Hot August concert and sports events tickets

Joe Ticket of National Ticket Agency is excited as the Jonas Brothers, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, American Idols Live, Coldplay, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Rod Stewart, Nine Inch Nails and Wilco are all on the road in August and he plans to go to as many shows as possible.  Country music acts on tour include Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and Alan Jackson.  Music Festivals are in the spotlight with Lollapalooza in Chicago, Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, Ozzfest in Texas, All Points West Music Festival in New Jersey, and the Virgin Mobile Festival in Maryland.  Touring festivals include the Warped Tour, Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution, Disturbed headlining the Rockstar Mayhem tour and Motley Crue fronting Crufest. Your summer is not complete unless you let it all hang out at one of these awesome all day affairs.

In the sports arena The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will draw hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe to China August 8th to the 24th.  Hot Olympic tickets include the Opening Ceremony, Basketball, Swimming, Gymnastics and Soccer. I can get you there,  can you take the time off from work?

And thank heavens it’s NFL football starting August 3rd with the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Washington Redskins in the Hall of Fame Game.  The Buffalo Bills play the Pittsburgh Steelers August 14th in Toronto, Canada.  The Bills also play the Colts at the new Lucas Oil Stadium on August 24th. By then every team will be hitting hard and you will be chomping at the bit to get in on the action. National Ticket Agency has great seats for every single NFL game home or away all season long and onto the Super Bowl. The biggest bash of the year. Maybe this year your team will be there!

 Some other hot tickets this month include the  US Open Tennis Championship in New York which begins August 25th.  NASCAR raceing circuit hits Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen, Michigan International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and the Fontana Auto Club Speedway. Wow.  UFC 87 Seek and Destroy, the UFC’s 1st event in Minnesota, is scheduled for August 9th at the Target Center in Minneapolis.  Hot Las Vegas shows this month include Cher, Elton John, and Jerry Seinfeld. Of course Broadway is always a great time, this August make it your time.

In baseball defending world champion Boston Red Sox pay their last regular season visit to old Yankees Stadium August 26th-28th.  Other great baseball matchups include the Phillies vs. the Chicago Cubs, Angels vs. the Yankees, the Red Sox vs. the White Sox and the Red Sox vs. the Baltimore Orioles. In the NL don’t miss the Brewers now with ace lefty CC Sabathia aquired from the Indians or the Cubs with hard throwing righty Rich Hardin traded by the A’s. In the AL can the Tampa don’t call me Devil Rays actually hold on to take the East. This season is sure to go down to the very end and be the most exciting in years. Of course NTA has your field box to bleacher seats for less money than anyone else. We always invite you to compare exact same seats on NTA vs Stub Hub, Tickets Now, Razer Gator, Golden Tickets or any other of the supposed big time ticket dealers…..National Ticket Agency beats them all bottomline…buy your home stretch, playoff and World Series tickets from NTA and save big.

Joe Ticket comments on the NBA, MBL, and even life itself.

To all the folks who wrote and called me while I was laid up with a broken collarbone (don’t worry, Lipshitz, Levine and Cohen are making sure I get my just compensation), I thank you..when your hurt (and miss work)it makes you think about how lucky it is to be unhurt , healthy , and normal. Everyone has aches and pains, I guess that’s normal, but when you have a heart attack and die at age 58 like Tim Russertthat really makes you think. So today think about taking a walk and listening to the birds sing. Think about going to a ballgame with you dad. Think about bringing home some fresh cut wildflowers to your wife. Think about how lucky you are to even have your life in this day in time, in this wonderful free country. We are all annoyed at the price of gas, at political boondogles, the lack of healthinsurance for everyone, the decline in our homes values or even the prospects of maybe losing our homes..but keep the faith, hang in there, it could be worse, you could live in a repressed society, you could be very ill.. All too often we take these days we are blessed with for granted and we bitch about traffic and curse about spilled coffee on our new shirt..big deal, get real..start thinking about what really matters. Its your relationships to your friends and family and how you treat people that you don’teven know. Its about your communications in that private space reserved for you and the lord, its about helping others and in that way you help yourself to a much richer life..what does it have to do with tickets, with sports, with music entertainment..that’s the question for you to ponder today. 

I am not going to say I told you so but the Celtics are on the verge of their 17th world championship leading LA 3-1 in the NBA finals. Doc Rivers has established himself as a top flight coach skillfully employing his deep and talented bench to take advantage of matchups and tempo all season long. Danny Ainge managed to assemble a group of players that have bought into the “Celtics “style of selfless team ball playing. One piece brought another as key contributers Eddie House, PJ Brown, Ray Allen all came to Boston at the beheast of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce who were on a mission for a ring befor the final bell sounded on their brilliant careers. The fact that Rajon Rondo emerged as a fine creative point guard capable of defending and rebounding and knocking down clutch junpers when left alone cannot be ignored. This is what happenns in championship seasons in all sports for the winning teams, things just come together perfectly. This nucleus will be back again next year, Perkins and Davis and Rondo and Tony Allen all a year more mature, so I see the Celtics and the Lakers, if Andrew Bynum regains his mobility, back at it in 09 for one more time. While Kobe Bryant is certainly great he is no Jordan, not now anyway. Obviously I am assuming that the Celtics can win one of three from Lakers and if you want to bet me otherwise please email me , I can use the extra money! Beantown is getting ready for another parade and the hits just keep on comin..Next up The Red Sox, and then The Patriots on this victorious merrygoround., Round and round she goes when it ends nobody knows..

