Fans Rushing The Field

[spiderico]

Fans rushing the field after the home team has won a championship used to be a common place occurrance.

For security and liability reasons, one can obviously understand why it is no longer encouraged, and efforts are immediately taken by police to secure the perimeter. (Although in college football, it still seems to be quite common place).

When was the last real major fan rushing celebration in baseball?

This was brought up in the Shea picture thread, but I though it was worthy of its own topic.

The site of fans rushing onto the field always give me goosebumps. Forget about the rioting and damage being done for a second. I'm just talking about the spectacle of it. The last one I can remember is when the Mets clinched the '86 NL East vs. the cubs. They tore the field up and I remember interviews with the head grounds keeper the next day as he had to get it back in shape for the WS. He was PISSED!

The two famous ones at Yankee Stadium were the '76 alcs and '77 WS. But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.

Anyway, here are some that stand out off the top of my head:

- '76 ALCS, '77 WS, '81 ALDS @ Yankee Stadium
- '69WS, '73 NLCS, '86 East Clinch @ Shea
- '84 WS @ Tiger Stadium
- '67 AL Clinch @ Fenway
- '60 WS @ Forbes

[Williamsburg2599]

This was brought up in the Shea picture thread, but I though it was worthy of its own topic.

The site of fans rushing onto the field always give me goosebumps. Forget about the rioting and damage being done for a second. I'm just talking about the spectacle of it. The last one I can remember is when the Mets clinched the '86 NL East vs. the cubs. They tore the field up and I remember interviews with the head grounds keeper the next day as he had to get it back in shape for the WS. He was PISSED!

The two famous ones at Yankee Stadium were the '76 alcs and '77 WS. But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.

Anyway, here are some that stand out off the top of my head:

- '76 ALCS, '77 WS, '81 ALDS @ Yankee Stadium
- '69WS, '73 NLCS, '86 East Clinch @ Shea
- '84 WS @ Tiger Stadium
- '67 AL Clinch @ Fenway
- '60 WS @ Forbes

I understand why they don't do it anymore either, but I sort of wish they would. I understand the sercuity reasons (partial blame can be pointed at those shirtless idiots who attacked the 1st base coach a couple years ago) but I wish they did it like at college football games, where they have a blocked off "safe zone" around the valuable stuff (like the FGs and tunnels) and escort the players to safety. But in all reality, if 35,000 fans wanted to get onto the field, 50-150 police officers couldn't stop them. But all it takes is one idiot to ruin the whole thing.

Anyways, here's some video of when "Havlicek stole the ball!" Notice the one fan grabbing the ball and running away. :laugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reM50SMn044

[sflnyc]

This was brought up in the Shea picture thread, but I though it was worthy of its own topic.

The site of fans rushing onto the field always give me goosebumps. Forget about the rioting and damage being done for a second. I'm just talking about the spectacle of it. The last one I can remember is when the Mets clinched the '86 NL East vs. the cubs. They tore the field up and I remember interviews with the head grounds keeper the next day as he had to get it back in shape for the WS. He was PISSED!

The two famous ones at Yankee Stadium were the '76 alcs and '77 WS. But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.

Anyway, here are some that stand out off the top of my head:

- '76 ALCS, '77 WS, '81 ALDS @ Yankee Stadium
- '69WS, '73 NLCS, '86 East Clinch @ Shea
- '84 WS @ Tiger Stadium
- '67 AL Clinch @ Fenway
- '60 WS @ Forbes

I'll add Game 4 of the 1978 ALCS at Yankee Stadium to that list also. To quote the immortal words of the late Phil Rizzuto on WPIX-11 (local TV stations were allowed to broadcast the games back then at the same time it was being shown nationally by ABC & NBC): "Fly ball leftfield...Gary Thomasson... Makes the Catch!... And the Yankees win the Pennant for the 3rd consecutive year!"

No, I don't have a tape of the game, just the ALCS highlight reel. Sorry if it was a tease, but "The Scooter's" voice needed to be heard again.

