SHOCKING!

Cubs raise ticket prices

November 30, 2007 BY TONI GINNETTI

The price of success and maintaining an aging ball park will cost Cubs fans as much as 30 percent more next season. The team is raising the price of all classes of seats after a two-year price hold. The price of the highest price club box seats will rise from $54 to $70 for 25 ‘‘regular’’ games and from $65 to $80 for 50 designated ‘‘prime’’ games.

The price of bleacher seats will rise from $30 to $36 for regular games and from $40 to $45 for prime games. The lowest-priced seats, upper deck reserve outfield, will go from $14 to $16 for regular games and from$17 to $20 for prime games. There will be six ‘‘value’’ games with lower prices, from$50 for the highest price seats to $10 for the lowest price seats and $22 for bleacher seats.

‘‘Our pledge to field a championship team*, improve the playing field and maintain the 93-year-old Friendly Confines requires we take this [price increase] step now,’’ director of ticket operations Frank Maloney said in a letter to season’s ticketholders. ‘‘The Cubs average ticket price remains significantly lower than the Boston Red Sox, the only other team still playing in a park as old as ours.’’ The Red Sox have set 2008 ticket prices ranging from $26 for bleacher seats to $125 for the highest-priced field box seats.

*He'll be here all week - enjoy the veal.