Bottlegate nostalgia
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Of all of the memorable nights in sports history I prefer this one, remember that awful 3.2% beer? What an era, Viet Nam was winding down and I was just about done with my undergrad college.
Ten Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Stadium on Tuesday, June 4, 1974.
(for the whole story https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night )
The idea behind the promotion was to attract more fans to the game by offering 12 fluid ounce (355 ml) cups of 3.2% beer for just 10 cents each, a substantial discount on the regular price of 65 cents, with a limit of six beers per purchase but with no limit on the number of purchases made during the game. During the game, fans became heavily intoxicated, culminating in a riot in the ninth inning which caused the game to be forfeited due to the crowd's uncontrollable rowdiness and because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner........
........After the game, a Cleveland reporter asked Rangers manager Billy Martin "Are you going to take your armor to Cleveland?" to which Martin replied, "Naw, they won't have enough fans there to worry about."[6] During the week leading up to the teams' next meeting in Cleveland, sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin and Indians radio announcer Joe Tait made comments that fueled the fans' animosity toward the Rangers. In addition, The Plain Dealer printed a cartoon the day of the game showing Chief Wahoo holding a pair of boxing gloveswith the caption, "Be ready for anything."........
.........As Joe Tait and Herb Score called the riot live on radio, Score mentioned the security guards' inability to handle the crowd. Tait said, "Aw, this is absolute tragedy." The Cleveland Police Department finally arrived to restore order.
Later, Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi blamed the umpires for losing control of the game. The Sporting News wrote that "Seghi's perspective might have been different had he been in Chylak's shoes, in the midst of knife-wielding, bottle-throwing, chair-tossing, fist-swinging drunks." American League president Lee MacPhail commented, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot."
The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price.........
GO CLEVELAND, yes there is quite a history there.
GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND! -
Dime beer night....everybody was there... lol. I think the parts about knifes was exaggerated. No one got stabbed. Oh ya, everyone on Cleveland was there to see large Lenny pitch a perfect game and there had to be at least 200,000 there for the bottlegate game. But the refs did instigate that one. I don’t think the NFL appreciated the fans here keeping the Browns. They hate us
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Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Fuck you, Lew. And the Browns org going after its fans? Fuck them too
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Some of us were there..
I was. Sadly I had played the night before and drank a good deal so I was only drinking diet cola in a large paper cup. Nothing substantial to throw.
?
WSS
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I watched the whole sordid affair on TV... I just sat there thinking how I would love to take a ball bat to Terry McCauley and just bash him relenlessly.. It was like they were inventing rules on the fly.. What a travesty that whole debacle was...
Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~ -
. It was like they were inventing rules on the fly.. What a travesty that whole debacle was...
Exactly. -
Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Outrageous BUT true! That is, except for the scary time part if you ever watched Stan defend himself in order to get an idea of how quickly he'd beat down the challenge. We knew Merletti wasn't going to win despite the very short worry Stan had; which is why we had such a rip snortin riot with it all back in the day. In fact, even when you and Rich took Stan on - he quarantined you 2 knuckleheads into a cyber kennel where all you could do is lick each other's stingers or post in an echo chamber hoping someone stopped in to read it. I'm glad you and Stan resolved your differences but you know what I mean... He'd love to see you finally feeling like you can enjoy this team and get back to ripping on the black and gold sodder heads...
I mentioned the very brief period Stan was terrified of Merletti in the RIP Stan thread. Anyway, in the ball-bust capital of cyberspace (football message boards) - we had a lot of funny smart asses and many more in training at the time. One of them superimposed a picture of Skippy (Stan) up in the stands throwing his Budweiser Bottle fast-ball after the windup. I hit the deck LMAO so hard it drew mud in my Fruit of the Looms. While I confessed this I asked Skippy if he had Merletti's address so I could mail him the souvenir. I'll never forget how nervous he got when he replied with "Come on Flugel this is 1 time I don't want you instigating and riling up all these guys." That's like giving a lighter or a box of matches to a pyromaniac and saying "Here you go. Make sure you don't use it." Then he proceeded to say something like "I'm already preparing for court room crap like - where were you at 3:55pm on Sunday the..." Back to the pyromaniac analogy - he just added lighter fluid...
I think Zombo chimed in with something like "CALM DOWN! Don't worry about losing your season tickets way up in the nose bleeds Skippy. Your buddy Zombo has the entire year in Club Seats so you can look at it like an upgrade Merletti never saw coming unless he's reading this board..."
