The Brewers hosted both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox in back-to-back series this past week. For six straight days it was a double dose of fans streaming into Miller Park from Northern Illinois. The dominating presence of Cubs fans had somewhat dwindled over the last few years but now with their team's bandwagon filling up with new fans, the increased presence of their fans will be heard for awhile. Especially if the Brewers decide to rebuild and tickets are easy to come by, Miller Park is sure to become "Wrigley Field North" once again.
Being in the same division and separated by only 90 miles and a state line are key ingredients for a good rivalry. The Cubs have one of the bigger fan bases nationally and their road attendance is one of the highest in the league. So it is no wonder the Brewers requested a larger police presence and had their security staff out in full force making sure that the crowds over the weekend remained peaceful and nipped any animosity between fans in the bud as quickly as possible.
However, it was a surprisingly sterile series, with the Brewers winning it two games to one. There wasn't much excitement in the stands, as the games fulfilled their entertainment requirement and that was all. I love to hear fans getting into it with one another in the parking lots after they have had to many Coors Lights. There was the booing that welcomed Ryan Braun during his first plate appearance, but he was politically correct and tuned it out. I think it would have been a lot more fun if he acknowledged it somehow.
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I am not advocating violence like fist fights, like the ones I witnessed when I went to the first inter-league game between the Cubs and White Sox years back, but some barking back and forth between fans adds to the energy of the environment.
The most heated that the fans got during the series was during the seventh inning stretch and the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." During the part when it was time to say "root root root for the... Brewers or Cubbies," the Cubs fans drowned out the Brewers fans easily all three games. I guess that's a start, but this rivalry is sorely lacking.
As far as the White Sox series goes, at least there is some real history when it comes to the rivalry. One of the most entertaining moments in Brewers franchise history was when Brewers manager Phil Garner publicly challenged the White Sox announcers Ken Harrelson and Tom Paciorek to a fight after the broadcasters suggested Garner was ordering pitchers to throw at White Sox hitters. They didn't take him up on his offer to "throw down" on the pitchers mound or home plate, but it was passionate. With rivalries you need passion and the occasional bench-clearing brawl like in 1995 which resulted in four-game suspensions of both teams' managers.
The White Sox won the series two games to one. All three games were fun to watch, but I wish there was more to the rivalry.
With Chicago so nearby, it would behoove the Brewers to push the MLB to make the Sox a rivalry series to be played yearly. To me it seems that Major League Baseball wants these local and regional rivalries to flourish for the economic impact they bring, but the league is doing everything in their power to squash the fan aspect with the heavy security presence and how fast they eject fans that become even mildly boisterous. This is something that takes away from the experience of fandom, as older demographics remember what it used to be like and are nostalgic about the more heated rivalries from the past.
Average attendance was way above normal for all six games and having our "Friendly Illinois Brethren" coming into town to spend money is always a good thing. However, I personally enjoy the more heated rivalries. If loudmouth Chicago fans come down and spend money as Brewers fans accidentally (wink, wink) spill beer on them, it makes for better entertainment.
If you were out at Miller Park for one of the six games this past week I would love to hear your perspective. Have these rivalries with the Chicago teams not lived up to the expectation? Email me your thoughts at baseballbuddha@shepex.com.
Image by emilee rader via Flickr and a CC license
