Tuesday, December 3, 2024
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How I Almost Went to the USA v Japan Game

I jumped onto the Dodgers website to buy parking. It took a few minutes, but it was easy peasy. 45 minutes to go and the only thing holding me back was ….no tickets. Not really.
And then it was 30 minutes until game time and still no word from SeatGeek.
Twenty minutes from the start I finally get an update.  The sale was cancelled! Sorry, just kidding about that ticket and purchase confirmation.  And just like that, Crush!
I made the best of it all. After firing off a firm, but reasonable letter to SeatGeek letting them know I expected reimbursement for my parking purchase, I made some nachos, popped a cold one, and settled in to watch the game. And then I saw them…thousands, and I mean THOUSANDS, of empty seats.
All day that SeatGeek system was telling me someone else got those seats ahead of me. An hour before game time other ticket agencies were showing no tickets available.  I figured it to be a sell out, but looking at the TV broadcast of the game, (away from the seats directly behind the plate) you actually had to search to find fans in the stands.
Where was everybody? Did 40,000 people stay way because of the rain? Really? Someone had all those tickets. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t get any. And yet…the attendance looked like a Dodger game from the final days of the Frank McCourt regime. There were five to seven thousand fans in a fifty-thousand seat stadium, and half of those were in the Japanese fan band.
Who was holding all those tickets? Heck if I know. All I know is I didn’t have one. I guess I came close, and yet, so far away from cheering on Team USA at Dodger Stadium .
In case you’re wondering, SeatGeek replied to my complaint letter and graciously offered to refund the money I paid for parking. In fact, they responded quickly and professionally. I was righteously impressed by their clear understanding  of customer service.
Now if they would just streamline that purchase to tickets pipeline, they’d be onto something.

Oscar Martinez

I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.

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Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
http://alltradebait.blogspot.com/

2 thoughts on “How I Almost Went to the USA v Japan Game

  1. To each his own, but why didn’t you just buy your ticket at the stadium? Still it was a great one run game. I like the way Japan plays baseball. Tonight’s attendance surpassed 51,000!

    1. Couple of reasons: First, I was trying to catch a break on price. Lots of times those tix are bought in bulk so the price is lower than face value when they break them off and sell them as individual seats, and the price drops further when it’s game day and they want to recover something better than nothing.

      The other reason is just a reflex to buy online and save a trip. Oh well. The good news is the USA won both nights and are now the champs.

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