04 | June | 2016 | TALK & OPINIONS BY SILVIO CANTO JR.

Archive for June 4th, 2016

June 4, 1974: “10 cent beer night” was a disaster

cracker

In 1971, my brother and I attended “10 cent beer night” in Milwaukee.

It was crazy and we weren’t old enough to buy one!

At one point, the police had to intervene and arrest several fans in the parking lot to stop fans.

42 years ago, they tried it again in Cleveland and it did not work out again:

To bring fans to see the miserable Cleveland Indians play the Texas Rangers on June 4, 1974, management decided to sell 10-ounce cups of beer for only 10 cents.

More than 25,000 fans showed up for the event, but management forgot one small detail: drunk people get restless. Among the more tame incidents was a woman who flashed the crowd from the on-deck circle, a father-son team mooning the players, and fans jumping on the field to meet the outfielders. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, the Indians tied the game, but never got a chance to win. Fans started throwing batteries, golf balls, cups, and rocks onto the field. The drunk-fest involved more streakers, base stealers (literally), and fans who stormed the field and attacked the opposing team. Cleveland players had to wield bats to come to the aid of the Rangers players. Texas was awarded a forfeit.

The American League president forced the franchise to abandon the promotion idea and added this great understatement: “There was no question that beer played a great part in the affair.”