hawing

Ah geez, For months (OK, since the 2008 schedule was announced 11 months ago or whenever that happened), I've been uneasily anticipating cubs fans in our faces throughout that last series, just because that's what so many of them do. I hadn't even thought about the extra indignity of their players celebrating on our turf. Thanks for giving me even more to look forward to that weekend, lcbj68c. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif So I have to admit, there's a part of me that would like to have the playoff spots set by September 25. (I realize that's kind of loser-talk, but I will not consider myself a loser for looking out for my mental health.) It's not like the cubs are going to be knocked out of the postseason entirely, at this point, so why give them and the most boorish of their fans extra emotional ammunition? If the Cubs clinch the division at Miller Park, there will be fights in the stands and parking lots. I've got to agree with yount19.u on this. Unfortunately, the same may apply if the Brewers close the gap and move ahead during that last series. Maybe I should bring body armor to that Sunday game. I noticed the description for the Shirt Off Our Back promotion has it being a postgame drawing this year - which may be smart if the cubs fans leave promptly at game's end, thus allowing for some post-game separation between the fanbases (and increasing my chance of scoring the Corey Hart jersey). As for another of Luke's comments: I'm simply stating that I can't wait for that moment and imagine almost every single day what that is going to be like or feel like. I've wondered that at almost literally every Brewer game I've ever attended. My first game at County Stadium was the season ender in 1983, and all I could think of at first was "this is where all the excitement happened last year." Of course, I did get to see a division championship celebration that day (just the wrong team), but every game I've attended in the subsequent 25 years, I've thought about it, if only for a moment. (It was definitely only for a moment in the latter 1990s and early 2000s.)

We were supposed to attend this game, until my work schedule got all cruddy. So I'm boldly predicting that something will happen Friday night which will make me wish we'd been able to go.

Well there goes some the seniority argument for placement.I wonder if upgrading provides an extra "bump" in the seniority formula. I'm not saying it should be a prime factor, just wondering out loud. Since we added the second 20-game pack this year (and specifically added a pre-set plan in pricier seats, which I assume is perceived as an upgrade), it has just kind of felt like we've gotten more attention from the Brewers, even apart from the postseason.

Last season, our 20 game pack happened to include Yovani's MLB debut game. I remember walking the concourse during the game, observing the big crowd who all seemed to be 'into the game,' and especially the big buzz that, for once, felt justified. I remember feeling almost giddy. I've had that feeling again several times this season. The Brewers still don't have quite all cylinders running, and the bandwagon fans are more noticeable this year, but it's exciting and fun to go to the ballpark now, and not only for Brewers nerds like us.

3M should happen during the last game of the Pittsburgh series. Ooh ooh, it'll be me, I can feel it! I'd gladly be the 3 millionth fan instead of winning a golf outing, Guillermo Mota signed bat or my height in Miller beer at Fan Appreciation Night.

I'll join the chorus; I'm very sorry for your loss. Don't let people downplay it because Shredder was "just a pet." It'll be five years this December since we lost our first cat to cancer. I'll still tear up about it once in a while. One of our current cats likes to sleep snuggled up against me in bed - I call him velcro cat at those times - so I know what the closeness and sleep deprivation are like, but I wouldn't trade him for anything.

It's not video, but this made me laugh out loud. Johnson & Johnson Introduces 'Nothing But Tears' Shampoo To Toughen Up Newborns

And I still laugh at the "Private College is too expensive crowd" It doesn't specifically make me want to laugh, but I will point out that for my freshman year at Beloit College, my out of pocket cost each semester was like $225. This was 24 years of increases above the rate of inflation ago, but Beloit already had a five figure annual cost by then. The year I was there (in the mid-1980s), the overall cost of attending was a few hundred dollars less than my family's income for the same period. (For those Beloiters wondering, I transferred to UW-Madison after that year, so I don't know how much differently I would have fared there in subsequent years.)

I am regularly impressed (though not in a good way) when I approach the card swiping equipment in the grocery checkout line and find a signature on the signing screen - the screen you're supposed to sign with a stylus, not an ink pen. I have to admit to not having mastered the self-checkout. But I learned my lesson and haven't tried it again since. Maybe some day when there is absolutely no line.

Let's turn this thread back toward usher issues and not seat occupancy philosophy. Thanks.

I work in "customer service" myself (though in a much different setting), and I'd have to say one of my pet peeves is the "I'm important because of blah blah blah" attitude some people are quick to haul out - I'm a season ticket holder/taxpayer/alumnus/professor/whatever. Maybe you wanted to get across that you visit Miller Park enough to generally know how to behave there, but "pulling rank" like that is a good way to antagonize the service employee with whom you're dealing. When I have had issues with Brewers employees (which fortunately has been uncommon), I save the "season ticket" stuff for the email I send later, and even then I don't wear it on my sleeve. In a case like panthernick's, I might say something like "I hope what I experienced Tuesday night is not indicative of this employee's usual conduct with customers; but I wanted to call it to your attention." The calmer you can remain in a customer-employee dispute or a complaint situation, the more seriously you're likely to be taken. (Of course, that goes both ways.)

Amid the dollars signs, I forgot to mention the alternative to buying the full postseason package. It's different enough so I will use a separate post. Two "mini plans" are available to partial season ticket holders who don't want to purchase the full strip. You can choose one of the following: Plan B includes: - Home Game 1 of the NLDS played at Miller Park - Home Game 2 of the NLCS played at Miller Park - Home Game 2 of the WS played at Miller Park Plan C includes: - Home Game 2 of the NLDS played at Miller Park - Home Game 1 of the NLCS played at Miller Park - Home Game 1 of the WS played at Miller Park If you select either mini plan, you get moved to unspecified Terrace Reserved seats and are charged $240.00 for each of up to four seats, plus $45.00 for general parking. The due date for committing to this is September 5, and for these plans the seat assignments are first come, first served. The Brewers reserve the right to switch you to the other plan if the plan you selected sells out. I guess it's nice they are offering a lower cost option. I wonder how many customers will choose it.

