My Trip to GABP (I need some help)

[redsfaninbsg]

I live in southwest Virginia and usual make it up to a few games a year, have so my entire life. My entire family is Reds fan and it has been passed down through the years. Anyway, my 22nd birthday is Tuesday so my girlfriend, myself, and a few of our friends went up to the game today. Before the game started I purchased a beer, (no big deal) they asked for my ID I showed it, I shelled out the $7.25 and went on. Later in the day as I was finishing my beer I attempted to purchase another beer, server asked for ID, I showed, she says stop pouring the beer, he's got a bad ID! Evidently, because my ID is vertical (Virginia doesn't change it to horizontal until your first renewal after your 21st birthday, in my case when I'm 25 years old) it was illegal for me to possess, consume, or purchase any alcoholic beverage inside the park. News to me, I follow her to her manager who takes my ID, I stand there while she gives me a lecture about how I'm breaking stadium policy, she calls the stadium police (not sure if they are actual police or security maybe somebody knows?). We wait for 10-15 minutes, I ask for my ID back pledging to go sit down, watch the game, and not attempt to purchase any more beer (even though I'm of legal age). She doesn't go for that, the police show up, they hear the story, and the cop asks the beer manager if I should be ejected! She says I can stay if I point out who sold me the beer, I show the stand (after I told them I wouldn't because I didn't want the woman who sold it to lose her job, I thought she was ignorant of this ordinance just as I) they give me my ID tell me to go on my way. I then go by the guest services to file a complaint about how I was treated, and guess who shows up at my seat 2 innings later, the same beer manager along with the head of concessions, they basically just explain the law, claim that somebody could have bought the beer for me (which is legal due to my age by my understanding) and they did nothing to help the situation.

Who in the Reds can I e-mail about this? I live in 4 1/2 hours away and during my 13-14 hour day today I spent 1/3 of the game being harassed my GABP staff. How is this law/ordinance even legal? I went to Bengals games in the fall and purchased alcohol at free will, being ID'd each time last fall. It's obviously not a city ordinance. Anybody have an e-mail address I can send my story to or have answers to these questions?

[KittyDuran]

You can try this link from the Reds website - I'd send it to either Ballpark Operations or Guest Services. And I would copy EXACTLY what you wrote here.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/help/...in&topic=other

[Caseyfan21]

Wow, that's crappy. Good luck and I hope they get things right for you.

[oneupper]

I haven't been in the US that long (so please correct me if I am wrong, like everyone always does).

My impression is that the folks in the stadium are confusing POLICY with LAW. It is against the LAW to for someone underage to buy (or consume) alcohol.

It is their POLICY not to sell beer to anyone with a vertical license. BTW that's their right, they can refuse to sell you beer, but you have done nothing wrong by trying to buy it. They only have that policy, so not to rely on the mathematical abilities of their vendors (who can't be expected to be able to subtract, I guess).

Since they gave you a hard time, for something that was internal policy and not law, I would give them STINK until they apologize (preferably with some free tickets). If guest services doesn't do you right, take it to the press, take it to the BBB...take it to these guys, everywhere.

Don't be mad about it, though. No reason to get aggravated, some people are just simple-minded and getting upset isn't going to change that.

And get yourself a grown up license, it's what $20, maybe $30 to get a new one. Just "lose" this one and they should send you a horizontal one.

[camisadelgolf]

On a side note, I've purchased beer 100+ times in the past three months with an expired license, and only one time (at Buffalo Wild Wings in Clifton) has my license been refused. My license has been accepted a double-digit amount of times at GABP this month.

[RollyInRaleigh]

On a side note, I've purchased beer 100+ times in the past three months with an expired license, and only one time (at Buffalo Wild Wings in Clifton) has my license been refused. My license has been accepted a double-digit amount of times at GABP this month.

Why do you have an expired license?

[camisadelgolf]

Why do you have an expired license?

I was in Germany when it expired, and the only days I can get to the BMV during the daytime are Sundays on Mondays. I'll have to take a day off work to take the driving test again.

[Yachtzee]

I was in Germany when it expired, and the only days I can get to the BMV during the daytime are Sundays on Mondays. I'll have to take a day off work to take the driving test again.

If it hasn't been expired for long, you may not have to take the test. Mine expired once in February while I was living in Austria and I didn't get back until June. They renewed it, saying I had something like 6 mos. before I had to retake the driving test.

[George Anderson]

Not to get off topic but about 3 years ago we were with friends right outside the main gate taking pictures in front of GABP. A cop confronted us and in a drill sargeant manner began to berate the woman who was with us because she had a plastic cup in her hand with "Budweiser" on it. We didn't realize there was a "open container" law in Cincinnati and instead of asking us to throw it away he chewed our butts and threatened to take us to jail and also told us next time to learn the laws of Cincinnati before we came back.

...and people wonder why attendance is so down.

[camisadelgolf]

If it hasn't been expired for long, you may not have to take the test. Mine expired once in February while I was living in Austria and I didn't get back until June. They renewed it, saying I had something like 6 mos. before I had to retake the driving test.

It's been expired since February, 2008, so I have to retake both portions of the driving test. After the writing test, I'll get a temp license.

[redsmetz]

Send it to Phil Castellini, he's the Chief Operating Officer or directly to Bob Castellini. I recently sent a letter to the president of a major trucking company and while I didn't hear directly from him, the appropriate "director" got back to me very promptly.

My daughter had this same problem with her Ohio license after she turned 21. Unless you want to pay the full fee for a new license, you're stuck having to get people selling alcohol to do some simple math.

[bucksfan2]

Send it to Phil Castellini, he's the Chief Operating Officer or directly to Bob Castellini. I recently sent a letter to the president of a major trucking company and while I didn't hear directly from him, the appropriate "director" got back to me very promptly.

My daughter had this same problem with her Ohio license after she turned 21. Unless you want to pay the full fee for a new license, you're stuck having to get people selling alcohol to do some simple math.

I agree send it to Phil Castellini as well as Bob Castellini. I have noticed that they are very concerned with fan relations and probably will do something to correct it. Its a shame that that happened to you. If Castellini or the Reds don't do anything I would begin to send the complaint to the radio stations and the Cincinnati news papers.

[Roy Tucker]

What oneupper said about policy vs. law. You are legal to consume alcohol in the state of Ohio. It is their policy about what is and isn't valid documentation.

I'm sure alcohol enforcement is big ongoing effort in the stadium and a pain in the neck to administer. So I understand they have a tough job and have to put up with lot of drunks and people trying to evade the law.

But yeah, I'd write to the Reds basically what you wrote above. They basically intimidated you with bs and took advantage of your youth and lack of knowledge about the laws. At some point, someone needed to realize that you were legal to drink and you needed to be treated as a valued customer and not someone doing something wrong. I'd just say that if that is how the Reds treat their customers, that will be your last visit to GABP.

[goreds2]

redsfaninbsg, you should just copy/paste what you wrote here as it is a nice intelligent level headed write up. They treated you like you did this on purpose.

I hope you get some free tickets out of this. Good luck and keep rooting for the Reds. Keep us updated.

[TeamCasey]

I've never heard of a vertical license.