bani1717

This is just a story I heard from an usher over by Baseball Bob's section at a game a few years back when I was down trying to get autographs... Apparently, Bob's seat was in pretty much the same spot in County Stadium. However, when they built Miller Park, he was originally going to be relocated to a spot on the other side of the dugout. To avoid having such a loyal fan and season ticket holder have to relocate so dramatically, they apparently added an extra seat to each row in that section. This created an extra seat so that he could sit in his current spot on the home plate side of the dugout. This would also explain why (if anyone has ever noticed) there are 5 seats in between the dugout and the aisle, as opposed to 4. Again, not sure if this is true, but I did hear it from a Miller Park usher.

Brewer Bob (Baseball Bob?). Has a single season ticket and sits in the third row right next to the Brewers dugout, right behind Mark Attanasio's seats. Hasn't missed a single game for about 20 years. (According to what I was told by an usher at Miller Park, he literally never even misses a pitch either.) Also, could someone please share with me how the "Happy Youngster" came about? I may be totally making this up, but something tells me it might be a name made by Matt Vasgersian or something like that.

When you're passionate, sometimes you think with your head rather than with your heart. Therefore, I wouldn't mind a vent forum, where people can just blow off steam and make comments without worrying about backing up their negative comments logically.

I was there from 11 to 2:30 today. I got Macha, Stetter, McGehee, and Riske. They didn't cart too many guys in. Maybe they did yesterday because, as someone there today told me, most of the plyaers were late yesterday. Macha gave them off from BP since they got in late on Thursday, so they hit the parking lot traffic. They most likely carted most of them in because they were late.

Anyone buy tix at the game today? I have to say, I was shocked to see what tickets were going for. I managed to find one for $65 in section 124 at about 3:25. Not too shabby considering some of the scalpers were selling (or at least trying to sell) TERRACE tickets for up to $125 each, even as gametime approached. And that's for the few people I found that actually seemed to be selling... when I first arrived at about 2:30, it seemed as though there were about 50 buyers and about 2 sellers with 2 tickets each. By being patient, though, I got a decent price from a guy who is a legitimate full-time broker. It was a better seat than I really was looking for; however I actually got it for less than face, and I'd rather pay $65 for a field level ticket and miss the first inning and a half than pay more for a terrace ticket and see the whole game. If that would have failed, I would have resorted to number 4 of my initial "process" and walked through the parking lots.

anyone try today and have any luck?

I was planning on going on Saturday - do you guys think it's even worth it anymore? Billyhallfan, I know you said that you'd either have to go way high or way low with items. Do you think that's really plausible, or is it not really an option? Also, with the tarp/screen/whatever there, do you think players will be less apt to come over, thinking that it's a complete obstruction? Also, does anyone know anything about having a long string with something on the end, to drop down to the players after they go down the staircase to go into the stadium? I have seen people with contraptions klind of like this a couple of times, but it seems like kind of a stretch. Plus, does anyone know if the security guys would even allow this? Not sure if this is realistic, but I just figured I'd throw the idea out there. If anyone has any ideas or any info at all, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

1. My guess is that Fan Appreciation Day will be sometime over the course of the last weekend. Two years ago, it was the last Saturday home game. Last year, since the last series was against the Cubs, it was the last Thursday home game. Shirt Off Their Backs Day is the last home game. 2. Next Sunday (4/12), the doors should open at 5:30 PM since the start time is 7:05. (See "Gate Opening Times" at http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/ballpark/ballpark_guide.jsp which is the Miller Park A to Z Guide, for full details.) 3. Parking lots officially open 3 hours before game time for every game. However, they often open early, especially for crowded games where cars are already lined up. But, officially, they will open at 4PM next Sunday. 4. You can go anywhere on the Field/Loge level to watch BP up until the time batting cages are removed. However, the Brewers may or may not take BP on next Sunday. They often didn't for Sunday afternoon games last year, at least from my one experience going early and from what an usher told me. But, with this being a night game, who knows. Even if they do take BP, the Cubs may take it too, in which case the Brewers would take it first - before the doors are even open. In this case they would be probably just coming off the field or just about to come off the field right when the doors open. So, basically, your only chance to see Brewers' BP is for the Crew to take BP and the Cubs not take BP, which is kind of a long shot IMO. 5. After the game, players rarely if ever sign in the stadium. Your only realistic chance would be to be right next to the Brewers' dugout right as they come off the field to end the game (assuming we win and the whole team comes off the field after their high-fiving on the mound). A MUCH BETTER OPTION is to go to the players' parking lot after the game - players come out and leave starting maybe 20 or 30 minutes after the game up until maybe an hour and a half after the game. Hope this helps answer your questions.

Who is RayRay?

