Day 62 - A Realist & A Scam Artist

Monday night games usually aren't the best nights for a beer man. Fewer people come to the games and those who are there drinking stop after a few beers because they either have to drive themselves home or are working the next day and don't want to go into work with a hangover.

Well, last night was a great night for this beer man.

With Wellemeyer on the mound, I figured it would have been an easy 'W' for the Marlins...guess the Marlins decided to show up and have their pitcher allow the Cards have some batting practice too. I mean I think the first inning took nearly an hour! I wasn't going to complain.

I was able to sell nearly 4 cases on a Monday night...which is pretty good!

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Before my night even started, I was hanging out at in the commissary talking to some of the guys. One of the food vendors (usually high school kids or anyone under 21 or anyone not selling beer) walks up to me and says, "you're the only realist here in this commissary."

I tried to understand what he was trying to say, "What do you mean?"

He just looked back at me and said, "you're the only guy that's actually real in here...these other guys are just wacked out....so you're a realist...you need to teach some of these other guys how to be chill."

I just thanked him as I was somewhat laughing at his statement, remembering back a few days ago when I had a conversation with this kid about why I wasn't married yet if I have a girlfriend. He didn't quite understand my reasoning of needing/wanting to have a full-time job before thinking about taking on the responsibility of supporting someone else besides myself. He just kept going in circles in his adolescent mind thinking of how that didn't make a bit of sense to him. So young. So naive.

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During the very first part of the game, I had just made my way down a section and was selling a couple of guys some beers when something bizarre occurred.

I carded these two guys who looked like they were in their mid-20's and they were.
I handed these guys each a beer.
I remembered as I write this that they wanted a Bud Select and a Bud Light.
I turn around to the other side of the aisle to sell a beer.
As I was finishing that sale, I hear these two guys I just sold beers to yell to get my attention.

One of them said, "is there something wrong with your case of beer? I think something is wrong with your case of beer."

I just looked back at him confused cause I hadn't had any complaints or anything...

He just held up an empty Bud Select bottle and said, "I don't know how to explain it, but I sat this down and after I put my change away, I picked it up and it was empty. There isn't anywhere that I spilled the beer or anything. It's weird man, you gave me an empty beer."

I look back at him, look down into my tub of beer, back up to him holding the empty bottle...knowing that I handed him a full beer and that I would notice handing an empty bottle to someone. I looked down at his feet and there wasn't any place that looked like there was beer spilled on the ground. I didn't see a cup that he could have poured it into or anything....there was no way he could have just chugged that bottle in that short span of time that I just made another sale.

I replied to him, "I'm sorry about that. But I know I gave you a full beer and would notice handing an empty bottle to you sir."

Then the guy in front of him spoke up to say, "ya know what, I'll just buy him a beer. I heard him saying something was weird about his beer just a second ago...I'll buy him one so no one loses here."

The original guy started to say, "no, no, no, it's okay, i'll buy it."

I wasn't about to give this tool a free beer. I could see it on his face, he was trying to score himself a free beer by confusing the little young beer man...

He bought another beer from me and I decided to stay out of that section...they've taught us that if we every have conflict or problem with a fan to simply stay out of that section...I guess they figure it's best that way so that fan doesn't try to start something the next time you come around. Avoiding someone to avoid confrontation and conflict is the best solution right? HA!

I imagine that he probably had a cup that he was hiding under something or handed a cup to someone else around him...the elderly couple sitting next to them did seem to act like something odd was going on...hmmmm...yes, maybe the 80 year old woman next to him took it....ha!

After I got back to the commissary, I explained the situation and they said it definitely sounded like a scam and that I did the right thing and to just alert other beer men so they don't get scammed.

I just laugh thinking of what he said "...there is something wrong with that case of beer..." ....ha! yeah, i should have said, "so guess won't be wanting another one then will you"... damn idiot!

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...also someone caught the stlbeerman in action.



Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I saw a kid get hit by a bat. I know it was towards the 6th or 7th inning when on of the Marlin's swung at a ball and his bat went flying over the top of the visitors dugout and hit a kid. He was alright from what I could tell. He walked it off. Medical personnel were on the scene immediately.

Totals thus far:
73 Bags of Cracker Jacks
149 Bottles of Water
264 Bags of Peanuts
3969 Bottles of Beer