Paper Shredders Used at the Ballpark

Minor league ballparks are notorious for publicity stunts to bring the fans to the game.  Everyone is familiar with free hats, bats, and bobble head dolls, but the use of paper shredders at a baseball game is quite unique.  The paper shredders were a part of the brainchild of Mike Veeck, the grandson of the legendary Cubs manager Bill Veeck.  Mike's ideas have ranged from Tonya Harding bat nights, to a Nobody Night, where no one was allowed into the game, so they could se an attendance record of, you guessed it, zero.

With the help of Mike, the Portland Beavers, a minor league farm team for the San Diego Padres, sponsored an Arthur Anderson night, where anyone named Arthur or Anderson would receive a free admission to the game.  Additionally, fans were encouraged to bring any papers that they would like to shred, which could be shredded at any one of several paper shredder locations throughout the ballpark. 

Similarly the Altoona Curve, a double A Eastern Minor league ball club, held an Ode to Enron Night.  They took peoples tickets at the gate and fed them into a paper shredder.  Additionally, they helped people file their tax returns.  As the night progressed, the attendance numbers were reported, with each successive report giving a lower attendance number.