the Blues have gotten worse, if anything, except in the back-up goaltending slot… Anyhow, if management wants to raise prices and puts fans in the seats, how about making another splashy move like the signing of Kariya? After all, the Blues have over $5.5 million in cap space. Maybe then management can get away with raising prices. For instance, the Ducks are over their cap and need to deal someone – why don’t we go after Mathieu Schneider? He’s a veteran and can take on a large role until EJ and Pietrangelo really begin to hit their stride as a 1-2 punch. Additionally, with Oshie, Berglund, and Eller joining the troops up front, it really is the defense that needs help. After all, we allowed the second-most goals in the Western Conference last year. Furthermore, of the 8 Western Conference teams that made the playoffs last year, each team’s defensemen scored over 36 goals, on average. Taking out Detroit and Anaheim, who had 45 and 50 goals, respectively, the average is still above 32. Meanwhile, the Blues’ defensemen scored 15 goals – EJ with 5. I believe that EJ will put in at least 10 this year, but where else will the offense come from on the point? Schneider last year tallied 12 goals. With Schneider, we are right up with the average and have improved our defensive corps at the same time. Schneider can play defense and score – he was a +22 last year. The only Blues defensemen who had a +/- greater than +2 was Bryce Salvador, and he was traded away for "an instant fan favorite" – thanks JD, I still haven’t gotten my Janssen jersey but I am working on it!

I don’t mind paying to see us rebuilding with the promise of Stanley Cup glory on the horizon, but I do MIND paying for a run at nothing. It seems that we are truly destined for a fourth year of playoff hopelessness. Here’s to a run of luck…

Kyle

I don’t see this as a big deal really. All it means is that for the most likely-to-sellout games, the Blues get a bit more cash instead of the scalpers. Ok, the scalpers will get more cash too, but my point is if people really want the tickets, they’ll pay for them.

I’ve always thought that prices for some games should be lower too — if you can only get 8K people in on Tuesday nights, lower the prices for those games. Well, they do have the “kids get in free” nights (or did the last few years).

Gotta make some money somehow, otherwise you’ll just end up signing the Winchesters and Wozniewskis of the league every year, right?

BTW, the Rams force you to buy a ticket to another game when you buy tickets to one of the two “more desirable” games. So what’s worse, paying a little extra to see the game you really want to see, or paying double to see that game plus one you don’t care about?

Particle, I just think the way this was handled was piss poor. The team already raised prices once. They should have said back in February, “And this is the season to get season tickets because we will be instituting a premium pricing program for single game tickets next year.”

This comes at a poor time when it seems like the team has been hamstrung in making any improvements yet they’re asking for more money from fans.

That’s all. Don’t bullshit the fans and be honest.

Whatever. If it pisses you off, don’t buy the tickets. Just watch it at home like I do with my “Crew”. Feel free to incorporate push up contests, shirtless chest bumps and Zubas. We don’t mind if you copy us.

Brad, I see your point, BUT…

Anybody buy lower-bowl season tickets (I didn’t) and then later get the “Bluechip” (or whatever it was called) special offer about reduced prices in certain lower-bowl sections? What about buying a ticket early for a game, then find out later that there’s a 2-for-1 special for that same game (but you can’t take advantage of that offer because you bought early).

The Blues (and every other team in every other league, as well as almost every business in the country) do things like this all the time, and people put up with it, because we want the end product.

BTW, it’s not too late to buy season tickets.

Answer Man scares me.

And Particle, I totally see your point. Is this a big deal? Eh, we’ll see if it riles anyone up. I personally am curious what attendance is going to look like for all those October and November games simply based on how last season ended and no activity this summer.

