A limerick...
The…read moreSea Dogs are family friendly
The tickets are worth every penny
Slugger's Hall of Fame
Expect a good game
But two beers will set you back twenty
***
I am currently of two minds regarding my beloved Sea Dogs.
ONE
The Portland Sea Dogs are the AA-affiliate for the Red Sox. They won their first - and, so far, only - championship in September 2006 after beating the Akron Aeros, today known as the RubberDucks. While the food is underwhelming, you're not coming here for that (so set your expectations accordingly: standard stadium popcorn, peanuts, fries, etc). You're coming for exceptional baseball (because this team has been REALLY good these past few years), for the incredible fan experience and different promotions (and they try and incorporate community in every way they can), for a nine inning vacation from your life (it's a slogan they use for a reason). The staff? My favorite people in Maine. Always kind, always friendly, it always feels like I'm visiting family when I walk through those gates. And, yes, Slugger is now an icon (well done to everyone involved in his creation and development). Sassy, smart, and devious at times; kind-hearted, enthusiastic, and patient all the time. It's not strange that I want to hug him after something goes wrong because I know he'd comfort me, pound beers with him after work because I think he'd drink me under the table (but not make me feel bad for it), and run around the stadium with him like I had all the boundless energy he did... is it?
TWO
Just a couple days before tickets became available for next season, I wrote in my review: "I hope they continue to keep their pricing structure low and fair so that families, and folks being thoughtful about their budgets in a city where nothing is affordable anymore, can continue visiting for another thirty decades." Unfortunately... and despite renaming their historic stadium to promote insurance and because, well, money... for next season, tickets have gone up for Reserved Seats by $2 to $7 PER PERSON depending on which game which day which month -- so, last year ALL Reserved Seating tickets were $12. Now, if you want to see them play on a Tuesday in April? $14 per person. Want to see a summer game? $17 per person. If you want to see any of the firework presentations? $19 per person. That means what what used to be around $50 for a family of four is now $80 for a family of four. Even moving out of Reserved Seating into General Admission, it used to be $9 per person for all games; now it's $12 per person, unless it's a special game (eg fireworks) then it's $14 per person. Louder for the people in the back: what once was under $40 for a family of four in GA is now almost $60). This makes me very concerned about how much beer and concession prices have gone up too, but I guess we won't know that until April... then again when it's a fireworks night, I guess?
Correct me if I'm wrong, Sea Dogs, but wasn't the whole Delta Dental thing supposed to help the consumer? Not push us further away?