Heading For Home

Chatting with Legendary Columnist Bob Dyer and Sports Journalist Vince Guerrieri

Let's dive into the events of that fateful game at Cleveland Stadium on June 4, 1974. This week we speak with sports journalist Vince Guerrieri and legendary columnist Bob Dyer. Vince Guerrieri is a journalist in the Cleveland area. His work has appeared in publications as varied as Popular Mechanics, Ohio Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, CityLab and Defector. He’s the author of Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports and several other books on regional sports history. As a columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, Bob Dyer earned over 80 regional and national writing awards. He was voted Best Columnist in the Nation by the National Society of Professional Journalists (2008) and Best Humor Columnist by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (2013). He was named Best Columnist in Ohio by at least one professional journalism organization for six consecutive years. Dyer was one of the lead writers for “A Question of Color,” a yearlong examination of racial attitudes in Akron that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994. Bob is the author of “The Top 20 Moments in Cleveland Sports,” which includes an insightful and hilarious examination of Ten Cent Beer Night.

Chatting with attendees Buck McWilliams, Terry Yerkic, and Jim Clark.

Let’s dive into the events of that fateful game at Cleveland Stadium on June 4, 1974. This week we speak with attendees Buck McWilliams, Terry Yerkic, and Jim Clark. Jim Clark is the author of “Rally Round Cleveland: The Story of the 1974 Franchise Saving Cleveland Indians” and has been the radio voice of the Akron RubberDucks — formerly called the Canton-Akron Indians and Akron Aeros — for 30 years. He recently called his 3500th game for the team. Jim was inducted into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. Besides being my good friend and baseball teammate at Chagrin Falls High School, Buck McWilliams attended the Ten Cent Beer Night game. He has had a distinguished career as Morning Show host at top radio stations in Toledo, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Manchester, Columbus, West Palm Beach, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale. He is currently Senior Account Mgr. at Audacy Radio stations in Cleveland. Heading For Home is written and executive produced by Eric and Dawn Olsen. Sound design and original music by Richard Ingraham. Original art by Kristen Kantounatakis. Terry Yerkic was Ohio State Wrestling champ his senior year at Richmond Heights High School in 1973, where he also played football; and he earned a full ride scholarship to Cleveland State University. A versatile athlete, he played 16” softball for 14 years and went to the National championship 4 times. As a citizen of Richmond Has, Terry served on the recreation board, master plan committee, served 20+ years as Santa Claus for Breakfast with Santa, coached football at Richmond Hts high school and middle school, and was Girl’s Softball Commissioner He was inducted into the Richmond Heights Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and was Richmond Heights Citizen of the Year in 2000. Yet despite all of these impressive and virtuous deeds, Terry will go down in history for something else… Heading For Home is written and executive produced by Eric and Dawn Olsen. Sound design and original music by Richard Ingraham. Original art by Kristen Kantounatakis.

All Hell Breaks Loose

Our Ten Cent Beer Night Riot docudrama concludes: pinch hitters produce, fans fester and foam, a fateful confrontation in right field, and all hell breaks loose. Every year the media “celebrate” the anniversary of the Ten Cent Beer Night riot of 1974 at Cleveland Stadium. Fans, awash in cheap beer, streaked, chanted obscenities, pelted the players with everything from hotdogs to explosives, then charged the field and brawled viciously with the visiting Texas Rangers and their own home team Indians. This is that story. Heading For Home is written and executive produced by Eric and Dawn Olsen. Sound design and original music by Richard Ingraham. Original art by Kristen Kantounatakis. Performed by Eric Olsen, Buck McWilliams, Alex Olsen, Mars Fargo, Tom Fulton, Nathan Welsh, Marty O’Sullivan, Dawn Olsen, Donna Westfall, Bryan Westfall, and Richard Ingraham.

The Tribe Threatens

Our Ten Cent Beer Night Riot docudrama continues: George Hendrick to the rescue, the sane and the sober flee a beer tsunami, Billy Martin fights fire with fire, announcer outrage, and the Tribe threatens. Every year the media “celebrate” the anniversary of the Ten Cent Beer Night riot of 1974 at Cleveland Stadium. Fans, awash in cheap beer, streaked, chanted obscenities, pelted the players with everything from hotdogs to explosives, then charged the field and brawled viciously with the visiting Texas Rangers and their own home team Indians. This is that story. Heading For Home is written and executive produced by Eric and Dawn Olsen. Sound design and original music by Richard Ingraham. Original art by Kristen Kantounatakis. Performed by Eric Olsen, Buck McWilliams, Alex Olsen, Mars Fargo, Tom Fulton, Nathan Welsh, Marty O’Sullivan, Dawn Olsen, Donna Westfall, Bryan Westfall, and Richard Ingraham.

Warrior Down: Chaos on the Field

Our Ten Cent Beer Night Riot docudrama continues: a warrior is felled, the field is festooned and fans run wild, Herb Score pleas for sanity, the Indians show pluck, and the Rangers are bombed out of their bullpen. Every year the media “celebrate” the anniversary of the Ten Cent Beer Night riot of 1974 at Cleveland Stadium. Fans, awash in cheap beer, streaked, chanted obscenities, pelted the players with everything from hotdogs to explosives, then charged the field and brawled viciously with the visiting Texas Rangers and their own home team Indians. This is that story. Heading For Home is written and executive produced by Eric and Dawn Olsen. Sound design and original music by Richard Ingraham. Original art by Kristen Kantounatakis. Performed by Eric Olsen, Buck McWilliams, Alex Olsen, Mars Fargo, Tom Fulton, Nathan Welsh, Marty O’Sullivan, Dawn Olsen, Donna Westfall, Bryan Westfall, and Richard Ingraham.