How to score Eagles tickets

Frankly, the average fan's chances are lousy for scoring Eagles tickets Thursday morning, when seats for single games finally go on sale.

Starting at 10 a.m., fans can order either by calling Ticketmaster or going to ticketmaster.com. No in-person sales are planned.

Within a dozen minutes or so, all that will be left will be seats for the two preseason games.

But there are strategies that can improve the odds of snagging some tickets. They've worked for fans, including me, in the past.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, because thousands of other fans, as well as dedicated ticket brokers, will be rabidly competing for theirs, too.

What's more, Ticketmaster's policies and procedures can change from year to year, complicating the best-laid plans.

BASIC TIPS

Put together a team. Since no strategy is foolproof, get together a group of at least three people to simultaneously try all the approaches below. You'll need at least one good computer with a fast Internet connection, and a phone with a crystal-clear connection that can redial. A static-riddled cell phone won't do.

Decide on games. You don't want to waste precious minutes fumbling for schedules or debating how many seats to request. Less popular games should be easier to get. So look over the schedule as sooon as possible, and discuss with your co-conspirators. Keep that schedule handy. If you call, you'll be asked for dates. (Note: Will the Dallas game be easier to get? Because it ends the season, it could be meaningless and cold - or the biggest game of the year.)

Decide on how many tickets. There's a four-ticket limit per customer. Not per game, per customer per season, Ticketmaster and the Eagles said yesterday. So, a fan could get two tickets for one game, two for another, for example. A block of four tickets is toughest to score. So if a request for four gets rejected, try a lesser number, rather than another game.

Sign up at ticketmaster.com in advance. You don't want to be wasting time entering credit card information while your Internet connection starts to bog down.

Scope out numbers to call. Ticketmaster's Philadelphia line will be jammed. So plan to call another line. In another state. Away from any city playing the Eagles. Look up numbers at http://www.ticketmaster.com/h/orderbyphone.html.

Be ready to roll early. You'll want to start by 9:30 a.m., or even earlier, with schedule, phone numbers, credit cards, whatever you'll need, on hand.

Check the time. Don't be thrown off by clocks too fast or slow. Check the Naval Observatory's official U.S. time at http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/timer.pl.

If you're offered tickets, take them! Don't fuss about locations or prices. Don't listen to co-conspirators who say, "Hang up! I just got through online." You can always sell any extras, if you're lucky enough to get them.

GAME PLANS

Go to Ticketmaster.com Early

Even if you've already signed up, try to connect with Ticketmaster early. In the past, trying to get in just before 10 a.m. could bring up only "please wait" or "loading" messages.

Having the site on a few screens has proved helpful in the past, though it might bog down some computers. At least one screen could have the list of games - get it by searching for "Philadelphia Eagles" and clicking "list," or go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/805999?list_view=1. Other screens could have individual games.

At 10 a.m., hit "refresh," until a page updates offering tickets for sale.

As soon as you find the right "order tickets" link, click it, and follow the instructions. If you seem to be getting through, and the process is just slow, do NOT hit "refresh" or "back," or you'll start over. Simply cross your fingers and wait - or try another screen.

Call Early and Stall a Helpful Agent

This strategy becomes more of a longshot every year. For one thing, first you'll reach an automated voice-recognition system, and you'll need to press a number or two, to get to the point where pressing the star (*) key or 0 will get you to an agent.

Also, Ticketmaster tells its operators to refuse to sell to people who call early. One fan reported two years ago that he even bought Counting Crows tickets and still got shot down for Eagles tickets.

Another caller had better luck once with an operator who was a Carolina Panthers fan. When asked a question about Eagles tickets, the agent said something like, "I'm talking on a recorded line" in a way that seemed to hint, "Make it sound believable and I'll let you slide." The caller played along and scored two sets of tickets.

Biggest risk: Chasing a dead end past 10 a.m. means it'll be tougher to get through again.

Stall the Automated Buying System

This seems like a logical strategy, but there's a worry: Ticketmaster might have an automated way to reject callers who try it. The hope is the only time that counts is the moment the automated system finally checks for tickets.

Here's the plan: About 9:55, call any Ticketmaster. Even out West. Doesn't matter if it's closed. You're not out to talk to an agent, but use the automated ticket-buying system. If you get through too quickly, hit the selections for "repeat this menu" or "return to main menu" or "start over" as often as needed, until 9:58 (carefully checking your previously updated clock or watch). Don't wait till 10 or even 9:59, because it'll take two minutes for "Kelly" or whatever voice-recognition software you get to go through its list of questions. State? Pennsylvania. Event? Philadelphia Eagles. Is that correct? Yes. Lincoln Financial Field. Date? (See, gotta have that schedule handy.) Dec. 28. Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, on Dec 28 at 1 o'clock p.m., is that correct? If it's 10 a.m., say yes. If you need to stall a bit, wait to answer, or say nothing, and let "Kelly" ask again.

Try to Get an Agent at 10:00:00.

OK, you had no luck calling early. So at 10, you call a Ticketron elsewhere in the Eastern Time zone, using a number you found at http://www.ticketmaster.com/h/orderbyphone.html.

(You could also try Central Time - hoping Ticketmaster operators begin on time.)

You'll still get that automated system, which can be methodically slow, have trouble understanding you, and lacks flexibility. If you like it, or simply fear all the agents will be busy, feel free to continue with it.

But if you think an agent will be faster, and more able to cope with changes made on the fly ("OK, try 3 tickets instead of 4"), you can drop out of the automated system quickly. After selecting a prompt or two, or after "Kelly" starts talking, try hitting the star (*) key or the 0 key.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

Time to Seek Other Sources.

Friends. Family. Your company. StubHub. eBay. Game-day scalpers. You know the drill.

Next month, the Eagles expect to introduce a new option called TicketExchange, where fans can safely buy tickets directly from season-ticket holders. For more information, go to: http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/egjx28.

Standing-room-only tickets will go on sale at a date to be announced later this summer.

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