I have a picture of the 1981 ALDS field celebration which I will scan and post.

[zengator]

It's just not safe, for the fans or the players. I know it's more claustrophobic on a basketball court, but there have been several recent instances where a fan went after a player while rushing the court.

But besides the safety issues, it's just poor form. Act like you've won before, imo.

Anyone remember the LSU-Kentucky football game a few years ago when the UK crowd stormed the field as LSU completed a miraculous hail mary TD pass to avoid the upset? The blue-clad bafoons were trying to pull down the goalposts in one endzone, not realizing that their team had just lost the game in the other endzone. Funny stuff... :laugh

[hofflalu]

I believe both the '82 ALCS Game 5 and WS Game 5 at County Stadium. ALCS, obviously, since that's when the Brewers clinched the AL pennant. WS Game 5, maybe since that was the last Brewers home game in that series and they'd just won the game to go up 3-2 on the Cardinals (before, of course, losing the last two in St. Louis).

Watching the footage years later (I was a bit too young to be following baseball in '82), I still wonder why they stormed the field after a game when they didn't even clinch anything (WS Game 5). It's true that Milwaukee and a good chunk of Wisconsin went ga-ga over that Brewers team, so they were probably in the mood te celebrate just about anything. But rushing the field after going up 3-2, when the team could still lose the series on the road? I'm guessing it was a sign of the times when rushing was still prevalent.

[metfan13]

This was brought up in the Shea picture thread, but I though it was worthy of its own topic.

The site of fans rushing onto the field always give me goosebumps. Forget about the rioting and damage being done for a second. I'm just talking about the spectacle of it. The last one I can remember is when the Mets clinched the '86 NL East vs. the cubs. They tore the field up and I remember interviews with the head grounds keeper the next day as he had to get it back in shape for the WS. He was PISSED!

The two famous ones at Yankee Stadium were the '76 alcs and '77 WS. But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.

Anyway, here are some that stand out off the top of my head:

- '76 ALCS, '77 WS, '81 ALDS @ Yankee Stadium
- '69WS, '73 NLCS, '86 East Clinch @ Shea
- '84 WS @ Tiger Stadium
- '67 AL Clinch @ Fenway
- '60 WS @ Forbes

In 69 it was the Division clincher, the NLCS and the WS

[rugbyfreak]

This was brought up in the Shea picture thread, but I though it was worthy of its own topic.

The site of fans rushing onto the field always give me goosebumps. Forget about the rioting and damage being done for a second. I'm just talking about the spectacle of it. The last one I can remember is when the Mets clinched the '86 NL East vs. the cubs. They tore the field up and I remember interviews with the head grounds keeper the next day as he had to get it back in shape for the WS. He was PISSED!

The two famous ones at Yankee Stadium were the '76 alcs and '77 WS. But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.

Anyway, here are some that stand out off the top of my head:

- '76 ALCS, '77 WS, '81 ALDS @ Yankee Stadium
- '69WS, '73 NLCS, '86 East Clinch @ Shea
- '84 WS @ Tiger Stadium
- '67 AL Clinch @ Fenway
- '60 WS @ Forbes

You missed two at Yankee Stad. that I was part of (believe the only two times in my life I went on a MLB field):

1.) 1973: Final game at "old" YS. Though it had long since been announced that they would be renovating the park, thus beginning a true Dark Age for two years, where the Mets became their slumlords over at Shea and were barely competitive. These were the days, too, when the two teams really hated each other, because remember George had just taken over, and among his many pledges to the fans--that he would restore the franchise to its historic and proper pre-eminence in MLB--was an unwritten, but nonetheless crystal clear to the entire City, protocol that their advancement would come at the expense of the Mets. This was war, after all.

Since this was well before interleague play, one of main ways to establish this was through the now-defunct annual Mayor's Trophy game, near the end of pre-season. Back then, it was a pretty serious game, but it had started to lose its edge. And then George came along and instilled an intense atmosphere worthy of Ohio State-Michigan. Winning was a must, with Yankee managers under instructions to play it like a WS game.

