There is a small reprieve for those looking to find tickets to the Ravens-Denver Broncos playoff game Sunday.
Denver returned about 200 tickets that will go on sale today at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. It is one of the few ways a person can get a ticket.
The Ravens sold all 2,500 general public tickets on Dec. 21 in 18 minutes, guaranteeing their first playoff game in Baltimore would be a sellout.
"If you don't know one of the players and you want to go, you're in trouble," said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens' vice president of public relations and marketing.
Ticket brokers apparently are doing a brisk business. Danny Matta, part-owner of Great Seats based out of College Park, said he is fielding 10 calls an hour from people wanting to buy Ravens tickets.
He said Ravens tickets are the only requests he has been getting, though he has tickets for Sunday's other game, in Philadelphia.
"Once they found out the weather would be OK, they haven't stopped calling," Matta said. "It's been a pretty steady wave. Most people are calling looking for the inexpensive seats.
"I'll be lucky if I've sold 40 tickets overall for that Eagles game."
Matta said he is starting at $60 for the upper-level corners up to $300 for lower level, 50-yard-line seats. Stage front tickets start at $110 for the upper level.
Individual ticket holders are also getting into the action. One advertisement had a pair of first-row, 50-yard-line club level seats going for $5,000.
"We have something special here and people want to be part of that," Matta said.
Scalpers will surely be in full force Sunday. Angelique Cook-Hayes, spokeswoman for Baltimore City Police, said there will be no special plan in effect Sunday to prevent price gouging.
She said nothing will change from the regular season, which allows for tickets to be sold in a certain area for face-value.
The demand for tickets in some other playoff cities around the NFL is not as high, threatening TV coverage.
Miami had 13,000 tickets available as of yesterday and was in jeopardy of having its game against the Indianapolis Colts blacked out in that area.
New Orleans had about 4,500 tickets available yesterday and Philadelphia had not sold out either, though only scattered tickets remained.
"For two years, we've sold out every game for television, and now we're AFC East champs and we're not selling out," Dolphins president Eddie Jones said. "That's a little troubling."
Most of the Ravens tickets were purchased by season-ticket holders, who had the option of buying extra tickets back in mid-December. The Ravens had 60,000 people buy 67,000 tickets.
"It has been a remarkable sale," Byrne said. "We sent people letters saying there is a chance we could host two playoff games. You have to buy both of them. A few days later, 67,000 tickets were purchased for two games."
The 200 tickets returned by the Broncos will go on sale today at 10 a.m. The tickets are $55 to $75, and will be available through Ticketmaster by telephone, 410-481-SEAT; its outlets at Hecht Co. stores; and Ticketmaster.com.
