This is exactly why I subscribe to writers who have nothing in common with me. I have zero interest in baseball but found this quite entertaining. Humans 🤦🏼♀️
Ahh, appreciate that very much Moorea. I’ve long felt like if I can write about sports in a way that less than avid sports fans find fun in it, I’m onto something good. Appreciate the read and kind words!
Fascinating story. I don't follow sports at all but baseball is one where I enjoy the stats (and the concessions). I'm curious, did any baseball teams try an "X cent beer night" after the disastrous results of 1974?
Oh, not only did other teams do it, Cleveland did it again. The same front office who planned this howler sent people to Milwaukee to see how it should be done. Couldn’t call the Brewers front office and just ask- “hey, do you guys use drink tickets or whaddya do to keep everyone out of jail?”
Nah, “research” boondoggle. The Indians literally sent a crew to learn from the Brew Crew. To be the best you gotta learn from the best.
Safe to say when it comes to beer, baseball and plans, there is no bottom.
And thanks so much for reading and commenting. Pulling in some folks who aren’t sports fans truly is a win for me. Appreciate you.
Thanks Larry, there were so many good pictures for this one and they were all licensed by Getty which charges an arm and leg so I just used what I could and tried to get the rest with words. Limited budget can produce some creative results when we keep an open mind!
Your inning-by-inning account of the alcohol-fueled insanity was particularly clever. Hilarious throughout.
As far as licensed images, I try to tell the powers that be to "bugger off" (as Simon would likely say) and take bootleg screenshots wherever I can. (Maybe the karma isn't good, but that's what *I* do.)
I know you haven't been on Substack that long Matt, but I predict you've got a long future delivering sassy and entertaining insights through accessible-to-all sports stories.
Matt, a fascinating read. As one about your age I recognize most of the names, but laughed when you provided the detail about the umpire and his connection to the “disco game”.
As for the writing, I loved this: “And Ohio’s finest had a week to shotgun cases of liquid common sense to make sure they could bring all the wisdom the Cleve had to offer.”
It was sort of like pulling back the slingshot of tension.
I was shocked by that as well. There’s some funny stories about him I couldn’t fit them all in. I guess he turned into quite the animal by the end of the game too, which leads me to wonder, did deep down he embrace the chaos? Kinda seems so. Appreciate you reading, so glad you enjoyed it!
I have zero interest in sports but this story was so well written, funny, and entertaining that I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now when someone brings up the topic of baseball, I’ll know to say, “Hey how about Cleveland’s 10 cent beer night where someone actually stole the bases?”
People will think I’m so much more interesting than I am.
10 Cent Beer Night is one of those cultural moments that feels like it was dreamed up by a screenwriter trying to outdo Animal House. The fact that this happened in Cleveland, a city that has somehow become synonymous with both underdog resilience and spectacularly bad ideas, only makes it more perfect lol
What’s fascinating is how this event straddles the line between tragedy and farce. On one hand, it’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of mixing desperation, alcohol, and revenge. On the other, it’s a reminder that sometimes, history’s most memorable moments are born from sheer, unbridled idiocy. The fact that no one thought to limit the number of trips to the concession stand is the kind of oversight that feels almost poetic in its stupidity...
So, was 10 Cent Beer Night a bad idea? Absolutely. But it was also the kind of bad idea that becomes legendary precisely because it was so catastrophically misguided. In a way, it’s a testament to the power of bad decisions - they make for the best stories.
If nothing else, Cleveland gave us a story that will be told as long as people drink beer and watch baseball. Cheers to that, Matt!
Love that you fished this "Double-A biblical flood of booze-fueled hijinx" from the history books and gave it the proper dissection. The warning signs are always so clear in retrospect...
Wow, this is fascinating and I had never heard of it! Thanks for sharing, don't think I'l ever be able to get some of these images out of my head now 😂
Ha! Thank you! So glad you liked it and were only mildly traumatized by the descriptions. One of those compliments a writer gets when he’s like ooh, kinda sorry, but not really. 😂
Matt, this is epic. Oh how I love Cleveland now. I love how they bring new meaning to “take me out to the ball game,” much less stealing bases.
Great writing. Vivid.
So entertaining! I agree with the first commenter here. It’s irrelevant if one loves baseball. This is a human story in the highest order of entertainment excellence.
I'd have to say that 10-cent beer night was a great idea. This is the stuff of legends. Of course, there was always going to be chaos but out of the 162 games that season, which one is still talked about today? Now, I think it is a one-time deal, though. If you did this every night, yes, the whole league would fold. I think of it as baseball's purge night and man, I would have loved to see it. Homerun of a post, Matt.
Matt, your piece is an absolute triumph! In stark contrast to the 10 Cent Beer Night idea. There wasn’t one single moment when I didn’t feel utterly riveted to the story you were telling. And what a crazy story it was!
I just had to check out your opening post for this publication again, where you wrote this: “Regardless of how little you enjoy playing or watching sports, my goal is for every attending fan to take home something fun from the game.” Boy, do you deliver on that promise!
Reading this made me think of another business that recently miscalculated its beer offer. Did you hear about this? Just this weekend past, the Gelding Inn in Nottinghamshire offered a free pint every time Nottingham Forest scored against Brighton. I doubt the landlady was expecting a 7-0 win! She ended up giving away nearly 300 pints, which probably cost her around £1,500.
This is exactly why I subscribe to writers who have nothing in common with me. I have zero interest in baseball but found this quite entertaining. Humans 🤦🏼♀️
Ahh, appreciate that very much Moorea. I’ve long felt like if I can write about sports in a way that less than avid sports fans find fun in it, I’m onto something good. Appreciate the read and kind words!