Part of the reason we exist is to call out the team for doing stupid shit. Personally, I think the timing and how they handled this could have been done better.

the raising of prices doesn’t surprise me. they substantially lowered them when JD and Checketts came aboard and there were free food days and all kinds of promotions. it’s paying off but not as well as they would like and so the team is hemorraging money and they kinda need to make us pay a little more to even out the costs.

people who know they paid more than the person sitting next to them, or the person coming to tomorrow nights game are already opissed, add a team with no money spent on it this off-season, and a lame duck coach, and what do you get?

a) ticket prices have nothing to do with salary certainty, salary cap, numbers player salaries, moon phases, and/or the price of cheetos

b) if the blues actually want to substain a higher average fan ticket price they need fans

c) as bad as the blues money choices sometimes are, they have announced (although i’ll believe it when i see it) that the 2 owners ago kiel opera house clause is actually going to be completed! unlike the cardinals money grubbers.

d) the evil way to think of it is this: would you pay 99 cents a game more? if you answered yes, you are cheating the blues! boo you cheap ass fans! give checkets his .99cents! in fact, my suggestion is this. we have a free tacos for checkets night. we invite everyone to buy a .99 cent taco somewhere, take it to the game and leave it with a note for checkets and jd telling him when us fans buy more, he gets free tacos!!

Trauma said: “would you pay 99 cents a game more? if you answered yes, you are cheating the blues! boo you cheap ass fans!”

Hilarious!

Brad: I think you’re just over-sensitive because there’ve been no “Ice Girls” stories this summer like there were last summer.

As always, I’m torn between having lots of empty seats around me so I can spread out a little or move around, and having a jam-packed house every game with the dork (a new one each game it seems) behind me who talks to his girlfriend or “pal” about his job, American Idol, or his new phone ALL FREAKING NIGHT.

Maybe when you buy single-game tickets you are asked 2 hockey-related questions. If you get both wrong you’re charged a premium (double maybe).

But my job, American Idol and new phone are really freakin’ important.

Remind me to spill beer on you next time.

"Two tickets for the Wings on Saturday, that looks like a good one, Section 303, lower Mezzanine, alright.

"Oh and one more thing, How many goals are necessary for a hat trick? … You don’t know? Alright, is it necessary at any time for you to tell a professional hockey player when to shoot? How bout a guess? Yes? No, I’m sorry, the answer was no.

"Thank you sir, that’ll be $100. No, I’m not kidding. No, I can see the pricing guide in your hand, but if you’d put your cell phone down, you’d see the fine print about our new Hockey Knowledge Pricing Guide (proper noun). Yes sir, the management has discovered that well versed fans make the games more enjoyable for everyone."

“But if you don’t want to pay the premium, I can sell you regular-price tickets in section xxx, our new ‘Bud Light Partly-Watching Zone’. You’ll be surrounded by fans like yourself who enjoy chatting idly, texting their BFFs, or are trying to impress their dates.”

pretend fan: 2 tickets please

Ticket babette: name two Blues players who scored more goals than Eric Johnson last season

pf: um, jamal mayers and Cam Janssen

tb: What is the name of the head of the current ownership group?

pf: mark lampking?

tb: the name of the arena is?

pf:umb banl pavilion?

tb: i have two seat right behind sean gallagher for you. you planning on drinking, cussing and spilling nacho cheese all over the place?

pf: absolutely!

tb: cool. say hi to sean for me

and p.s.

can we do a premium gt for those games?

Childhood Trauma Says: July 30th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
and p.s.
can we do a premium gt for those games?

Just make sure you charge an extra buck for it.
/I’ll pay the premium for the issue.

We do a premium Game Time EVERY game.

Every game we don’t get drunk putting it together. That number is in the low single digits.

Nevermind.

Brad Lee Says: July 31st, 2008 at 8:34 am
We do a premium Game Time EVERY game.

Yeah, we know. So, just do what the Blues are doing and put the same stuff out there, but charge a buck more for it on those dates.

/I’m sure the circulation goes up for Suckytown, Wirtzville (RIP), and Saint Joe, to name a few.
//I’m also sure circulation takes a dive for Hooterville, Suckeyeland and Tampax Bay.
///Maybe if the Blues score 5 or more on a premium night, you could give everybody with a GT in hand a dollar back so they can get two of Jack’s tacos whenever they want.