Never a dull moment! The male cheerleader from the U of Kentucky (Topjock) that had a crush on Tim Couch and the Pizza Delivery boy in Tampa (The Mexicutioner) were the only other guys that created some hilarious nervous energy out of Stan. I could write the script for a movie and retire on it - just on some of the road trips I took to Cleveland. The outrageous part of it all is there was so much Hollywood in the truth there isn't any room to add fiction to it. And just when I didn't think things could get any more outrageous - guess what former AOL TOS Violations Champion/Survivor/Escapee developed a new and improved (anything goes) message board and appointed himself as the Gran Poo Bah in charge? The 1 guy who was proud to say "if you're here to tattle or request baby-sitting - you're in the WRONG place! And, if you can't whip a Steeler fan's asss - you're in the WRONG place!"
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I watched the whole sordid affair on TV... I just sat there thinking how I would love to take a ball bat to Terry McCauley and just bash him relenlessly.. It was like they were inventing rules on the fly.. What a travesty that whole debacle was...
I watched the whole sordid affair on TV... I just sat there thinking how I would love to take a ball bat to Terry McCauley and just bash him relenlessly.. It was like they were inventing rules on the fly.. What a travesty that whole debacle was...
that's what started it. We ran a play, everyone saw it. And then, but you really didn't. BS!!!
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The referees fucked us good in that game. They deserved it.
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damn timmy c should have been flagged and thats what i thought would happen(he had a major brain collapse)but when they went back a play I was shocked (and it was last time i totally freaked my poor weber grill)so hell yes i was hoping someone had a keg of beer they could had thrown on the field
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Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Fuck you, Lew. And the Browns org going after its fans? Fuck them too
Fuck you, Lew. And the Browns org going after its fans? Fuck them too
That was just so fucked up
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Of all of the memorable nights in sports history I prefer this one, remember that awful 3.2% beer? What an era, Viet Nam was winding down and I was just about done with my undergrad college.
Ten Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Stadium on Tuesday, June 4, 1974.
(for the whole story https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night )
The idea behind the promotion was to attract more fans to the game by offering 12 fluid ounce (355 ml) cups of 3.2% beer for just 10 cents each, a substantial discount on the regular price of 65 cents, with a limit of six beers per purchase but with no limit on the number of purchases made during the game. During the game, fans became heavily intoxicated, culminating in a riot in the ninth inning which caused the game to be forfeited due to the crowd's uncontrollable rowdiness and because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner........
........After the game, a Cleveland reporter asked Rangers manager Billy Martin "Are you going to take your armor to Cleveland?" to which Martin replied, "Naw, they won't have enough fans there to worry about."[6] During the week leading up to the teams' next meeting in Cleveland, sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin and Indians radio announcer Joe Tait made comments that fueled the fans' animosity toward the Rangers. In addition, The Plain Dealer printed a cartoon the day of the game showing Chief Wahoo holding a pair of boxing gloveswith the caption, "Be ready for anything."........
.........As Joe Tait and Herb Score called the riot live on radio, Score mentioned the security guards' inability to handle the crowd. Tait said, "Aw, this is absolute tragedy." The Cleveland Police Department finally arrived to restore order.
Later, Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi blamed the umpires for losing control of the game. The Sporting News wrote that "Seghi's perspective might have been different had he been in Chylak's shoes, in the midst of knife-wielding, bottle-throwing, chair-tossing, fist-swinging drunks." American League president Lee MacPhail commented, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot."
The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price.........
GO CLEVELAND, yes there is quite a history there.
Of all of the memorable nights in sports history I prefer this one, remember that awful 3.2% beer? What an era, Viet Nam was winding down and I was just about done with my undergrad college.
Ten Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Stadium on Tuesday, June 4, 1974.
(for the whole story https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night )
The idea behind the promotion was to attract more fans to the game by offering 12 fluid ounce (355 ml) cups of 3.2% beer for just 10 cents each, a substantial discount on the regular price of 65 cents, with a limit of six beers per purchase but with no limit on the number of purchases made during the game. During the game, fans became heavily intoxicated, culminating in a riot in the ninth inning which caused the game to be forfeited due to the crowd's uncontrollable rowdiness and because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner........
........After the game, a Cleveland reporter asked Rangers manager Billy Martin "Are you going to take your armor to Cleveland?" to which Martin replied, "Naw, they won't have enough fans there to worry about."[6] During the week leading up to the teams' next meeting in Cleveland, sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin and Indians radio announcer Joe Tait made comments that fueled the fans' animosity toward the Rangers. In addition, The Plain Dealer printed a cartoon the day of the game showing Chief Wahoo holding a pair of boxing gloveswith the caption, "Be ready for anything."........
.........As Joe Tait and Herb Score called the riot live on radio, Score mentioned the security guards' inability to handle the crowd. Tait said, "Aw, this is absolute tragedy." The Cleveland Police Department finally arrived to restore order.
Later, Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi blamed the umpires for losing control of the game. The Sporting News wrote that "Seghi's perspective might have been different had he been in Chylak's shoes, in the midst of knife-wielding, bottle-throwing, chair-tossing, fist-swinging drunks." American League president Lee MacPhail commented, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot."
