Welcome back to Ticket Bulletin for another review of the Hot Tickets at Select A Ticket last week.

From August 11 - 17, the following five events were the most popular items on www.SelectATicket.com.

1.  New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
2. 2009 MLB All Star Home Run Derby
3. South Pacific
4. Wicked
5. Lion King

And there you have it, the top five events on Select A Ticket last week. Never a suprise to see Broadway tickets so well represented and of course NY Yankee tickets are always popular but who would’ve thought the 2009 MLB All Star Game would be so popular so early? You never know what’s going to make the list, so come back next Monday and see what events top all the others!

Last week brought a lot of excitement and activity to www.SelectATicket.com.

The most popular event last week was The Lion King on Broadway. SelectATicket has a great selection of seats for most Lion King performances in New York and all at competitive prices.

The next event on the list of the hottest tickets is South Pacific tickets. Once again, SelectATicket proves itself as a popular web site for Broadway tickets.

Not to be outdone, the long-running Phantom of the Opera comes in third on the list this past week. Despite being on Broadway for several years, this timeless classic still is a hot ticket.

Yet another Broadway musical makes the list as Jersey Boys tickets were a hot commodity on www.SelectATicket.com last week. The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons still packs the crowds and Select A Ticket is happy to help you acquire these hard to find tickets.

Last but certainly not least, a lot of the Select A Ticket faithful visitors are die-hard New York sports fans so it comes as no surprise to see that the Fourth of July Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Tickets at Yankee Stadium were among the top 5 Hot Tickets from Select A Ticket last week. Everybody loves a rivalry and there is nothing like the bad blood between the Yankees and Red Sox to provide their own fireworks on the Fourth of July!

Be sure to come back next Monday to see which events top this week’s list of Hot Tickets from Select A Ticket.

Key to the Yankees franchise selling tickets is having star players and leaders. This is exemplified in Derek Jeter.

In an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, he reveals that he’s ready to make the big commitment of marriage, if he finds the right girl. He discusses many other topics, from his inspirations as an athlete and aspirations of owning a ball club.

Jeter credits his mother for a lot of the guiding principles for his life. He was not allowed to use the word “can’t.” He describes her as the ultimate optimist. He was implored to outwork everyone.

Jeter describes his desire to own his own ball club. Serby tried to see if he’d be willing to own the Yankees, to which Jeter said that he’d need a big discount to be able to afford it.

He also talks about letters he gets from Iraq:

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to know that someone’s over there fighting for our country, and yet they find the time to write to me here at Yankee Stadium. It puts a lot of things in perspective, but also makes you appreciate the position you’re in, in terms of playing for this organization . . . to get a chance to provide entertainment for people.”

When all is said and done, Jeter comes across as a pretty charming guy. Who ever snags him as a husband is going to make a bigger catch than he’s ever made in his career as shortstop.

How’s this for bad news for people buying Yankee tickets: A strained left quadriceps for Derek Jeter Monday night against Tampa Bay. It could take him out for several games.

His response quoted in the New York Times is: “I felt something, and I didn’t want to be stupid.” We’re glad the shortstop team captain isn’t stupid. But it’s never good news when being smart requires the star player to not play.

There is no word on whether he’ll be put on the disabled list, which has happened 4 times previously. An evaluation will be made at some point in the next week. Let’s hope that the optimism works.

There aren’t a lot of other shortstop replacements available for the Yankees. Giambi has a sore left groin; Shelly Duncan is on a two-game suspension.

The injury was a major negative point to a successful win by the Yanks. Mussina, who I reported recently played very mediocre against the Blue Jays, was redeemed by a great outing against Tampa Bay. He only allowed on run and two hits in six innings.

So when all is said and done, I’m glad that Mussina found his mojo, but you can’t help but be discouraged by the news of Jeter’s injury. Hopefully it’s only a couple of games, and it won’t require any placement on an injured list. And hopefully he’ll be back strong.

The above title refers to Joe Girardi’s comment following the first loss of his career as manager with the Yankees. The New York Times continues the quotation: “You come to the ballpark and prepare to win, and losing stinks.”

And lose they did, in their second outing against the Blue Jays. The score at the end of the night was 5-2. Alex Rodriguez couldn’t stop the ill-fated defeat with his two-run homer in the seventh. That could not compete with A.J. Burnett’s performance of keeping the Yankees from scoring for six innings.

Mike Mussina gave Yankee Ticket holders little to be excited about this season in a lukewarm performance on a very cold night. The Daily News explains the performance of the Yankees’ starting pitcher:

“Mussina allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5-2/3 innings, although the majority of the hits were bloops and bleeders.”

The simple fact is that Mussina was totally mediocre. And that couldn’t compare with a very good Blue Jays team. It is the beginning of the season. There’s along way to fall. But the fact of the matter is that Mussina has got to step it up for the Yankees to reach their aspirations of a championship this season.

