Baseball Fan Resources
Why Baseball Fans (Like Me + You) Love eBay
Posted by Kurt Smith
(Note: this article contains affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides earns a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
It makes perfect sense for any publisher to have eBay for an affiliate. But it’s especially attractive for this blog’s audience: smart baseball fans who want the most bang for their buck.
I don’t need to tell you what eBay is: an online marketplace where people (and that includes baseball fans!), and brands, buy and sell pretty much everything.

I didn’t buy this on eBay, but you can!
But strictly speaking from a traveling baseball fan’s standpoint, I love eBay for two reasons: I can find all sorts of things that I can’t just go to a store for, and I can also score great prices.
Phones, baseball cards, sneakers – everything a fan needs.
Click here to get what you need at a great price on eBay.
I’m sure you knew that too, but just to illustrate, here are just a few things I’ve bought on eBay very recently:
My iPhone Plus 14 –Yes, I stuck with my iPhone X for some time (today I keep it next to my 56K modem). I needed a larger and newer phone that takes better pictures, as I’m sure you do at the ballgame or traveling anywhere.
The best part: it was just $400. It wasn’t new, but you wouldn’t know that at all; it works beautifully. That’s the beauty of reconditioned electronics, which eBay excels at offering.
We store tickets, parking passes, hotel reservations, and so many other ballgame essentials on our phones. If you think a newer smartphone can do a better job of it, eBay has the best selection and prices you can find.
Printer Ink Cartridges – So many things, including baseball tickets and parking passes, are paperless these days. But I like to print out and carry things with me, like emails with ticket purchase receipts, parking passes, hotel booking confirmations. It never hurts.
Besides, we always need ink in our printers, even if you’re not a baseball fan. I paid about half the price for mine that Staples charges. Check out more deals here.
A dashboard suction mount disc – I can’t use this often because I live in NJ; it’s questionable whether I can legally mount a phone to the dash here. But elsewhere, this useful item makes it easy to mount my iPhone, so my map app can tell me where I’m going and how to avoid traffic.
It was just six bucks, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to find anywhere else. Anytime you’re on a road trip, have your phone visible. You can find plenty of tools for that here.
And of course, it’s a superb resource for finding baseball cards and memorabilia. Just ask my brother, who recently gifted me an autographed card featuring the Ripken family. (Why would anyone sell THAT?) Think of the giveaways you missed too…didn’t get to the ballpark in time for your Pirates Hawaiian shirt or Jose Bautista bat flip bobblehead? eBay to the rescue!
Again, I’m sure you get it; eBay is as valuable a resource as they come for baseball fans, especially thrifty ones and those seeking rare items. I use it whenever I need something I can’t find and/or don’t want to overpay for, and eBay is still without equal for both.
Plus, of course, you’d be helping Ballpark E-Guides deliver the info for baseball fans everywhere. I’m excited to have eBay as a partner, because I’m a fan. If you love this blog, and I know you do, please use this link the next time you shop on eBay.
As always, I appreciate your support!
Why Gametime Is My New Ticket Reseller Affiliate
Posted by Kurt Smith
Hello dear readers! I have recently made a change to my site and wanted to let you know why.
As some of you know, this blog is supported in part by affiliate programs. When I send my readers to certain sites and they make a purchase, this blog receives a percentage of the sale. It helps to pay for hosting, site support, promotional services, and other necessities of running a blog.
(Note: this article contains affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides earns a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
Below, I’m sharing why I now recommend Gametime for finding deals on baseball tickets.
I chose Gametime for several reasons. The biggest one was my surprise when I compared them to other resellers. When doing price comparisons, I found that Gametime was offering better prices than SeatGeek, TickPick, StubHub and several others for seats in similar sections. In fact, sometimes the price difference was significant. It may not be always the case, but I did notice it. (You can read more about comparing Gametime to other resellers here.)
In addition, I’ve found multiple benefits with using Gametime that not every other reseller offers. Have you ever been overwhelmed by all the seating choices for an event? Gametime only shows you the better deals. They’re aware you’re not going to pay $4,000 for a Rays bleachers ticket. You can use their panoramic seat view option to see the view from your seat, which helps make the decision easier.
Most importantly, you can toggle “all-in pricing” so you can see the full cost of the ticket…which is a big factor in the price as we all know.

