You can tell a lot about something by the amount of patience it engenders.
People don’t stand in very long lines by accident. They do so for one of two reasons: Because they really, truly love something, or because they owe something to the government.
Well, there was no bureaucracy at the Midwest Airlines Center on Sunday. The 10,638 who filed in were there of their own accord, and they showed up because a whole lot of Milwaukee Brewers happened to be there, too.
The Brewers are clearly onto something with this On Deck gig, a baseball oasis amidst Wisconsin’s winter desert. Usually when 10,000-plus Wisconsinites do something on a cold Sunday afternoon, there’s a Green Bay Packers logo involved.
But this is the second straight year that many fans have flocked to the On Deck event, all hoping to see their favorite players, to get their autographs, to watch them play trivia games.
And maybe, if they’re really lucky, to watch them try country line dancing.
Yes, for a few glorious minutes, pitcher David Riske and shortstop Alcides Escobar pitted their “Boot Scoot Boogie” against a trio of Diamond Dancers and a handful of children. Then they transitioned to some hip-hop, prompting the teen next to me to channel his inner Simon Cowell: “Brewers players just don’t know how to dance.”
Now you know why Riske’s so focused on rehabbing that right elbow. It’s easier to fix than his two left feet.
Alas, not many witnessed Riske’s dancing display. The lines to watch it were but a fraction of the anaconda-like queues that formed to get player autographs. Ditto for something as mundane as the concession stand lines. If the food quality were proportional to the time spent waiting for it, then folks were eating foie gras hot dogs and pizza pâté.
(Speaking of food, Ryan Braun had an entourage there spreading word of his new restaurant, the Ryan Braun Tavern and Grill. First it was those Remetee T-shirts, then an approach to be “The Bachelor,” and now a fine-dining joint. What’s next, his own fragrance?
On second thought, forget I said anything.)
But judging by all the smiles, few seemed to mind all the idle time. They were more than content to wait for the brushes with greatness. And all that patience is excellent news for the Brewers.
Because it’s a sign that the disappointing 2009 season hasn’t stopped their fans from caring.
“Obviously you’re still enthusiastic about the baseball club,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told the masses.
And they proceeded to show just how enthusiastic. In a Q & A session, Melvin heard people proclaim that Rickie Weeks would hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases this season, that newly acquired Carlos Gomez was an upgrade in center field, and that an NL pennant was all but assured.
Yes, it’s easy to be a Brewers optimist right in the winter.
But maybe optimism isn’t such a crazy notion. If the Brewers could win 80 games with the worst starting rotation in the National League, then how many can they win if their rotation is simply an average one? And is it really so farfetched to ask new acquisitions Randy Wolf and Doug Davis to be average?
Moreover, Melvin said that if the Brewers were in playoff contention, they should have the financial flexibility to bring in some reinforcements via trade. In fact, he indicated that the biggest obstacle to making midseason trades might not be money, but the trading away of prospects. He noted that the organization has given up 13 such players in the last three seasons. “You just can’t continue to be giving up young players,” he cautioned.
True, but 2010 has the feeling of being one of those all-or-nothing seasons. With Prince Fielder’s free agency looming after 2011, and the Brewers unlikely to have enough money to convince him to stay here, the window to accomplish great things may not be open much longer. This club could be just one or two years shy of transitioning from contention to rebuilding.
Yes, fans showed plenty of patience in waiting for autographs. They’ve shown even more while waiting for a return to the World Series.
And eventually, patience must be rewarded.
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