My debit card has an option to use it as a credit card. You hit cancel instead of entering your PIN and it withdraws the money from your account at the end of the month instead of right now. If you only went by the online bank statement and had a lot of transactions or a memory that wasn't very good, you would, in this case, get screwed out of the $100. Therefore, I would argue that it is necessary to have this data in 2 different places - so you have your own register as well as what the bank has recorded. Especially for something as important as money. At the same time, I agree that a check register should not necessarily be filled out right at the checkout line where it will hold everyone up. If you're worried you'll forget, either sit down at a bench and do it or do it right when you get in the car.

On an unrelated note, does anyone know if a parking pass guarantees you parking lot access? I won't be able to get to the game until about 2 or 2:30, so I'm wondering if a General Parking Pass would get me into the lot at that time, even if they're no longer allowing cash customers then? I've never been in this situation with a general parking pass before, only with a preferred pass, where I know they let you park on the street around the outside if all else fails. Since this isn't an option in the general lots, I was wondering if they save spots for you or not.

Get there at 11 or 11:30 and you will get stuck in traffic before getting in. Last year, I used my best "shortcut" at about 9:15 or 9:30 am and still got stuck in traffic for about 20 minutes. If I would've come in on Bluemound Road heading east, I would've been stuck in traffic for an hour - it was backed up past Hawley Road. I was in about the 8th to 10th row of cars in the lot. And I had even called the day before and I got the generic "3 hours before the game" answer. I would be surprised if the lots weren't open by 10 or shortly after next Friday, even if they tell you only 3 hours early.

I don't know about well above average. Last year, he was a hot bat who we rode for a while. I think it definitely says something, though, that a guy like Zdurenciek who was familiar with him went and signed him.

I believe you're right. Only cups of beer are offered at concession stands. It's very ironic because the most expensive beverage and the one most likely to be consumer by drunks is the only one that doesn't come with a lid. Am I imagining this or was there a thread a while ago about the carry-in rules changing?

Be thankful. Remember the days when we'd be lucky to have 95 games on TV period? Yeah, I love watching the games in HD, and yeah, the SD picture sucks, but I'll gladly take the majority of games being in HD.

Jimbo, thank you for mentioning your cash flow spreadsheet... now I know I'm not the only lower who does that http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif (Although I admit I make it a bit extreme and record every transaction.) Also, since a couple people brought up things that bug them while they're on the road... one thing that grinds my gears is pedestrians who walk against the signal. I live and go to school in Madison so it's pretty commonplace. I admit I do walk against the lights at times - but when I do, I make sure no cars are coming and I make sure to hurry up. For example, yesterday I saw two examples of this while I was driving my car in the campus area. One was a group of people who hurried across and weren't really in my way. The other was a kid (listening to his ipod I believe) who entered a long intersection with 3 seconds left of the flashing hand. He did not hurry at all was still in the intersection when I got my green turn arrow. So, I had to wait for him, and as I drove by I honked my horn. I always make it a point to do that, because I feel that in general people are too forgiving of pedestrians and drivers are a little too passive in this city. I'm not saying I want to see people not yield to pedestrians... but if you're in my way because you're walking when you shouldn't be, I'm gonna let you know it.

Last year at On Deck, Gagne signed my ball sweet spot too without me asking. Unfortunately, I didn't want him to - I had just gotten it signed by Ryan Braun and JJ Hardy in the parking lot on their way in!! I was partially distracted because I was having Sheets sign my team ball from 2007 (which he did in an obscure place instead of in the obvious space I left just for him) to complete that one. Then, he kept my pen at first, so I was asking him for it back, and I set my ball down on Gagne's table, and in all the confusion I didn't hand it to him properly so that he could see the other signatures and sign anywhere but the sweet spot. Just for the record, for my 2008 team ball, I stuck with the ball I had gotten signed by Hardy, Braun, and Gagne. I wasn't able to wuite finish it though - the key contributors I still need from last year are Weeks, Kendall, and Counsell. Gagne on the sweet spot does kind of suck, though. Good thing he didn't have a horrible year or anything to make it that much worse. Sorry if my post is coming off as a big long rant - basically, some players, especially lesser names, will either sweet spot a blank ball automatically or ask if you want it sweet spotted. Prince sweet spots balls automatically- he has for both em and my brother. Another thing to take away from this post is to not have too many things you're trying to get signed at once, at least not if you're as unaware to what's going on as I am.

I don't have tickets to offer, but I do have a couple pieces of info that may help you if you're trying to find tickets for as cheap as possible... 1) The Brewers just started an auction, today I think, for the Uecker seats. It is a Dutch auction, and they are selling 20 single tickets and 43 sets of 2. You just enter your max bid and the number of singles or pairs you would like to buy. They did this last year too and they sent out an email today, so maybe you already knew about it. Prices were already $12 for a single and $33 for a pair when I checked it out earlier. The auctions end on April 7th at 12 noon. 2) Last year, I walked by the scalpers' area before the game just out of curiosity to see what tickets were going for. It was roughly a half hour before gametime. One scalper was selling SRO for $30 each - about half of what it had previously been going for on ebay, stubhub, etc. Field outfield were for sale for $80 each, which is less than it had been. Before that, a scalper walking through the parking lots as I was tailgating, about 2-3 hours before the game, was trying to (illegally) sell club tickets for face value of $60 each. 3) Also, for some reason, tickets could become available that day at the ticket windows. It's a long shot, though, because last year they let everyone who entered the lottery buy any singles/OV that was left the day before the game through an online sale. So if you entered the lottery that is another option for you, although last year the system was overloaded and it was a mess. 4) Show up on gameday and, instead of buying in the resale area, find a drunk tailgater (hopefully a Cubs fan) who wants to stay outside and party and who will sell you their ticket(s) for some absurdly cheap price. With more than one person that may not be so easy to do, though.

