Original announcement:

To boost morale and attendance in what has become one of the worst years in Tiger history, the Tigers front office will steal a page from Cleveland lore and will host their own version of NICKEL BEER NIGHT.

The August 3rd, Friday night game vs the Chicago White Sox will be Detroit Tigers Nickel Beer Night! Every fan in the stadium 21 and older will be able to purchase beer for the unbelievable price of five cents.

The Tigers front office has released the following details:
- All beer will be priced at 5 cents and will be served in classic long neck glass bottles.
- Detroit's favorite son, rapper Eminem, will sing the National Anthem.
- Detroit's other favorite son, Kid Rock, will sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch.
- The Security Staff for Comerica park will be given the night off. As part of Mayor Kilpatrick's Detroit Youth Gang Outreach Program, security for the game will be run by the Detroit chapter of the Bloods.
- Between each inning, Toothie the 300 pound Bengal tiger from the Detroit Zoo will be let loose in the stands to meet and greet the Detroit faithful.
- After the game, a fireworks show will be provided by Grucci Brothers. Beer will be sold throughout the fireworks show.

When asked if there was any chance of the same type of disaster of the previous Nickel Beer Night from the early 70s, Tigers management had this to say: "We have all the faith in the world the Detroit fans will behave in a peaceful manner. The combination of Baseball, Beer, Street Gangs and Fireworks can only lead to a wonderful night of fun for the whole family. The sporting world has a bit of a black eye at the moment with the recent events in Atlanta and now the NBA referee scandal. We need to do something to return hope back to sports fans everywhere. We look forward to a fabulous event and expect a full house."

The game will air nationally on ESPN.

Game recap:

Melvin Mora connected with a "big fly" and had 2 RBI as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 11 to 5 at Comerica Park during the first ever Nickel Beer night in Detroit.

Chicago scored 5 runs in the 4th inning with the help of 5 hits. The big moment was provided by Mike Cameron who deflated the mood of the inebriated Tiger faithful when he singled, plating two runs. Overall Chicago out-hit Detroit 15 to 7. Detroit, however, did get a little payback as the Tiger fans out-drank the few WhiteSox fans in attendance by at least a thousand to one.

Josh Johnson (10-5) got credit for the victory, pitching 5 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 runs. Carlos Silva (3-5) was the losing pitcher. He allowed a few too many baserunners giving up 9 hits and 3 walks in 3 and 1/3 innings.

There were more than a few tense moments during the evening. The packed crowd booed vociferously anytime Mark Larson, the Detroit skipper, came out to the mound to change pitchers. Homemade signs hung from the rafters calling for his dismissal. One even suggested feeding him to Toothie the tiger.

Larson seemed oblivious, however, in the post-game interview with the Detroit press. The manager had this to say: "Except for the score, the bottles being thrown at our players, the fights in the stands and a couple dozen fans that got mauled by the tiger that was roaming around...I think the evening went pretty well."

When asked if he was irritated by the vocal barbs tossed in his direction all night, Larson said: "I don't think the fans were booing me. I think they were chanting TOOOOTHIE!"

Tiger management declined to say whether or not they would repeat the event next season.