World Series Tickets Go Sky High

And baseball’s loyal fans thought the hard times were costly.

Capping a season of rebirth with rousing “cha-ching,” Commissioner Bud Selig announced Tuesday that baseball was doubling the price of most tickets to the World Series, charging $150 a game for its best box seats and $100 for its top reserved seats.

Fans who stuck with the sport even after the World Series was canceled in 1994 might consider this an unusual thank-you note.

Selig just considers it business.

“People felt very strongly that the World Series ticket prices had been undervalued and were not in line with the ticket prices for the other top sporting events,” Selig said Tuesday. “We had a very spirited discussion at the executive council meeting in June. Quite frankly, we’re making up a little ground.”

So less than one year after a dreadfully long, late and poorly played Series won by a store-bought team from Florida, baseball people suddenly are comparing their classic to the $350-a-seat Super Bowl?

This would make sense, except the Super Bowl has continued unabated for 32 years in fan-friendly environments with fan-friendly starting times and unmatched integrity.

Or maybe baseball is comparing its classic to the NBA championships, where most tickets last year cost no more than $113?

That would make sense, if baseball still had Michael Jordan.

Considering the late Series starting times (bad for children), late starting dates (snowy games), and fan-phobic players, this smells a bit like someone attempting to sell Hee-Haw entertainment for Broadway prices.

At this summer’s popularity pace--with historic sluggers and flashy rookies--baseball may soon regain its boutique status. But until it does, it might have been wiser to keep the Series in the bargain bin.

“Obviously, having run a club for 28 years, I’m sensitive to any ticket price increase,” said Selig, whose family controls the Milwaukee Brewers. “We’re still way lower than the other sports, as we should be.”

For World Series teams that have different levels of box and reserved prices, less desirable box seats will sell for $120 and lesser reserves will go for $85.

The cheapest seat in the house--bleachers or general admission--will cost $40 and standing-room tickets will be $25 each.

Last year, most box seats cost $75, while reserves were $50 and general admission $30.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.