Pennsylvania Blue Laws Trumps Pabst Blue Ribbon

[DOUGHBOYS]

Blue Laws are stupid.
Blue laws are laws that fall in line with religion. We still have blue laws today. If your state cannot sell automobiles or alcohol at certain times, these are remainders from blue laws.
I bring this up because blue laws affected baseball.

Philadelphia was especially hard hit by blue laws. They could not have sporting events on Sunday. They could not serve liquor at sporting events.
The best selling drinks at Philadelphia games for a long time was, (shriek!), Milk.
Connie Mack who prided himself on being a 'clean liver' even fought for beer to be served at the ballpark.
But the Pennsylvania blue laws called for alcoholic drinks to be only sold in bars and liquor stores.

When prohibition was enacted in the 20's, Philadelphia fans were unaffected. They had had prohibition enacted for them in the form of blue laws. After prohibition and during the depression, Pennsylvania patrons implored legislators to change the blue laws. They felt that the economy could be helped by widening the scope of alcoholic sales.
The practice of sneaking cans and bottles of beer and other alcohol became common place at Philadelphia games.
So common, that season ticket holders shared some of the contraband with their favorite ushers at the Stadium.
The most popular place 'off campus' from the ballpark was a bar beyond the right field fence.
Folks would come out with their brown bags of beer and enter the ballpark.
Even a few relief pitchers from the bullpen were seen in the establishment.

In 1931, Mack and the Phillies finally got state legislators to permit baseball on Sundays.
The legislators passed a special law that professional baseball and only professional baseball will be the only sport played on Sundays in Pennsylvania.
Two years later, with an NFL franchise hanging in the balance, the blue laws of sporting events on Sunday was changed again.
Imagine that.
Professional sports could be played on Sundays and other sporting events on Sundays were left to local officials.

Still, no alcohol.
While other cities imbibed at ball games, Philadelphians were dry.
It lasted through the 20's.
Through the 30's.
Through the 40's.
Then, Philadelphians took matters into their own hands.
Or rather, arms.

When an umpire made a call to the dislike of Philly patrons, objects were hurled. Milk was sold in paper cups and hot dog wrappers were light, so customers started throwing weighted objects.
Coins and Smuggled in cans of beer became the weapons of choice.
The practice of throwing beer cans was generally frowned upon by some, but accepted by most, especially if tea-totlers agreed with the bad call.
It all came to a head (pun intended) in 1949. Richie Ashburn made a fantastic shoestring catch (is there any better term in sports than 'a shoestring catch'?).
Only the umpires didn't see it as a fantastic shoestring catch. They saw it as a short hop.
Phillies fans went crazy.
Beer cans short hopped umpires.
Beer popped from cans hitting the field like little geysers. Players and umpires alike took for cover.
The spree lasted for over 15 minutes. The field was so littered and fans still so irate, that the game was declared a forfeit.

Phillies Management implored state officials to make beer legal in the ball parks. Arguing that hundreds of cans had been found on the field and in trash cans anyway and that they could sell it in paper cups for a safety measure.
This lobby was met head on by an unusual opponent.
Philadelphia bar owners.
They had made a lot of money selling beer to ball park smugglers and aimed to keep the status quo.
They won.
Even after the Ashburn incident, beer sales were not allowed.
Phillies and A's fans went dry for the rest of the 40's and through the 50's.
The A's cited it as one of their reasons for moving out of Philadelphia in 1954.

More ugly can-throwing hooliganism occurred during the late 50's and in 1960.
The A's and Pirates approached state law makers with a new plan.
With Shibe Park and Forbes Field getting old and decrepit, the clubs offered that beer sales at both parks could help fund new stadiums, helping the economy of Pennsylvania's two largest cities.
The politicians voiced safety issues and economical interests in finally granting the ball parks the rights to serve alcohol.
In 1961, 80 years after Philadelphia started their baseball team, beer was finally served at the ball park.
It wasn't till 1972 that beer was served on Sunday's in Pennsylvania ball parks. Thanks again, to the blue laws.

There's a saying making light of Pennsylvanians and the legislative thought process difference between rural and metropolitan thinkers.
It goes like this-
First you have Philadelphia. Then you have Pittsburgh. And in between, well in between, we have Alabama.
James Carville said it.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh baseball fans lived it.