News-Record.com

Last night's Grasshoppers game was fun, largely thanks to Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik, who apparently was channeling Billy Martin in the seventh inning. But I doubt even Martin ever demonstrated such childish antics -- not during a professional baseball game, anyway.

Despite the entertainment value of Mikulik's tirade, I thought I was overcharged for my ticket.

The last time I went to a Hoppers game, I bought a $7 reserved ticket. We had very nice seats near third base. I felt I got a good deal.

Last night, my son Kenny and I went for $6 Left Lawn Seating, which also entitled us to sit in the Grandstand. It was disappointing.

We really didn't want to sit on the grassy hill behind the leftfield fence. But I had seen some nice seating in the Grandstand area. What we didn't know until we got in there was that the good seating was Grandstand box seating. The general Grandstand area was a different story. Only a few seats actually afford a decent view of the field. We were too late to get those. Otherwise, if we actually wanted to see the game, we'd have to stand.

The same was true in the patio near the rightfield foul pole, where we ended up for most of the game. It was a pleasant spot, but the problem is that's a smoking area, so you have to put up with that.

I think First Horizon Park is terrific, but the $6 tickets are overpriced. On his recent Major League tour, Kenny paid $5 for tickets in Cleveland and Milwaukee. For that, you got a real seat with a view of the field -- a better deal than in Greensboro. (The Indians Web site says the lowest ticket price is $6, but I think Kenny ordered online and saved a buck.)

Maybe next season when the novelty of the beautiful new park wears off a bit, the Hoppers will drop their bottom-dollar ticket to a more realistic $3 or $4.