Can Baseball make money without alcohol?

[jcrandall]

I heard about this story watching the Tigers vs. BlueJays broadcast tonight, thought it was interesting.

Guess they were serving minors, which is under 19 in Canada.

You figure they would have just fired the vendors or fined the club or something, this is almost unreasonable punishment, the kind of thing that makes an MLB general manager cringe.

As a result of these infractions, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is suspending the liquor license for Rogers Centre for three event dates in 2009.

Rogers Centre - Events - Rogers Centre Announces Dates For Alcohol Service Suspension

 

[SamCdbs]

Wow. I guess I have three comments.

- Americans tend to view Canada as a more socially liberal place, and maybe it is. But you sure would not know if from its alcohol laws. Canada, despite all the old movies about rum running, had prohibition too, for longer and more seriously enforced, and still has what we would call down here "state stores", even for, at least in Ontario, beer. One "beer store" per town or neighborhood, with no beer available for retail elsewhere.

- Considering the mark up on beer, this is a substantial penalty. Big $$. But, hey, baseball made money without beer vendors for the entire 1920s, now didn't it? Longer in many towns.

- IIRC, Maryland used to have a law that closed "taverns" on election days. Well openning day (a day game, so thus the polls were open) one year for the Orioles fell on some meaningless low-turnout election day for school board or something like that. The O's spent over $100K to get the state legislature to change the rules.

 

[Ramy]

I know many people that would actually go back to games if they quit serving alcohol.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

My local paper says that the ban for these dates is for the whole property, including the clubhouse too. Something tells me there won't be too much hanging around after those games!!!

 

[cybok0]

I'm lucky if I drink one beer when I go to a game, too much money.

If I drive I usually only have one beer at a restaurant before the game, if someone else is driving, I have a lot at a restaurant before the game.

I always like to go to Hooters before the game, if I go with the family, we go to Jerome Bettis' place.

{ Jerome Bettis' Grille 36 }

 

[Islandguy43]

Crazy Ontario Drinking Laws

Wow. I guess I have three comments.

- Americans tend to view Canada as a more socially liberal place, and maybe it is. But you sure would not know if from its alcohol laws. Canada, despite all the old movies about rum running, had prohibition too, for longer and more seriously enforced, and still has what we would call down here "state stores", even for, at least in Ontario, beer. One "beer store" per town or neighborhood, with no beer available for retail elsewhere.

- Considering the mark up on beer, this is a substantial penalty. Big $$. But, hey, baseball made money without beer vendors for the entire 1920s, now didn't it? Longer in many towns.

- IIRC, Maryland used to have a law that closed "taverns" on election days. Well openning day (a day game, so thus the polls were open) one year for the Orioles fell on some meaningless low-turnout election day for school board or something like that. The O's spent over $100K to get the state legislature to change the rules.

You know what is crazy about this is; Us whom live on the border "go over the river" for lunch, dinner, baseball, hockey or the wine tours etc. You can go into stripper bar (American's call it the French Ballet ) have a beer while a woman in front of you is completely naked or even sits on your lap and grinds her pelvis into you during a lap dance :, yet they strip Rogers Centre their beer license for three games in 2009. Hmmm...why didn't they include the Game the Buffalo Bills play there?

I also wonder, if you watch the game from the Hard Rock Cafe inside the Rogers Centre, can you have a beer there??

 

[cybok0]

You know what is crazy about this is; Us whom live on the border "go over the river" for lunch, dinner, baseball, hockey or the wine tours etc. You can go into stripper bar (American's call it the French Ballet ) have a beer while a woman in front of you is completely naked or even sits on your lap and grinds her pelvis into you during a lap dance :, yet they strip Rogers Centre their beer license for three games in 2009. Hmmm...why didn't they include the Game the Buffalo Bills play there?

I also wonder, if you watch the game from the Hard Rock Cafe inside the Rogers Centre, can you have a beer there??

When I lived in northern Maine, we use to cross the boarder every weekend because drinking is 19 and once a month we would drive to Quebec to see the dancing girls.

 

[darrencp22]

You know what is crazy about this is; Us whom live on the border "go over the river" for lunch, dinner, baseball, hockey or the wine tours etc. You can go into stripper bar (American's call it the French Ballet ) have a beer while a woman in front of you is completely naked or even sits on your lap and grinds her pelvis into you during a lap dance :, yet they strip Rogers Centre their beer license for three games in 2009. Hmmm...why didn't they include the Game the Buffalo Bills play there?

I also wonder, if you watch the game from the Hard Rock Cafe inside the Rogers Centre, can you have a beer there??

Never heard it called "French Ballet", Just "Canadian Ballet".

 

[Skyhi]

I never knew Canada was so strict. Before I turned 21, I would go a few times a year to drink and watch canadian ballet at the Sundowner in Niagra Falls.

 

[jcrandall]

Wow. I guess I have three comments.

- Americans tend to view Canada as a more socially liberal place, and maybe it is. But you sure would not know if from its alcohol laws. Canada, despite all the old movies about rum running, had prohibition too, for longer and more seriously enforced, and still has what we would call down here "state stores", even for, at least in Ontario, beer. One "beer store" per town or neighborhood, with no beer available for retail elsewhere.

