About three weeks ago, I received a packet in the mail from the Pirates.  It was an invoice from the Pirates for $1,197.

I had to decide if I should renew my tickets, or show my displeasure with the Pirates 17 season streak of ineptitude by not sending in the check.

The reading material that the Pirates included was a catalog of season ticket holders posing with Pirates players, discussing how awesome being a season ticket holder is.

The people talked about the amazing benefits they get, and how the players excite them.

The prizes range from lunch with the Pirates broadcasters to an all expense paid trip to the 2010 All Star Game.

The winners have already been posted on http://www.pirates.com/sth for the first few prizes.  I’ll let everyone know if I am lucky enough to win.

The only incentive I needed was early access to batting practice.

I renewed immediately, sending the check in the same day that I received the invoice.  My account is for three tickets, so I paid $399 per seat for 81 games – or $4.92 a ticket.  That’s one of the best deals in baseball.