7/11/2002: Baseball team lets nobody in

Welcome to Charleston, SC., where the local minor league team is the "Riverdogs". But what's going on here?

These fans are watching the team via ladder, after the team held "Nobody Night" as a promotion where they set the record for lowest attendance at a baseball game... 0. Prior to the game they locked the doors, and let nobody in (except staff, scouts, and press) until the 5th inning when the game became official.

The Riverdogs are part of the Devil Rays organization. The team's owner, Mike Veeck, tends to think up wacky promotions. Example? On Father's Day he scheduled "Vasectomy Night".

BB fans will find the name familiar: he's the son of the old Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck, who did things like send a midget up to bat.

But there's an even more familiar name amongst the Riverdogs board: Bill Murray. Yes, that Bill Murray. His official title is "President/Director of Fun".

In a year when baseball may be ruined forever, this is the one team we should all rally around.

But the Baseball hall of fame may still find a way to ruin even "Nobody Night"... they're saying that the season tickets sold count as part of the official attendance, even if the fans didn't get in.

Yes...good ol' Bill Veeck:

--Sent Eddie Gaedel (wearing the number 1/8...that's "one-eighth") up to bat for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. He walked on four pitches.

--Had the Chicago White Sox play in shorts during a game in 1976.

--And of course, Disco Demolition Night in Chicago in 1979. It forced the Sox to forfeit the second game of a double-header.

Love him or hate him, the guy was a genius.