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'Parkmageddon' Awaits Doubleheader Sports Fans In Arlington

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Oct. 23, 2011. That’s the last time Arlington felt the surge of two sold-out stadiums on the same day.

Nearly 150,000 fans will come to town Sunday. And with no public transit, Rangers Vice President of Ballpark Operations Sean Decker has a challenge.

"With the Cowboys kick at 3:30, and our first pitch at 7, we’ve encouraged all fans to get here between 4 and 6 pm," Decker said. "The one we certainly did not want was one of those midday day games where we’d go head-to-head with the Cowboys in terms of start times."

The Cowboys start time has been locked in for months. The Rangers had to sweat while Major League Baseball made its decision.

Together the Cowboys and Rangers own nearly 25,000 parking spaces. And that’s not nearly enough.

Baseball fans can forget about just going out to tailgate. Rangers lots require a game ticket.

And the Cowboys have the highest parking prices in football, according to Forbes Magazine. An average $75 per season ticket holder.

For the Patriots game, though, parking prices on StubHub go as high as $495.

The teams won’t be the only ones cashing in.

"Oh my gracious. That deal on Sunday is just huge, it is wonderful," Randy Ford, owner of J. Giligan’s Bar and Grill said.

His place is a little more than a mile from the stadiums, and offers free parking and an $8 shuttle to the games.

"We will probably shuttle ... in 800 to 900 people, and we will at least triple a normal day," Ford said.

East of the Rangers home, Stadium Parking has about 1,200 spots. Manager Sharon Smith says it’s taken years to get the formula for a day like this right.

"It’s difficult. It’s exciting but there is a lot of details, a lot of planning that goes into it. But it’s fun," Smith said. 

Unless of course you’ve paid hundreds of dollars to walk a mile in the Texas heat.

That’s the price of Sunday’s "Parkmageddon."