Yes, you really have a knack for telling an entertaining story.
Fascinating story. I don't follow sports at all but baseball is one where I enjoy the stats (and the concessions). I'm curious, did any baseball teams try an "X cent beer night" after the disastrous results of 1974?
Oh, not only did other teams do it, Cleveland did it again. The same front office who planned this howler sent people to Milwaukee to see how it should be done. Couldn’t call the Brewers front office and just ask- “hey, do you guys use drink tickets or whaddya do to keep everyone out of jail?”
Nah, “research” boondoggle. The Indians literally sent a crew to learn from the Brew Crew. To be the best you gotta learn from the best.
Safe to say when it comes to beer, baseball and plans, there is no bottom.
And thanks so much for reading and commenting. Pulling in some folks who aren’t sports fans truly is a win for me. Appreciate you.
It's interesting that the newspaper headline that tops your essay reads, "Tribe Fans Riot on Beer Night," since this essay is a riot. Well done!
Thanks Larry, there were so many good pictures for this one and they were all licensed by Getty which charges an arm and leg so I just used what I could and tried to get the rest with words. Limited budget can produce some creative results when we keep an open mind!
Your inning-by-inning account of the alcohol-fueled insanity was particularly clever. Hilarious throughout.
As far as licensed images, I try to tell the powers that be to "bugger off" (as Simon would likely say) and take bootleg screenshots wherever I can. (Maybe the karma isn't good, but that's what *I* do.)
I know you haven't been on Substack that long Matt, but I predict you've got a long future delivering sassy and entertaining insights through accessible-to-all sports stories.
Matt, a fascinating read. As one about your age I recognize most of the names, but laughed when you provided the detail about the umpire and his connection to the “disco game”.
As for the writing, I loved this: “And Ohio’s finest had a week to shotgun cases of liquid common sense to make sure they could bring all the wisdom the Cleve had to offer.”
It was sort of like pulling back the slingshot of tension.
👏👏🙌🙌
I was shocked by that as well. There’s some funny stories about him I couldn’t fit them all in. I guess he turned into quite the animal by the end of the game too, which leads me to wonder, did deep down he embrace the chaos? Kinda seems so. Appreciate you reading, so glad you enjoyed it!
I have zero interest in sports but this story was so well written, funny, and entertaining that I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now when someone brings up the topic of baseball, I’ll know to say, “Hey how about Cleveland’s 10 cent beer night where someone actually stole the bases?”
People will think I’m so much more interesting than I am.
10 Cent Beer Night is one of those cultural moments that feels like it was dreamed up by a screenwriter trying to outdo Animal House. The fact that this happened in Cleveland, a city that has somehow become synonymous with both underdog resilience and spectacularly bad ideas, only makes it more perfect lol
What’s fascinating is how this event straddles the line between tragedy and farce. On one hand, it’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of mixing desperation, alcohol, and revenge. On the other, it’s a reminder that sometimes, history’s most memorable moments are born from sheer, unbridled idiocy. The fact that no one thought to limit the number of trips to the concession stand is the kind of oversight that feels almost poetic in its stupidity...
So, was 10 Cent Beer Night a bad idea? Absolutely. But it was also the kind of bad idea that becomes legendary precisely because it was so catastrophically misguided. In a way, it’s a testament to the power of bad decisions - they make for the best stories.
If nothing else, Cleveland gave us a story that will be told as long as people drink beer and watch baseball. Cheers to that, Matt!
Love that you fished this "Double-A biblical flood of booze-fueled hijinx" from the history books and gave it the proper dissection. The warning signs are always so clear in retrospect...
Wow, this is fascinating and I had never heard of it! Thanks for sharing, don't think I'l ever be able to get some of these images out of my head now 😂
Ha! Thank you! So glad you liked it and were only mildly traumatized by the descriptions. One of those compliments a writer gets when he’s like ooh, kinda sorry, but not really. 😂
Exactly 😂😂
I like the aesthetic of that!
Definitely gotta do one on Disco night now Matt!
I really do. It was in the dugout but kinda feels like I need to move it into the on-deck circle. Thanks Henny for reading!
Matt, this is epic. Oh how I love Cleveland now. I love how they bring new meaning to “take me out to the ball game,” much less stealing bases.
Great writing. Vivid.
So entertaining! I agree with the first commenter here. It’s irrelevant if one loves baseball. This is a human story in the highest order of entertainment excellence.
I'd have to say that 10-cent beer night was a great idea. This is the stuff of legends. Of course, there was always going to be chaos but out of the 162 games that season, which one is still talked about today? Now, I think it is a one-time deal, though. If you did this every night, yes, the whole league would fold. I think of it as baseball's purge night and man, I would have loved to see it. Homerun of a post, Matt.
Matt, your piece is an absolute triumph! In stark contrast to the 10 Cent Beer Night idea. There wasn’t one single moment when I didn’t feel utterly riveted to the story you were telling. And what a crazy story it was!
I just had to check out your opening post for this publication again, where you wrote this: “Regardless of how little you enjoy playing or watching sports, my goal is for every attending fan to take home something fun from the game.” Boy, do you deliver on that promise!
Reading this made me think of another business that recently miscalculated its beer offer. Did you hear about this? Just this weekend past, the Gelding Inn in Nottinghamshire offered a free pint every time Nottingham Forest scored against Brighton. I doubt the landlady was expecting a 7-0 win! She ended up giving away nearly 300 pints, which probably cost her around £1,500.