Later, it once again lost its edge--even before interleague--and was finally discontinued (I'm not even sure what year). Nobody really misses it, and even now, when they play meaningful games every year, many fans (myself included) would like to see it reduced from 6 to 3 games. The second series each year definitely loses steam bigtime. I don't believe any of the other inter-city rivalries (Chicago, LA, Bay Area) play more than 3. Am I wrong about that? People around here still get juiced for that first 3-game set, far fewer care that much about the second.

It's all about both teams raking in a good payday on these (all 6 are sellouts or damn close). I think they should cut it to 3, with the teams alternating which one has the second home contest each year.

I have a little surprising tale about one of the '06 games. Me and three HS buddies have an annual get-together where the occasion is a Yankee game--any team, doesn't matter. Last year, happened to be the Mets. Two hours before game time, one buddy shows up at my house, and I was to do the driving both ways. When he arrived, I was already in a panic, as our overzealous housekeeper, who always drives me nuts by messing with my stuff on the hall table that's my pile of "in play" stuff that I have yet to deal with: bills, letters that need an answer, etc., and yes, tickets to upcoming sports events.

The table had been wiped clean and reorganized, things thrown out. We looked everywhere, but I knew there was no hope. So the plan was: I drive both of us to the game, he goes inside, and I would try to scalp my way in. But no way I was going to pay three figures for a regular season BB game. If I got in, I got in, but no guarantees.

Just before I got ready to work the street, I tried something, just for laughs. I went to the window and aksed the guy for his cheapest seat, if any were to be had. He said sure, sold me a $20 nosebleeder, and in I walked, and sat with my friends.

Maybe that tells us that the game is not quite the marquee event it had been, if you could walk in at gametime.

Oh yes, almost forgot:

2.) 1976: 4th and deciding game of the WS. My buddy and I simply hopped the wall, like everyone else, and moseyed around. I guess security figured the season was over, what the hell? Same as in '73.

Nowadays? You'd get maced, clubbed and arrested--assuming, of course, you even managed to get over the wall onto the field before being stopped.

[rugbyfreak]

Not only did going on the field used to be tolerated on a special occasion, but going back further, it was commonplace to go on after every game. This was the custom at the Polo Grounds, while the players would hurry to the clubhouse entrance located in CF.

This was the gyst of the Merkle Boner of '08, as poor Fred, in heading straight for the clubhouse on the walk-off game-winner before touching second, was merely carrying out a common custom. But Johnny Evers, citing the letter of the law, decided to test the system's integrity. And though the Giants cried long and hard, they really had no leg to stand on, and the correct ruling was made.

[sflnyc]

I believe both the '82 ALCS Game 5 and WS Game 5 at County Stadium. ALCS, obviously, since that's when the Brewers clinched the AL pennant. WS Game 5, maybe since that was the last Brewers home game in that series and they'd just won the game to go up 3-2 on the Cardinals (before, of course, losing the last two in St. Louis).

Watching the footage years later (I was a bit too young to be following baseball in '82), I still wonder why they stormed the field after a game when they didn't even clinch anything (WS Game 5). It's true that Milwaukee and a good chunk of Wisconsin went ga-ga over that Brewers team, so they were probably in the mood te celebrate just about anything. But rushing the field after going up 3-2, when the team could still lose the series on the road? I'm guessing it was a sign of the times when rushing was still prevalent.


I had forgot about the 1982 Brewers. I thought at the time that the WS Game 5 celebration was all about emotion, even though the series wasn't over. Milwaukee was so high on the Brewers back then that they even had a post World Series celebration at County Stadium in which MVP Robin Yount rode in a motorcycle and the place went bezerk. Pro teams hosting a parade, etc. after losing a Championship are very, very rare - I know the 1983 Redskins held one.

[sflnyc]

October 11, 1981
Here is a picture of the 1981 ALDS winning celebration at Yankee Stadium.

