No instant replay for Giants tix

June 8, 2001
In a McDonald's parking lot just a strong throw from Pacific Bell Park, Wayne Bak and Greg Hubley are pitching tickets for that night's Giants' game against San Diego. It's not going well.
The problem's not just the four-game series against the lowly Padres, said Bak, one of a handful of licensed ticket resellers who operate around Pac Bell Park. It's also been games against teams like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Montreal and Colorado.
Unlike last year -- when a spanking new ballpark, a solid on-field team, sellouts and an economy willing to shell out massive amounts of money made grand social occasions of Giants games -- big profits from resold Giants tickets are no longer a lock.
"Everybody's hurting out here," Bak said.
Yet, Giants officials say attendance will drop off only slightly from Pac Bell's first year -- from 3.3 million to 3.2 million -- and it's the first ticket sale that matters most to them.
"You're never going to have as much excitement as in the first year, but people have been very solid and loyal to this product," said Larry Baer, the Giants' chief operating officer.
But even the Giants have noticed a fall. More than 300 tickets failed to sell for the April 24 game against Cincinnati -- the first time in 90 home games that had happened. It's happened five times in the 20 games since.