OK, we have the print invoices now - one for each of our 20-packs, one loge and one terrace box. Each invoice is for two seats. The loge package breakdown (we move from 217 to 213): NLDS: $300.00 (3 games, $50.00 per ticket) NLCS: $640.00 (4 games, $80.00 per ticket) WS: $1380.00 (3 games, $230.00 per ticket) Parking: $150.00 (10 games, general parking, $15 per game) Shipping and delivery: $25.00 Loge total: $2495.00 (a savings of $290.00 off the gate price) The terrace package breakdown (we move from TB 417 to TB 421): NLDS: $150.00 (3 games, $25.00 per ticket) NLCS: $400.00 (4 games, $50.00 per ticket) WS: $1080.00 (3 games, $180.00 per ticket) No parking on this invoice. Looks like one parking pass per account. Shipping and delivery: $25.00 Terrace total: $1655.00 (savings of $210.00 off the gate price) The tiebreaker game doesn't appear on these invoices, but would be charged to the credit card on September 28 or 29. Last year, the tiebreaker tickets/parking were listed on the invoice and cost the same as a regular season game (which is probably as it should be). Comparing the 2008 terrace invoice to our 2007 terrace invoice, the NLDS tickets went up $2.00, and the NLCS and WS ticket prices are the same. We did not have loge tickets until this year, so I can't compare that. The parking and delivery costs are the same as in 2007. (I wouldn't object if they'd send our packages together to save $25 on delivery, but that is not a dealbreaker.) It's a chunk of change, but we're inclined to commit to it, and see if the Brewers hold up their end.

The thread probably dropped off some time ago (ezboard didn't hang onto stuff nearly as long as Yuku seems to), but the site is now www.africam.com. Link

C'mon Bela, tell us how you *truely* feel! I can't ever again think of Bela Karolyi without picturing Lugash from The Simpsons: http://images.wikia.com/simpsons/images/c/cf/Lugash.jpg Lugash: You girls were great! Cats back for everyone! Tina: I had a dog. Lugash: Is cat now!

Remember, Ben Sheets, You don't have to top CC Just pitch well tonight. Position players: Do Ben and us a favor Run support tonight.

Hmm, I *had* been enjoying our gorgeous summer evening at the ballpark, but maybe I was supposed to be mad at the end of the game instead. Sorry. I'm more worried about Ryan (whose discomfort after his final swing of the night was visible to me from the terrace box). I'll take a different approach. Corey and Ray Ray certainly had good nights, and the Brewers are now 17-8 with me in attendance. They can be heroes, just for one night. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

It didn't even occur to me to look online. I just fished out our 2008 season ticket renewal invoice and used the account number and password from it. Bingo. And...I'm not sure how to interpret the results. Two different locations are listed - TB 421 and section 213, each with options for the division series and league championship series. This would make me think we have the opportunity to buy two strips for the first two rounds. Ooh ooh ooh. However, I see no option for the World Series, which is slightly worrisome, but I am optimistically guessing that nothing appears for the WS because the credit card wouldn't be charged for it until October 1. (There is also no tiebreaker on the online invoice, although it mentions the possibility of a tiebreaker being played.) The total cost (not broken down) is $1690, which I assume is for the loge strips for the first two rounds, the terrace strips for the first two rounds, and parking (and I can't tell if that's two sets of parking or one). This is probably not way off the general rate of last year's postseason tickets, considering that the $1690 appears to cover two strips. The locations don't seem like a ripoff to me. Our usual loge section is 217 and our usual terrace is TB 417. I wonder if there will be "family sections" in a postseason. Now I'm extra eager to see the mail.

I'm putting my 16-8 record on the line tonight, Brewers, so please feel free to improve on it.

Per Adam McCalvy, Sunday evening on brewers.com:

The weirdest thing about this game, for me, is that listening to the 9th inning on the car radio, once the game got within a Ryan Braun home run of being tied, I was not even 1% surprised to hear him hit it out. Ryan really is a difference-maker, not just for today, but for the franchise. Bummer to hear Carlos falter; but I'm glad the Brewers at least made it a little tougher late in the game. 3-3 on the west coast is a silver lining.

I've found nothing disclosed so far.

Jim Powell's "Cranberries - they make it eeeeeeeasy to be good!" is much better than Daron Sutton's "AFLAC..AaaaASK about it at work!" ever was. About a month into this season, we were at the grocery store and walking past the mustard made me think of Bob's now-daily promo for Usinger's sausage, crispy kraut (which he's taken to calling "crisp kraut", to my mild dismay) and Silver Spring mustard (either Beer & Brat or Chipotle). Sure enough, the only Silver Spring mustards sold out that day at that store were Beer & Brat and Chipotle. Coincidence? I think not.

Have fun, SoCal and contingent! I'd really like to see August/September Soup today. Why not try for a 4-2 road trip?

OH MAN. THANK YOU. I loathe that video. Loathe it. Not only is it blatant, it is really, really poorly done. I didn't think it was possible to be worse than the animated Bernie Brewer hitting exploding dingers video, but man oh man did they top it. Loathe, indeed. Let's gyrate around on the screen talking into a cell phone! I admit, at the last CC start we attended, it occurred to me that **if** enough advertising could be plastered in the park to allow for his re-signing, I'd be about ready for it. But I'm equally relieved that we have a bunch of Sunday games, when the starting lineup video is live footage of players running out and meeting their Culver's Major League Moment kids. U.S. Cellular and Motorola had better be kicking in for the Brewers' best players going forward.