Cub's Continue shaddy ticket dealings

[moochpuppy]

Cubs' ticket scam of '03 looks very familiar

 

September 11, 2003

 

BY GREG COUCH SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

 

 

 

 

Major League Baseball has hit the Cubs with its ''severest criticism and censure'' for a ticket-scalping scandal that has made national headlines and stained a thrilling season. The league said it lacked hard evidence to say with certainty that the Cubs were in collusion with the scalpers, getting tickets to them and then sharing the cut in a phony box-office scam, as accused.

 

Still, the league's report said the Cubs ''must be held responsible.'' It said that scalpers had gotten tickets from the Cubs' office when no one else could and that the Cubs admitted to selling 630 tickets to one person. The league then changed a ticketing rule to ensure this never will happen again.

 

This is a lesson in learning from your past. The censure was not for the Cubs' current ticket-scalping scam. It came in 1908, the last time the Cubs won the World Series. In a scam eerily similar in style to this year's, the Cubs were accused of scalping World Series tickets.

 

Today, the playoffs and World Series are not impossible goals for the Cubs. And Wrigley Field Premium Ticket Services, the Cubs' scalping shop, is open for business. The Cubs bait fans by advertising tickets at one price, sell the tickets at that price to themselves, to Premium, and then switch prices by scalping to the public.

 

On Wednesday, the person answering Premium's phone said the company didn't know yet whether it would sell playoff tickets but that it hoped to. So I called baseball commissioner Bud Selig's office to see if he might put the arm on the Cubs. Just stop hurting the game. Think how this story could escalate if the Cubs scalp World Series tickets.

 

Selig's office didn't call back.

 

In 1908, baseball didn't have a commissioner, but in light of the Cubs' scalping scam, it announced that ''hereafter all of the tickets for all the games during the entire Series will be handled by [the major-league office].'' To save public trust, baseball would sell the tickets itself.

 

Eventually, baseball brought in a commissioner to help police the sport. And 95 years later, with teams selling their own postseason tickets again, Selig does nothing but go on Cubs TV broadcasts to blubber about what a great job he has done.

 

On Dec. 17, 1908, the Chicago Daily News wrote from New York under the headline, ''WOULD ABOLISH WORLD'S SERIES.''

 

''A report is current here among major-league men that the world's series may be abolished next year. It was said yesterday that when the magnates meet for the schedule sessions in Chicago in February, a determined effort will be made to get a motion through to do away with the series.

 

''Those who are opposed to the games will use as an argument that the recent ticket scandal and the demands of the players for more money have not benefitted the game at all...''

 

The Cubs almost killed the World Series.

 

Maybe it's understandable to forget such old embarrassments. But this entire surprising season has shared headlines with the Cubs' dirty greed. With a chance to give us our dream playoffs, what do the Cubs do?

 

Come up with a fresh, new ticket scam. Angry Cubs fans have been e-mailing me about it.

 

Season-ticket holders had to pay up Wednesday for playoff tickets. One e-mailer said his tickets usually are $25 a game. The Cubs charged him $1,355 for his two seats for what could be 10 postseason games, including the World Series.

 

He was OK with the price hike but was upset by this line on the sheet the Cubs sent him:

 

''If the Cubs are eliminated from postseason contention before playoff tickets are mailed, we will automatically credit your payment to your 2004 season-ticket account.''

 

The Cubs will hold his money until January, when it's time to pay for next year's tickets? Why should the Cubs be the ones earning interest on his money? White Sox season-ticket holders were given the option of getting a refund.

 

Do the math: The Cubs sold roughly 15,300 season tickets. If this e-mailer's $67.75 per postseason ticket is the average, then the Cubs basically will be sticking their most loyal fans for a $10.2million interest-free loan for four months. At the current prime rate, that would mean skimming nearly $140,000 in interest on money that's not theirs.

 

That would cover roughly one-third of their legal fees in the ticket-scalping case.

 

We never can trust the Cubs again and always must keep watch. A whole year of bad press over dirty ticket policies, and they do this anyway.

 

But that's a modern-day scam. The one they've been running all year has roots from 95 years ago.

 

The day the Cubs opened the Series against Detroit, on Friday, Oct. 9, 1908, the front page of the Daily News had headlines about the buildup. Also this: ''Eager Fans Storm Places Where They Think Tickets Are Procurable, and Police Have Hands Full to Check Them...''

 

The next day, after the Cubs won Game 1, the main headline on the front page read, ''Chicago win first in World's Baseball Series.'' The secondary headlines, still on Page 1, read, ''More than 5,000 Men and Women Stand in Line...'' and ''...Many Maintain an All-Night Vigil.'' And ''Confusion in Announcement of Selling Places Results in Discomfort--Prospective Crowd Loud in Their Complaints at Management.''

 

The Cubs were in the World Series, but that fact had to share the front page with their deceit.

 

The Cubs told fans that they could buy tickets at noon Friday at Spalding's, 147 Wabash. Fans arrived early and waited. And waited. Hawkers sold stools. At 1:30, the Cubs said the tickets would not be sold until 6 a.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, scalpers were buying them out of the Cubs' office, then selling to people in line.

 

So people lined up early Saturday, only to be told at 1 p.m. that they had to have reservations. Scalpers apparently had them, and sold to people in the new line.

 

Shorting the supply. Jacking up prices. Ripping off Average Joe. Ah, the good old days.

[Chisoxfn]

This is great publicity for the Sox. At least they are honest.