As for baseball, the word is out that instant replay is coming soon to a ballpark near you. I am in favor of it on one condition that it not be used for balls and strikes that it only be used when the umpires have a consensus that maybe the call needs to be reviewed like on a homer down the line or a play at the plate when the ump isn’t in good position. It should not be on demand by the managers, those guys always think the ump blew the call when it goes the other way. Surprise teams The Florida Marlins and The Tampa Bay Rays continue to play exciting ball in front of sparse crowds wilst having the lowest payrolls in the game, proving that you cant buy love and happiness or guarantee victory between the lines. In a sign of the times both clubs developed superior young talent often acquired form other clubs in trades of their emerging stars who would have commanded salaries exceeding their teams capacity to pay for them. They also are signing their young players to longer contracts in essence tying them up for the extra one or two years when they will be hitting their prime..its a winning formula and to the clubs that overspend on aging, questionable talent..smarten up and yes that includes the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Mets and in fact it appears that those clubs are taking the hint. The Red Sox best production on the hill has been from Lester, Buckholz, Papelbon, etc and this kid Masterson looks real good too. On paper the Sox seem to have the best ballclub and manager Tito Francona usually knows how to play his cards by now.  JD Drew is finally comfortable at the plate and playing great all around ball in right. Coco Crisp is the best 4th outfielder in the league, Ellsbury is the real deal if .285, 70 stolen bases and an acrobatic catch a game wets your whistle and Manny is well Manny and even though Ortiz is on the shelf they wont miss a beat. I will not insult my Yankee readers( although my Sox readers want me too, ) with a beat down, lets just say SEE YA…there are a few other good ballclubs in the AL for sure- the Angels are solid as long as Vlad gimps it out and the Ozzie whipped White Sox come to mind..I still want to see the Tigers take batting practice but a theoretically thumping lineup doesn’t translate to wins. Good pitching beats good hitting in the long run. The Phillies, the Cubs and the Diamondbacks are all playing well and even though the slugging stick thin Soriano is out for 6 weeks, I see them going all the way in the National League, setting the stage for what would be a historic Championship Series between the Red Sox and the long overdue Cubbies. I for one will be trying to make it to at least one game in each city and of course with my connections I’ll in the front row as Uke would say. It will be chilly in October in Boston and Chicago but I think everyone should be sufficiently fueled up to stay warm.  But for now you can satisfy your urge to see the best baseball on the planet by going to National Ticket Agencies MBL page and clicking on your team and picking out your game…and psssst take your dad!

Well its time to put down the pen and do my rehab in the pool down here in sunny South Florida. I should mention that the NFL season is right around the corner and tickets to all games for all teams are allready on sale and actually moving quite well. Baseball is the national pastime but football is king..at least in the ticket industry. Get your sports and concert tickets at the lowest priced ticket agency on the internet, National Ticket Agency. Cheers – and I promise to write more often as I feel up to it..

NCAA Down to Four, The Real Baseball Opening Day & Baseball Tickets

Just a quick post to say that I was wrong and the experts that chose the brackets and the seeds for the NCAA tournament were right. All four number one seeds and favorites have advanced to the big dance , the final four. Davidson the Cinderella team led by Stephen Curry the  sharpshooting son of a sharpshooter just couldn’t get by Kansas in a nail biter Sunday night and thus we have a rarity in that all the teams that were thought to be the best really are the best. Actually if Curry had just had a decent game rather than a below average for him game they would have done it..So now it’s on to San Antonio where Memphis takes on UCLA in game 1 of a doubleheader and North Carolina meets Kansas in game two on Saturday night. The finals will be played Monday night. I still say North Carolina baby..tickets for the games are still available. Final Four semi final tickets 4/5/2008.  And tickets for the finals 4/7/2008. 

OK as you see the link does not go to National Ticket Agency that is because Ticket Network the broker network that we subscribe to has offered us a special discount to pass on to the fan – you , by going direct to them..You save money by getting the tickets at the practically wholesale price and I get a small fee for turning you on to it. Win Win.

Why I say that today is the real opening day is because that mid March phony opening day fiasco in Japan should never have happened. Remember it was early last week, I think, in the middle of the night for you West Coaster’s and 6 Am for us in the Eastern US,and  the Red Sox and the A’s played a pair of games that actually counted. Both teams then returned to the states and finished out their exhibition season. The Red Sox and Dodgers playing a game at the LA Coliseum that set an all time attendance record for a baseball game as it was a celebration of 50 yrs of MLB in LA.  Anyways back to my thought. Playing in Japan is cool. Our major league teams routinely raid the Japanese professional league of their best players and in return, the Japanese people follow MLB and buy tons of merchandise of their favorite players who are considered heroes in their baseball crazy country. Lately with the dollar falling lots of Japanese folks have been vacationing in the US and coming to the ballpark and buying our hot dogs and beer. We owe them the courtesy and I have no problem with teams going to Japan even though it is a long, long, did I say long flight. However we should be playing Japanese teams in exhibitions, maybe even do a short world exhibition tournament and invite the Chinese the Koreans and the Venezuelans, um no  scratch that, the Mexicans. The attendance was actually better when we played them rather than we played our-self. In my mind last nights game between Washington and Atlanta was the seasonal kick off and a fine one at that. Today 28 clubs are scheduled to play in what has to be the real baseball opening day. Heck I think it should be a holiday!  