That was a sports Sunday in NY-NJ, as the Jets had hosted the Patriots at Shea (1:00p); the Giants hosted the Cardinals at Giants Stadium (4:00p); and then there was Game 5 of the ALDS (7:10pm)

[sflnyc]

October 20, 1982

Cardinals fans celebrating amid the fireworks after Game 7 of the 1982 World Series.

Speaking on celebrations not being allowed, I remember that when the Phillies ended 97 years of frustration, their bully mayor Rizzo? had cops and ready to pounce dogs encircling the field before the game ended daring anybody to come onto the field. I think that was the first time such a thing was done, a scene which has been repeated many times since then.

[The Monument]

Rugby mentioned the final game at the 'old' Yankee Stadium, Sept 30 1973. I was there but did not go on the field. I was sitting about three rows behind the 344' sign. Around the bottom of the seventh I noticed guys removing the name plates from the railings on the boxes with screwdrivers. By the ninth, guys were tearing seats out and actually swinging hammers to break off the seat backs from the adjoining seat. My father had us move back a few rows so we wouldn't get hurt. At games end, thousands ran onto the field, grabbing the bases and tearing up chunks of turf. I remember two NYC cops grabbing a guy on the warning track and throwing him back over the short wall into the seats. This was the first time the NYPD was actually assigned inside the Stadium. Before that it was just securiy guards. On the way out I found a straight backed seat slat which I still have. The plaques had already been removed from the Monuments before the game. Our friend Mike Wagner was also there and has some photos.

[PeteU]

Both the 1966 World Series victory against the Dodgers and the 1970 World Series victory against the Reds featured large on field celebrations by the Orioles fans at Memorial Stadium.

[hofflalu]

I had forgot about the 1982 Brewers. I thought at the time that the WS Game 5 celebration was all about emotion, even though the series wasn't over. Milwaukee was so high on the Brewers back then that they even had a post World Series celebration at County Stadium in which MVP Robin Yount rode in a motorcycle and the place went bezerk. Pro teams hosting a parade, etc. after losing a Championship are very, very rare - I know the 1983 Redskins held one.

The video of the parade in downtown Milwaukee prior to the gathering at County Stadium is amazing. The streets are completely clogged, the parade is moving super-slow, it's a big celebration. If you didn't know any better, you'd be convinved they'd won the series.

I also seem to recall the Braves having a parade after losing the 1991 World Series. I only remember this since, being a Twins fan, I had developed an intense dislike of the Braves after that series (one that has mostly faded by now), and remember seeing a story in the following days on one of the network evening newscasts that I think made a brief mention of the Twins' parade, then did a whole story on the Braves' parade. So, naturally, I was bitter at what I thought was pro-Braves bias in the media (especially being a fan of a team from the upper midwest that typically gets ignored nationwide). :-)

[StanTheMan]

October 20, 1982

Cardinals fans celebrating amid the fireworks after Game 7 of the 1982 World Series.

Speaking on celebrations not being allowed, I remember that when the Phillies ended 97 years of frustration, their bully mayor Rizzo? had cops and ready to pounce dogs encircling the field before the game ended daring anybody to come onto the field. I think that was the first time such a thing was done, a scene which has been repeated many times since then.

I was at game 1 and game 6 of the 1982 World Series. I had lots of family members who were at game 7.....

One aunt of mine got me a chunk of pitchers mound dirt.....

Still have it, of course. It's all dried up and not much to look at now.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Rushing the field is for losers. I'd much rather get loaded and let a bunch of beavers loose in a pine furniture store:)

[RuthMayBond]

But everyone forgets the '81 division series (because of the strike). The Yankees beat the Brewers in a Game 5 at YS and the fans rushed. You NEVER see footage or even hear about that series any more. I'd love to get a tape of that game.I bet psatact94 has one

[sflnyc]

Here are a few “Non-Championship” related field invasions by the fans.

July 12, 1979 Comiskey Park

Fans rushing onto the field for other reasons. The infamous “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey that drew a sellout crowd to a doubleheader against the Tigers. Fans rioted during the promotion in between the games and the 2nd game was forfeited.

