More On Cubs Ticket Sales

This is the price we pay for success.

At this writing approximately 70 games have NO bleacher tickets available; I'd expect the bleachers to completely sell out within a couple of weeks for the entire season.

29 dates are completely sold out. It is possible the Cubs might sell out the entire season by Opening Day. 500,000 tickets were sold yesterday, which is nearly double last year's record of 260,000.

Here's something I received from Joe Baker in Philadelphia, which seems pretty representative of the problems 99% of Cub fans had trying to get tickets yesterday:

I can imagine how tough it is in Chicago at Wrigley Field with the wrist bands to get tickets. But try getting tickets using only the web and the phone.
Last year, I was able to call into a Tickets.com 800 number in a location far away from Chicago and was able to get tickets to the games I wanted. It only took me 15 minutes after they went on sale over the phone and web. This year, I tried the same thing with 3 different Tickets.com 800 numbers in locations far away from Chicago and I got the same answer from all 3 people I spoke with, I had to call the special Cubs number. Which is next to impossible to get through on! I know for a fact they have access on their computers in any Tickets.com call center for Cubs tickets because I got my tickets last year that way. Why the change this year!?!? Ticketmaster lets you order tickets for any event across the country on any ticketmaster phone number. Why not Cubs tickets on Tickets.com? Guess they have to save some seats for the "ticket agency" the Tribune runs!

I thought I was going to have some luck over the web this year and it started out well. I got bleacher seats for the Saturday 7/31 Cubs-Phillies game 10 minutes after they went on sale over the web. I, then, spent the next 6 hours in the virtual waiting room. I lucked out on the Sunday 8/1 Cubs-Phillies game and got seats. But the Friday 7/30 was sold out before I could through. So I bit the bullet and bought some seats from a ticket agency.

There has to be a better way to handle this!

Yes, there does. Hopefully, by next season the Cubs will find that better way.