Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Shhhh, It’s a Silent Night

Let’s hear it for the South Atlantic League’s Charleston Riverdogs! But keep it quiet, whisper your cheers, please, in honor of one of their most memorable promotions: “Silent Night.” It was enough to wake up the crickets but not the shepherds who watched their flocks by night.

The thing is, the game was played in mid-summer July 14, NOT during Christmas. Well, of course it was. Baseball teams don’t play in the winter (except for the winter leagues for those who need the extra work).

Nearly 3,000 fans attended their game with the Capital City (Columbia, South Carolina) Bombers, many of them wearing duct tape over their mouths. They used librarians as ushers, golf marshals walked around with “Quiet Please” signs, the radio announcer did his work atop a cherry picker outside the park, and fans cheered with placards.

About the only thing that could be heard was the crunch of peanut shells as fans trod through the aisles. It must have worked, because the Riverdogs won 4-2. According to one wag, it was almost as quiet as a Florida Marlins game.

I love minor league baseball promotions.

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