How much it costs to be a Phillies fan

You're a Phillies fan, either a diehard or newcomer. You and a buddy are considering purchasing, or renewing, a season-ticket plan so you are guaranteed access (and impetus).

Maybe your money could be better invested. Maybe you could opt for a partial plan, snag some single-game ducats . . . and spend some of the difference on that spring-training trip you've promised yourself for so long. Assuming you can finagle the time off – a long weekend, leaving Thursday night and returning Monday night gets you three or four games – let's weigh the issues; at least, the money issue.

Roundly speaking, a full-season ticket plan costs as much as $3,600 and as little as $1,300, an average of about $2,000.

A 17-game plan costs about $625 on the high end, $275 on the low, or about $450 on average.

The differences: about $3,000 on the high end, $1,000 on the low, and $1,500 on average.

So, how much per fan for a 4-day spring training jaunt?

This spring's most value-packed stint seems to run from Friday, March 14 through Monday, March 17. The Phillies play home games Friday, Saturday and Monday. They play the Reds at Sarasota on Sunday, a 90-minute trip that includes a ride over the Sunshine Skyway, the world's longest bridge with a cable-stayed mainspan. You'll be going to Ed Smith Stadium, a park virtually sure to have tickets available.

So, you leave after work Thursday, March 13; return after Monday's 1:05 p.m. game against the Indians. That means four ballgames, 4 nights at a hotel, 4 days with a rental car and maybe 12 meals.

Is it worth it?

The flight

Southwest Airlines and US Airways have nonstop evening flights from Philadelphia International Airport that get you into Tampa International between 9:29 and 11:40 p.m., with return service that gets you back to Philly between 10 and 11 o'clock Monday night. Price: between $338 and $390; call it $350 per ticket. Traveling Thursday and Monday saves you money, but book soon.

The room