Now is the time to buy your NY Yankee tickets if you want to see a few games in the traditional stadium. We’re talking about a stadium that has housed the world’s biggest baseball franchise since 1923. And this is the last year.

The Yankees are a team that can never extricate themselves from a storied history. And they can never get away from the fact that their fans expect greatness from them. With seven seasons in a row without a championship, mediocrity is not sitting well with them.

So there’s been changes in the last few years. Former Yankee catcher and coach, Joe Girardi, is now at the helm of this franchise that would love to win a championship, this their last year in the old stadium. To dream of such things is almost too glorious to think of, but every fan must hope. And so Girardi is bringing a new commitment and focus to an experienced team. He’s conditioning them hard.

Team Captain, Derek Jeter is quoted in the daily news as saying:

“It’s going to be a special year. . . . There’s always optimism going into a new season. Obviously this year some things are different, but everyone here is excited.”

Let’s hope they give the old ball park a generous send off with a great 2008 season.

As you well know, there’s a new Yankee Stadium in the works. The price tag simply for clearing the land has skyrocketed! The initial estimate was $128 million. The new estimate is somewhere around $190 million. To do the math for you on that, it’s almost 50% more than expected.

The Associated Press reports:

“Unforeseen environmental problems and other hitches have raised the estimated cost from $128 million to $190 million, parks officials said at a City Council hearing Wednesday.”

Of course, this isn’t your average project. They’ll be creating 28 acres of new parkland. They’re also turning the old stadium into a children’s ballpark.

Price on the actual stadium facility has also increased dramatically. It was projected last year at $1 billion and now sits at $1.3 billion.  Opening date for the new ballpark home is 2009.

One big surprise in clearing the land, according to Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, was an underground oil tank that they found. This little unexpected gift had to be drained and removed, escalating the price dramatically.

There are no plans to stop or adjust the project. Hopefully it will all be worth it.  Until then, we’ve got a ball season to think about. For purchasing NY Yankee tickets click on the link.

After beating the Red Sox 8-5, the Yankees are getting set to head to Blacksburg, VA to play Virginia Tech in an exhibition match commemorating good will for the school who faced great tragedy last April.

The game will be held on Tuesday, and although it will hardly be a tough match up, the team is excited to offer a little enjoyment to the school who lost 32 of their fellow students in the terrible shooting. It will be a quick trip for the team, flying into town in the morning, visit a memorial sight, play the game, and fly out that night.

The game will be at English Field in front of 3000 spectators. It will also be broadcast on the video board at the campus stadium.

The New York Times reports:

“The Yankees will wear hats with the Hokies’ colors, maroon with an orange NY, during batting practice. The players will sign them for a university auction. Several players grabbed extra hats as souvenirs before leaving Legends Field on Monday.”

It’s a nice move for the team and a great set up for a promising season. For your NY Yankee tickets make sure to look here online.

Although it can be frustrating for those who’ve bought NY Yankee tickets if they can’t see their favorite player due to a minor injury, you’ve got to give the franchise credit for playing it safe with their team members. Such was the case with Andy Pettitte.

He was scratched from the lineup because of soreness on the outer part of his elbow. They defined it as tendonitis, but also classified it as a minor concern. Mark Feinsand of the Daily News quoted Pettitte as saying:

“You all know how it is; they’re extremely cautious here. I guess it’s a good thing. If you want to pitch, it’s kind of aggravating. I understand. They don’t want me to aggravate it any more. It’s spring training.”

Indeed, it is spring training, a gloried practice session. No need to overwork him if there’s the slightest risk of continued injury.

Pettitte underwent surgery in August 2004, repairing a torn flexor tendon. This problem is in a different part of the arm—the outside of his elbow. In other words, it’s far less of a concern for the player. And it’s far less of a concern for a team that wants all of their good players healthy for what could be a great season.

Woody Allen said, “80% of success is showing up.” This may be Alex Rodriguez’s motto. When asked recently what his goal was for the season, he said it was the same as every season—to play in every single game.

An article by Kevin Kernan at the New York Post explains what this means. He quotes Rodriguez as saying, “I want to be out there for my teammates every day. That’s the thing I take the most pride in, being a team player and being in the lineup, whether you are banged up or not.”

Kernan interviews A-Rod’s high school coach, Rich Hoffman, who explains the reasons for this star’s success. He explains that most players with his talents and accolades get lazy. But Hoffman explains, ”I gave him a compliment, he tried harder, he tried to make the compliment look good, and it gave him some confidence, a lot of guys if you praise them like that, they’ll coast.” Rodriguez is a player not about to go on cruise control.

A-Rod fits well into the strategy employed by new manger Joe Girardi, who’s bringing a stronger emphasis to conditioning. Training has always been integral to Rodriguez’s success. After having one of his best years, Kernan reports that he’s working even harder in his training. It’s an inspiration, and just another reason to buy NY Yankee tickets this season.