As Mets falter can all sitting in the cheap seats

But sitting for the average fan who does not often get the opportunity, in premium boxes in a new ballpark, the Mets misery is a godsend.

On his spikes sit directly behind home plate on Tuesday night at Citi field, close enough to José Reyes in the dirt of the batter box ditch listen? Monday afternoon were thousands of tickets for the game on StubHub, the ticket Exchange Web site, including 33 directly behind home plate for $69 and service charges. Face value for tickets is $134.

If you prefer, in the Metropolitan box 121, between third baseman and sit home plate, $28 (and fees) would secure a seat. Tickets in this area range in price from $80 to $134, according to the Mets Web site.

In fact, if you're not picky, you can get where you sit, or those who play in the ball park for less than $3 per seat.

Generally slow Mets ticket sales a home stand should not helped two teams, that is, be entered that is Monday in last place in their Division as the Mets: the Houston Astros (5-11) and the Arizona of Diamondbacks (6-8).

Even during a week of school holidays marketable for the Mets could be these games the least all season. However, it is a sign of trouble for the Mets, because the value of their products with the game shrinks.

"That are breathtaking drops in value," said Marc Ganis, President of SportsCorp, a sports marketing consultant. "This has to be Mets alarming." And the tickets are not even yet not sold. "This is frightening."

Ganis said that sites like StubHub generally reflected the current value of the ticket on the free market. Fansnap.com, a clearinghouse of available tickets from various websites aggregated $68 tickets for Tuesday's game at Citi field for $ 12 offered, and had some upper deck seats for as little as $3.

", Has be a scary proposal for the owner of a team," said Ganis, "because it is an important indicator of the future problems."

Ganis said that Mets actually were an aberration because participating in baseball has increased in recent years.

"Bud Selig and his people have done an excellent job as the total numbers, also with drag & drop down, are the Mets numbers", Ganis said.

The Mets are 30,738 fans after six home, on average, which places it 13 of 30 teams. Last season, the average 32,401 in 79 dates that you placed 12. Their full participation in the year 2010, 2,559,738, reflected a 19 percent drop from the year to when she first season moved 3,154,270 in Citi field. The decline was the largest in baseball during this period.

Not surprisingly, that the Mets lost $ 50 million last year, and they expect that a significant amount this year lose again. An increase in ticket sales would be a necessary boost for the Mets, who last fall had to borrow $25 million from major league baseball and are looking for a buyer for a part of the team.

Unfortunately that have projected Mets internally, that their participation lower this year than last year, before everything, because visitors often reflect what happened the year before, and because there is a perception that not better to run the team on the field.

In 2010 of the Mets finished with a 79-83, 18 games out of first place in the National League East and 12 games back in the n.l.: wild-card. But she had moments of promise; They were in the first half of the season, going 18-8 in June, and headed a games in the all star break back in the wild-card race in 48-40.

Optimism quickly after a 2-9 West Coast, and disappeared at the end of the season, the decline in the number of visitors was staggering. In the low season, the Mets replaced about half their roster, adding 12 new players for the modest expenditure of $ 10.8 million. However, no major stars added starting fans hopes for a turnaround.

Now, the team comes to play what sparse crowds in Citi field may be. After the Mets a run of bad luck seven - game with a 3-2-win Braves ended Atlanta on Sunday, was it only the second victory in 12 play. That's close to the worst possible start for a franchise, for a quick start to the season longed. But it is an opportunity for fans looking for a bargain. Too bad, they can buy as their beer to the StubHub.

Adam Kepler contributed reporting.

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