The team has sold more than 24,200 season tickets. That's already more than the 2004 record of just below 24,000, set when Citizens Bank Park opened with fanfare and free agents. It's more than a 17 percent increase over last season.
Already Weber and Co. has sold 2.6 million total tickets. That could spell doom for the single-season total attendance record of 3.422 million, set with last year's popular club as it strode into the playoffs for the second straight year.
"It's pretty spectacular," Weber admitted.
It's pretty good timing, too.
"We were so fortunate to have won this year, in the face of this economy," team president David Montgomery said. "I can't imagine things would be very much better."
The Phillies saw the signs last spring. After they purged the team of old blood midseason in 2006 then, nevertheless, made the playoffs in 2007 after a 13-year drought, they drew a surprising 114,000 in Clearwater for spring training.
"It all began last year at spring training," Montgomery said. "I can't believe the number of people who commit to us, who give up 3 or 4 vacation days and come to Clearwater. We know 80 percent of the people who attend games [in Clearwater], we know don't live here."
Of course, most of the people who bought tickets for regular-season games live close to Philadelphia. They visit the store, sure . . . but they really rack up the orders online.
Brandreth didn't have inclusive totals - such numbers are difficult to wrangle given the number of retail outlets, both storefront and in cyberspace - but consider this:
The top-selling single item over the past 4 months, he believes, is the "The Perfect Season" DVD, a montage of moments from the championship season. It was ready in December. At $19.95, 3,000 copies were sold in the Majestic Store alone. More than 50,000, total, have been sold.
