Cold Beer Here (My Summer as a Ballpark Beer Vendor) Book Review
Cold Beer Here is the story of one baseball fan who made the move from season tickets to selling suds in the same stands he once sat in. Freddy Ono tells the tale from the first idea, through training, opening day, the dog days of summer, and more. And if you miss baseball or you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be the one walking up and down the steep steps of the upper deck with a bag full of cold cans, he’s got you covered.
I’ve known Freddy since the summer of 2010 when the Blue Jays went 85-77 on the season. We worked together in the same office, just blocks from the Rogers Centre, and on evenings when he didn’t have anyone else to go to the game with, I sometimes got the invite to go with him. I was also fortunate enough to be able to borrow Freddy’s 500 level seats when he was out of town.
I owe Freddy a lot of thanks for the baseball I watched in those seats. And for writing this book that made me smile and had me hooked to read the story of his 2018 season in one sitting on a Sunday night.
Here’s another thing though, Freddy is a talented writer, and his ability to reach outside of baseball to make his story accessible to folks who haven’t been diehard fans since they were five years old (like me) is well executed. Throughout the book, he flexes his writerly muscles and adds more than just baseball to the story. The impact of the job on his life, the interactions with fans (tattoo-touchers, the drunkies, flirty fans, etc.), the whole experience makes it interesting.
He also makes sure to include his perspective on the job vs. those who are there for very different reasons and needs. Freddy’s got a 9 to 5 in an office, he’s got other side projects (that aren’t unsuccessful), and he was willing to take a chance and try something new so he could get paid to be at the ballpark instead of being out of pocket for a season full of games that weren’t going to bring many wins.
The overriding question that flows through the season is, how long Freddy will last?
His first guess is July 1st. It’s all just an experiment. Like he says, he doesn’t need the job. He’s just doing it for the free baseball.
But like so many things in life, it ain’t that simple.
And that’s why it’s a good read.
The bonus, the extra, the work work, came when Freddy interviewed fellow vendors to share their stories and ask his questions.
He didn’t need to do that to tell his story, but their inclusion is a massive win and another great reason to pick up Cold Beer Here.
The inclusion of more stories of good customers and bad customers, the ups and downs of the gig, and varied perspectives that come from the unique perspectives of other individuals doing the same job as Freddy, but through their eyes – is admirable. He could have just left it as his story without exploring or acknowledging the differences that come from personal experiences, but he didn’t. And I applaud it.
Here’s the promotional snippet from Freddy…
After years of being a Toronto Blue Jays fan, frustrated by the increasing cost and scaled-back benefits of being a season ticket holder, in 2018 I decided to apply for a job at the stadium. Having worked in an office for years, would I even be able to handle working in customer service, dealing with potentially drunk and rowdy customers? Could I handle the physical strain of hauling a cooler full of beer up and down stairs for seven innings under the blazing sun? And most importantly, what the hell was I thinking?
This is the story of a summer spent avoiding the cost of baseball season tickets, instead using a stadium job as an excuse to gain access to games for free. What started out as a joke, and a job I was sure I’d quit within two months, turned into a season of nerve-wracking, confusing, and hilarious experiences I didn’t want to leave.
Along with my summer of vending, I interview other vendors from different eras and backgrounds, revealing the disparities and commonalities of our experiences selling cold beer to baseball fans, why we do it, what we learn from it, and why we love it.
If you’re looking for a physical paperback copy – get it on Amazon (click here) – and if you want an Ebook, Freddy suggests smashwords (click here)!
