Worst Promotions in Baseball History

1. Worst Promotions in Baseball History Jim Dunphy dunphyjj@aol.com

2. Promotions • Most baseball promotions are giveaways, special events or reduced costs for certain groups • The giveaways are usually sponsored by a company, so there is little or no cost to the team • Most are with less desirable opponents, and increase attendance

3. But….

4. Some promotions go down in history as “what could they be thinking?” • Let’s take a look at some of these

5. Free Compost Night Seattle Mariners 2011

6. Free Compost Night With other Seattle based teams, the Mariners formed the green alliance So what is compost? small bags of compost made from food waste, packaging material, drink cups, utensils and other stuff discarded during past Mariners games.”

7. Free Compost Night • So basically the Mariners were saying, come to the ball game and take home our garbage • Not surprising this promotion did not continue.

8. Turn Ahead the Clock Night Various dates, 1999

9. Turn Ahead the Clock Night • Many clubs had a Turn Back the Clock Night • This allowed them to wear old time uniforms, sometimes of clubs no longer in the city • And, of course, then sell those uniforms in the team store.

10. Turn Ahead the Clock Night • So in this 1999 promotion, teams were asked to envision what they would look like in 2021 (not that long from now!) • Eight teams – the more traditional – Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, did not participate (and were probably happy about the result) • The New York Mets renamed themselves for this event the Mercury Mets, making their only Earth appearance of the year.

11. Turn Ahead the Clock Night Mercury Mets Mariners, Rockies and Pirates

12. Turn Ahead the Clock Night • All of the uniforms were similarly gaudy and ugly • Needless to say, after the promotion, they were relegated to the dustbin of history

13. Reggie Bars Yankees opening day, 1978

14. Reggie Bars • First, a little background • Reggie Jackson was first drafted by the Kansas City A’s • When it became apparent in 1976 that he would not resign with the A’s, he was traded to Baltimore • Then, after the 1976 season, he signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees

15. Reggie Bars One of the iconic candy bars is the Baby Ruth Many people, including the Babe, think it was named after Babe Ruth. Nestle argued it was actually named after one of President Grover Cleveland’s daughters, and won a 1921 court case.

16. Reggie Bars Reggie, before he signed with NY, said if he ever played in NY they would name a candy bar after him. So Clark came up with the Reggie bar, a round candy bar of peanuts and caramel coated in milk chocolate Fellow Yankee Catfish Hunter quipped “When you unwrap a Reggie Bar, it tells you how good it is”

17. Reggie Bars • So on Opening Day 1978, after Reggie hit 3 home runs in the final game of the WS in 1977, the Yankees decided to hand out Reggie Bars. • Reggie lived up to the moment, hitting a 3 run HR in his first AB

18. Reggie Bars • So it’s no surprise where the Reggie bars ended up after the HR • The field was littered with the bars, rendering it temporarily unplayable until Yankees grounds crew were able to retrieve the bars.

19. Reggie Bars White Sox manager Bob Lemon (soon to be manager of the Yankees) fumed : Let them throw them when he’s in right field, See how he feels. People starving all over the world and 30 billion calories are laying on the field.

20. Seat Cushion Night Busch Stadium April 18, 1987

21. Seat Cushion Night • The idea – let the folks sit in normally hard seats on cushions • After all, what is more important about a game than the comfort of the fans. • How about playing the game without interruption?

22. Seat Cushion Night The seat cushions were perfectly constructed to be flung on the field On numerous occasions, the grounds crew had to come out to pick up the cushions so play could be resumed.

23. Seat Cushion Night • The story, though, has a happy ending • This Cardinals won on a walk off homerun • Of course, this was the signal for the remaining cushions to come flying out of the stands.

24. Seat Cushion Night • Let’s go to the videotape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ-rQVmecPc

25. Seat Cushion Night • Proving you can’t fix stupid, the Cardinals decided to hold another seat cushion night in 2006 • And to no surprise, the same result (both in the game result and the seat cushion result) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZ-TnxcDN4&w=420&h=315

26. Ball Night Dodger Stadium August 10, 1995

27. Ball Night • So, after seeing what projectile promotions would do with candy bars and seat cushions, you would think people would learn • But not the Dodgers

28. Ball Night A sellout crowd of 53,361 showed up at Dodger Stadium for free baseballs Home plate umpire Jim Quick made a few close calls on balls and strikes, leading first to an argument with Kirk Gibson and then ejecting Erik Karros For those of you who are lip readers, pay close attention to Gibson’s reaction in the video

