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Blog Entry 48 of 79 BroFax Cosmonaut
Denver rocks.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~TruthOrConsequences

Rockies put all eggs in digital basket, fail

Contributed by: Eric J. Lubbers/YourHub.com   on 10/22/2007

Author's note: Check out my new blog to see what's new with the Rockies ticket debacle ( link)

Looks like the Rockies brass, at least as of 10:20 a.m. today, got their wish regarding World Series ticket sales: Egalitarianism in its purest form.

That is to say, no one has tickets. We are all equally ticketless.

I'm obviously not the only one with eight Firefox tabs and three Internet Explorer windows going at maximum refresh speed to try to get tickets.

Like many others, I was a bit (read:a lot) skeptical when the Rox announced a first for major league baseball: Tickets would only be on sale at coloradorockies.com. Not over the phone, not waiting in line, not anything. Just via a bunch of 1s and 0s flying across the Interweb.

I've seen this before. I've watched servers flameout and die under the pressure of massive hits. I read Fark and have watched many unprepared sites get "farked" with a few thousand simultaneous hits.

Computers have limits, people. Did the Rox even consult someone with basic knowledge of how the Internet works before they proposed this?

I'm going to create a formula for you that explains the situation:

Fragile nature of Internet commerce
+
Rabid Rockies fans
+
Server prep done by a monkey
=
No tickets for anyone.

Hackers have a name for this, it's called a Distributed Denial of Service attack. The Rockies front office literally invited cyber-terrorism upon themselves, but instead of a massive botnet of zombie computers, it's just a bunch of Coloradans in purple on their work computers.

Well, it's 10:44 and I'm still getting "Problem loading page". I'm done here.

Shoot me an e-mail at lubberse@YourHub.com to share your rage/disappointment/pointed barbs. I'll put them together and publish them on my blog.

Here's what some people on the Craigslist classifieds have to say already:

Time to Reboot the Server MLB!!!!!!!!! - $1Come on...The bronco's did this right the last time in the playoffs, go through ticketmaster, sell only to CC's that have a Denver area zip code. How hard is it????

http://denver.craigslist.org/tix/456227510.html

Author's note: The official press conference is over. Here's the gist: "Oops, our bad. Somehow our 13 little servers couldn't handle the 8.5 million hits we got. Can you really blame us? Who knew people liked sports and had access to computers?" *sprints to exit among chorus of boos*

################################

Update: Some people are apparently getting through, according to the new splash page I'm redirected to when I click "Buy Tickets." Also, someone was generous enough to go on StubHub and offer some tickets for the paltry sum of $17,800. I didn't mistype that: http://www.stubhub.com/colorado-rockies-tickets/

I'd better be sitting on the pitcher's mound for that kind of dough.

###############################

Update #2:
Intrepid reader dstjohn send me this e-mail, titled "rockies ticket sales, epic server fail":

"I work in a data center and here is the break down.

From what i can tell, evenue.net is the e-commerce provider, savvis is the ip transit and they only have 13 servers configured in a cluster.

With that said it doesnt take a genius to look at that setup and scratch your head and say, "hmmm I dont think thats going to cut it."

Savvis is bottom feeder ip transit, give me a break, at least they could have gone with a proven cdn like akamai, like ticket master does."

################

Update #3:

I was able to sign on (finally!) and purchase tickets for the Game 5
of the World Series. I had 4 seats reserved for section 239 at 250.00
a piece. I even printed out the form, and then it would not allow me
to purchase the tickets. I hit the button to "check out" and the
server failed me. I cannot tell you how upset I am to have been able
to get through only to have the server fail me. This is crap and I
think the Rockies have failed their fans.

Adeeb Khan

---------------------

I work at CSU and one guy here (among many, believe me) apparently
got through and got tickets. but i'm told the library at CSU was
chock full of students trying to get tickets, and by 10:30 not a one
had succeeded.

Christopher O'Dell
Research Scientist
Colorado State University

----------------------

I honestly don't get it.

What is with these people? There are millions of things you can buy and turnaround and sell for more. Someone wants $17,800?? So now only millionaires can go to the world series?

If the stadium isn't at least 25% people under the age of 15, what's the point?

They should have had window ticket sales only. At least the stadium would be filled with crazy purple-clad Coloradans willing to camp out in frigid downtown Denver to get their hands on Rockpile tickets.

It's even okay for people like me who procrasitnated at work, in a nice climate controlled environment, grasping at the digital illusion that I might get a seat.

Unfortunately, as of now, the only a**holes that can get seats are currently calling thier secretary from their bluetooth enabled BMW 330i on their way to Starbucks, to get her to buy them off Craigslist.

Sucks man.

Katie Fitter

#####################

Update #4: Looks like the Rockies aren't the first people to have some problems with evenue.net, the server provider for the online ticket fiasco (Warning: Contains some graphic language: http://sbutler.typepad.com/main/2004/10/evenue_can_suck.html)

#####################

Keep 'em coming folks.
Vent your rage in the comments below, or click here to write your own column.


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Showing 1-4 of 4 comments
Submitted By: Douglas Rule
posted on 10/22/2007 @ 3:36:36 PM
Rated Blog Entry
One wonders how these scalper organizations get beaucoup tickets right away, regular people can't. There are some investigations going on right now about the same thing happening to teens and tweens who wanted to the "Hannah Montana" concert. Disney tried to make tickets affordable ($25-65) and now those same tickets are running $200-$2,000. It would be one thing if someone found out they couldn't go to the series or concert and was trying to resell their ticket for a reasonable price, but the scalpers are just greedy.
[Report as objectionable]
Submitted By: Aspen Paul
posted on 10/22/2007 @ 1:34:33 PM
(Not Rated)
I can't believe at the utter failure of the Rockies to properly distribute tickets to the fans. Anyone out there truly believe that this had any chance of succeeding? If the servers didn't crash and burn the scalpers and the hackers were sure to get the tickets before average Joe. I don't know why they didn't just sell the tickets the old fashion way. You wait in line. Die hard fans willing to wait in line for 3 days are the fans who deserve to get tickets. Not to mention the fact that it keeps scalpers from all across the country from stealing all the tickets and placing them on stubhub. I can't believe how stupid the MLB/Rockies are did anyone even try running a simulation to test the code. Its the number one rule in programming. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!
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Submitted By: M Eytcheson
posted on 10/22/2007 @ 12:03:50 PM
(Not Rated)
Fast laptop: Check. Super-fast connection: Check. Rockies Tix: NOPE. We are nearly two hours into this, being redirected or having to click refresh constantly, all to no avail. If the Rockies insist the problem isn't at their end, they are delusional. The organization will make their money and be happy, regardless of whether true fans get tickets or not. Still, here we sit, patience running thin. Even if they win the Series, the Denver fans are losers here. Diva Denver, CO
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Submitted By: Wade Carson
posted on 10/22/2007 @ 11:32:54 AM
(Not Rated)
So, I'm still trying. Are there any reports of anyone getting through and buying tickets since 10am? The $17k stub hub has been out there for days.
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Showing 1-4 of 4 comments
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