Swing and a Miss (In Which I Explain World-Series Ticketing)

Attention, sports fans! Game 6 of the 2011 World Series was postponed due to rain.  The St. Louis Cardinals, already the second-winning-est franchise in MLB, are going for their 11^th title. The Texas Rangers are striving for their first – for the second consecutive year.  None of this is relevant to the story at hand.

The last time my beloved Redbirds were in the World Series, it was 2006. Saddam Hussein was hanged.  Pluto stopped being a planet.  Michael Richards and Mel Gibson kinda really screwed up. Big Momma’s House 2 was tops at the box office.  Also?  Not relevant.

Here’s what is. Mr. Glib and I were full season-ticket holders so had tickets to all three World Series games that would be played in St. Louis: games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary). Before the opening pitch of Game 1 even sailed across the plate, we decided we would sell our tickets to games 3 and 4 (as one has to do to help offset the cost of the entire rest of the season) and keep Game 5.

We didn’t think they would sweep their opponents (the Detroit Tigers) but thought there was slight chance that maybe – just maybe – they could squeak out a series-clinching victory in Game 5, their final St. Louis appearance.  We bet on this slight chance – and we were right.

How lucky!  How fortuitous!  I – a lifelong Cardinals fan – was going to be breathing the same air as the team as they WON the World Series for the first time in 24 years (shut up, Cubbies fans, I know that doesn’t seem like a long time to you).  I would see the player pile-up on the pitcher’s mound.  I would smell the faint twinge of cheap champagne.  Tears would roll down my face as I jumped for joy with 50,000 other faithful.

Oh.  Except all of that?  Happened for the lucky guys that were holding tickets to Game 4.  What the what?

Yes.  Just like this year’s Series, one of the 2006 World Series games was postponed due to rain.  It was Wednesday night’s game – Game 4.  Those holding tickets to Thursday night’s game – “Game 5” – went on Thursday, which was technically the fourth World Series game.  Mr. Glib and I went, saw Jeff Suppan pitch a stunner, and cheered as our team went up three games to one. A really fun evening.  Still not the clincher.  Still no champagne.

Those holding Game 4 tickets attended the make-up game, played on Friday. Technically the fifth World Series game.

It’s just like the regular season, I suppose … if you have tickets to the August 2 game and it is rained out, you don’t go to the game on August 3 – people with tickets to the August 3 game hold the seat rights for that one.  August 2 ticket holders will have rain checks for whenever the schedule is free to host a make-up game.  Makes sense.  But in the case of World-Series strategizing, it seemed woefully unfair.

Of course, this makes me sound like an ingrate.  My team still won the World Series (and they are in it again a mere five years later!).  I still got to see one winner on the way to this particular crown.  But I’d planned to see the game – folks.  Allow me a little grudge holding.

And oh yeah … go Cards!  I’ll join ya in the stands one of these days. I can feel it.