29. Ball Night When he called Raul Mondesi out on strikes, both Mondesi and Manager Tommy Lasorda were tossed Then the trouble started

30. Ball Night • Of course, this was a signal for balls to rain from the heavens, and the umps had the teams clear the field • Lasorda had the ground crew pick up the balls, and play resumed. • As soon as it did, the Cards outfielders became targets • With that, crew chief Quick took the only action he thought he could take

31. Ball Night • The game ended up in a forfeit – the first forfeit for the Dodgers since 1916 • And it was the first forfeit in the major leagues since July 12, 1979, when… • No, we’ll save that for later!

32. Ball Night • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm4VySz1LUU

33. So, did anyone learn anything from these three fiascoes? • Well, on Opening Day 2017, the Nationals did give away a Magic 8 ball, just the right size and shape to be turned into a missile

34. Nats Opening Day But they did learn something Don’t give the item away coming into the ballpark, only when leaving. And then don’t allow people back to their seats with an 8 ball.

35. Cash Dash Money Drop West Michigan Whitecaps April 15, 2006

36. Cash Dash Money Drop • What do people like more than bobbleheads or t-shirts? • That’s right, money • And you can’t shoot money out of a cannon like a t-shirt

37. Cash Dash Money Drop • So what’s the alternative? • How about this: fly over the crowd in a helicopter and drop money • After all, what could possibly go wrong?

38. Cash Dash Money Drop So, after a game at the Fifth Third ballpark (incidentally a West Michigan win) a helicopter flew over the stands, dropping $1,000 in dollar bills Of course there was an orderly line to try and obtain the bills NOT!

39. Cash Dash Money Drop • In the melee, a 7 year old boy needed to go to the hospital, and a 7 year old girl got a bloody lip. • The team’s reaction: It's for fun and games. This is why we have everybody sign a waiver. • Note to self: if you have to have fans sign a waiver before a promotion, it’s probably not a good idea.

40. Wet T Shirt Night Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta May 20, 1977

41. Wet T Shirt Night • First a little background. • The Braves were a wandering team, starting in Boston, then to Milwaukee, before landing in Atlanta in 1966 • They won the division in 1969, but by the mid 1970’s, were a losing club, with declining attendance • Then…..

42. Ted Turner Ted Turner, aka the Mouth of the South, bought the team in 1976 He already owned superstation WTBS, Channel 17 and saw the Braves as an excellent opportunity to fill hours

43. Ted Turner As an example of cross marketing, he signed Andy Messersmith to a long term deal Messersmith wore number 17, so Turner wanted him to accept the nickname Channel, so , well, you can figure out the uniform To no great surprise, Messersmith said no

44. Wet T Shirt Night • The head of promotions for the Atlanta Braves was Bob Hope (no, not that Bob Hope) • He was already legendary for a Headlock and Wedlock night – combining a mass wedding of 34 couples with a wrestling exhibition.

45. Wet T Shirt Night • Now it was on to wet t shirt night • At least he was realistic and refreshing: A month into the season, we knew we had another last place team. Our attitude was that you can't disgrace a disgrace ... We had long since gone beyond any resemblance of good taste.

46. Wet T Shirt Night • But how did they come up with the idea? • Hope was meeting with a group of Atlanta college students to plan additional college nights

47. Wet T Shirt Night • After rejecting best butt and best breasts contests, the students suggested a wet t-shirt contest • Hope vetoed that idea also. • Perhaps not the best idea to ask a bunch of frat boys for ideas

48. Wet T Shirt Night • Then Lewis Grizzard, of the Atlanta Constitution, looking for a story, asked Hope about upcoming promotions • Hope fatally replied we don’t have anything yet, but I can tell you one we won’t be doing – a wet t-shirt contest

49. Wet T Shirt Night • Grizzard said the Braves shouldn’t make such a decision, the fans should, so he ran a column asking for fan input on a wet t-shirt contest • Needless to say, there was great interest and approval • So it looked like the Braves were having a wet t-shirt contest

50. Wet T Shirt Night • Hope did hold out one “hope” that this promotion would be shot down – the Metro Atlanta Christian Council • Hope and Owner Ted Turner went to the Headquarters of the Council to discuss this with them (and hopefully for the Council to provide cover for cancelling)