You can stop here for your tickets. Or just use the Gametime app!
One more selling point for me was that as I write this, Gametime has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website. (I don’t care about 1-star ratings or lack of accreditation. No one goes to BBB to talk about the great experience they had.) It may ultimately not be that significant…SeatGeek gets an F on BBB and I’ve never had a problem with them…but the A+ looks better, especially in a field where there is a lot of mistrust.
Gametime specializes in last minute tickets, which is something I frequently recommend people do. As they told me, planning is overrated! (I respectfully disagree, but I like their spirit.) They guarantee their tickets of course, and even offer a low price guarantee as well.
So as of April 2024, Gametime is the Official Third Party Ticket Provider of Ballpark E-Guides. As a guy who writes plenty about finding deals on MLB tickets, I definitely like Gametime.
So check them out!
And needless to say, since they are an affiliate, if you use that link and make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides receives a percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to you. As always, I really appreciate your support. If you have any questions about this or anything else, feel free to contact me.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you at the Yard!
(Note: this article contains affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides earns a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
Prepaid Baseball Game Parking With SpotHero
Posted by Kurt Smith
If you’ve read my ballpark tips for a while, you know that I will always recommend whether to use your car or public transit to a game. But if you’re driving and parking at or near the ballpark, you should always have a plan. You do NOT want to be driving around Baltimore or Boston looking for a decent and affordable spot. (I speak from experience!)
(Note: this article contains affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides earns a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
Using SpotHero makes the process simple, and even fun if you do it right!
Sitting in ungodly slow traffic with a full bladder in Toronto or Washington can make for a memorable ballgame experience for the wrong reasons. You could also, of course, seriously overpay for parking if you go without a plan (see: Fenway Park).
So while I offer a lot of advice here, it does come down to booking in advance. This is especially the case if the ballpark is in the heart of the city, as many of the newer ones are. If most fans going to the game use public transit because of traffic and costs, SpotHero is your best bet for parking.

You can do better than this. Stick with me.
What I love about SpotHero is that I can choose well ahead of time where I’d like to park, and I choose my spot based on a number of factors.
In Baltimore, for example, I find a garage near the Inner Harbor for a nice waterfront walk before or after the game.
In Pittsburgh, I find a spot near the other side of the Clemente Bridge, for a stunning approach to the ballpark.
In Boston, I get a spot near the Prudential Center…it’s a long walk, but I can also use Commuter Rail (or a Boston Pedicab!) and get off a fly ball away from the ballpark…at a lot where people paid five times as much as I did to park.
In Atlanta, I just want to be able to find my car after the game.

And of course, you get the bonus of parking your own car. No one likes to park someone else’s at the game.
You can choose your spot based on the easiest exit, be near other city attractions or eateries, or simply go cheap.
Here’s a favorite trick of mine in several cities: if you’re making a day of visiting the city with your baseball, you can land a spot near a public transit station that will take you to the game and back (or the other way around). In some places, you can park close to the ballpark before the event rate kicks in, and enjoy a day in the city before the game. I’ve done this numerous times and saved a bundle.
SpotHero provides other details too, including if your car will be under elevated train tracks and may get oil spilled on it. (That’s a thing in Chicago. True.) Each spot description shows a star based review, whether you have in/out privileges, and even a photo of the lot or garage entrance so you know what it looks like, which is very helpful in a big city.

