Whether Radiohead or the Pope, tickets for some events in the Washington area just aren’t easy to come by. The process usually looks the same — the sale day comes; thousands of expectant buyers suffer server mishaps or are shuttled into virtual waiting rooms as sellers try to deal with the online version of a stampede; tickets sell out in minutes; mere minutes later they show up on Craiglist or through ticket brokers for a substantial markup.

And so went this morning, as Nats fans rushed to scoop up tickets for the team’s season opener — in a new, shiny stadium no less — against the Atlanta Braves on March 30. Yours truly spent 15 minutes in a virtual waiting room, only to be told that volume was too heavy once the doors into the purchase area’s inner sanctum were opened. And then the tickets were gone.

As the morning has progressed, ticket sellers looking to score big and pleas for moderately marked-up sales alike have filtered onto Craigslist. There’s a $225 single ticket in Section 417, or you can pick up a pair in Section 102 behind the left-field bullpen for $400. Or if you’re not a shameless capitalist, you can sell to either of these guys, both looking for a good deal:

To the members of our community who have purchased additional tickets for the purpose of resale at inflated prices i would just like to say that:

You are NOT bad people. Contrary to what most posts say about you i understand that to have foresight and beating people to purchase tickets should be rewarded.

I greatly desire 2 or 4 tickets in any cheaper section (I’d appreciate information on any section but may not be able to afford it). I’ll even settle for 1 ticket for myself.

As an Australian who moved to this country it was at the old RFK that i finally felt at home in assimilating into my new nation of choice. I found peace and understanding in the notion that baseball is not a game but a way of life. Please help me to continue this idealistic dream…

And:

I got to work early today to buy Nats tickets, but by the time I got through on the phone (never managed to get through on the website) tickets were completely gone.

If you have extra tickets and would like to sell them at a reasonable price (face value, plus a little extra for your effort) I would love to buy them.

No, I will not pay hundreds of dollars for tickets you bought for twenty. People who buy tickets with the express intention of gouging others have a special circle of hell awaiting them and I won’t be party to your eternal damnation (however well deserved it may be.)

So who of you got tickets? And who is willing to part with them without making someone else take out that second mortgage?