New Players Abound In 2011 MLB Season

March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With the shortest offseason in major sports, a lot can happen in around baseball during the winter, and this year was no different. There were a number of high quality free agents available for the taking, and as a result a lot of teams will have a new look come opening day. 

Few teams did more to improve their stock than the Boston Red Sox. In early December, the Sox landed the coveted first basemen Adrian Gonzalez in a trade with the San Diego Padres. Not only will this provide Boston with a big left-handed bat in the middle of its lineup, but also strengthens their defense. Several days later, Boston signed free agent left fielder Carl Crawford, a player that will be a spark at the top of the batting order throughout the season. Boston also bolstered its bullpen by signing Bobby Jenks as a setup man.

Cliff Lee, who brought the Texas Rangers to the World Series last season, was also up for grabs this offseason. After an intense bidding war, the Phillies beat out the Yankees and acquired the talented southpaw. Lee took less money to accept the Phillies offer, a team he took to the Fall Classic in 2009, and joins Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels as arguably the best rotation in the majors.

Another coveted pitcher, Zach Grienke, also changed hands. The subdued right hander had long been the lone bright spot for the Kansas City Royals over the years, but was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers during the offseason in an effort to keep up with a loaded NL Central.  

There are a number of new players in Tampa Bay as well. Just one season after winning the AL East for the second time in three years, the Rays have a virtually new team. Crawford is gone along with Matt Garza (Cubs), Carlos Pena (Cubs) and Jason Bartlett (Padres). To help fill the void, the Rays brought in some very familiar faces – Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon – hoping for some veteran production out of the two former Sox.

Staying in the East, the Baltimore Orioles have long been in the basement, but they took steps to compete with the Sox, Yankees, Rays and even Jays this offseason. The Orioles acquired a few big bats in shortstop J.J. Hardy, first baseman Derek Lee and slugger Mark Reynolds. Add that to a bolstered pitching staff, highlighted by Justin Duchscherer, and teams should watch out for Baltimore.

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TicketCity and TripCart.com Offer Easy Planning for Fall Travel

September 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As temperatures begin to cool and leaves begin to turn, millions of travelers are expected to take to the road in pursuit of fall foliage in the Northeast, and when they do, TicketCity and TripCart.com will be there to provide recommendations for natural sites of interest, as well as live events they won’t want to miss along the way such as baseball, football and Broadway.

TicketCity partnered earlier this year with TripCart, the most comprehensive online Road Trip Planner and travel reference site.  Together, they have taken the guesswork out of planning exciting things to do while chasing fall’s ever-changing colors. Booking weekends full of sports and entertainment through the sites’ revolutionary combinations of enticing content and robust, interactive technology has made the information gathering process a breeze.  Not to mention TicketCity’s reputation for outstanding customer service, abundant seating options and guaranteed reliable transactions.

This fall, TripCart, TicketCity, and good ol’ Mother Nature herself present foliage fanatics and sports enthusiasts a weekend of colorful indulgence in the Northeast’s favorite cities.  And fall foliage tours aren’t limited to small towns in Vermont or the Rocky Mountains anymore and aren’t exclusively about the trees and leaves.

Highlights of TripCart’s unique Urban Fall Foliage Guide include information on hundreds of scenic spots and routes, including:

Red Leaves by David Hepworth.

  • Lunch among leaves and life at Massachusetts’ Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Drive through cranberry country just south of Boston along State Road 105, along twinkling ponds and red-gold forests.
  • Combine rich fall foliage with rich American history at Philadelphia’s Valley Forge National Historic Park.
  • Take a break from city hubbub and hike through tranquil, colorful Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
  • Hop on Metro-North for a moving view of Hudson Valley Fall Foliage or grab the subway to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for a nap under the color-changing trees and then a stroll through trendy Park Slope. 

For those travelers looking to supplement their nature exploration with spectacular live sports or entertainment events, TicketCity offers no shortage of ideas to choose from:

Boston Red Sox by Keith Allison.