The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price.........
GO CLEVELAND, yes there is quite a history there.
Hahaha this is fantastic
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Of all of the memorable nights in sports history I prefer this one, remember that awful 3.2% beer? What an era, Viet Nam was winding down and I was just about done with my undergrad college.
Ten Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Stadium on Tuesday, June 4, 1974.
(for the whole story https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night )
The idea behind the promotion was to attract more fans to the game by offering 12 fluid ounce (355 ml) cups of 3.2% beer for just 10 cents each, a substantial discount on the regular price of 65 cents, with a limit of six beers per purchase but with no limit on the number of purchases made during the game. During the game, fans became heavily intoxicated, culminating in a riot in the ninth inning which caused the game to be forfeited due to the crowd's uncontrollable rowdiness and because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner........
........After the game, a Cleveland reporter asked Rangers manager Billy Martin "Are you going to take your armor to Cleveland?" to which Martin replied, "Naw, they won't have enough fans there to worry about."[6] During the week leading up to the teams' next meeting in Cleveland, sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin and Indians radio announcer Joe Tait made comments that fueled the fans' animosity toward the Rangers. In addition, The Plain Dealer printed a cartoon the day of the game showing Chief Wahoo holding a pair of boxing gloveswith the caption, "Be ready for anything."........
.........As Joe Tait and Herb Score called the riot live on radio, Score mentioned the security guards' inability to handle the crowd. Tait said, "Aw, this is absolute tragedy." The Cleveland Police Department finally arrived to restore order.
Later, Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi blamed the umpires for losing control of the game. The Sporting News wrote that "Seghi's perspective might have been different had he been in Chylak's shoes, in the midst of knife-wielding, bottle-throwing, chair-tossing, fist-swinging drunks." American League president Lee MacPhail commented, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot."
The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price.........
GO CLEVELAND, yes there is quite a history there.
The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price.........
GO CLEVELAND, yes there is quite a history there.
I had absolutely no idea that after the infamous promotion, they did it again!
I know they had a limit, but still, how in the hell did that go through the front office and public relations guy?
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God i love these old stories, this was the nfl as it was supposed to be and clev fans were as sports fans were supposed to be. Legendary stuff.
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God i love these old stories, this was the nfl as it was supposed to be and clev fans were as sports fans were supposed to be. Legendary stuff.
God i love these old stories, this was the nfl as it was supposed to be and clev fans were as sports fans were supposed to be. Legendary stuff.
Weren’t we on the edge of getting strip searched for batteries and bones to get into the stadium back then too?
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Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
Maybe some don't know or remember, but this game turned out to be a nightmare for Stan.
After this game, Stan posted " I threw bottles", and the Browns came after Stan. Former Bill Clinton security guru, Lew Merletti. then working for the Browns not only contacted Stan but tried to get him to rat on others who may have thrown bottles. They threatened Stan with prosecution and loss of his season tickets. Merletti actually stalked Stan and parked outside of his home.
This was a really tough, scary time for our buddy.
I Threw Bottles.
I was in Stan's family seats with Stan, Kathy, and Gumbo.
It was the shittiest call in NFL history and the coolest sight ever, watching those bottles rain down.
Ya, we threw bottles. I don't know about Carl, but Stan and I definitely whipped a few of those empty plastic bottles toward the field and Kathy may have even made an attempt. We were pretty far up, they didn't make it to the field, but we lodged our protest to that crappy call.
Six years after getting continuously shafted by Modell and the league, we had a shot at making the playoffs. And they fucking go back and review a call from two plays ago and reverse it? Are you fucking kidding me??
It was a glorious sight. Stan always said it was the funnest game of the Browns new era.
I left the game with Kathy and Stan and we picked up their kids and went to a Chinese buffet or something and then they dropped my drunk ass off at my hotel. The next morning I flew back to Naples and went to work and when I got a chance to fire up the CBS Brownsboard, I saw it ... The most infamous thread in Browns Board History: "I Threw Bottles" by Atenears.
It was awesome. I only wish I wrote it.
Fuck Lew Merletti. How do you go from Head of White House Security to chasing hard-working season ticket holders around for protesting a shit call against their team? Your gonna take away the tickets of those who admit it, but let all the thousands that deny it still go to games?
It all worked out in the end, and led to the formation of THE Browns Board, where you can do what you want and say what you want ... as long as you aren't a Ravens fag or a Steeler dicklicker.
Cheers, Stan!
Zombo
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I had to do bottlegate via radio. And even that was quite memorable. You could hear that whole stadium chanting bullshit, bullshit, bullshit in the background with Donovan and Diek in total disbelief and shock. The only thing close was Gib Shanleys call about the bleacher seats being deposited onto the field towards the last home game ever at the old muny
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