Interesting website that is dedicated to that night, from which I’m posting some of the pictures.
http://www.outernetweb.com/focal/disco/index.html

Some other non-championship related field invasions by the fans:

Previous poster pointed out the fan activity at the last Yankee game at the original stadium in 1973. The last Washington Senators (the second time around) game at RFK in 1971 (against the Yankees, interestingly enough) was forfeited as fans stormed the field.

Also there was “10-cent Beer Night” in Cleveland in 1974 against the Texas when drunken fans tore apart the seats and started attacking the Rangers on the field. Needless to say, the game was forfeited.

If anybody has pictures of those two games, they would be interesting to see.

[Urbanshocker13]

Here is a couple of pictures from 10 cent beer night
:http://www.baseball-fever.com/images/attach/jpg.gif
http://www.baseball-fever.com/images/attach/jpg.gif
The first is is a bloody drunk fan being pulled by the ump. The 2nd is the Rangers(& some indains) Protecting their RF with bats from the crowd
Here is a link to a page about 10 cent beer night:
http://http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/features/flashbacks/06_04_1974.stm

[hsnterprize]

Here are a few “Non-Championship” related field invasions by the fans.

July 12, 1979 Comiskey Park

Fans rushing onto the field for other reasons. The infamous “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey that drew a sellout crowd to a doubleheader against the Tigers. Fans rioted during the promotion in between the games and the 2nd game was forfeited.

Interesting website that is dedicated to that night, from which I’m posting some of the pictures.
http://www.outernetweb.com/focal/disco/index.html

Some other non-championship related field invasions by the fans:

Previous poster pointed out the fan activity at the last Yankee game at the original stadium in 1973. The last Washington Senators (the second time around) game at RFK in 1971 (against the Yankees, interestingly enough) was forfeited as fans stormed the field.

Also there was “10-cent Beer Night” in Cleveland in 1974 against the Texas when drunken fans tore apart the seats and started attacking the Rangers on the field. Needless to say, the game was forfeited.

If anybody has pictures of those two games, they would be interesting to see.Ah, yes..."Disco Demolition Night"...one of the most famous and infamous events in Chicago White Sox history. If you're interested in learning about what led to that night at Old Comiskey Park back in 1979, click here (http://whitesoxinteractive.com/History&Glory/DiscoDemolition.htm). Not to mention, you'll see some great pictures of that event on the site I'm linking you on...White Sox Interactive (or WSI for short). Enjoy.

Also...sticking with the Pale Hose...I'd say what gave me chills was watching the Sox clinch the 1983 American League West Division title. They won it at Comiskey Park, and fans rushed the field after that win. It was the first time sports fans in Chicago were able to experience what we'd been seeing in New York and other cities across the country. Here's a link to WSI's chronology of that season...including audio clips of radio and TV coverage of the division clinching game, and subsequent playoff series against Baltimore (http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/rwas/index.php?category=14&id=2321).

[rugbyfreak]

Rugby mentioned the final game at the 'old' Yankee Stadium, Sept 30 1973. I was there but did not go on the field. I was sitting about three rows behind the 344' sign. Around the bottom of the seventh I noticed guys removing the name plates from the railings on the boxes with screwdrivers. By the ninth, guys were tearing seats out and actually swinging hammers to break off the seat backs from the adjoining seat. My father had us move back a few rows so we wouldn't get hurt. At games end, thousands ran onto the field, grabbing the bases and tearing up chunks of turf. I remember two NYC cops grabbing a guy on the warning track and throwing him back over the short wall into the seats. This was the first time the NYPD was actually assigned inside the Stadium. Before that it was just securiy guards. On the way out I found a straight backed seat slat which I still have. The plaques had already been removed from the Monuments before the game. Our friend Mike Wagner was also there and has some photos.

