FROM:
CANADIAN PRESS
MAY 8, 2003
More deals for Jays fans:
Tickets for a
toonie
Once again, Toronto Blue Jays fans are being offered huge discounts on baseball tickets.
The Blue Jays announced Thursday that Expedite Plus, a Toronto-based delivery company, has purchased all remaining 200 level seats in the outfield and all 500 level tickets to four upcoming games and is offering them to fans for $2 each.
Victor J. Deschenes, the president and chief executive officer of Expedite Plus, said his company has purchased more than 20,000 tickets for each of the four Wednesday contests.
The discounted tickets are for the Blue Jays' home games May 14 versus Tampa Bay, May 28 versus the Chicago White Sox, June 11 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates and June 25 versus the Baltimore Orioles.
"With the challenges Toronto has been facing over the past few weeks, other corporate citizens have started the ball rolling toward recovery — we wanted to help out in sustaining that momentum," said Deschenes.
On April 28, Rogers Communications Inc., which owns the Blue Jays, purchased all remaining tickets — more than 34,000 — to the club's April 29 home game versus Texas and offered them back to fans for $1 each. The promotion was aimed at showing Torontonians were not hunkered down at home due to fears over SARS.
The discount triggered a frenzy as the Blue Jays sold an average of 2,000 tickets per hour en route to selling out the day before the game. A boisterous SkyDome gathering of 48,097 — the club's second-largest attendance this season behind the 50,119 opening-day crowd — was treated to a 16-11 slugfest that was won by Texas.
The contest wasn't an official sellout because the company which owns the SkyDome controls tickets to private boxes, which were not part of the promotion.
The move cost Rogers about $700,000. It wasn't known how much Expedite Plus's promotion was worth.
"Toronto has been challenged by SARS and I am proud of the way we have responded," said Paul Godfrey, the Blue Jays president and chief executive officer. "Our tremendous health care workers have contained and controlled the limited cases and our civic business leaders are responding to protect the Toronto economy."
Fans attending the four games will also receive free refills on fountain drinks and popcorn at SkyDome. A contribution will be made from the Jays Care Foundation to four Toronto charities selected by the Blue Jays and Expedite Plus.
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