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83 days ago: Hot Read: All Star Memories

88 days ago: Hot Read: Don't call it a comeback

89 days ago: Hot Read: The not-so-best defense

90 days ago: Hot Read: Top five 'ageless' athletes

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Who doesn’t like free stuff?

One of the all-time greatest parts about going to a sporting event is being lucky enough to go on a night when there is a promotion or free giveaway.

And it doesn’t take much to find a reason to create a giveaway.

National health reports say America is getting obese? America’s game launches all-you-can-eat sections.

The Orioles can’t win on Sundays? The team creates the new “We win, You win,” promotion, where if the team wins this Sunday against the Rangers, every fan in attendance gets a free ticket to an upcoming game.

Of course some promotions can backfire or be downright bush league, but all are aimed to one common goal — putting fans in the seats and money in the bank.

In honor of the Orioles’ creative promotion, here’s a list of the Top 5 Greatest Sports Giveaways — just remember, only one list per reader per visit:

1. Philadelphia Soul, Arena Football League, Chris Jackson Day: With a television deal that dictated a Saturday playoff game, the Soul got creative for their game this Saturday at the 16,000-seat Wachovia Center. Team president and ESPN Analyst Ron Jaworski has offered free tickets to any of the 10,096 residents of the Borough of Morrisville, the hometown of receiver Chris Jackson, one of the Soul’s best players.

But that’s not all.

In order to encourage the team’s 8,000 season-ticket holders to show up, the Saturday playoff game also is where they can pick up their exclusive Bon Jovi-Ron Jaworski signed mini-helmets.

What about walk-up tickets?

Even a bargain for them, too. Any fan who sports facial hair in the form of a “Soul” patch to the game gets a deal on their tickets. That’s why Philadelphia has drawn a league-record 646,000 fans in five seasons.

Hell, even nuns get something.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-KZ2-7Gir8

2. Cleveland Indians, 10-cent beer night: No, this wasn’t held in conjunction with a College Night, despite most students walking over broken glass in their bare feet for a deal this good. During the summer of 1974, the Indians were wretched, and only a cup full of suds could make them better. But the Indians were offering even more, allowing fans to purchase up to six of the discount brews at a time and drawing 25,134 people on a fateful June evening against the Rangers.

During the game that became more and more boring for fans that became more and more drunk, nearly a dozen spectators jumped onto the field and had to be escorted off. The Rangers’ players armed themselves with bats. Legendary manager and epic jerk Billy Martin grabbed the first fungo bat himself with the classic line: “Let's go get 'em, boys.”

3. Los Angeles Lakers, Turn back the clock night: Crystal Pepsi. Furbies. New Kids on the Block. Michael Jackson. Station wagons.

All good things, but all way past their prime or usefulness for society — just like short shorts in the NBA. PLEASE, NEVER AGAIN. http://theassociation.blogs.com/the_association/2007/12/the-worst-laker.html

4. New York Islanders, Santa Claus night: Only Philadelphia hates Santa, right? Wrong, but only if that Santa happens to be a Rangers fan. Two days before Christmas in 2003, the Islanders offered a promotion of free admittance to any fans who come dressed like Santa, offering to let them skate before the game.

During that skate, a pair of Santas threw off their jackets to reveal Ranger jerseys. In the holiday spirit, the Islanders fans proceeded to jump the pair and pummel them, causing a Santa Clash on the ice that took several minutes to resolve. Ho Ho Ho: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hypdmF1leFc

5. Seattle Storm — WNBA — 2007 playoff contest: The women’s basketball team came up with the worst tag line promotion ever for last year’s playoffs they wanted the fans to rally around. I don’t even have a joke here: “Are you in?”

Even better, they had a ‘make your own playoff video’ contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EezdqngWLTU&feature=related

But don’t worry: We’re in.

WHAT WE LIKED: It’s easy to pile on the inept Oakland Raiders, but defensive tackle Warren Sapp landed an uppercut in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times: “As dark as a black hole. Stuff went on in that organization that shouldn't go on in sports. I don't think there's one person who knows who or what is making the call. Let’s just say the Oakland experience is unique.”

WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: Derrick Martin apparently is the hardest person in the world to contact. The Ravens’ defensive back is doing as good a job at eluding charges as receivers were at dodging his coverage last season. Martin is reportedly denying an account he was cited on a drug charge despite police reports they caught a person with the same name and birth date with suspected marijuana on Saturday in Cleveland’s airport.

STAR OF THE DAY

MICHAEL PHELPS AND KATIE HOFF

It’s a pair of stars today, as the local duo each set a world record at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Sunday night in winning the 400-meter individual medley.

DONKEY OF THE DAY

FLOYD LANDIS

As far as bad investments go, the alleged Tour de France winner sure made a poor choice in spending millions of dollars and man hours for a three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to tell us what we already knew: he’s a cheater.

— Compiled by Baltimore Examiner sports staff

SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

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83 days ago: Hot Read: All Star Memories

88 days ago: Hot Read: Don't call it a comeback

89 days ago: Hot Read: The not-so-best defense

90 days ago: Hot Read: Top five 'ageless' athletes