Most tickets for most MLB teams can be had without too much problem and extra expense unless you want to sit on top of the dugout. The following teams however are as we say in the business, “in demand” or “hot tickets” and in order to see the perfectly manicured green grass of these clubs you will need to buy seats on the secondary market. Forget Stub Hub, people are crazy in their own estimation as to how much gouging they can get away with, forget all the local brokers in your town, they have to mark things sky high to cover their overhead, forget Ebay it’s all those same creeps..Your best bet is to buy direct from the source. The leader in ticketing technology, the leader of all the broker networks, Ticket Network. Below I will list your direct link to the tough to get teams tickets.

See the World Champions – Red Sox Tickets

Always there, always will be –  Yankees Tickets

Is this the year? – Cubs Tickets

Santana bolsters strong staff- Mets Tickets

Solid ballclub can hit – Phillies Tickets

Best lineup, ever? – Tigers Tickets

Balanced experienced- Indians Tickets

National League champs – Rockies Tickets

I will put up links to all the clubs in all the sports as the week rolls by. Also all the top concerts will be reviewed and direct links will be given to their schedules. Remember these are your best prices on the Internet or anywhere else! Direct from the Network no middle man, no added costs. Peace.

The Celtics and The NBA’s Stretch Run To The Playoffs- Eastern Conference Outlook

Although the the Hornets beat the Celtics last night one cannot argue that this last roadtrip now over was a smashing success. The Celtics smashed the Rockets streak, beat San Antonio and also the Mavericks to complete a Texas trifecta, very difficult for any club to pull off. The Celtics play team basketball in a manner and style that conjures up the Celtics teams of old and makes the ghost of their legendary coach Red Auebach smile from above. It would be obvious to say that Kevin Garnett, a perennial All Star big time, big man is the main reason but the emergence of unheralded little Rajon Rondo is equally important for without a defensive minded point guard who has elevated his offensive production what good is the rest of this club? Danny Ainge is a shoe in for executive of the year, not only did the oft maligned in the past GM trade for a franchise center, he parlayed the nucleus of Pierce and Garnett to pursued slick Ray Allan, classy guy and another lights out perennial  All Star shooting guard to join the fold. Continuing to build the depth he added sharpshooter Eddie House, team player James Posey, heady steady veteran Sam Cassell, all supported by the young front court trio of Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. This past week they added 15 year top flight defender, rebounder PJ Brown. Who did I leave out? Oh Tony Allen, not bad eh. This is the best ballclub front to back in the NBA in years. They still may not win it all. That’s never a lock. Guys like Kobe,  T Mac, LeBron, AI, and Nowitzki can break anyone down and pile up points. Missed free throws, a twisted ankle, a bad call down the stretch etc and hey you lose, so Celtic’s fans lets not hang number 17 prematurely but this year has been alot of fun for sure. And the playoffs should be and I gaurantee will be exciting. Folks the reemergence of the Celtics, the most storied franchise in the NBA, is great for basketball here and abroad. All  Boston is revelling in pro sports success this year and at the top of the hub sportswise with the Patriots, the Red Sox, Celtics and yes even the Bruins who are on the verge of making the NHL playoffs.

Ok well as long as I am rambling on high about the Celtics, let’s take a look at the NBA Eastern Conference as a whole. While the Celtics have already clinched the number 1 spot being  equally successful at home and on the road,  the Detriot Pistons are holding steady in the second slot some 5 games behind the C’s and 5 games ahead of number three Orlando. Detriot is led by Chauncey Billups and Richard Rip Hamilton both averaging almost 18 pts per contest. The starting five rounded out by  Wallace, McDyce and Prince are really good but a pretty average bench is what seperates them from the leagues elite this year. The Orlando Magic have also clinched a spot and feature a monster in the middle in Dwight Howard who is averaging 21 pts and 14 rebounds and is a younger version of Kevin Garnett. Hedu Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis are great scorers too at 19.9 and 18.3 and Jameer Nelson is a nice point guard but then things drop off alot and the bench is weak. When I say that, it’s not demeaning because this is a great club having a fine season but it’s relative to the other top tier clubs. And BTW they have great looking cheerleaders…The Cleveland Cavaliers are  solid at number 4,  6 games behind the Magic but a lock for this spot. When LeBron James was in high school he was a man among boys. In the NBA today he is the man among men. He does what he wants on offense with strength and grace, inside and out. He also defends, rebounds, runs the court and dishes off unselfishly. He is the modern day Oscar Robertson, but better. Sorry O, it’s true. He will ultimately be on the NBA All-Time team , maybe even a starter. Zydonis Ilgauskas pardon me if I spelt it wrong , it is getting very international isn’t it, is a gret player and at 13.6 and almost 10 rebounds he compliments James well. The rest of the Cavaliers though have shortcomings and while Gibson is a good shooter and West is ok but really they only going as far as King James goes.  The order of the next 3 teams is uncertain but it is certain that they will make the playoffs. Currently the Washington Wizards led by Antawn Camison and Caron Butler are  hanging on to the number 5 slot by a thread over the Raptors and the 76ers. If Gilbert Arenas comes back this week as anticipated and can pump in 20-25 pts as is his usual they could be a surprise team. The Toronto Raptors have a sweet player in the paint in Chris Bosh, and I know that Prker, Calderon, Tj Ford and Barganani are good ballplayers but I don’t see them getting past the first round. The Philadelphia 76ersare right there record wise and definitely in the mix but again they are not going to beat a really good team in a series. Andre Iguadala and Andre Miller are both scoring well 19.8 and 17.1 respectively after that it’s a bunch of who’s that guy which either means I am not following the fantasy stats which means knowing every single player or they just haven’t made names for themselves outside of say Philly. Which brings us to the number 8 and final slot which is the one that is anyones guess between Atlanta, New Jersey, Indiana, and Chicago. These teams are 8 to 13 games below .500 so I will spare you the details.

