"Happy" Anniversary 10 Cent Beer Night!

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Would you head for the ball park to see a game if the nightly promotion was 10 cent beers? Would you stuff your pockets with change and even hoist a few during a pre-game tail gate party?

The 1974 Cleveland Indians were an assembly of highly forgettable talent that were stumbling through another losing season and playing in a cavernous, depressing stadium. The Tribe's poor attendance and pathetic performance for the previous six seasons had the franchise bleeding money and looking at more financial losses. Executive vice president Ted Bonda gathered team employees looking for ideas to increase attendance. One suggestion presented was copying the Texas Rangers, who had recently hosted a successful "10-Cent Beer Night."

Much more than a mid season game was involved for both teams as there had been a bench clearing brawl in a previous Indians/Rangers game one week earlier in Texas, during a ten cent beer night held on May 29, 1974.

In Texas, the trouble had started in the bottom of the fourth inning and escalated into a full donnybrook in the 8th inning. As Indians players and coaches returned to the dugout, they were struck by food and beer hurled by fans. However, that game was not suspended or forfeited, no players from either team were ejected, and the Rangers won 3-0.

Six days later, Cleveland's hosted their own Ten Cent Beer Night promotion and 25,134 "fans" entered Municipal Stadium for the game. The past season's average attendance had been under 8,000 so this was the increase Indians' execs were looking to generate.

The Rangers jumped out to a 5-1 lead while the beers flowed. At this point, the Indians were unable to match the demand for beer at concession stands. They decided to allow fans to line up behind the outfield fences and have their cups filled directly from Stroh's company trucks.

All the usual shenanigans of the 1970's took place throughout the game as a woman ran out to the Indians' on-deck circle and flashed her breasts and a naked man streaked to second base as Tom Grieve hit his second home run of the game. A father and son pair (nothing I recall ever doing with my father) ran into the outfield and mooned the fans in the bleachers one inning later. More and more people ran onto the field as the game wore on.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians managed to rally and tie the game. The winning run was on second base.  At this point, a fan ran onto the field and attempted to steal Texas outfielder Jeff Burroughs' cap. In starting after the fan, Burroughs tripped over his own feet. The slope of the diamond made it impossible for Rangers' manager Billy Martin to see below the level of an outfielder's knees from his position in the dugout. He did not hesitate after Burroughs fell from view. "Let's go get 'em, boys," he said, arming himself with a fungo bat and sprinting toward right-center field. The Rangers, understandably inspired, followed him.

Unfortunately, the Rangers were met by a mob carrying items that far outweighed any Louisville Slugger. People wielding chains, knives and clubs created from pieces of stadium seats greeted the players. The 25 Texas players found themselves surrounded by angry drunks, and more were coming over the wall onto the field. The Texas Rangers had been ambushed.

Now Ken Aspromonte, the Indians' manager, realized the Rangers were in serious trouble. He ordered his players to grab bats and help the Rangers, attacking the team's own fans in the process.

In an attempt to soothe the crowd and tame the riot, the organist then played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

The bases were pulled up and stolen and many rioters threw a vast assortment of items which included rocks, batteries from radios, bottles, hot dogs and steel folding chairs. Based on this, umpire Nestor Chylak, realizing that order would not be restored, forfeited the game to Texas.

NBC newscaster Tim Russert, then a student at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, attended the game and recalled, "I went with $2 in my pocket, you do the math." According to reports, over 60,000 cups of beer were sold and there is still a debate about whether they were 8, 10 or 12 ounce cups.

Incredibly, the Indians held their next Ten Cent Beer Night promotion the following month, July 18, and based on increased police security, the game and promotion went off without a hitch!

To this day, I scour eBay daily for those missing bases...

All this because I know more about nothing...