Detroit Drinks Baseball History, Part 1

“They say some of my stars drink whiskey. But I have found that the ones who drink milkshakes don't win many ball games.”
― Casey Stengel   Baseball and drinking go together like...well, what's better than a beer and a ball game? Ever since the 19th century, America's game has been intertwined with booze: players drank (often copiously) and spectators made it an integral part of the experience. In its early days, though, baseball came under fire from Temperance advocates and church-goers for promoting waywardness. The battle over Sunday ball games lasted well into the 20th century. Detroit's ball teams got around this by hosting Sunday games outside of the city limits, complete with wildcat bleachers and brothel brawls. They also brought in some legal drinking to our old ball parks, from Southwest Detroit and Midtown to Bennett Park at the storied corner of Michigan and Trumbull.     This episode covers Detroit's baseball and drinking history up to Prohibition. I talk with author Anna Clark, who is working to re-contextualize the reputation of legendary, notorious, and somewhat misrepresented Tiger Ty Cobb. After a brief detour into the suffragist origins of your favorite baseball song, we wrap up the episode discussing why former ball player Billy Sunday thought Detroit boys and girls were going straight to Hell.    Detroit Drinks Baseball History Part 2 will cover 1933 to the present. We'll dive into dives like the Lindell AC and Hoot Robinson's, talk about the connection between breweries and baseball, and I'll chat with Tom Derry, founder of the unique celebration of Babe Ruth's birthday, going strong in Detroit for 30 years now.