Generally speaking you can still get some sort of tickets for all the teams even the Celtics for the last few games. In the old days of the Garden they had obstructed view seats which I used to score and then just wander around standing along  the rails or sneaking into a vacant seat. The arenas of today are alot nicer, cleaner (no rats) and no obstructions so even nosebleeds are ok. If you want to sit in good loge or court-side seats though and you have the dough visit National Ticket Agencywhere you’ll find all the available after market seats. These are seats that brokers own or season ticket holders have sold to brokers including National. Reality is that between the seats, say two of them, parking , food,  it will set you back 3 or 400 bucks but you are guaranteed to have a ball as in basketball. The game is exciting , the athletes are phenomenal and you should make it a point to at least attend a game or two and root for your team as we get down to the nitty gritty. If your lucky enough to have seasons tickets you will get first dibs on the playoffs and what many ticket holders do is sell off half the games to pay for the rest. It makes sense. In any event use your head and don’t over drink and drive please. it’s tempting to get caught up in the excitement but honestly it’s so not worth it to ruin your life over another couple beers. Cheers!

Next post will be on the NBA Western Conference  playoff prospects. Also the NCAA march madness will be in full swing and I will report on that as well as the windup of spring training. So much to report, it’s all about sports. Yours truly, Joe Ticket.

MLB National Baseball League West Division Preview

Spring training is well under way in Florida and Arizona though most regulars still haven’t played more than a few innings in their games. Pitchers are working out the kinks and working through sore muscles and hope does spring eternal in the daily papers of almost every home cities team. Today’s topic, the National League West is a darn good competitive division and the one race that is sure to go down to the wire with the runerup probably taking the wild card. 4 out of the 5 teams in the west seemed to have improved if that’s possible, the one exception is the Giants who will play the season without superstar slugger Barry Bonds. Bonds, possibly blackballed, seems to be out of baseball for good, despite the general consensus that the man can still hit and produce runs at a very high level. Irregardless of my thoughts on his legal issues and steroids, I will miss the excitement that he generated by standing in the batters box, staring out at a usually over-matched and jittery hurler. Bonds in the last several years exhibited prodigious and frequent power and was so often pitched around that his on base percentage was about 1 out of 2 times up or .500, unheard of. He was that good!

Countdown to Major League Baseball opening day! 17 days 8 hr 51 min 33 sec

The Colorado Rockies are my pick to win the division. They may not make it to the World Series but they sure do have a good young team led by young superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitski and slugging left fielder Roy Holliday. Helton with Hall of Fame like numbers and Atkins at 3rd make for solid corner men and if Marcus Giles has a good year and the decent but not great pitching comes through it will be all good at Coors field this summer. Pass me another frosty one please. Rockies tickets.

The Arizona Diamondbacks added an AllStar pitcher in Dan Haren and if Randy Johnson can come back and be a big winner along with ace Brandon Webb this could be the year for the D Backs. A possible question mark is Brandon Lyon now entrusted with the closers role. I like him though and with kids Juston Upton and Chris Young patrolling the outfield with sparkplug Eric Byrnes and a decent infield the pitching and defense should help offset the lack of power. Diamondbacks tickets.

The San Diego Padres have potentially a great starting pitching staff of veteran proven winners and so far this spring they have looked sharp. The problem is new center fielder Jim Edmunds is hurting allready and he isn’t getting any younger. Additionally other than slugging first sacker Adrian Gonzalez there isn’t much pop anywhere else unless you want to count  star shortstop Kalil Greene’s bat. Peavy, Young, Maddox, Prior, Wolf and pray for rain I mean hits. Padres tickets.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to be great and alot of fun to watch but it will take them a year to mature and meld under new manager Joe Torre. However if phenom Clayton Kershaw comes through and the veterans like Kemp, Garciaparra, Pierre and 20 million dollar man Andruw Jones have great years which is conceivable,( I mean really now do you think Jones is a 226 hitter,) and  then AllStar catcher Martin, and kids Loney and Kemp etc perform like expected these guys are the sleeper team of the whole league! But thats alot of buts and ifs.. Dodgers tickets.

The San Francisco Giantshave a new center fielder in Aaron Rowland and 2 young stud pitchers in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain to go along with Barry Zito. umm Randy Winn is ok and Benji Molina of the flying and famous Molina catching brothers is terrific for sure but Durham and Vizquel are getting older and they need to replace Bonds in the lineup and because that’s impossible this team will settle into the cellar at some point before June and probably that’s where they will stay..Giants tickets.

So that concludes my Major League Baseball preseason preview. If your in Florida or Arizona support your team and see the kids up close and personal. Gets some autographs, get some sun and get into baseball mode. It’s a timeless and true game, baseball now and then is much the same. That there is occasionally problems is a shame, but all is fair for fortune and fame!

Step right up and get your red hot tickets for wherever you want to sit at any park in the nation at National Ticket Agency. Joe Ticket is always standing by ready to assist you in your purchasing with advice and tall tales of men and mice and stories that yearn to be told of ballparks and players of old.

MLB NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL BASEBALL PREVIEW

Yesterday I saw the Mets play the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL and got a good look at everyone close up. I had a free ticket from ESPN and sat practically on the Mets dugout for a few innings before heading for my favorite spot amongst the scouts behind the plate. I never have a problem sitting wherever I want. I stride confidently to my desired seat like I really belong,  sometimes even pulling out a cheapie grandstand stub, looking at the seat number  and smiling approvingly as I sit in my new primo digs. I learned how to do this expertly at Fenway Park, competing against the most opportunistic fanatical fans in baseball. There is an art to it and it involves both timing and attitude. But that’s a subject for my next book today I will look at the interesting National League Central Division.

