Inside the madhouse of a clubhouse, champagne and beer dripping off his nose and furry beard, Prince Fielder stepped away from the fray, pressed his back against the plastic-draped lockers, and for a brief moment, simply watched.
The Milwaukee Brewers – his Milwaukee Brewers – were still celebrating, and they’d continue doing so well into the night. As you should when you’ve waited 29 years for a division championship.
Yes, the NL Central crown belonged to the Brewers. Which meant it also belonged to Fielder. Which seemed like an unimaginable combination a year ago.
Remember 77-85? Remember the team earned run average of 4.58? No, the Brewers simply were not good enough. And the most popular way for them to get better was by trading Fielder. Because how else could the Brewers get their much-needed pitching? And seeing how they couldn’t agree on his contract extension, why not get something for him before that contract expired after 2011?
That’s why fans gave him a standing ovation when he came off the field during the 2010 home finale. And why, when asked if he thought he’d be here for something like this, he stumbled for an answer.
“Nah… I mean, I don’t know,” Fielder said, wiping some bubbly from his face. “Nothing’s for certain. But I was hoping I was here, and you know, this is what we were all hoping for once we got everybody in the offseason. This is what we wanted.”
Indeed, general manager Doug Melvin’s audacious recipe had worked. Keep Fielder. Trade away the farm for new pitchers. Hire rookie manager Ron Roenicke to mix it all together. Age for six months. Then uncork and celebrate the unimaginable.
So you can understand why Fielder would take a step back and, like a booze-spritzed jersey, just soak everything in.
“I’m just happy, bro,” he smiled. “I’m just happy.”
And when he wanted to share the sentiment with like-minded folks, he knew just where to find them.
Inside the clubhouse, on a floor littered with corks, sure. But outside in the Miller Park stands, fans were uncorking emotions, and they poured out in roars and screams. Close to the field, people opened their mouths when players sprayed them with champagne. They held out hands in hopes of the merest brush with a Brewer.
Fielder would do more than brush.
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| Prince Fielder, celebrating with Brewers fans. |
Near the third-base dugout, he slapped hands with every single palm he could reach. He paused for a picture with a woman draped around his neck. Behind the dugout, chants rang out: “We want Prince! We want Prince!” So he climbed through the crowd and ascended the dugout to reach the chanting masses, greeting them with high-fives and autographs. Soon, another chant broke out.
“Stay in Milwaukee!” Clap, clap, clapclapclap. “Stay in Milwaukee!” Clap, clap, clapclapclap. On the grass below, caught up in the moment, even precocious Jadyn Fielder joined in, upping the cute quotient with his telltale hairdo bobbing to the beat.
Later, when Prince returned to the field, he transformed the Lambeau Leap into the Brewers Bear Hug. He targeted a group of raucous front-row fans, held his hands as far apart as possible, then slowly jogged toward them and embraced as many bodies as those arms could reach.
After a couple minutes, he extricated himself from the human horde. Amid shouts of “Thank you Prince,” he signed autographs. One guy even took off his shirt and presented Prince with his bare chest. Fielder signed that, too.
On and on it went – hug, extraction, autographs, find new targets, repeat. Joyous man sharing historical love with exhilarated fans. Until finally, closing in on two hours after the clinching moment, when it seemed he’d touched everyone who remained in the dwindling crowd, when most of the exhilaration was exhausted, he left for the clubhouse.
Eventually, in the concourse beneath the stadium, cleaned up and wearing street clothes, Fielder reunited with his family. It was time for more personal celebrations. Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, was also there.
Yes, he got a hug, too.
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