Playoff tickets were hot item

ST. LOUIS -- Reggie Tillitt braved a chilly night outside Busch Stadium, warmed only by the glow of an X-Box video game system plugged into a nearby outlet. But Wednesday morning he clutched the object of his quest -- 40 Cardinals postseason tickets.

They weren't quite where he wanted, but for Tillitt, the upper deck seats were worth maxing out his credit card and standing in line for 18 hours.

"I didn't get here early enough," said the 24-year-old from Murphysboro, Ill., who had arrived at Busch Stadium at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

About 90,000 division series and league championship series tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. Wednesday, sold by phone, through the Cardinals' Web site, and in person at ticket windows. Between 12,000 and 13,000 tickets were available for each of seven potential home games. World Series tickets will be sold later.

By Wednesday evening, everything was sold out except for 500 standing-room-only tickets for Game 5 of the division series, but ticket sales director Joe Strohm expected those to be sold out within an hour.

He said tickets have sold more briskly than in past championship years -- the Cardinals have made the playoffs three of the past four seasons.

Fans were allowed to line up beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, but many arrived long before that, some as early as Sunday.

They braved temperatures that varied from the low 50s overnight to the mid 80s during the day, sleeping on hard cement sidewalks, folding chairs, or another person's shoulder. Some made makeshift campsites, complete with tents.

For Jenna Kirkman, 23, a community college student, being 370th in line didn't dim her expectations of getting good seats.

"It's kind of like when you're at a game, in the bottom of the ninth, and down by eight runs -- I'm confident," said Kirkman, clutching an empty can of sugar-free Red Bull energy drink that served as breakfast.

She and her friend Juliann Oberkramer, 19, had been in line since 1 a.m. Wednesday -- an overnight stay eased by the presence of a lightweight foam rubber couch with a pull-out mattress.

"We decided we're going to make this a yearly thing," Oberkramer said.

"We're going to modify the couch -- add some wheels, some pockets on the back," Kirkman added.

Cardinals fans are considered among the most loyal and knowledgeable in all of baseball. The team typically draws more than 3 million fans, ranking near the top of the sport's attendance figures. During home games, streams of fans flood into the stadium dressed head-to-toe in the team colors of red and white, holding scorebooks or seat cushions emblazoned with the Cardinals logo.

Standing behind the counter of the Cardinals Clubhouse Shop in Union Station, Jake Dimmitt said 2004 sales have been among his strongest ever. The shop is planning to add seven or eight additional workers to help out during the playoffs. On an average home game day, the shop might sell up to $30,000 dollars worth of Cardinals merchandise.

"There's not a top seller -- basically it's anything that says Cardinals or has 'St. Louis' on it. It's been like this all summer," Dimmitt said.

And Cardinals fans don't just buy a shirt or a single hat -- Dimmitt said it's not uncommon for people to buy whole wardrobes, right down to a pair of Cardinals shoes.

Dimmitt said the team's record -- a baseball-best 98-52 heading into play Wednesday -- and a team of standout players help contribute to the enthusiasm.

At the stadium, Kirkham said the need to wait in line for tickets is "just the way it is in St. Louis.

"It's like being born into a religion," Kirkham said. "You don't know any better. You don't question it."

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