  • Catch the U2 360 concert tour at Gillette Stadium in Boston on September 20, 2009.
  • See Dave Matthews Band in concert at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on September 19-20.
  • Celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame benefit event at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2009.
  • Support the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox with tickets for events as they head into postseason baseball.
  • Enjoy NFL action with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and New York Jets tickets throughout the entire NFL season.
  • Kickoff the NBA season with tickets to the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks or Boston Celtics.
  • Explore Broadway and all of its offering including tickets to shows such as The Lion King at Minskoff Theatre, and Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.

Travelers are encouraged to mix and match nature with culture to create an itinerary that captures the best of fall foliage, entertainment, and fun. For more information on TripCart, or to begin planning your next excursion within the United States, visit www.tripcart.com. For details on the hottest sports or entertainment tickets, visit www.ticketcity.com.

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2009 MLB Playoff Schedule

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The 2009 Major League Baseball regular season is in the final stretch of games.  Those MLB clubs that make the playoffs will start the postseason on Wednesday, October 7th.  The Division Series of the MLB Playoffs run from October 7th to October 14th.  Four American League teams and four National League teams will compete in the Divisional Series (ALDS & NLDS) for a right to play for the pennant.  The winners will advance to compete in the League Championship Series, which start on October 15th.  The NLCS runs from October 15th to 24th, the ALCS runs October 16th to 25th.   The ALCS & NLCS winners will matchup in the 2009 World Series.

The 2009 World Series will be hosted by the American League pennant winner, because the AL won the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis.  The first game of the World Series will be in the AL city on October 28th.  WS game 2 will be in AL city on October 29th.  Then the series will shift to the home ballpark of the NL pennant winner for games 3, 4 & 5; before returning to the AL city for games 6 & 7.  If the 2009 World Series has a deciding Game 7, it will be played on Thursday, November 5th.

There 2009 MLB playoff teams have yet to be decided, but the current frontrunners are below:

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFF TEAMS (projected):
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Los Angeles Angels & Texas Rangers
AL Wildcard: Boston Red Sox

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFF TEAMS (projected):
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies (2008 World Series champs)
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Colorado Rockies

Buy 2009 MLB Playoff tickets or 2009 World Series tickets.

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Rays: Keep Your Chins Up

October 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Did any of you get a chance to see the stunned look on the Rays faces last night when J.D. Drew hit the RBI to give the Boston Red Sox the 2nd biggest comeback in playoffs history?  I’ll bet most of you BoSox bandwagoners just flipped the channel to ER and were through with it, ready to admit that your season was over.

A true Red Sox fan, however, would have been biting their fingers to the nubs shortly after Big Papi hit that bomb of a homerun into the right field stands.  The Rays never saw it coming, and neither did we.  Props.

Regardless of last night, I must say that any legitimate baseball fan should be rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays right now.  It is a rarity in Major League Baseball that a “have-not” team such as the Rays chooses the perfect combination of players and plays their cards just right while remaining within their budget.  When the underdogs wail on the “I’m So Freakin’ Rich I Can Do What I Want” franchise, a true baseball fan realizes the feat and commends the rare occasion.  The Rays have done the unthinkable by making it this far, and I commend them.

Don’t give up hope after last night Tampa, Boston wants to commend you as well.

Get Phillies and Rays(?) World Series Tickets here.

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View From the Seats: Fenway Park

August 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

One of our clients was kind enough to provide us with pictures from his Boston Red Sox game experience.  I am slightly jealous of how amazing the view was from his Fenway Park field-level (home dugout) seats! Here are his pictures prior and during the Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox game in Fenway Park:

Red Sox's David Ortiz signs autographs prior to the game

Red Sox's David Ortiz signs autographs before the game

First inning view from the seats at Fenway Park

First inning view from the seats at Fenway Park

If you are interested in visiting Fenway, and want a similar viewing experience for your Red Sox game, our client was sitting in Section 30, right behind the home dugout.  We have plenty of seats with views that are just as good or better, so give us a call at 1-800-SOLD-OUT or visit our MLB Tickets page!

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