The Wilmington Blue Rocks sold some of the cheapest tickets in baseball history Monday -- with an assist from the cold weather -- as they discounted regular prices by 99 percent.
The Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals offered fans the chance to get tickets to Opening Day for the same number, in cents, as the temperature at 8 a.m.
The temperature in Wilmington, Del., at that time Monday was 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It's really cold here, and we want to get the fans thinking about us," said Stefani Rash, the team's director of tickets.
Fans had three ways to get four-cent tickets for Opening Day, an April 16 matchup against the Frederick Keys. They could get them in person (which many did, as Monday was the first day individual tickets went on sale), call the box office or order online. Orders by phone and the Internet, however, were charged a $5 handling fee.
Rash said the team sold about 3,600 Opening Day seats, and more than 200 fans took advantage of the chance to buy up to eight tickets for 32 cents total. The team usually sells $6 tickets for general admission and $11 for field box seats.
It's the second year that the Blue Rocks have held the promotion. Last year, the price was 20 cents.
Although the team leaves money on the table in the short term, the promotion ensures that fans sample the ballpark on the first day it opens, Rash said.
As the bitter cold reached a new level last week, Rash wasn't sure her department would make any money from the promotion.
"We told fans if it was zero or below, we'd give tickets out for free," she said.
Twelve players on the Kansas City Royals' World Series roster last year played in Wilmington on their way to the majors.
Casting fortunes
Most people wouldn't think twice about owning a star athlete's autographed cleats or shoes. Conversely, most people wouldn't be that interested in owning their favorite athlete's socks. So where does a used cast fall on that spectrum?
Robert Griffin III auctioned off the cast he briefly wore last football season after dislocating his ankle, and had no shortage of bidders. Having the entire Washington team sign the cast certainly didn't hurt its chances. It sold for $1,522 and the proceeds went to charity.
It's a memento from a pretty tumultuous season for both Griffin and the Washington faithful. The saving grace is that the proceeds went to charity, but it seems like a weird thing to want. To each his own.
Ice capades
This weekend in Lake Placid, N.Y., all living members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team will reunite for the 35th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice."
Wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "Meanwhile, in Boston, they are hoping for a 'Miracle to get rid of the Ice.' "
Sports quiz
What major league baseball team currently has the longest postseason drought?
Answer
The Toronto Blue Jays, who have not been to the playoffs since winning the 1993 World Series.
Sports on 02/19/2015