I agree with you there, I paid $36 for a case of Labatt (domestic there). This was a couple years ago when the exchange rate was pretty much equal. Same beer state side is less than $20, even with Michigan bottle deposit.

I went to 3 gas stations finding they didn't sell alcohol before finally asking someone, where the hell can you buy beer here. Had to go to the other side of town for the "Beer Store" Ontario govt run.

 

[jcrandall]

When I lived in northern Maine, we use to cross the boarder every weekend because drinking is 19 and once a month we would drive to Quebec to see the dancing girls.

I wasn't going to go there, that is a whole other thread Or a whole other site for that matter.

I would venture that is a pretty common reason for border crossing, and would get you through quick at customs: "Visiting for the liberal dancer laws"

 

[cybok0]

I agree with you there, I paid $36 for a case of Labatt (domestic there). This was a couple years ago when the exchange rate was pretty much equal. Same beer state side is less than $20, even with Michigan bottle deposit.

I went to 3 gas stations finding they didn't sell alcohol before finally asking someone, where the hell can you buy beer here. Had to go to the other side of town for the "Beer Store" Ontario govt run.

Here in PA you can only buy a case of beer at beer distributor, or two six packs at a bar.

Alcohol can only be bought at a state store.

 

[cybok0]

I wasn't going to go there, that is a whole other thread Or a whole other site for that matter.

I would venture that is a pretty common reason for border crossing, and would get you through quick at customs: "Visiting for the liberal dancer laws"

LOL.

 

[Derwin0]

Had to go to the other side of town for the "Beer Store" Ontario govt run.

The Beer Store is actually privately owned, ownership is split between Labatt and Molson-Coors.
Unfortuantely it has a monopoly in Ontario, which results in high prices. My in-laws frequently drive over to Quebec is get cheaper beer at their corner stores.

The LCBO though, is a crown corporation owned by Ontario. They have the monopoly on hard liquor.

Basically Ontario is as screwed up as Pennsylania, where you have to get your beer at "Distributors" and your liquor at "State Stores", resulting in higher prices for both.

 

[cybok0]

The Beer Store is actually privately owned, ownership is split between Labatt and Molson-Coors.
Unfortuantely it has a monopoly in Ontario, which results in high prices. My in-laws frequently drive over to Quebec is get cheaper beer at their corner stores.

The LCBO though, is a crown corporation owned by Ontario. They have the monopoly on hard liquor.

Basically Ontario is as screwed up as Pennsylania, where you have to get your beer at "Distributors" and your liquor at "State Stores", resulting in higher prices for both.

Every time I drive to WV, I see the beer in the gas stations, I wounder what is PAs problem.

 

[HD MM]

Here in PA you can only buy a case of beer at beer distributor, or two six packs at a bar.

Alcohol can only be bought at a state store.

I've got family from PA and I'm familiar with this law. I still find it strange as hell though.

The only place I ever buy beer is either at a gas station or a grocery store. To have to go to a special distributor would be a nightmare.

 

[KCK_Halo]

My local paper says that the ban for these dates is for the whole property, including the clubhouse too. Something tells me there won't be too much hanging around after those games!!!

Hasn't this come up several times before after some lug has gone out after a game and driven drunk and killed himself and/or others? St. Louis comes to mind a year or so ago with a dispondant pitcher.

Anyway, YES! It is up to the individual property to govern serving alcohol in both clubhouses. MLB has tried to step in and run into some roadblocks.

 

[cybok0]

I've got family from PA and I'm familiar with this law. I still find it strange as hell though.

The only place I ever buy beer is either at a gas station or a grocery store. To have to go to a special distributor would be a nightmare.

Well there are quite a few around, probably ten within a 20 mile radius, maybe more, so it's not that bad.

We all grow up knowing you have to do this, it's just weird seeing beer in a gas station.

 

[HD MM]

I heard about this story watching the Tigers vs. BlueJays broadcast tonight, thought it was interesting.

Guess they were serving minors, which is under 19 in Canada.

You figure they would have just fired the vendors or fined the club or something, this is almost unreasonable punishment, the kind of thing that makes an MLB general manager cringe.



Rogers Centre - Events - Rogers Centre Announces Dates For Alcohol Service Suspension

Yeah, I guess they're blaming the events of Monday in which the BJ's game was delayed nine minutes in the eighth inning when fans threw two baseballs in the direction of Detroit left fielder Josh Anderson and tossed a handful of paper planes and empty beer cups onto the field.

One of the games the Rogers Centre wasn't allowed to sell alcohol was yesterday against the Tigers. As a result, the Blue Jays drew only 16,790 fans. The previous day was a sellout. The other two games alcohol sales will be banned will be April 21st (Toronto vs. Texas), and a CFL game on Aug. 1st.

 

[Islandguy43]

Never heard it called "French Ballet", Just "Canadian Ballet".

Well, basically 90% them of speak french fluently and that is why we always called it the "French Ballet"