I really can't figure the Mets out. They instituted a mysterious raffle for playoff tickets last season. I threw my name in the hopper and got nothing, although I did have other chances to go to games.

Now they are instituting another mystery raffle for opening day and the three games against the Yankees. I just don't like it.

There was a time when fans could wait on a line to get tickets. I did so for the 1999 playoffs and got tix to see all three games vs. the Braves. I did the same thing the next year and got to see the Mets beat the Cardinals. With these blind raffles though I feel like I have little or no chance to get seats. The entire process is a mystery.

Maybe the team is trying to keep tickets out of the hands of scalpers, but we have no way of knowing that it is an effective technique. All I know is that they are making it more difficult for fans who are willing to be ready to buy tickets to the most popular games of the regular season. Which makes it even more likely that the average fan will need to go to a scalper to get a seat.

[Major League Baseball]