The Chicago Cubs will probably edge the upstart Brewers to take their second consecutive divisional title. I have yet to see Fukudome the left handed hitting right fielder from Japan, but I will assume he is a solid ballplayer well drilled in fundamentals and adds to an already decent lineup featuring D. Lee, Aramis Ramirez and the great Soriano. The staff is led by hard throwing hard headed Carlos Zambrano. The manager is a good one, Lou Pinella. They’ll win 86 games but don’t have the horses to make it past the first round. For the best Cubs tickets to venerable Wrigley Field.

The Milwaukee Brewers were a surprise team last year and basically revived baseball in Suds city. They have a nice park and a nice team led by young and rotund slugger Prince Fielder and ROY Ryan Braun. They added Mike Cameron a veteran smooth outfielder and with Billy Hall moving to third, Hardy, and Weeks they have talent all around the infield. Now if they get pitching from Sheets, Suppan etc they will and can beat out the Cubs for the top slot, but that’s a big if. Be there in good seats. Brewers tickets.

The St Louis Cardinals sorry to say have slipped a notch. LaRussa is still a fine manager but he’ll have to pull rabbits out of his hat to lead this degraded team to the post season. The pitching just seems to thin and losing a sparkplug like Eckstein has to hurt. Hey, hey, hey Big Albert Puljos though is still the most feared right handed hitter in the league, just awesome year in and year out. They need newly aquired Troy Glaus to come up big like 35 homers  and for Ankiel, Duncan etc to play over thier heads or it will be a long hot summer in Missouri. The good fans in St Louis still show up dressed in Red. Best Cardinals tickets.

The Houston Astros will compete if newcomer and slugging shortstop Miguel Tejada has a strong season but steroid use allegations and age may have put his best seasons behind him, never the less he should still hit 25 and knock in 99. Add that to Carlos Lee’s guaranteed 35 and 110 and Berkmans 32 and that’s formidable. The rest of the lineup is lacking though and unless “Rocket” comes back (and that to say the least is very, very  doubtful) I can’t see this team reaching 500. Always a great time at Minute Maid Park. Astros tickets. 

The Cincinnati Reds might surprise me and make a limited run if Griffey still is The Natural and can stay healthy and Freel, Phillips, and Dunn come up really big but they could use another stick and starter or two with more kick. They spent a ton of money on Cordero to close but will the starters allow him to save 40 or so. NOTE: I would still pay to see the graceful Griffey, he is one of the all time greats. For nice Reds tickets.

The Pittsburgh Pirates used to be a  successful smaller market franchise. Through mismanagement and an unwillingness to acquire talent due to financial restrictions they are a shell of their former proud selves. At least the Marlins produce a steady stream of good young talent year after year, ( that they can’t afford to keep them is a shame.) What’s the Pirates excuse. That’s said Jack Wilson is a solid hitting shortstop, Freddie Sanchez is a lifetime 300 hitter and LaRoche is decent enough but all in all they ain’t got the stuff. It’s the cellar again. But Bucs fans, if I lived in Pittsburgh I would still go the park anyways, just like I do in Miami, because it is the Big Leagues. And Baseball is Baseball.  For great front row Pirates tickets.

With all the madness that surrounds us in these troubled times, with society breaking down, the planet in decline, and countries at war, isn’t it nice to know that a game as simple and elegant as baseball can offer a brief respite over 7 or 9 innings of joyous play whether it be at your local high school or Little League field or at the Major League ball park of your choice. For tickets to the best that the Big Leagues has to offer go to National Ticket Agency and have some fun and get away from it all if only for the time it takes to play our game.

Major League Baseball National League East Preview

Being born in 1957, I missed that era when Boston was a two team baseball town. Back in my dads days the Boston Braves were a National League entrant and Braves field where BU is now, with it’s not-hole gang was how he as a boy, learned to appreciate the finer points of the game. He then passed down to me the story’s about seeing every great ballplayer from Wally Berger to Babe Ruth who finish his career there. He also went to Fenway Park all the time to see the Sox and the American League. He  took the subway to Kenmore Sq, the same way I did in the 60’s and 70’s when it was ok to be an adolescent alone in the big city, pre crime spree gang infested time. One time so the story goes, the bullpen catcher for the St Louis Browns tossed his old worn mitt to my dad who was hanging on the rail watching his heroes warm up.  He used that round pre modern web mit to catch me on the front lawn and I still have it as my most cherished possession. My only real early exposure to the National League was on Saturday afternoons in the summer time in the mid 60’s when NBC broadcast the game of the week. Dropped off at my grandmothers house when my parents went to work, I spent the mornings tossing a dilapidated hardball against the stone wall foundation of her three decker in imaginary sequences of various lineups formed from my knowledge of Major Leaguers garnered from baseball cards, radio broadcasts, my dads recollections, and of course those Saturday afternoon games. I was Earl Wilson, Dave Moorehead or  Jerry Stephenson then, putting the K on Kaline and breaking Killebrews bat with a fastball up and in.  When I was 7 I could throw pretty good and I already knew how to work a guy in and out, make him chase it when you got ahead. I was a pee wee league ace  and that wall with it’s uneven surface tearing the covers off the ball, sending  it ricocheting all over that little plot of an urban back yard was my oasis, the focus of my ambition, the way I was going to get to the Major Leagues. I wonder if 43 years later the strike zone that I outlined in red paint is still there. As I recall  sometimes there was a double header on, hopefully the Red Sox on the road in the first game, with the second game broadcast from the west coast. My favorite team then beside the Red Sox was the Dodgers, with Koufax, Drysdale and Maury Wills. I remember the game that Roseboro hit Marichal throwing it back to the mound triggering the infamous bat incident. The ball supposedly ticked Roseboro  in the ear and obviously ticked him off as he then proceeded to club Roseboro on the noggin. Boy did the Giants hate the Dodgers or what..Yup, those were the days when I took my grandmothers dime to the drugstore for an ice cream but I always bought 2 packs of baseball cards instead and I actually chewed that stale cardboard bubble gum. I want to know where are my cards now?  Who has my Yaz, my Oliva, my Rose, my Carlton, my Robinson boys, even my Mantle (probably worth a grand!)..are they in plastic, in a book on someones shelf or did someone elses mother toss that shoebox of junk out.  Enough nostalgia you say? What does it have to do with today? Well the fact is that the anticipation of the season is the same for me. The grass is still green, the mound is still 60 ft 6 inches from home plate and little boys still throw the ball against the wall striking out their heroes in imaginary games. So without further ado, here is my rundown of the National League East in the order of how they will finish 162 games later. And for good tickets to all games don’t forget to go to National Ticket Agency, your wholesale ticket broker, not a ticket scalping joker!

