Free beer, food nights will return under close watch

~ The first such promotion will be Wednesday night when Missouri visits Capaha Field.

A tradition at various Southeast Missouri State baseball games for about the past 15 years -- free beer provided by local distributorships -- was interrupted last season.

But Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said concerns have been addressed and the special promotions will resume this year, beginning with Wednesday's game against Missouri.

The Redhawks and Tigers will square off at 6 p.m. at Capaha Field. Bluff City Beer will be the game sponsor, with the company providing beer and food at no charge.

Kohlfeld Distributing will do the same on April 22, when Southeast hosts Austin Peay in a doubleheader. Health Facilities Rehab will also be a game sponsor that day and will provide food and soft drinks, although no alcohol.

Last year, Bluff City Beer provided beer and food on April 6, when an announced crowd of more than 2,700 fans -- the second-largest in Southeast baseball history -- turned out to see Southeast upset nationally ranked Missouri 8-5 in 10 innings.

That's when the controversy began, after various community members voiced their opposition to the practice of providing free beer at games, and others voiced their displeasure with the behavior of some students at the game, although no Southeast officials witnessed anything out of line.

However, Southeast officials decided at that time to postpone the two remaining scheduled promotions for that season involving local beer distributorships.

"We've had these promotions for years and never had any problems, but we just felt it was best to just step back," Kaverman said.

But now it's all systems go again.

"I think last year it was more a lack of communication with interested parties in the community with how we conduct these things," Kaverman said. "I think we've addressed some issues. We're taking steps to address all the issues people are concerned with.

"There needs to be appropriate security, a limited amount of the product given out, and we need to make sure everybody is of legal age who is receiving the product."

According to Southeast marketing director Charlie Wiles, the university has hired Security Service of America to work the games where beer is given out. The security firm will check for proper identification, a chore that had been handled by Southeast employees and other volunteers in the past.

Wiles also said people will be limited in the amount of beer they can receive, and no beer will be served after the fifth inning.

Wiles said Southeast also employed Security Service of America last football season during pregame tailgating that featured free beer at every home contest.

"That worked really smooth. We had no problems," Wiles said.

Wiles pointed out that, with Capaha Park being a public facility, drinking is permitted by the city, and Southeast can't control who is consuming alcohol.

"People have been going to Southeast baseball games for years and drinking. We can't control that," Wiles said. "But everybody is generally well-behaved. There really aren't ever any problems."

Wiles also pointed out that there are various game promotions for many of Southeast's sports teams, and only a very few involve beer.

"We have lots of promotions for the baseball season, where sponsors of ours give out free food and soft drinks," Wiles said. "These are just two."

Added Wiles: "This wasn't a story for years and years. Nobody every complained. But last year, just because it was such a big crowd, and the [Southeast Missourian] newspaper ran a big story, people started complaining.

"The previous year, we had a record crowd for the same type event, and nobody said anything."

In 2004, when Southeast played Missouri on Bluff City Beer Night, an announced crowd of 3,084 was on hand to set the baseball program's all-time attendance record.

The combination of free beer and food, along with the attraction of the state's highest-profile university, figures to attract another huge crowd Wednesday night.

Numerous Missouri graduates who live in the area helped boost attendance for the game the last several years, and many Tigers' supporters are again expected to be on hand this time.

"Bluff City Beer has sponsored this game the last few years and it's always a very big crowd," Wiles said. "We expect a lot of Missouri alumni to be at the game again."

Kaverman said he sees nothing wrong with the promotions that provide free beer at Southeast baseball and football events as long as they are handled properly.

"The distributors are good sponsors of ours and they desire to do this, to expose the products they are trying to sell," Kaverman said. "I don't see anything wrong with it. If it's handled properly, with appropriate security and in a controlled environment, I think it's totally appropriate."