Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers

Today we visited the Milwaukee Brewers who took on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.  We heard the tailgating before the game was something not to be missed so we made sure to arrive early, and we were not disappointed.  Within minutes after parking, our tailgating neighbors set up camp with full-sized tables, ice chests and grills with spectacular efficiency.  This occurred across the parking lot as far as the eye could see.  It was nice to slow down, chow down on some brats and put back some beers.  Folks in Milwaukee definitely have the right idea and put most of their energy into the pregame festivities.

The ballpark itself was very impressive, similar to Citizens Bank Park in Arizona with a big dome that was retractable.  The game was very exciting with 7 home runs and over 20 strikeouts combined for both teams, but the fans seemed pretty disconnected for the most part.  Of course they mechanically cheered when they were supposed to but not much beyond that.  The one time they finally came alive was when their star, Ryan Braun, came up to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th when they were trailing by one run.  He hit a blast on the first pitch to right field, but headwinds prevailed and it fell short at the warning track.  Perhaps he forgot to shoot up with the juice before the game (Braun won NL MVP last year but was caught using steroids.  However, he appealed it and was able to keep his title because of a botched delivery of his urine to the regulators.)

Jake and I walked around the ballpark for a few innings to check out the area and he came across this loaded baked potato called the chipotle chicken.  It was so big and filing that it took him several innings to finish.

Overall we all enjoyed the tailgating scene once again like we did at Kansas City as the good weather continued to follow us.  The Midwest has treated us well so far and we look forward to the next game at the Chicago White Sox.