The Mets broke the bank and signed the best lefthanded starter of our time. Johan Santana has Koufaxian numbers and if Pedro Martinez can start 25- 30 games your looking at 35-40 wins between them right there. Of course Santana did slip a notch last year and Martinez doesn’t get it up there like he used to but the whole rest of this team is pretty solid . Reyes and Wright are a dynamic All Star duo on the left side and every other position seems solid as is the staff. Note Delgado just today felt pain in his hip and the Achilles heel for this team will be injuries , that said look for them to win 92-96 games and take this division. Mets tickets.

The Phillies will challenge and that’s good news for the long suffering Philadelphia fandom. If they get some breaks maybe they’ll take take the cake. Jimmy Rollins is just the sweetest all around shortstop and Ryan Howard now that Bonds is gone is the biggest slugger in the game, an I don’t want to hear any Big Papi crap, Howards the man. Hammels is a top lefty and if Lidge performs like he has in the past we can overlook the fact that outside of Utley, Rollins, and Howard this team has a bunch of good but not great talent. Phillies tickets.

The Atlanta Braves can never , ever be discounted or counted out. For the last 25 years they have produced ballplayer after ballplayer in a never ending tribute to good scouting and a fine farm system. They mastered the art of integrating kids and veterens and it resulted in some 14 straight divisional titles going back to 1991-2005. This years club has Shmoltz , Hudson, and the ageless Tommy Glavine and if Hampton can hit the high 90’s again pitching is a strong suit. Teixeira , McCann, Francoeur are all top young players so keep your eye on the Braves, they just might slip in there. Braves tickets.

The Washington Nationals are worth watching. Thet are not going to win the pennant but they have a damn good ballclub and lots of good young talent. That equals fun and that equals dangerous. If you don’t take them serious they will hurt you.  LaDuca behind the plate is a winner, who cares about the Mitchel report crap, me I care about basehits. Newly aquired Lasting Milledge and Elijah Dukes are two of the finest young athletes in the sport. Zimmerman is already a great third baseman and the meat hook Dimiti Young is a stick at first. They don’t have allot of pitching so they will finish 4th but give this group another year or two and a couple of free agent signings and it will be interesting. I liken them to Tampa Bay, a talented  upstart in a loaded division. Nationals tickets.

The Florida Marlins are treading water and waiting for their stadium to be built in 2011 before committing to paying for talent. Hopefully for their fans, who don’t bother to show up now, they will keep Hanley Ramirez a super star talent at short. Generally they just develop talent , trade them before they have to pay them and stockpile young minor league talent. Twice it worked out in World Championships so go figure you Cubs and Phillies fans, maybe they know something..Scott Olsen is a fine lefty, Uggla has allot of power for a second baseman. They lost Cabrera though so it could be hard to watch..For Hard to get Marlins tickets.(jus kidding).

Next up the National League Central.

BOSTON SPORTS LOOK : Kudos to the Bruinswho I have ripped for 10 years running, as not giving a crap as long as the owner sold enough beer to turn a profit. They actually are playing superior hockey to date, getting great goaltending from Tim Thomas and Zdino Chara may be the best defenseman in hockey! To be topped only by the Celtics who weathered the loss of Kevin Garnett, made it through the dreaded treacherous west coast road trip and now are back to their winning ways. Rajon Rondo just keeps getting better and better every game and if I say that in 3 weeks from now again he’s an All Star point guard. Their bench with the addition of PJ Brown is the best in basketball period, exclamation point! And folks just chill on the Pats. The Patriots know what they are doing, let these guys walk. If someone wants to over pay them  ie Stallworth, Samual etc. let them. In fact that’s why new free agents want to sign with them. Winning is good for your future paycheck! And the Pats have the depth, the money to retool. I would love to see Ty Law come back and I would love to see them trade down on the pick and get a LB and another DB. Ok I am off to see some college baseball on a scouting mission to FAU. Other stops this week include PBCC and a maybe Park Vista HS. South Florida is loaded with talent and oh ya it’s 78 degrees and sunny today . Cheers.

