Have you ever known someone who wanted so desperately to go to the Major League Baseball World Series that they were like a rabid dog? Well, I have...and it is not a pretty sight. I have been married for a few years to "Brian". Brian is an avid sports fan. Ladies...you know the type I am referring to...the type that can quote obscure sports statistics at the drop of a hat, but can't seem to remember your birthday. (It is May 5th, by the way!) That's my Brian! Anyway, Brian has varied sports taste. He loves football, golf, basketball and tennis. But he truly loves baseball. In fact, baseball maybe his one true love...but I digress!

Brian has ALWAYS wanted to go to the World Series. Unfortunately, his team never seems to make it that far. After the past few disappointing seasons, he toyed with the idea of getting tickets to go to the World Series without his beloved team. He worries that this may be seen as "cheating". However, I encourage it! Afterall, going to the World Series has been a lifelong dream of Brian's. Sure it would be even better if his team was going with him, but I think he should take this opportunity now. I even offered to purchase his tickets. Now, I know what you are thinking...Sainthood, right? Yeah, me too! But then reality hit me...I have NO idea how to go about buying tickets for the World Series.

The first thing I do is go directly to www.google.com and start looking for World Series tickets. Aaahhh...almost 23 million links!! Many of them are ticket brokers, but which one is the best? Which one is the most reputable? What is the typical price range? How will I get the tickets? How can I be sure the tickets are real and not counterfeit? Should I try Ebay? After a lot of research and worry, I came up with a very simple list of strategies. You may have to use more than one strategy, but it will well be worth the effort.

Strategy #1 Talk to friends, family members, colleagues, and your brother's-wife's-sister's-boyfriend's-mom's-cousin who just happens to have season tickets for one of the teams going to the World Series. They have the best chance at getting World Series tickets at face value.

Strategy #2 Watch Ticketmaster or team websites for the scheduled on-sale period. You can do this via the phone or the internet. Keep in mind that these will sell out within minutes, so you have to be on your toes! Also, if you are given multiple phones for the scheduled on-sale, try picking one that will be less busy. For instance, say the St. Louis Cardinals are going on-sale. Instead of calling the numbers in St. Louis; try calling the number for the small town of Washington, MO instead.

Strategy #3 Visit http://www.consumerchoicereview.com. This is a great site that gives you all kinds of information about the major sporting events as well as various ticket brokers who specialize in the World Series. You can feel confident that all of the ticket brokers listed on this site are reputable because consumers are allowed to review each ticket brokers and their level of service. It even provides event information, so that you can impress your family and friends with your obscure sports knowledge!! Consumer Choice Review also gives you helpful information on how to protect yourself from purchasing counterfeit tickets.

Strategy #4 Another option for World Series tickets is www.ebay.com. Ebay will have a plethora of tickets, but consumers should be aware that you could be paying top dollar for a ticket that is fraudulent. I have heard horror stories of people buying on Ebay, so I have always been leery of using it. I found some really good tips on using Ebay on Consumer Choice Review. This site provides a step by step guide to buying on Ebay.

Strategy #5 Go to the stadium and take the risk that there are no tickets available from scalpers. Or that the tickets that are available are ridiculously expensive or even worse, possibly counterfeit or stolen. I would never pay hundreds of dollars in cash for tickets that could turn out to be fake or stolen. You should always use a credit card because they offer protection of purchases that turn out to be fake or stolen tickets. ***Be very careful when taking this approach and be sure to read the tips posted on Consumer Choice Review prior to taking this strategy.

As a final note, I highly recommend checking out the website I used to collect information, http://www.consumerchoicereview.com. They are not just for the World Series, but for any other major sporting event. It truly helped to calm my nerves when looking desperately for these tickets. It helped to guide me on what to expect and, more importantly, on how to protect myself. In the end, I chose a ticket broker whom I found through Consumer Choice Review and everything has gone just as I expected. And Brian...well, he can't wait for the first pitch!