This is a pretty sweet evening rate for baseball parking. Even in Canadian dollars.
Order the spot, get the address, put it in your map app, and go. Show your barcode at the entrance and you’re in. Easy peezy.
As some of you know, I used to be a fan of ParkWhiz. They aren’t bad, but I’ve definitely found that SpotHero offers a larger selection and is better for baseball game parking. When I found myself using SpotHero instead of ParkWhiz based on that, I switched my affiliation, and now SpotHero is the Official Prepaid Parking of Ballpark E-Guides!
(Again, that’s not really a thing, but it sounds good.)

So many choices. Who wants to think about it on game day?
In a downtown city ballpark especially, try SpotHero for your ballgame parking. Or any prepaid parking, for that matter.
And please use this link to tell ‘em Ballpark E-Guides sent you!
Save On Ballpark Team Store Prices…Use MLBShop.com!
Posted by Kurt Smith
If you’re like me, you love checking out a team store every time you visit a ballpark, especially a new one. There’s always cool stuff to buy. But for me anyway, it’s hard to part with my hard earned cash there. No matter what I look at…team jerseys, caps, pencils, golf balls, jigsaw puzzles, it’s impossible to think I can’t find it cheaper someplace else.
(Note: this article contains affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, Ballpark E-Guides earns a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
That’s why I love MLBShop, for several reasons…
Don’t wait till you get to the ballpark to get your team gear…
Order your caps, jerseys, and more now at MLBShop.com and save!Click here to order your official MLB gear today!

This is why they lure you into the team store.
For one, I can get my gear ahead of time. I don’t have to waste valuable time in the team store trying to decide on the Adley Rutschman or Gunnar Henderson jersey. That time is better spent enjoying a Boog’s BBQ sandwich!
It’s also, in almost all cases, cheaper to order at MLBShop.com than it is to buy your gear at the ballpark, especially if you take advantage of specials. As I write this sentence, for example (just before Black Friday), MLBShop is offering up to 50% off on items using a discount code.
Yes, I’m aware that “up to” is a flexible phrase. But that said, you VERY rarely see deals like this at the actual team store. (And I did score a nice deal on a gift for my son just now.)

There’s no better way to show you’ve been to D.C. than with a Racing Presidents tee shirt!
It can work the other way too. Did you like the Space City jerseys you saw in the Minute Maid Park team store, but balked at paying $159.99 for one? Again, as I write this, with the aforementioned discount code, MLBShop is offering that jersey for $108.79. Even with shipping, you’re coming out ahead.
That’s not just jerseys, of course. MLBShop features bags (see why I recommend having a tote bag or something similar here, here, and here), car accessories, flags, pajamas, in other words, most of the cool items you can find in a ballpark team store. You can search for items featuring your favorite player (hmmm…Adley? Gunnar? Adley? Gunnar? You see the problem.), by brands, even holiday collections.
It’s also official team sanctioned stuff, which is usually higher quality. Shopping for cheaper bootleg items from vendors outside the ballpark is fun in its own way, but you’re limited by their selection…and possibly their level of quality control.
Besides, if you’re worried that the cool thing you’re checking out won’t be available online, you can always just pull out your phone and check. (And compare prices.)

Okay, if you have a three-year-old daughter at home, sometimes it can’t wait.
So here’s a piece of money and time saving advice for you. If you’d like to rep your team before going to the game, by all means find your ideal jersey, cap, hoodie or shorts at MLBShop.
If you’re not sure what you’d like to get, by all means roam that team store…because so many of them have awesome stuff.
But then take pics with your phone of things you like, and order them online. You’ll not only save money on that adjustable cap, new pillow and set of team pens (remember to add the shipping cost though), you won’t have to lug them around the ballpark and back to your car!
There’s lots of reasons for any baseball fan to love MLBShop, and that’s why they’re the Official MLB Gear Store of Ballpark E-Guides! (That’s not really a thing, but it could be.)
And if I’ve helped you out, using this link to get your gear at MLBShop will help keep this site rolling at no extra cost to you…and I really appreciate your support!