I agree with mattsr0625. I don't really see how ethics plays into this (obviously unless there is something more involved than purely selling tickets). The Brewers sell tickets to Cubs fans if they order them online or at the box office in time. So why should any Brewers fan feel like he or she shouldn't be able to do the same? (Obviously, some people prefer to know that their tickets are going to Brewers fans, and value that over the money, and there is obviously no problem with that either.) Generally, it's not like people plan to sell tickets to Cubs fans - that is just who often is willing to pay the money. People who sell through ebay or through stubhub or something like that have no control over who buys their tickets. And you can't honestly tell me that it's only Cubs fans buying these tickets - especially for Opening Day. Opening Day at this point isn't necessarily selling for much more than it has the past couple years - and part of that could easily be attributed to the fact that we are coming off our first playoff appearance in 26 years. In any case, if people are big Brewer fans and have season tickets, but need to help pay for them by selling a couple of the bigger games, I have a hard time finding fault with them. If they are devoted enough to go to the extra trouble of selling some tickets, just to attend games and support their team for many games, then that's their decision.

I'm in college and I basically get up early because I want to get stuff done. Basically, I feel like I'm not gonna get much done when all my roommates are around between about 6 and 10 pm on weeknights. (Plus I have important things to do, like watch sports, during those times http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ) So, I either have to get all my homework/studying done during the day, or stay up later doing it. I would rather just get it done, so I tend to do it during the day. Sometimes this means I get up at 7 or 7:30 even when I don't have class till 11am. Then, I get to bed by 11 or 12, as opposed to the 1-3 am that some of my roommates and friends stay up until. If I didn't have schoolwork to get done I definitely wouldn't be up this early. On weekends and school breaks, I tend to stay up later and sleep in more, even if there is no real reason for me to change my daily schedule/routine. But I figure I might as well get up early when I have stuff I need to get done since I'll be getting up early for work the rest of my life.

I set my alarm and force myself to get up. Working out or showering right after waking up helps wake me up and give me energy for the day.

I lived in Sellery (SE) last year. It's closer to most campus buildings and also to the State Street/downtown area. There are also a lot more partyers in these dorms, particularly Witte (whether that's something you'd prefer or something that would just annoy you, IDK). However, on the down side, there was construction non-stop throughout the year it seemed like. It's not fun getting woken up to that at 6 or 7 am. And, when you live on the top floors of a tall dorm like Witte or Sellery, the stairs can be a pain, the elevators take a long time during peak times, and it is always hot in your room, even in the middle of winter (unless you live in Smith or Ogg, the new expensive dorms with A/C). Personally, I think I would have preferred Lakeshore overall, but that's just me. However, the group of guys I lived with on my floor was decent. That could be one of the biggest determining factors as far as whether you enjoy your dorm experience or not, and it's impossible to know for sure what it's gonna be like until you get settled in at whatever dorm. And as a last bit of advice my girlfriend adds, "Don't pick Witte!"

Good choice http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif This campus is definitely very liberal. That said, when I went to vote I rode my bike past a house that literally had 50 McCain-Palin signs in the front yard. It's liberal, overwhelmingly at times, but just don't go getting into a debate with someone from some socialist or Democrats for Obama student org and you will be all right. Amen to the football games. Last semester went by very quickly, largely because of them. (Unfortunately, I had to miss the OSU game because of the NLDS game, but hey, it was a great decision to have to make.) Personally, I had lived in Waukesha my whole life before coming out here. I'm not the most outgoing person when it comes to meeting new people, so while I made some friends last year, I definitely did miss home. So I went home a fair amount. This year, I'm living in a house with 6 other people (5 of whom I went to high school with), and I couldn't be happier. Having good friends around me and having the freedom of living in a house (in addition to having a more full schedule that's kept me more busy) has made me appreciate Madison more. So basically, if you do attend school here, my two bits of advice (maybe echoing what others have said) is to realize your priorities, that school is number one, and to find a group of friends you can enjoy and can possibly live with in an apartment/house starting your second year.

Kind of a random question, but does anyone know why they block off the upper half of those upper level sections out in the outfield? When i attended a football game there once, I sat in upper level seats up there that aren't even available for Twins games.

Looks like they are doing Autograph Fridays. Each Friday except the opener and the Fridays in September. http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/schedule/season_long_promotions.jsp