Do you see something crazy and different in this press release? The phone number is different. The one with the automated system for buying tickets. Do you know what this means? On Saturday, most of the people who are trying to get tickets by phone will be dialing the wrong number. And that's on top of the fact that most people don't bother trying by phone anyway, going strictly the online route. The phone will give you an even better chance of getting through now. I've used the phone to get in pretty quickly in the past--I'm definitely gonna be trying it Saturday, while I sit in the VWR.

I tried the new number just now, and there's a message from Tickets dot com, saying the number isn't in service yet. Tickets.com is who the Sox have been selling their tickets through for years, though you might not have noticed, since you don't even see their logo unless you go to their site first, which links to the Sox' site.

So to sum up, the original ticket services number, 877 REDSOX9, is still the same. The old automated 24-hour ticket line, 482 4SOX, is currently the exact same as REDSOX9. You can buy tickets through these lines, but they're not automated, and they're only open during business hours. The new, automated, 24-hour line is the one listed in that press release, ending with 0100.

And I don't know what ever happened to the classic 617 267 1700. (But, of course, I could just call it to find out. And I did. It's the same as the other two non-automated lines.)

As for the last 500 vouchers, which are being handed out tomorrow in the greater Boston area--they are saying no more than that. If you happen to be in a place they go to, well, you win. But since the sale started Tuesday, you might not get your first choice.