Ten Cent Beer Night: An Oral History

Ohio V. The World

It's the Season 6 Finale and we saved our best for last. Powered by interviews from a proposed documentary we give an oral history of the infamous Ten Cent Beer Night in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4, 1974. We hear from the people who were there that muggy night on Lake Erie when a baseball game became a beer-fueled riot. Special thanks to our friends John and Seth from Grey Lodge Productions for sharing over 7 hours of their interviews with those who lived through Ten Cent Beer Night.

Ten Cent Beer Night, the misguided promotional idea by the Cleveland Indians turned violent as over-served Clevelanders stormed the field and attacked the players. We hear the story told through the words of the players, announcers, umpires, journalists, photographers and even the son of the Indians Executive VP. Mike Hargrove, first baseman that night for the visiting Texas Rangers, shares his story of that night on the field at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, two decades before he became the Cleveland Indians manager. We sit down with filmmaker Seth Moherman about the ridiculous scene that night in Downtown Cleveland when the Cleveland Indians decided to sell beer for 10 cents a cup.

We look at the economic and political troubles that defined the summer of 1974: the oil crisis, Watergate, stagflation and high unemployment numbers. We also discuss the deteriorating situation in the City of Cleveland in the 1970s and how the money problems of the Cleveland Indians led to this event happening in the first place. Also, we analyze the career and antics of the Rangers manager, Billy Martin, and his role in Ten Cent Beer Night. You can learn more about Martin and just how wild 1970s baseball was in our guest Mike Shropshire's excellent book Seasons in Hell. Buy Mike's book here...https://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Hell-Baseball-History-1973-1975/dp/0803292775

We'll be back next year with Season 7 with our friends at Evergreen Podcast Network. Go to www.evergreenpodcasts.com for our show and dozens of other great podcasts. Share this show with your Cleveland sports fan friends and family, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Don't hesitate to reach out to Alex by email at [e-mail] with a future show idea or to buy one of our great Ohio v. the World t-shirts. See you in 2022!

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