I normally see pro sports as kind of an expensive distraction.
Millionaires playing games isn't interesting to me but I do love sports when it's the shorties playing.
Little kids playing football with the little legs moving under mounds of armor is always a laugh riot.
Great way to spend an afternoon and I can't complain about the dollar nachos that's for sure.
I do like some moments of pro sports though. Like 10 cent beer night.
The 10 cent beer night riot reminds me of my own life in the 1970's.
When I was a kid, 70's world was buck wild.
One night in 1974 the Cleveland Indians played the Texas Rangers.
The stadium decided to try a new promotion "10 cent beer night".
As you may imagine, people got hammered and quickly devolved into primitive, cherry bomb throwing, brawling tribes.
This is my favorite moment of many.
At he bottom of the 9th inning a fan runs out on the field attempting to steal a Ranger's outfielder's hat.
In the resulting scuffle the outfielder fell down.
Because of the shape of the field,
the fellows in the Rangers dugout only saw their player go down.
After the rowdy night they had so far, this broke the straw.
That was when manager Billy Martin uttered my favorite sports quote of all time.
He looked at his players, grabbed a bat and said,
"Boys, lets go get em."
and they all poured out of the dugout to retrieve their compatriot.
The battle began, quickly the Cleveland team also ran out with bats.
Then it was both teams fighting the mob.
They even formed a rear guard to funnel the wounded out.
The rioting fans had weapons too or made them out of the seat handles.
This was rough.
Smoke filled the air from fireworks as the Cleveland team helped the Rangers back to their bus and treated the injured.
Eventually the SWAT team had to be called in to clear the stadium.
I love this story of glory.
http://thedollop.libsyn.com/ten-cent-beer-night
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