Mike currently manages premium seating for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. Prior to that, he was with the Lakewood BlueClaws- the Single A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Georgia and Master's in Sports Business from New York University.

Previous Columns: Free Agency Explained Those Little Giants The Road Trip Lesson Complete list

It's the ninth inning on Saturday Night of Memorial Day Weekend. Jonathan Papelbon is one out away from giving the Red Sox the "W". Paps, being the fierce competitor he is, has blocked out the "Let's Go Mets" chants echoing throughout the building. He stares down light hitting rookie catcher Omir Santos as he stands in the box. Papelbon brings a heater and to the delight of the crowd (except for me- I'm being my Met-hating self in my new red Brian McCann Braves jersey), Santos hits a two run bomb to give the Mets the lead. It looks like the Mets are going to beat the Red Sox and the fans are going nuts. J.J. Putz then comes in and gets Mike Lowell to ground out to nail down the save and end the game. Yet, Citi Field is silent, dark and....empty? How is this possible? What I didn't tell you was that Santos' two run blast hit the top of the Green Monster. This game was at Fenway Park. Despite the blown save by Paps killing my fantasy team's chances at victory, the entire experience was ridiculously fun for me and my companions, one friend a Northeastern Grad and diehard "Sawks" fan, another buddy a long time self-loathing Mets supporter from the Jersey Shore. Me, the Braves fan- I came for the Fenway Franks, a few cold ones and those amazing "Good Will Hunting"-style accents. Then, an important question arose within me: how did three NJ residents infiltrate the "Red Sox Nation" so easily?- it was like the impenetrable fortress that had left it's draw bridge down. We were witnessing Fox's second choice for a 2009 World Series match up.

Even leaving the game and heading straight into my Red Sox buddy's favorite Fenway Bar- Who's on First?- there is a sea of black and blue jerseys that read- Reyes, Wright, and Santana instead of Ortiz, Youkilis, and Bay. He says "I can't believe these cawksuckahs have takin' over our bar?" He went on to say that when he was in college (which was only six years ago), there wasn't a chance of A) the Mets fans getting tickets for this game B) actually getting served at one of the oldest and greatest sports bars in the country.

So what's the difference? The way we purchase our tickets has completely changed. Gone are the days of standing in ticket lines, being on the phone for hours with box offices or live operators, or haggling with scalpers. Secondary ticket markets like Stubhub, Ticketsnow and E-bay have effectively taken away the home field advantage in the current economy. These ticket market sites don't care if you cheer for the Mets, Red Sox, or both. Their favorite players go by the names Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. As long as the credit card charges are going through and the seats are filling up, this trend will continue. In places with rich tradition like Boston, long standing season ticket holders don't want to give up their tickets. While they attend some games, many are putting the better games on these websites and turning a tremendous profit. Since I bought last minute, I think I was the beneficiary of a panicked Red Sox fan with late-breaking Memorial Day plans.

I bought tickets in the lower level- grandstand section 17 for $55 each on Ebay- which I thought was a phenomenal deal. On the way in, I asked a scalper how much it would cost to get in the lower level? The guy told me he'd do it for $150 but it'd be an obstructed view. In the past, I've heard of similar seats going for $200 each ($350 for Yankees at Red Sox matchup). If you can wait for the auction to end, Ebay is a particularly intriguing place to buy tickets as there is no restriction on how close to face value the tickets have to be. If you're like me and are trying to see every park, Ebay is a great way to do it. Last season, I got two tickets to see the Nationals play the Phillies for $75 total at Nationals Park in our nation's capital. They were 12 rows behind homeplate and extremely close to a stand that served the biggest $8 loaded nacho plate I've ever seen. This is all great for the fan. On the surface, it's also great for baseball. All of these tickets were originally paid for at full price (minus the season ticket holder discount) so the teams aren't technically losing anything. However, where it will eventually hurt the team is that when secondary tickets are being purchased, the team does not have a chance to capture the contact information; thus, they're not building new fans. As someone who specializing in selling season tickets, I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing more frustrating when you have someone close to buying and then he/she realizes the discounts being offered on secondary sites. I don't blame these clients for going the secondary market route; thus, I do it myself.

As discussed, getting your seats this way works great for road trips. What about a last minute trip to see your home team? Try this. Pick out a date, plan to go to the game, do everything you'd normally do ahead of time except by the ticket. Then, just when you're about to leave for the game (or on your way to the game if you have blackberry or iPhone) buy the ticket. What? What you'll find is hundreds of tickets dumped onto these sites at the last minute. Most of them have the option to either print at home or pick up will call. This has been tested and proven even at the new Yankee Stadium. Granted, don't try this when they have a Friday night game against the Red Sox, you'll probably be shut out. But if you should look on the schedule and see the A's, Rangers, or Orioles, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed. If you threw your hands in the air in disgust when the Mets and Yankees announced their 2009 prices, there is hope. Check ebay, check stubhub right before you head to the ballpark. I promise you, your discounted ticket awaits.

Next on my slate is to get to Fenway for the Braves-Red Sox series June 19-21. Thanks to Ebay, Stubhub and others, I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one with the "#16 McCann" across my back that weekend. In fact, I'm certain I'll get some help with my tomahawk chop.

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