Server Snafu Snarls Rockies World Series Ticket Sales

By Alfred Branch, Jr.

Reports coming out of Denver say that the Colorado Rockies’ plan to sell World Series tickets via the Internet hit a snag today, the first day of sales, as the Paciolan company servers had difficulties meeting the overwhelming demand.

Online sales were suspended for a time on Monday, and fans who tried to buy tickets on Rockies website were greeted with the following message: “This morning the Rockies' ticketing provider Paciolan experienced a system wide outage that is impacting all of their North American customers. They are working hard to resume service as soon as possible and apologize to their customers and all fans for this impact.”

Demand was expected to be very high since this was the first time the Rockies had made the World Series, and due to the national popularity of their opponent, the Boston Red Sox. Roughly 20,000 tickets were available for each of the three games scheduled for Denver’s Coors Field.

Tickets are slated to sell at a face value for games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) for between $65 and $250. There is a four-ticket purchase limit per person. Games 1 and 2, and 6 and 7 if necessary, are scheduled for Boston’s Fenway Park beginning Wednesday, Oct. 24.

According to KCNC-TV CBS 4 out of Denver, only several hundred tickets were sold before the system was temporarily shut down, leaving the vast bulk of tickets still available.