Monday, April 11, 2011

I second that statement....

Sat down this morning and read through the ol' BollBlog and enjoyed myself as usual. Great point were made in the realm of sports (as expected) and got me thinking about the Brewers/Cubs rivalry. I have a post from about a year ago or so that touches on most of the same stuff, but it's a good refresher here.

Being a Cubs fan and living in Wisconsin means that most of your chances to see the team will come at Miller Park. I preface everything by saying that I don't hate the Brewers at all, and ultimately I think that is the problem. If I did, it would be easier to accept the current state of the "rivalry." But I don't. I love Miller Park. It's a fantastic venue with a really good atmosphere. All the attendants I have encountered were friendly and helpful. I have attended games in the past where the Brewers were playing the Reds, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Braves. Each and every time I was in just regular clothes because you can't were apparel for a team that's not playing. It's just really bad form. And then in my years I've attended probably 10 Brewers/Cubs games at Miller Park. And the minute you put that Cubs hat on, everything flips.

I've gone to Brewers/Cubs games with my friends, my wife, and my family, and nearly each time I am embarrassed to be there. People drink, they start yelling at each other and soon that gets even worse. I have seen people thrown out, beaten up, and escorted away by police. It's just not a great feeling to be there. Best game I went to was about 5 years ago on a Wednesday afternoon, because people were not all jacked up due to it being the middle of the week. I wish they were all like that.

My last trip there was a year ago when I got a pair of tickets from work. It was a Friday night game and I went with my Dad. We had good seats sat down and took in the usual ribbing. Nothing a grown person can't handle. For eight innings the experience was fantastic. We were sitting next to some people in Brewers garb who were nice and chatting with us, and ultimately held our same viewpoint. We are there to have fun and be entertained. No different than going to a movie or a casino. And then the bottom of the eigth came. Cubs were leading 3-2, and Ryan Braun absolutely killed a 2-run bomb, leading me to say "Wow, that was crushed." As this is happening a guy in front of us gives me the double barreled salute for no real reason. Hoffman comes in, building shakes, 3 k's and we are on our way out the building.

Brewers fans are happy, I'm not but whatever. We get to the parking lot and there is chaos everywhere because the person who designed the parking lots wore a blindfold and threw darts. And as we get in our car, three drunk guys see I'm wearing a Cubs hats and come over and sit on my vehicle. They will not move because I'm a Cubs fan and apparently this is what they do. Eventually security guards come over (never seen it before in the parking lots) and we are on our way. I don't realy have a moral to the story, but I haven't been back to Miller Park.

I just wished the Cubs and Brewers didn't act as rivals. More often than not, both franchises are irrelevant. Brewers fans yell "1908" at Cubs fans, and they respond with "Where's your championship?" All in all it's an exercise in futility. I just want people to start thinking and acting better. Good natured ribbing is fun. Yelling "Hot Garbage" every time somebody strikes out is funny. But I don't think I would take my kids to the ballpark. And considering some Dodger fans beat a Giants fan into a coma earlier this season, I think it's high time fans start looking at themselves. Because it is their decision to be the better guy. And if that happens, a game that is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, might actually become more fun and more enjoyable.