July 12, 1979: Disco demolished, game forfeited
Submitted by BTGrimes on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 5:00am |
| Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, rock & roll CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Rock & Roll and Disco don't mix, neither, apparently, do Rock & Roll and baseball. The Chicago White Sox and two Chicago radio shock jocks found that out on this date in baseball history when a promotion got out of control. It forced the Sox to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader. Chicago radio DJ's Steve Dahl and Garry Meier and Mike Veeck, the son of Sox owner Bill Veeck, agreed to have a promotion called "Disco Demolition Night" on July 12, 1979. Rock jocks Dahl and Meier despised Disco music, so they invited thousands of their fans to bring Disco records to the Sox-Detroit Tiger doubleheader in exchange for a free ticket. The records would be blown up in center field between games. The problem was thousands of their fans brought Disco records to the game in exchange for a free ticket. The records were blown up in center field between games. Once this triumphant disco demolition took place the "fans," most of who, you could safely bet, were not your average baseball fans, became oblivious to a second game soon having to be played on the field they had just overrun by the thousands. After more than an hour of trying to clear the field, chief umpire Dave Phillips postponed the game between the Sox and Tigers. American League President Lee McPhail went even further and ruled the game a forfeit win for the Tigers also won the first game 4-1. CONTRIBUTING SOURCES: This baseball history story is brought to you by TODAY in BASEBALL. |
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