Baseball spring training American League West preview

This post concludes the pre spring training , pre season baseball pre view and isn’t that a mouthful. No doubt that I will update my sentiments as the regular season begins, guys may get hurt, there may be trades etc. Normally one would think that since we are in the thick of the NBA basketball season,the NHL hockey season and the NCAA winter sports seasons,  and seeing as it is still basically winter everywhere north of the Mason Dixon Line that I should be commenting on those tight races and the hard to get tickets to the arena of your favorite winter team…but I like baseball better than anything else and so do you most likely as you have clicked on one of the tags here,  so that’s what I will write about. Any Major League Baseball tickets are found here by clicking on this link!

In some ways now is the best time to talk baseball and baseball tickets because if your lucky you might still be able to get some decent seats for face value rather than the after market broker price.

Baseball means spring. Spring brings  life and hope and all that…baseball despite it’s ongoing problems is still our national pastime and in great shape. The worse the economy the more people need this relaxing wholesome escape. And it is a wholesome and  simple enjoyment, guy throws the ball, guy tries to hit it. Forget about the ridiculous salaries, the truth is the owners can afford them, well most of the owners anyways. These athletes are entertainers, much like movie stars and popular musicians, and they are our great diversion from life’s problems  and for that I am grateful. That they make human errors and act like dummies sometimes is all part of the show.

The American League Western Division  is the weakest of the three divisions. The Angels though should take first place easily but will bow out in the first round of the playoffs so says swami. Here is a capsule view of each club in the order of there finish.

The Los Angeles Angels added top flight center fielder Tori Hunter. He is a great all around outfielder and now the Angels have 4 studs out there to rotate. Guerrero is just a dynamic slugger and with their better than average pitching staff led by Lackey, new comer Garland, and J Weaver they should win 90 plus  games. The Angels routinely sell out all the good seats so you will want to click here to grab off yours. Angels tickets.

 The Seattle Mariners picked up the left handed pitcher who was statistically the best in the league last year, better than Santana in Erik Bedard. Ichiro is still great but older and alot depends on whether Richie Sextan hits 40 homers but I see this team as matching last years total of 88 wins but I don’t think they have the horses to eak into the playoffs. Felix Hernandez is another horse in the rotation that’s fun to watch. Tickets for the Mariners are hot and available here. Mariners tickets.

The Texas Rangers are in a flux. While they have some good young talent like Ian Kinsler and Saltalamachia (Salty), and they Young, Bradley and Josh Hamilton now, there are too many holes and question marks in the order and not enough punch. The pitching is even more uncertain which adds up to a dog fight to keep out of the cellar with the always rebuilding A’s. Great Rangers tickets here. Rangers tickets.

Speaking of the Oakland A’s, it is a testament to good scouting and shrewd General Management led by Billy Beane that these guys always field a young and surprisingly competitive team. They unloaded everyone in a house cleaning salary purging rebuilding effort though and it’s doubtful that they will win more than 80 games however they can beat you on any given night as Rich Harden is a big time starter. Now if they dump him…..as always too with the A’s give the kids in their system a couple years to mature and they will be trouble again. Front row A’s tickets are available here. A’s tickets.

So that concludes the American League East preview. Our next order of business is to outline the National League and then after that I will come back to update the NBA and NHL before I give my annual spring/ summer concert preview. As always, please remember to visit National Ticket Agency for all your premier and sold out ticket needs. Personalized service and a real understanding of fans needs is what makes them the best ticket brokers in the business.

Major League Baseball American League Central Preview

Between me and you this is a division to watch and follow because there are 2 legitamate contenders to the throne here. The Indians won 96 games last year and the Tigers won 88. That will translate to about 91 apiece this year. Both teams are good but the Tigers may mash their way to the title and may even set some records along the way with the White Sox edging the Twins again for second. The Royals are ummm a joke. Some credit to the A’s and the Marlins who managed to win with no payroll in years gone by but these Royals just seem to have given  up! Get tickets for the big matchups at National Ticket Agency. In the order of their finsish after a long hot dusty mid western summer..

 Oh do I want to see these Tigers in batting practice. Renteria, Polanco, Granderson, Guillan, Cabrera, Ordonez ,Jones, and  Rodriguez , who did I leave out.. Sheffield – oh lord..If they get pitching and stay healthy they will play in the postseason. Verlander and Bonderman ,Wilis and Rogers not bad. Tickets for the Tigers in the up and coming city of Detriot are here. 

The Tribe need a couple more sticks. Sizemore, Hafner, Galko, and even Peralta can hit but who are the corner outfielders? Dellucci and Gutierrez? Sabathia and Carmona are good but the rest of the staff is another question. Victor Martinaez is a sluggger behind the plate and all and all they could fight with the Yankees for the wild card. Indians tickets are available here.

The White Sox also need another outfield stick and I am not sure that Swisher can play a good center field. They may be forced to deal for Coco Crisp. Cabrera is a spark plug at short but this all doesn’t add up to a contending team. I don’t have much to say about the pitching either..Tickets to the see the White Sox here.

The Twins unloaded the best left hander in baseball, Johan Santana. And they didn’t sign Tori Hunter one of the premier center fielders and genuine great guy in baseball. They are telling us they have no money to compete. These Twins, despite slugging catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau are rebuilding the way poorer franchises do..good luck. But baseball heads, and there are great fans in the twin cities, will come to see the better matchups and Twins tickets can be had here.

The Royals are a baseball team. They play in Kansas City. They used to be good 25 years ago. George Brett played for them. End of story.. Jose Guillen is the big hitter now. Tehan and rookie Gordon will be good eventually  but if these guys don’t lose 100 games I will eat my shirt. Their new ace Gil Meche was 9-13 last year ,  tickets to see the Royals play are available here.

Tomorrow I will finish up with a look at the American League West. I bet you can’t wait !!   