Do you remember the keepsake souvenir they handed out at the gate that day? It was a little 45 RPM record of recordings from famous YS moments from 1923-'73. It came in its own little cardboard cover--and I still have it! I still remember the deafening sound throughout the Stadium after the game, of thousands of fans hammering away at seats, railings, anything they could get. I remember that management had made it clear before the game that anything was fair game--it could only help with the demolition they would have to do later. I remember kicking myself for not bringing a wrench to remove one of those blue, wooden seats from its moorings. So I went onto the field and satisfied myself with cutting a patch of grass from short left field, which I took home and planted in the back yard.

One more memory: The game was far from a sellout. My playground group had some 20-30 seats, easy. That season had started out with such high hopes--they were in first into July, and then they pulled an amazing fold the second half, and fans were bitter, I guess.

[Gary Dunaier]

I remember that management had made it clear before the game that anything was fair game--it could only help with the demolition they would have to do later.
Oh, how times have changed...

Now, if you want a piece of the old ballpark, the club will be happy to sell it to you... and practically every part of the stadium is for sale...

http://www.lelands.com/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/511/thumbnails_bidding/40252.jpg

I don't know what's scarier: the fact that they offered it for sale in the first place, or the fact that someone actually paid over $2,100 (http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?auctionid=511&lot=111) for it! :crazy

(Oh, in case you don't know... that's the urinal from the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse at Busch Stadium II.)

[stlfan]

Oh, how times have changed...

Now, if you want a piece of the old ballpark, the club will be happy to sell it to you... and practically every part of the stadium is for sale...

http://www.lelands.com/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/511/thumbnails_bidding/40252.jpg

I don't know what's scarier: the fact that they offered it for sale in the first place, or the fact that someone actually paid over $2,100 (http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?auctionid=511&lot=111) for it! :crazy

(Oh, in case you don't know... that's the urinal from the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse at Busch Stadium II.)

Ha ha ha. Yup, the Cardinals milked Busch II and anything to do with it for all it was worth. But people were willing to buy this overpriced stuff. In a related note on the last game at Busch II (2005 NLCS game 6) people were trying to leave with trash cans, mustard containers, you name it. LOL

[Gary Dunaier]

on the last game at Busch II (2005 NLCS game 6) people were trying to leave with trash cans, mustard containers, you name it.
Well, it's one thing if something is just sitting there, yours for the taking... even if it is something silly like a mustard container. (Wonder if the mustard is still any good? ;) ) It's when the big bucks come into play that the head-shaking begins.

But hey... even I've done stupid stuff like that. I'm a comic book fan, and back in 1992 during a promotional tour, the artist Dave Sim stepped outside the store where he was doing a signing to smoke a cigarrette. He tossed the butt on the sidewalk near where I was waiting on line, and I quipped that it would be funny if someone, having seen him toss it, decided to snatch it up. Nobody did, so as a goof I decided to take it and ask him to sign it... which he did.

Yes, I still have it. :o

[philipthegreat]

easily the best was the pennant winning shot by Chambliss.

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

I remember this being a monumental event for me as a kid, Chris Chambliss hitting a HR to win the 1976 ALCS, and the fans storming the field (and Cosell never shutting up)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1YdBgHxeQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQLXd205nQQ

[ipitch]

I was watching game 6 of the 1977 World Series today. With one out to go, a bunch of fans were sitting on the right field wall and apparently throwing firecrackers. Surprisingly, they were allowed to sit there with their legs dangling over the wall. Reggie Jackson went to the dugout and traded his hat for his batting helmet. After the final out was made, he ran off the field and leveled two fans on his way to the dugout. So, Reggie actually had 5 big hits that night, not 3. :)

BTW, Keith Jackson must have hated working with Howard Cosell. Almost every time a HR was hit, Cosell would loudly interrupt Jackson's HR call!

Jackson: "High fly ball deep to right fiel..."
Cosell: "IT'S GONE!!!!!!"

[StanTheMan]

No description or explanation needed....


29937 29938

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Here's the 1969 Mets winning the championship. The fans in '69 were far less destructive than the '73 fans who stormed the field after the NLCS win over the Reds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pekvHx2cFhs

FYI, making the last out for the O's was Davey Johnson, who 17 years later led the Mets to their next (and so far only other) WS championship.