Crazy Promotions All Part Of Minor League Baseball Lore

Minor League Baseball has often been called “The Greatest Show on Dirt.” And even if the star attraction will certainly be a no-show, well, the show must go on.

With that in mind, and tongue firmly in cheek, the Lake Elsinore Storm will host its “Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo” night Thursday night at The Diamond.

Fans will receive the entire Sheen experience, from references to his popular “Two And A Half Men” show to his baseball movie “ Major League” and nods to his recent meltdown on the Internet. The club will have a taco eating contest and hand out Charlie Sheen bobbleheads and horn-rimmed glasses like the one’s Sheen’s character, “Wild Thing” wore in the 1989 movie.

With more than 70 promotions in a season, Storm Director of Media Relations Steve Smaldone said this was dreamed up during a staff meeting.

“In a promotional meeting, Charlie Sheen came up and we looked at our calendar and saw that May 5th was an open date,” Smaldone said. “One of our employees blurted out, ‘Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo.'

“We definitely try to promote more of an entertainment venue than a baseball team – the fan experience over winning. With his (Sheen’s) baseball ties, it fell right into place for us. It was perfect.”

"We've sold about 3,000 tickets," Smaldone said. The team did reach out to Sheen’s publicist to invite him to the game, but did not receive a response, Smaldone said.

One Latino group did criticize the Storm, saying using the Cinco de Mayo holiday was insensitive. Some members of the Lake Elsinore City Council also felt the event was inappropriate, as Sheen is not a good role model.

Smaldone said it was never the teams’ intent to offend anyone and they have received mostly positive feedback from their fans.

Other famous “promotional nights” throughout Minor League Baseball have included:

Terrell Owens Unappreciation Night—In 2006, when Owens was still playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, a team located in Atlantic City, New Jersey held this promotion in which fans received whoopee cushions with a picture of Owens on them. Fans could also buy 81-cent hot dogs (Owens number is 81) and fans who handed in Owens memorabilia got two free seats. The merchandise was burned after the game.

Second Chance Night—The Fresno Grizzlies hosted a night in which any fan who brought in a traffic ticket to the box office and promised to never get another one got in free.

Jose Canseco Juice Box Night—Jose Canseco finished his tarnished career with the Long Beach Armada and longtime rivals Fullerton Flyers decided to have a little fun with it. The Flyers gave 500 boxes of juice away when Canseco came to town, after the release of Canseco's book, Juiced.

Used Car Night --The San Antonio Missions took it to the next level. A dozen randomly-selected fans received used vehicles. Among the cars were a 1991 Jaguar and a 1990 Cadillac.

Britney Spears Baby Safety Night—The Newark Bears hosted this promotional night when Britney Spears was caught driving with her infant son in her lap instead putting him in a car seat. Any fan who dressed as a baby, brought an actual baby, or just a baby toy, got in for free. Everybody in the stands received a brochure on baby safety.