Baseball Teams Pitch Free Drinks, Limo Rides

Even contenders like the Boston Red Sox have learned they need to do more with less. Though the team has sold out 550 straight games and was one of two teams to report more than 100% attendance last year (the Philadelphia Phillies were the other), the Red Sox play in the league's oldest ballpark, 98-year-old Fenway Park. Ownership increased capacity from about 34,000 in 2001 to 37,400 this season, with each expansion drawing sponsors such as Coca-Cola(K), State Street(STT) and EMC(EMC).

Despite exceeding capacity by 1.5% last year, Sox brass say they're "not taking anything for granted." The team is packaging its standing-room-only tickets, offering fans deals on popular matchups against the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for tickets to two games with less demand. The team continues to push luxury packages, including seats atop its Green Monster wall in left field, limo rides to the game and on-field time during batting practice.

"We have a meeting that we have in the offseason called Revenue Thursdays that's a brainstorming session with one or two people from every department in the organization," says Ron Bumgarner, senior vice president of ticketing for the Boston Red Sox. "One idea we threw around two years ago was the centerfield batting practice package, which was one that stuck."

They also considered holding non-baseball events like the NHL's Winter Classic outdoor game, which Fenway Park hosted in January, but Bumgarner says Sox ownership prefers to sell the game itself. Part of the reason the Sox capped season ticket sales at 22,000 is to give prospective ticket buyers a chance to see the game live, which is "how you endear hardcore fans." The Philadelphia Phillies capped season tickets sales at 28,750 at its Citizens Bank Park, which accommodates 43,500 people. With the Phillies winning the World Series in 2008 and selling out season tickets and Diamond Club and Hall of Fame Club luxury suites in 2010, Phillies season ticket sales director Derek Schuster admits on-field accomplishments can somewhat softened the recession's blow.

"We feel very fortunate about the tremendous fan support we have received especially with in this down economy," he says.

-- Reported by Jason Notte in Boston.

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