Major League Baseball American League East Preview!

Most of the teams seem to be pretty well set now so I feel comfortable writing this tonight. It’s possible that a few more player transactions will occur such as the Sox dealing Coco Crisp, but it’s safe to analyze the teams and predict their successes or failures now. Incidentally, I believe that the Sox should keep Crisp as he is a late game defensive replacement for Manny and he is also a switch hitting bat off the bench and a speedy pinch runner. The perfect # 4 outfielder in other words. If Crisp yaps his mouth about not starting I would tell him he needs an attitude adjustment, be a good teammate and chances are his time will come. Statistically it is quite conceivable that between injuries and everything else he could get in 100 games. Oh yes he get’s paid pretty well too… Oh ok, your sick of the Red Sox talk well then let’s see who here can knock them off. They are the defending champs. For tickets to all Major League Baseball games go to National Ticket Agency the best source for affordable seats to all the hot sold out games from sea to shining sea. Or if it’s not sold out and you just want to sit in sweet field box seats give NTA a call at 877-222-3940.

East Division

 Since I am going in the order that they will finish,that makes the dynamic Bosox the first team to review. However since I am from Boston and read the sports sections of The Globe , The Herald, The Providence Journal, and The Brockton Enterprise  I am way over informed and thoroughly saturated with Sox Stuff coming out of my ears and I would never lay it all on you at this time. Suffice to say that the pitching staff even without Schilling is extremely strong and deep. If Lester and Buckholz are for real and a guy like Hanson contributes they may even be the leagues overall best. Watch for ex brewer Dan Kolb to win a job and with Beckert and Dice K at the front of the order and Paplebon at the back end of games this team will win 100 games. As for the offense, Ellsbury should be an ideal leadoff man and then with a fired up Manny and and a healthy Ortiz and Drew having a normal year, even if Lowell and Varitek slip a bit they have the pop. Oh let’s not forget about rookie of the year Pedroia and the bald eagle eye on base machine Youkilis. For tickets to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox without spending an arm and a leg, ( well maybe just an arm) click on any Red Sox link.

 What you say The Blue Jays coming in ahead of the Yankees? Absolutely and I realize that this might piss off some of you Yankee fans but oh well..the truth hurts. Look it will be close and probably come down to the last week or so but the Jays really improved themselves this year. Scott Rolen is healthy and happy and that means that the American League has a new best third baseman. Eckstein brings spark to the infield and team, Overbay can hit and Wells and Rios are studs. If AJ Burnett finally matures to match his stuff and Haliday and McGowen do their things and Ryan closes things out this club wins 90 games but alas won’t make the playoffs. You definitely want to secure good seats now though for all the big games at this Blue Jay ticket link.

Don’t underestimate the impact of losing Joe Torre. Don’t minimize the difficulty Joe Giradi will have. That being said this Yankees team is still  deep and talented. They screwed up and should have gotten Santana, the Sox played them perfectly on that. This staff is a little more suspect than usual. It’s hard to imagine that Wang is the #1 but he has earned it, the guy is steady. Petite is simply a great lefty proving it year after year however he may be a little rattled from all the BS he’s endured this off-season and it ain’t over yet. You assume Mussina will give you 13 or 14 wins but he’s hittable now, and then Hughes and Chamberlin have to do it all year sort of like Lester and Buckholz and it may come down to that too. The offense is potent with the amazing Arod and his 45 dingers, Giambi I believe will hit, he always does, Cabrera, Cano,  Damon and Abreu are just plain damn good and don’t forget about Posada and Jeter , like how can you..Ok maybe this team wins 90 also and ties for second..Yankees tickets are hard to get at reasonable prices as there are too many New Yorkers vying for them but if you click this Yankees link you’ll find your seats.

This is the team that everyone hates to play and when and if they spend a few more bucks and pick up the missing pieces they could contend. They dropped the Devil but kept the Rays in an attempt to change their image and luck. The talent that they have aquired over the years of dumping budding stars like the Marlins do, has made for a bountiful farm system and a dearth of young major league talent led by the old timer 28 year old All Star Carl Crawford who is a pleasure to watch. BJ Upton hit 300 and is in center and Roco Baldeli is healthy ( I think) making this one hellofa speedy outfield. Pena at first can rake and Langoria is supposed to be a can’t miss at third. Scott Kazmir can be, no is,  a lights out lefty and then it starts to get funky..They will improve on last years 66 wins and beat you when you can’t afford it and it will hurt..And they are in a success mode now so they figure to hang onto these guys for a while and give it a shot. For tickets to the Rays games click here

Oh Lord what hath you done..this once proud franchise of yesterday decimated and dismantled. And Baltimore has always been a baseball town. This must hurt long time faithful Orioles fans. Where have you gone Cal Ripkin , our city turns it lonely eyes to you…. boo hoo hoo..They traded their two best players. I happen to agree with dumping the slumping Tejada and I do think he was a ” user” but anyways that’s for another day. Bedard was arguably better than Santana last year and they traded him, ouch. By the way The A. Jones in center field isn’t Andruw. Markakis , Scott and Mora are decent enough and Millar is a great dude but this team is physically as in ability challenged. The back end of the staff is young and the front ain’t got enough. They might lose 100 games which balances off against the Red Sox. Camden Yards is still the bomb though so if you are planning a road trip this summer include it on your east coast swing. Hey all you Yankee and Red Sox fans for Orioles tickets click here. 

Check back for the AL Central preview over the weekend and by all means don’t be shy please leave a comment if you feel like it. All comments and opinions, in good taste of course are appreciated.